"...Male and Female Created He Them."

Thus ends Genesis 1:27, where we learn that God made man in His Own image.

And then today I read the recent "Inclusion and Diversity Newsletter" distributed by my employer, where we get this statement:

for all youth, especially those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning.

These categories are not the same as those found in Scripture. There are only two kinds of youth: Male and female.

What our world does observe is that these two kinds of youth choose from among a variety of lifestyles, some of which are clearly unbiblical. I suppose those who are "questioning" may be seeking which lifestyle they wish to follow (be it good or bad), but the others in the list are unbiblical and sinful.

Yet Another "Largest Known Prime Number!"

As reported by foxnews.com and elsewhere, researchers at UCLA have discovered the "newest" largest known prime number, a behemoth with nearly thirteen million digits. It is called a Mersenne prime, after a French mathematician who discovered this particular class of prime numbers. It is found by taking "2" to the power of 43,112,609, and then subtracting "1".

Prime numbers are numbers like 2, 3, 5, 7, 613, 1999, and others which have only two whole-number factors: 1 and itself (View the first 1000 prime numbers here). As numbers get higher, "testing" a number to see if it is prime gets increasingly time-consuming. But mathematicians have also proved (in a manner beyond what most readers care to know) that there cannot be a largest prime number; in other words, there are infinitely many prime numbers. Therefore, there is a certain sense of accomplishment to finding yet another "largest known prime."

A few interesting facts about this number:

• It can be shown (using logarithms) that this number actually has 12,978,189 digits.
• If the number were written out, using 16 digits per inch, the number would be 12.8 miles long. In metric, if we use the even-smaller 1 digit per mm, the number would be nearly 13 kilometers long (just over 8 miles).
  
• 75 computers in a network, using Windows XP, were harnessed to do the raw calculations.

And, believe it or not, once it is verified, the UCLA folks win a $100,000 prize for finding the first known prime number exceeding 10,000,000 digits. (Did you notice that they win ten million pennies' worth of money?)

I actually blogged on this topic last year, too.

Hymn of the Week: Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

Being human, we will fight an unending battle (that is, until death) with our flesh to do that which the Spirit of God wants us to do. Without reading and learning the Scriptures, we will not even know what that battle involves, how it should be fought, or what constitutes victory.

In short, victory over the flesh comes when we fully submit ourselves and our wills to the Spirit of God, and do what He wants us to do. Otherwise, the flesh fights on toward its own victory. Of course, submitting to the Spirit is neither natural nor common. Few truly do it...fewer still do it consistently.

One factor many of us do not take advantage of in this battle is prayer. Each of us must pray daily for the Spirit to have control—and each of us must yield to that control, seeking what is right and doing it all the time. The hymn below can be thought of as a prayer to do just this: For the Spirit to descend upon our hearts, and change our mindsets from the earthly to the spiritual.

The hymn was written by George Croly in 1854.

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
No angel visitant, no opening skies;
But take the dimness of my soul away.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

Math Meets Politics—Obama Gets Failing Grade

During this evening's debate, Sen. Obama made the following observation [I am attempting to quote accurately here]: "We've spent $600 billion in Iraq, soon a trillion...." A moment later, he added that we are spending $10 billion a month in Iraq.

A quick bit of math demonstrates that at this $10 billion/month rate, it will take another forty months (that's 3 1/3 years) to reach the $1 trillion dollar spending threshold. I don't call that "soon." Furthermore, if spending in Iraq decreases in the months and years ahead, as it should, the man elected president this year may not even be in office when that $1 trillion threshold is reached—if it is reached at all.

So he failed on that question.

Earlier in the debate, when asked how his "list of want-to-do's" would change or be impacted by the $700 billion proposal to bailout Wall Street [the "list of want-to-do's" is my phrase], his response (I can't call it an answer) was essentially a laundry list of expensive social programs, energy proposals, etc., that would involve the spending of more money—not, unfortunately, anything that could qualify as a serious reduction.

