Abortion is Murder

I was already reminded this morning that today is the 38th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Since that day, more than 50,000,000 people have been killed while in their mother's wombs--roughly one-fourth of every single pregnancy in America since that time.

Human life begins at conception. Some question that, but the clear teaching of the Bible, the facts of science, and the inevitability of logic point unmistakably to this conclusion. Others have written, more eloquently than I, from biblical, scientific, and logical perspectives, that abortion is nothing but the snuffing out of a human life.

If the life of somebody "outside the womb" is snuffed out by another human being, we call it murder. If the life of somebody "inside the womb" is snuffed out by another human being, it should still be called murder. Abortion, truly, is just a euphemism for murder.

National Debt Clock...back in the day

The picture below, as you can see from the date, was taken just five months ago.

The National Debt reached $13,000,000,000,000 this week.

A Memorial Day Thought

As a Christian, I find the show American Idol offensive to my faith. But as an American, I think the cartoon below is much more appropriate:

My Biennial Olympic Rant

The Olympics are here. I enjoy watching the Olympics on TV (with some exceptions; see below) and especially enjoy seeing all the athletes march in during the Opening Ceremony. It will probably be the brightest light and the greatest attention that single soul from Ghana will enjoy during the Games—but more power to him! I also enjoy seeing the statistics about how many athletes come from which country, and wonder why Lichtenstein has several more olympians than Mexico, a country with 3,000 times its population. And that one athlete from Mexico looks downright European.

I wonder why some events are in the Olympics. To me, events should meet one (or more) of three significant criteria before the event should be in the Olympics:

1. A winner can be determined by the use of a stopwatch. In: Downhill skiing, speed skating

2. A winner can be determined by the use of a tape measure. In: Ski jumping (sans judging)

3. A winner can be determined by some sort of predetermined, objective scoring system. In: Hockey, curling, biathalon

Events should also represent activities that meet one or more of these criteria:

1. Some sizable number of people, at some time during human history, engaged in the event or something similar. In: Cross-country skiing, biathalon

2. The event is, and has been, widely popular in some portion of the world. In: Hockey, bobsled

3. The winner is not determined by judges using subjective criteria. Referees or similar officials are acceptable if their purpose is to enforce the rules of the event.

Based on these criteria, certain events should be removed from the Olympics as soon as possible. Here are my top candidates:

1. Figure skating (all categories). The winners are decided by judges, using incomprehensible criteria (if any). There has been widespread speculation, as well as evidence, that corrupt deals have been made in the past to help/hurt certain competitors. Not exactly the Olympic spirit, if you ask me.

The only reason this is an Olympic event is because of its huge TV ratings. Some watch for the beauty and athleticism; others for the NASCAR-esque joy of watching a wipeout. Are these athletes talented? Certainly. Are they enjoyable to watch? Often, yes. Olympic medals? No way.

Miscellaneous observation: Virtually all figure skating commentators should be banned from TV, radio, or other public media forever. Corollary: If John Madden returns to a broadcast booth, put him here. A match made in heaven, right?

2. Moguls/Snowboarding/Freestyle skiing: ESPN invented the X Games for such things as this. These are judged events that only a handful of crazy (though talented) souls have ever safely attempted in the course of human history.

Miscellaneous observation: Do any of them dress normally and wear normal-looking hair? Why is this?

3. Short track skating (in its current form): If this could simply be a matter of each competitor being timed and the best time wins, I'd be all for it. Instead, it resembles roller derby and requires officials to determine whether a bump disqualifies the bumper...etc.

Miscellaneous observation: We got two medals in this sport for no other reason than one Korean made a stupid move. This is not the greatest source of national pride we could have...but we'll take the medals.

Events that are of dubious value:

1. Two-man luge: Why? Whose idea was this, anyway? Move this sport to the X Games, but keep single-man luge. Sledding has historic value, right?

2. Ski jumping with judging: Why the need for judges? Shouldn't it just be whoever goes the farthest and lands on their skis gets the prizes? And if they do a backflip in the air, so what?

3. Skeleton: Just how is this different from luge? Could these events be combined somehow? How many people have a "skeleton" in the garage? How many know what it is, or where it is used?