So he failed on this question, too: The correct answer was to subtract spending from the budget, not to add it.

No, It's NOT Patriotic!

Several days ago Joe Biden offered the bizarre idea that the paying of taxes is a patriotic duty of Americans.

His idea of paying taxes (and I believe I have this in its proper context) to fund the ever-growing programs of an already-badly-bloated government is directly contrary to patriotic feelings. Our government was not founded so that its citizens could hand over their money to a government who would waste it on endless social programs, entitlement programs, public education, and bailouts of businesses.

One of the great catalysts of the Revolution was the Boston Tea Party. What were they doing there? Protesting the one tax that Britain hadn't already repealed—a tax that Parliament left in place to demonstrate that they could, in fact, tax the colonists.

And we all should remember that turned out. This country was founded, in part, on the idea that our government shouldn't impose unreasonable taxes.

Mr. Biden, the patriotic feelings you should inspire are ones that involve paying fewer, fairer taxes. Your ideas about taxing us further are decidedly unpatriotic.

Vice-Presidential Trivia: Who Am I?

In the panorama of American History, who am I?


I was nominated to be the vice-president on the Republican ticket.


At the time I was nominated to be vice-president, I was the very popular governor of an important state.


Prior to that, I had a meteoric rise in my state's politics.


I was below the age of 45 when nominated.


I loved the outdoors, and spent a key period of my life in the far-northwestern, sparsely populated portion of my country.


I was happily married with a large family.


My eldest daughter occasionally caused a degree of embarrassment.


Who am I? Sarah Palin? Actually, I was...



Theodore Roosevelt, 1900

McCain Goes to Washington; Obama...?

Sen. John McCain announced today that he is suspending his campaign so that he can go to Washington D.C. and help solve the current financial situation that has enveloped NYC and D.C. He has invited Sen. Obama to do the same, and he has asked that Friday's presidential debate be postponed.

This is a good decision by McCain for a couple of reasons.

1. He is, after all, drawing a salary to be a U.S. Senator; so in essence, he is going to his job! Therefore, it is the right thing to do.
   
2. Politically, it is a shrewd move. Sen. Obama really can't "win" in this scenario.

Senator Obama does not see any necessity to postponing the debate. But if he really wants a debate, I have a suggestion for the McCain campaign:

Send Sarah Palin to debate Obama.

Yankee Stadium

The Yankees have won their final home game played at the "original" Yankee Stadium by a score of 7-3. Yankee Stadium, easily the greatest sports venue in the world [also verified by this Red Sox fan here], has been the home to the greatest baseball team in the world since 1923.

I attended four Yankees game at the Stadium (they lost the first two and won the last two), and attended one after riding the 4-train up from Manhattan. It is a beautiful place.

And a thought I had this evening as I watched the game's conclusion and post-game events: For all of you Yankee haters out there who complain that all they do is just go out and "buy players," can you name me any other MLB team with four current players who were playing with their team in 1996? The Yankees have Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Pettitte (who strayed to the Astros for three years, but came back). Clearly, they want to play for "the greatest fans in the world." [Source: Derek Jeter's post-game speech, 9/21/08. And he should know.]

Thought for the Day

The reason the secularists cannot find God in American history is the same reason a crook cannot find a cop.

Hymn of the Week: Breathe on Me, Breath of God

We are told in Genesis 2:7 that God breathed the "breath of life" into Adam, and he became a living soul. Thus man was created.

We are told in the New Testament that the Spirit, among other things, is likened unto a wind (Acts 2:2) coming upon believers.

Each day, we all need to be "filled with the life" that only the Holy Spirit can give, to empower us to live each day to please God. Although our salvation only occurs once, His power in our lives is something which we need daily.

Note the first verse also: When one is filled with the Holy Spirit in this way, He will love what God loves, and will do what God wants done. It is this which often separates the godly Christian from the carnal one.

Breathe on Me, Breath of God

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Blend all my soul with Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.

Newt on Lincoln

The context of this quote is a speech given recently by Newt Gingerich (view the speech here or view a transcript here; it runs at least 20 minutes but it is good stuff!) just after the announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate, on the Left's Religious Bias. This piece on Abraham Lincoln is great.

And then maybe by middle school, we could have them actually read Lincoln’s second inaugural, which while you are here in town, if you get a chance, go to the Lincoln Memorial, stand there, and read out loud – it is only 703 words, the shortest – actually it is not the shortest. It is the second shortest inaugural address. March of 1865, Lincoln, who has been in the pressure cooker of the Civil War, has seen a war which killed 620,000 young Americans in a country of only 50-some million people. And in 703 words, Lincoln refers to God 14 times and quotes the Bible twice.

And I challenge any college in America and any high school in America to figure out how you are going to explain Abraham Lincoln without having people read that and understand this man read the Bible every afternoon in agony because he knew what he was doing was causing enormous human suffering. And he believed desperately that he had to find a justification and a cause which would bring the country together, and which to this day we remember from things like the Gettysburg Address. But read that sometime and ask yourself, how can you possibly describe the American Civil War and not encounter the real Abraham Lincoln?

Is Obama a Fool? Read This...

Concerning the democrats' side of the election, this may be the single-most-lunatic thing I have yet read yet...[click here to see the entire article; excerpt below, with emphasis mine]

By Bill Sammon

Barack Obama, who lamented Friday that “we have not managed our federal budget with any kind of discipline,” is nonetheless promising to spend $50 billion on a United Nations anti-poverty program that critics say will drive up American debt.

“The short-term weakness in the capital market is a reflection of long-term problems that we have in our economy,” Obama told reporters in Florida. “We have been loading up enormous amounts of debt.”

Yet Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, have pledged tens of billions in new spending on a U.N. program that promises cash to poor countries. The program is one of eight sweeping “Millennium Development Goals” the U.N. adopted in 2000.

“Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign assistance to $50 billion to achieve that goal,” the candidates vow in their campaign platform.

And even though the very idea is ludicrous, using the pervasively-criminally-crooked United Nations to supervise it is more idiotic still!

A Suggested Response to the Economic "Crisis"

This week (and month) we all saw our federal government step in and promise to bail out a number of large financial corporations whose demises, quite frankly, are the result of poor judgment and age-old budgetary foolishness. They took risks most prudent individuals would deem unnecessary, and the consequences of these risks have become apparent.

We are now being told that the government (i.e., us) is going to pump, at the very least, hundreds of billions of our dollars into these companies to keep the economy from collapsing. And on top of that, additional governmental oversight/agencies/etc. will be put in place to keep this sort of thing (they say) from ever happening again.

Let us review several core principles at work here.

1. It was poor business practices which account for most of the economic problems these companies face today. Wise companies will not expose themselves to excessive risks...especially if they are large companies.
   
2. Companies who risk their investors' money may go belly up. This is part of the natural course of business. Investors must realize this. Good investors will make appropriate decisions after assessing the risk involved; good investors will not take excessive risks.
3. Many individual Americans have taken on too much debt relative to their ability to repay it in a timely manner; many businesses have unwisely allowed them to do this.
4. Lending substantial sums of money to those not well suited to repay it is foolish.
5. Many corporate titans took risks with others' money, with the realization that the government would probably cover their backs after they made millions.
   
6. The current government "watchdog" agencies, rules, etc. were inadequate, insufficient, or inept to deal with this at an earlier time.
7. Increased government involvement in the future will not make things better in the future.

Many will observe that a lot of unethical, unwise, greedy, and indeed criminal things have occurred with these companies. Many will also observe that laxness, ineptitude, and "coziness with lobbyists" describe much of what occurred on the government-oversight side.

But we must also observe that a quasi-socialist state is not what America needs, nor is it anywhere near her best interests. The lessons of history must be learned, not ignored. The government's role needs to be a lot simpler and a lot more hands-off. It can be summarized as follows:

1. Companies must be responsible for their decisions; therefore, in fairness to the investors (i.e., owners), transparency and honesty must be present in their business dealings.
   