In any case, I'm rooting for the Americans in all the events...even the dubious ones.

Update: My rant really is biennial; here is the previous installment.

How Religious are the People of Your State?

I encountered some very interesting statistics, complete with interactive charts, at this website. The statistics compare "how religious" the residents of each state are with regard to the following:

• Importance of religion
• Worship attendance
• Frequency of prayer
• Belief in God

Mississippi ranks highest in all four categories. Below are the percentages in each category (highest [MS], national average, Michigan, lowest [state])

• Percent who say religion is very important in their lives: 82%, 56%, 54%, 36% [NH/VT]
• Percent who say they attend religious services at least once a week: 60%, 39%, 38%, 22% [AK]
• Percent who say they pray at least once a day: 77%, 58%, 56%, 40% [ME]
• Percent who say they believe in God with absolute certainty: 91%, 71%, 71%, 54% [NH/VT]

The statistics are a sad commentary on the religious state of our country. Let's pray and work toward improvement!

What Might Universal Healthcare Look Like? Issue #2

It would be instructive for all of us to consider what universal healthcare would look like in a practical sense. Various bloggers and others have pointed to actual examples in Canada, Britain, and various other countries.

I would argue that we are already seeing elements of it in the United States. I wrote on this topic once already, concerning the availability of vaccines.

Now we learn that a task force at the Department of Health and Human Services (yes, your taxpayer dollars at work...or perhaps, your grandkids' taxpayer dollars at work) recommends against women having regular mammograms before the age of 50. Not simply stating that they are not as important as once thought, mind you—they are recommending against them.

The more cynical among us will consider the future under such task forces. Here's what I envision if universal healthcare becomes a reality.

Women reaching the age of 40 will continue to request mammograms; indeed, some of their doctors will want them to get mammograms due to family histories, medical problems, or other reasons. "Task forces" will decide who gets mammograms. Age and other limitations will be summarily enforced; those who simply "want to check," or who "want peace of mind," or who "felt something suspicious" will likely either be at the end of the line or removed from it. Those who receive mammograms will have to wait for them; women who are found to have cancer will not be able to receive treatment as early for this reason...and consequently, survival rates will decline.

Of course, those who are well-connected or who learn how to game the system will be able to receive healthcare services in a more prompt fashion. Think Soviet Union, 1970's.

My wife is not too far away from this stage of life; I certainly don't want her to face that in the future.

Political Correctness at the Navy

According to the Navy Times, of all things:

Naval Academy leaders removed two midshipmen from a color guard that performed at the World Series last week because they were white men, and replaced them with a non-white man and a white woman so the academy could present a more “diverse” profile, according to several sources, a move that has reportedly angered mids and alumni.

Disgraceful. And then on top of it all, the "non-white man," a Pakistani, left part of his uniform behind and didn't participate after all. I learned later in the article that (a) all eight of them [six original and the two "replacements"] would have performed, but (b) an honor guard must have an even number of people. All eight were sent to New York for the appearance.

Since the "non-white man" could not participate, one of the original six white guys was kept out. The "white woman" participated with five white guys.

The Navy hasn't exactly handled this well in the days since, either. What they did is not in keeping with naval tradition, and the after-the-fact forbidding of discussion about it is hardly in keeping with American customs.

We have the finest navy in the world and we have the finest naval personnel. This is not going to help their image. Political correctness is no substitute for doing it right.

Independence Day...and Hobby Lobby

This morning I began my day in Ohio, where I had the opportunity to read the Toledo Blade. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the opening section (Section A, Page 5) a full-page advertisement by Hobby Lobby with the words "In God We Trust" at the top of the page. The page was filled with about twenty quotes by presidents, founding fathers, Supreme Court jurists, and even foreigners about how Christianity is an indispensable part of the law and society of our United States.

Times may have changed, but the truth is still the same. Our country was founded on Christian principles, and it was and is best suited for those who believe and practice the morality found in the Bible. When we reject the morals, principles, and character qualities promoted in the Scriptures—as a large percentage of America already has—our country will suffer.