2. The laws must be written in such a way that dishonest practices are not allowed, honest and transparent practices are allowed, and risks must be divulged to investors (i.e., owners), allowing the investors (i.e., owners) to decide if they wish to participate. Predatory business practices and practices by outsiders (i.e., non-owners) that diminish the gain or increase the loss of investors (i.e., owners) should be against the law.
   
3. Behavior in violation of the laws must be punished. Strongly.
   
4. Investors who took risks must be allowed to reap the rewards/consequences of such decisions. Government should not interfere in this, nor should it "bail them out."
   

Going forward, a few suggestions for the government, John McCain, and Barack Obama:

1. Divest yourselves of Fannie, Freddie, et al. Break them up into little pieces and sell them off, to the highest-bidding investors who are willing to buy them. Return them to the private sector, minimizing the impact on the federal budget. [Side note: While you still possess them, cut their leaders' salaries to something less than what you make. And better yet, replace them with competent folks.]
   
2. Return to the practices outlined above. Deregulate where deregulation violates those practices. Regulate only where it is necessary to follow those principles. Keep your hands off when they should be kept off. Allow investors to risk, but don't reward or punish it.
3. Never, ever get our government into this position again.
   

The Presidential Election Was Too Close To Call...

Thanks to Saul Anuzis, MI GOP chairman, for sending this one my way...

The Presidential election was too close to call. Neither the Republican candidate nor the Democratic candidate had enough votes to win. There was much talk about ballot recounting, court challenges, etc., but a week-long ice fishing competition seemed the sportsmanlike way to settle things. The candidate that caught the most fish at the end of the week would win the election.

After much of back and forth discussion, it was decided that the contest take place on a remote frozen lake in northern Minnesota.

There were to be no observers present, and both men were to be sent out separately on this isolated lake and return at 5 P.M. with their catch for counting and verification by a team of neutral parties. At the end of the first day, John McCain returned to the starting line and he had ten fish.

Soon, Obama returned and had no fish. Well, everyone assumed he was just having another 'bad' day or something and hopefully, he would catch up the next day.

At the end of the 2nd day John McCain came in with 20 fish and Obama came in again with none.

That evening, Harry Reid got together secretly with Obama and said, 'Obama, I think John McCain is a low-life, cheatin' son- of-a-gun. I want you to go out tomorrow and don't even bother with fishing. Just spy on him and see just how he is cheating.'

The next night (after John McCain returns with 50 fish), Harry Reid said to Obama, 'Well, tell me, how is he cheating?'

Obama replied, 'Harry, you're not going to believe this, but he's cutting holes in the ice.'


Experience Counts

Poverty...and Democrat Leadership

This information came in an e-mail this morning: What do the 10 American cities with the highest poverty rates have in common? Democrat leadership.

GLENN BECK...what do the top 10 cities with the highest poverty have in common...Democrat leadership.

Detroit, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1961; (47 years)

Buffalo, NY (2nd) hasn't elected one since 1954; (54 years)

Cincinnati, OH (3rd)... since 1984; (24 years)

Cleveland, OH (4th)... since 1989; (19 years)

Miami, FL (5th) has NEVER had a Republican Mayor;

St. Louis, MO (6th).... since 1949; (59 years)

El Paso, TX (7th) has NEVER had a Republican Mayor;

Milwaukee, WI (8th)... since 1908; (100 years)

Philadelphia, PA (9th)... since 1952; (56 years)

Newark, NJ (10th)... since 1907. (101 years)

Hymn of the Week: On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand

Where I live we have gotten about 7 inches of rain since Friday morning...and a tornado was in our area yesterday. This song came to mind.

No matter the weather, the trials, the hardships, the health, or anything else, our time here on earth is temporary. It is the time in heaven that should occupy our thoughts—the knowledge that a day is coming when we who are Christians will be "forever blest" to live in the presence of our Lord. This is a good cure for discouragement.

When we remember that our "permanent" home is elsewhere, and better...this life doesn't seem so bad.

On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan’s fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.

Refrain

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

O the transporting, rapturous scene,
That rises to my sight!
Sweet fields arrayed in living green,
And rivers of delight!

Refrain

There generous fruits that never fail,
On trees immortal grow;
There rocks and hills, and brooks and vales,
With milk and honey flow.

Refrain

O’er all those wide extended plains
Shines one eternal day;
There God the Son forever reigns,
And scatters night away.

Refrain

No chilling winds or poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
Are felt and feared no more.

Refrain

When I shall reach that happy place,
I’ll be forever blest,
For I shall see my Father’s face,
And in His bosom rest.

Refrain

Filled with delight my raptured soul
Would here no longer stay;
Though Jordan’s waves around me roll,
Fearless I’d launch away.

Refrain

Political Humor for Today

This dialogue comes from a September, 2006, e-mail I received and found a copy of today. The source appears to the "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" column from espn.com.

All This Assumes Satan Is At Least 35 Years of Age and Was Born in the United States: Last week Jerry Falwell said fundamentalists would work harder to defeat a Hillary Clinton presidential candidacy than if Lucifer were running for president. On an exclusive basis, TMQ has obtained this transcript of a recent K Street meeting between Satan and his campaign consultant.

CONSULTANT: Let's go over these focus-group results. First there's the name thing. Voters like casual -- Bill Clinton, Bob Dole. "Satan" sounds kind of stiff and formal. Do you have a first name?

SATAN: I have many names. Abaddon, Ahriman, Apollyon, Asmodeus, Azazel...

CONSULTANT: Gotta be informal.

SATAN: My friends call me Steve.

CONSULTANT: Steve Satan. That's great, sounds like the guy next door. Now let's be honest, you have negatives. For example, you want everyone to suffer horribly for all eternity. How am I supposed to sell that to voters?

SATAN: We've made a lot of changes in hell -- now we're customer-conscious. If you're willing to sell your soul, we pledge to have the demon there with the contract that day or your first month in hell is pain-free. Plus we've got a mission statement and a philosophy of Total Quality Torment.

CONSULTANT: Now your position on the issues. Iraq war?

SATAN: Strongly in favor.

CONSULTANT: Universal health care insurance?

SATAN: Strongly opposed.

CONSULTANT: Immigration?

SATAN: Let 'em die in the desert.

CONSULTANT: United Nations?

SATAN: Don't mention that I run it.

CONSULTANT: Education reform?

SATAN: Everyone should learn Latin. I hate it when people come to hell and don't even speak our language.

CONSULTANT: The television coach will be here in a minute to work with you. We need to eliminate the hissing.

SATAN: Sorry. I do that when I'm nervous. Guess I shouldn't have quit smoking!

CONSULTANT: Fund-raising is going well. I hope you don't object to taking money from Persian Gulf oil sheiks.

SATAN: Of course not. But do you have any qualms about working for me?

CONSULTANT: Qualms! I'm a political consultant.

Sarah Palin: Some Great Cartoons

Want to view some great political cartoons concerning Gov. Sarah Palin? Click here.

So What if McCain Doesn't Write E-mail?

Sen. Barack Obama has come out with an ad that mocks Sen. John McCain because, among other things, he cannot use a computer.

So What? It's probably just as important as the fact that Barack can't bowl.

Oh My, the Irony!

Senator Joe Biden is scheduled to debate Governor Sarah Palin on October 2 in a vice-presidential debate.

Sen. Biden has found a "practice debate partner" with whom to prepare for the debate: Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm. She has scheduled four days to practice with Biden.

So let me get this straight: In order to debate a pro-life, reforming, successful conservative governor, Biden has selected a pro-choice, pro-big-government, failing liberal governor?