You can view the advertisement here, with a few facts about their advertising here. There's also a link in the ad to WallBuilders, which is a great source of information about our country. After what I have seen today, I will be more than willing to channel business to Hobby Lobby in the future!

Soccer, America, and South Africa

Today the American soccer team, after some surprising and unexpected outcomes, is going to play in the championship game of the Confederations Cup against highly esteemed Brazil. A victory here would be on par with the "Miracle on Ice" hockey game at the 1980 Olympics, as Brazil has traditionally been a world powerhouse in soccer. The U.S.A. has never been a powerhouse in soccer internationally.

It surprised me this morning to read this article about Americans in South Africa and their excitement about the game:

JOHANNESBURG -- It is a grand old flag -- a gift from a family friend -- but for 11 years as an American living in South Africa, private equity investor Greg Durst has not dared wave his impressive 9-foot-by-5-foot Old Glory farther than his own porch on the Fourth of July. Like many expatriates overseas, he's been laying low in the face of anti-American sentiment.

But for Yanks in these parts, the spirit of Independence Day has come early in this age of Obama with the U.S. soccer team's improbable "miracle on grass" win leading to Sunday night's upcoming sold-out Confederations Cup final against the fancy-footed Brazilian powerhouse.

"Suddenly, we're all Americans again," says Durst, who hopes to wave his Stars and Stripes -- a newly hot commodity -- at Coca-Cola Park stadium (formerly Ellis Park) if he can scrounge up tickets for the game.

Perhaps Greg's sentiments were taken out of context by the reporter—I don't know—but I was a bit disturbed by one phrase in each paragraph. Specifically:

"He's been laying low in the face of anti-American sentiment." Laying low? Why would anyone want to live and work in a place where they have to "lay low" because they are American? I can understand the desire not to be thought of as a stereotypical pushy American, but there's a wide and happy medium between these.

"...has come early in this age of Obama..." What, pray tell, does he have to do with this?!?!? More than anything else in the story, this tells you something about the reporter's political proclivities. Espn.com reporters typically do a good job of keeping politics out of sports reporting, but the editors dropped the ball badly here.

"Suddenly, we're all Americans again." Coupled with a later sentence, "It's good to be an American again, but it's even better to know someone with tickets," I had the thought, Since when was it ever bad to be an American? Unlike certain people I could mention in the entertainment media and the left-wing political establishment, I am not, and never have been, embarassed to be an American, or desirous to hide that fact. Even with its flaws (and there are enough of them), this is the greatest nation on earth! I should be thankful and proud to be an American, no matter where I am or what I am doing!

And, of course, I hope that the U.S.A. beats Brazil soundly.

Book Review: "How the States Got Their Shapes" by Mark Stein

If you are the kind of person who is fascinated about why Maryland has such a funny shape, or why Texas is so much bigger than the other states around it, or why Delaware has that semicircle on its northern end, this book is for you.

The fifty chapters of this book each detail how a particular state got its "shape:" Why its boundaries were located as they were. There are some very amusing vignettes and some seldom-noticed details (did you know that the border between Iowa and Missouri actually curves? The surveyor goofed. And he wasn't the only one). There are explanations of often-asked questions (Why two Dakotas, instead of one? There aren't that many people in either, are there?). There were even quite a few "border disputes" throughout the history of our country; the most recent one was not settled until 1998.

I would recommend this book to any lover of history or geography; it is an insightful look at many little details of American history. Its only flaw is its organization. The author chose to arrange the book alphabetically by states, instead of chronologically. This is great if you are trying to find out why Michigan has that upper peninsula or why the northern border of New Jersey slants like it does, but generates redundancy when the boundary between Virginia and West Virginia is explained twice (in the chapters for each state), or when early treaties in our country's history (such as the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819) outlined what would eventually be borders of several states.

Nevertheless, it is a great read for the casual or serious student of American history.

Today is Independence Day!

I hope that all of us Americans remember that we live in the greatest nation on earth. It is great for many reasons, but first and foremost, because in the providence of God, He has made it so. America was founded on the principles of the Bible, apart from any single religious denomination; so long as it adheres to those principles, I believe God will preserve it and keep it the great nation which it is. May God continue to bless America.

Happy Independence Day!