However, if Granholm comes back to Michigan and governs like Sarah Palin, then we in Michigan will consider the mission a success!

Sarah Palin and Her Church

Some more resources of information:

Here is a Newsweek article from last week about Wasilla Bible Church. Like the New York Times article I cited a few days ago, it's a relatively liberal publication which still comes across making Palin look like a conservative churchgoer.

Here is the website of Wasilla Bible Church, Palin's current home church. According to the Newsweek article, Sarah Palin was baptized as an infant in the Roman Catholic church, began attending the Assembly of God church in her teens....

"Todd Stafford, an associate pastor at Wasilla Assembly of God, says Palin often publicly thanks Riley--now nearly 80 and still working as a prison chaplain--for bringing her to Jesus when she visits the church. She attended that Pentecostal church until she was 38 years old, when she switched to Wasilla Bible Church, saying she preferred the children's ministries there."

The church's statement of faith can be viewed here. Although some of us would be inclined to add to it or rephrase a little bit here or there, it will be recognized as orthodox by those of us who are fundamental baptists.

Here is a link to my first post on this topic.

Hymn of the Week: Beyond the Sunset

This 20th-century hymn, written by Virgil Brock and Blanche Kerr Brock, reminds us of the coming day when these earthly trials will have ended, and we who have accepted Christ as Saviour spend our eternity in heaven, fellowshipping with Him and with our loved ones who are there.

This is a point worth meditating upon: Someday, I will not have to worry about paying the bills, aches and pains, friends who have wronged me, or lousy weather. Someday, I will be in a place where "no storms will threaten, no fears annoy" and where my Saviour and many of my loved ones will welcome me. And my time there will be infinitely longer than my time here!

Be encouraged by the words of this song. (This song is still copyrighted, 1936, by the Rodeheaver Co.)

Beyond The Sunset

Beyond the sunset, O blissful morning,
When with our Savior heaven is begun,
Earth's toiling ended, O glorious dawning;
Beyond the sunset, when day is done.

Beyond the sunset, no clouds will gather,
No storms will threaten, no fears annoy;
O day of gladness, O day unending,
Beyond the sunset, eternal joy!

Beyond the sunset, a hand will guide me
To God, the Father, whom I adore;
His glorious presence, His words of welcome,
Will be my portion on that fair shore.

Beyond the sunset, O glad reunion,
With our dear loved ones who've gone before;
In that fair homeland we'll know no parting,
Beyond the sunset forevermore!

Sarah Palin and Her Religion: An Article and Video

In a New York Times article entitled, In Palin's Life and Politics, Goal to Follow God's Will, this eminent publication [all the liberal commentary that's fit to print, the saying goes] takes a look at Sarah Palin and her churchgoing ways.

I encourage you to read the article, keeping in mind that the NYT has a habit of trying to make conservatives look as bad as possible while still clinging to threads of objectivity.

Gov. Palin spent much of her life attending the Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, but in recent years has attended Wasilla Bible Church. One person interviewed, who knew the Palin family for many years, suggested that they moved because the Assembly of God church was more "extreme," practicing tongues speaking and miraculous healings.

The article also links to a youtube video of Palin addressing a group of seminary students at Wasilla Assembly of God earlier this year, which has been in the news recently. She asks prayer for a number of things, which devout Christians would recognize as worthy, important matters to pray about.

Several observations from the article:

• She asked for spiritual advice from her former, retired pastor, when she became governor. The pastor says he thinks she followed the advice.
• Interviews with her pastors and friends point to this conclusion, and I quote from the article: "her foundation and source of guidance is the Bible, and with it has come a conviction to be God’s servant."
• She acknowledges that God has sent her to her place of leadership.
• Another friend and associate from Wasilla said of her: “The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible....Her principal ethical and moral beliefs stem from this.”
• This same friend also said that Gov. Palin believes in prayer and the power of prayer: “Her beliefs are firm in the power of prayer — let’s put it that way,” she said.
• In her video presentation, only several minutes long, she asks that those assembled pray for several things, emphasizing that God's plan be accomplished.

A quote from the pastor of Wasilla Bible Church:

“I trust my people can go out with that [the ability to analyze the Bible] and they can deal with an issue such as abortion — any issue out there — whether it’s in the public arena, or in the hospital room with their relative dying of cancer, because they will be equipped with a biblical perspective that will enable them to react in that situation,” said Mr. Kroon, who described himself as “pro-life.”

Her church also baptizes by immersion.

On the video, she says, "all of that stuff [various governmental functions had been listed] doesn't do any good, if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God."

It is important to note here that this article comes from the New York Times, a rather liberal paper—and she still comes across as a conservative Christian! On the youtube video you see someone who is familiar with Christianity, who feels comfortable on the stage of her former church, who speaks as one who has felt the hand of God leading her. I cannot judge her heart, but I am encouraged by what I see.

Additional information can be found at this post from 9/8/08.

Another Great Palin Article from WSJ

This article from the Wall Street Journal does a good, clear job of explaining what, exactly, Sarah Palin was doing when she fought the oil companies during the first year-and-a-half of her time as Alaska governor. It shows that she had to have (and did have) a lot of guts to do right in the face of corrupt politicians and businessmen.

Today's News of the Weird

While driving home yesterday and listening to NPR's "All Things Considered" (this was the first time I had permitted myself to listen to them for more than a moment since the DNC), I heard a story that went something like this:

Do you remember the movie, "The Fly," from a few decades back? Tomorrow is its American premiere in Los Angeles...as an opera.

Like most stories on ATC, the reporting was thorough and included the writer, the lead actor, and Placido Domingo, who is somehow involved in this production. The musical score is not exactly what one would expect for a science fiction plot involving the recombination of human and insect DNA, but they say it is quite operatic. The few bars they played sounded quite nice. It has already been performed in Europe.

So if this is a success, we will need to expect other similar opera productions based on unusual 1970's films. I would nominate Black Sunday to be the next unusual-1970's-film-turned-opera-production. Unfamiliar with it? A synopsis is here. But don't feel bad—I've never seen The Fly (the movie), either.

Obama's Ignorant About College Football, Too!

Can you believe this: The man who wants to be president of the United States, while speaking in PA this week, mispronounced The Penn State "Niddle-ly Lions." Anyone whose ignorance of college football (or any major college sport) is this profound is clearly not ready to lead.

And there are two Big Ten schools in his home state, too.

Obama Dons the Flip-Flops on the Surge

According to this foxnews.com article,

“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

However, he didn't say anything like, "I was wrong." This was part of an interview, to be broadcast in three parts next week, on "The O'Reilly Factor," a show he had not previously been on, despite invitations extending back a year and a half.

I suspect Bill O'Reilly will eat this man. Sarah Palin already started—pointing out that he has finally realized what all of us knew all along!

More Proof You Should Be Skeptical of Statistics...

The following is a quote from an article about Jim Abbott:

Nearly 50 million Americans have disabilities, and according to the Department of Labor, two out of every three Americans with disabilities are unemployed.

Quite simply, this is highly misleading.

If the above statistics are both true and both refer to the same group of people, simple mathematics dictates that approximately 33 million Americans are unemployed. I'm not sure what the number of employment-eligible people is in the United States, but even if we place it generously high at 200 million, that means the unemployment rate in this country is near....

16.5%.

Even here is Michigan, where we have the highest unemployment of any state in the nation...it's only about 9%. And according to today's report, the national rate is at 6.1%.

Conclusions:

• One or both of the above statistics are wrong.
• People should be careful to verify what they read.
  

Kwame is Gone. Good Riddance.

The mayor of Detroit, in accepting a plea deal and thereby pleading guilty to a couple of felonies, has been forced to resign. If nothing else, he will be a poster child for the "you reap what you sow" principle: His irresponsible and arrogant behavior deserves at least the punishment he was given today.

Text of Sarah Palin's RNC Address 9/3/08

Reading the speech is a treat....you'll find it here! Here is the youtube video of it. A few great excerpts:

I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better.

When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.


We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers. I've noticed a pattern with our opponent.

Maybe you have, too.

We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers.

And there is much to like and admire about our opponent.

But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it.

Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit.

Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay ... he wants to meet them without preconditions.

Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights? Government is too big ... he wants to grow it.

Congress spends too much ... he promises more.

Taxes are too high ... he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific.

The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars.

Is The Media Liberal? Check This Out!

The one on the left is from about two months ago; the one on the right is from this week. Need anything more be said?

More on these magazine covers can be read here.

Another Great Speech!

Sarah Palin, in addition to all the qualities she has demonstrated as both person and politician, gave a great speech tonight! She showed marvelous humor and indicting wit. She promoted good ideas—ideas American needs to implement.

The immediate post-speech commentary by Brian Williams and the NBC crowd was contemptible! Clearly showing disdain (could it be perhaps that they, of all people, don't like criticism?) for her person, they immediately blathered about whatever negative things—real or perceived—came to mind. Then I come back here to the computer, turn the radio on (public radio this time), and some even more contemptible liberal is giving snide criticism of her and her speech.

How is it that these same media, when covering Hillary Clinton, fawn; and when they cover Barack Obama, worship? Objectivity is dead!

Kudos for Hoogendyk!

The Republicans assembled in St. Paul this week (and boy, would I love to be there) have taken a forced break from their festivities...so how are they spending their time? Jack Hoogendyk, the awesome Senate candidate from our area, responded in this manner. His press release is copied below.

Hoogendyk Calls for Blood Drive at Republican Convention Michigan Delegates Pledge to Give Blood for Hurricane Victims

Minneapolis, MN - Michigan State Representative Jack Hoogendyk announced that the Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention would be participating in a blood drive on Tuesday, which he initiated to provide relief for potential victims of Hurricane Gustav. Hoogendyk, the Republican Party's candidate to unseat US Senator Carl Levin, made the announcement at the Michigan delegation's breakfast and then circulated the room with a clipboard collecting pledges for blood donations. The local Red Cross has named the effort the "Michigan Republican Party Gulf Relief Blood Drive." The Red Cross plans to send a blood drive bus to the Northland Inn, where the Michigan delegation is staying. Hoogendyk is calling for blood donations from residents across the state of Michigan, as well as from other delegates to the Convention. "Everyone here in Minnesota at the Convention is watching the events in the Gulf closely. We see it as an opportunity to mobilize Republicans from all around the country to help their fellow citizens who are suffering from the effects of Hurricane Gustav," says Hoogendyk. "We're all going to roll up our sleeves and give blood to send to those in need in the Gulf Coast area." The blood drive will be taking place at the Northland Inn Hotel on Tuesday, September 2 from 10 am to 4 pm. A large turnout is expected.

It is great to see that the Republicans are not merely partying and having a good time—they are making a positive impact! (And if I were there, Jack, I'd give a pint!)

OK, Michigan—Which Would You Rather Have?

I find it puzzling that here in Michigan, the campaign higher-ups who control the dispersing of monies keep spending much of it on the same thing: Phone calls to voters (and possible voters).

Every voter I know in Michigan is, at the very best, ambivalent about such phone calls; and the ambivalent ones are probably the least likely to either change their vote...or to vote at all, based on one or more phone calls.

On the other hand, many Michigan voters I know want one thing more than anything else before an election: Yard signs. They may take bumper stickers, but don't want to put them on their vehicle; they may buy buttons, but rarely wear them. But give those voters yard signs, and they'll be on proud display ASAP!

Had I not gone to the state GOP convention last week, I—a county party official—still wouldn't have a McCain sign in my yard. While I was there, I observed people descending on the piles of McCain signs like vultures on road kill (analogy not intended to describe the people or the signs). People want yard signs—Campaigns, take note!!