Category Archives: America

by | April 29, 2011 · 2:05 pm

Tornado Parking Lot

Tornado Alley?

I don’t know who coined the term “tornado alley,” but they need to come up with a new one…

“Tornado Parking Lot”

…or something like that. Tornadoes used to be something that was common only in mid-western, grassland states, right? Didn’t Dorothy and Toto live in Kansas? Well, it seems that tornadoes aren’t just for Kansas, anymore. They have come to like the South.

April 27-28, 2011 will be remembered as the most destructive time in the South since the Civil War. Never in my lifetime have I seen such destruction over such a wide area. Whenever we use to hear of a tornado hitting a city, there would be pictures of one stretch wiped out or damaged. This time, it is whole states involved, not just one city or trailer park, and hundreds of tornadoes.

Pray

It can’t be overstated that we in the South need your prayers. There is so much to do and so many who need help. The destruction is so wide-spread that many are overwhelmed with the logistics of providing assistance. All many could do in the first day was put every chainsaw into use clearing trees from roads, drive ways, and off houses. Now, it is the job of the professionals to try to get power lines back up. But with so many displaced, and with electricity scarce, taking care of basic needs for so many will be a monumental task.

Pray for the families of those that are missing. In one town (Ringgold, GA) not far from where I live, at least 26 people were reported missing after a tornado struck a doomed food store. There is no telling where they went. So many others were killed, as well as injured in the destruction.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14521722

Pull Together

One thing that never fails to amaze is the tendency of people to come together in a time of need. Being a good neighbor means more than lending forever a cup of sugar or hand tool. Good neighbors help pull a tree off of your roof; help locate your pet; comfort your little kids while you search for survivors; bring a hot meal to workers; donate blood; or, share a home with the homeless. Pulling together is the “neighborly” thing to do.

Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. – 1Cr 10:24 NASB
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” – Gal 5:14 NASB

Protect

But before you come to the South, at least the rural parts, make sure you’re a good neighbor. Down here, in times like this, “a friend in need is a friend indeed,” even if he’s a total stranger. On the other hand, you’d better be careful if you’re not on the up-and-up.  A few blocks away from my house here in Chattanooga, a local policeman’s house was damaged, along with his car. That night, some looters came around trying to find stuff. The warning I photographed says it all. This ain’t no alley, this is a neighborhood, and we look out for each other.

I'd take this guy seriously!

Praise

It could have been far worse. As I drove around yesterday, I can’t tell you how many large trees fell just feet away from family homes. Even though many places suffered damage, many, many more were spared. One could be critical and skeptical about it all, but I choose to praise God. Many more lives could have been lost. Many more could have been injured. I shall stand among the living in the “parking lot” and give Him praise, for in Him do we have hope for tomorrow, and in the tomorrow to come.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us. – Rom 8:18 KJV

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by | March 3, 2011 · 11:47 am

Free Speech? Oh, Pleeease!

If you haven’t heard by now, the Supreme Court has ruled 8-1 in favor of Westboro Baptist Church. The case involved whether or not the church had the right to picket and protest at the funerals of fallen soldiers. According to all but one of the judges, they do.

Judgment Day

Image by M.V. Jantzen via Flickr

They have the right to carry signs that read, “God Hates America,” “God Hate Fags,” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” to the streets surrounding funeral homes where brave sons and daughters lie. They have the right to carry their signs and bring their voices as close as they can to the funeral processions and cemeteries. They have the right to free speech, no matter if it is hurtful. Free Speech? Oh, Pleeease!

Amazing, isn’t it? Hurtful, hateful speech being allowed by the Supreme Court of the United States, yet students can’t post the Ten Commandments or pray for the safety of other students at ball games? Are they kidding? What about the guys in Detroit who were arrested for handing out Christian literature at an open-to-the-public Muslim event? What about all this talk about alienating Jews and Pagans from Christmas by putting up a manger scene – AT CHRISTMAS!!? – on public property?

OK, that’s fine. There is something else that can still be done.

Rolling Thunder and Patriot Guard Riders

Maybe you have never heard of them, but there are groups like Rolling Thunder and Patriot Guard Riders (I put a links at the bottom of the page.) These are the type of guys that need to be recruited to guard every soldier’s funeral.  I have seen them in action, too, and it works. Evidently, people in leather riding Harley’s intimidate loud-mouthed pseudo-Baptists. Who knew?

When the first soldier from our town died in this conflict, around two hundred bikers came and stood vigil. They made a barrier around the funeral home, each one holding an American Flag. They took turns and stayed until it was time to go to the cemetery. Nobody from ANY protest group dared show up. If they had, well…..

Every once in a while people need to make a stand for decency and honor. Every once in a while, Americans need to make a stand on behalf of those who serve and protect us. When it comes to the funeral of a fallen soldier, we should assert our right to peacefully assemble and protect mourning families from these heretics from Westboro Church.

John Wayne, from "The Green Berets"

Sometimes, however, I imagine, “what would John Wayne or George S. Patton have done?” I wonder what Buford Pusser, the real-life sheriff from McNairy County (made famous in the movie Walking Tall) would have done if Westboro protested in his town. I wonder…..Oh, I wonder.

“Fair and Balanced”

Now, please notice that I linked stories from both Fox News and CNN. I didn’t want to be considered biased (hmmm). However, one thing became obvious to me: even though both networks covered the story, and both networks “more-or-less” sided with the father of the slain soldier over the kooks at Westboro, one network took a little more time making sure the reader knew that the “fundamentalist” church was “anti-gay.” Surely, they have no agenda, do they?

Fox News - Fair & Balanced

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/02/westboro-funeral-pickets-protected-speech-high-court-rules/

CNN US

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/02/scotus.westboro.church/index.html?hpt=T2

http://www.rollingthunder1.com/index.html

Patriot Guard Riders

http://patriotguard.org/

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by | February 26, 2011 · 12:08 pm

Thou (Who?) Art Worthy

Every once in a while we need to re-examine what we do. In this case, I would like to re-examine….

The Concert.

I have been playing music since my early years. Even before I could play an instrument, I would often sing with my mom and dad at different church services and revivals. So, especially with all the later experience of playing with 7 different groups over 25+ years, I should know a little about being on stage.

One of the things about playing music in front of a large audience is the adrenalin rush you get when everything goes just right, especially when the crowd responds with thunderous applause. Ask any musician or singer who has been there and done that…there’s nothing quite like it. Some have even compared it to a sensual experience that could be felt physically, almost like the effects of a drug.

Why is that? What would make a person feel so good at the reception of applause, screams of praise, worship? Worship? Yes, that’s what I said….worship. The reason it feels so good may be because it is too good; too good for us.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. – Revelation 4:11 KJV

Please don’t think that I am coming down on Christian music, or anything like that. The last thing I would want to do is rip groups like Building 429, Third Day, or Casting Crowns, for example. But on the other hand, even Christian groups (and preachers, conference speakers, pastors, evangelists, etc.) need to re-examine, every now and then, Who is worthy of all praise.

Consider the Guitar “Solo”

Recently, at a Christian college basket ball game, I witnessed something that almost made me sick. Even my little girl thought it was strangely inappropriate. For the rendering of the national anthem, a solo electric guitarist stepped out onto the center of the court. Evidently trying to emulate Jimmy Hendrix, the Christian-school rocker proceeded to pitifully destroy The Star-Spangled Banner. But it was the ending of this amateurish exhibition that made me nauseous and indignant.

At the part of the tune where the lyrics would read, “o’er the land of the free,” the little ham hammed it up by repeating that measure three times, at least, each time going up an octave on the fret board. The worst part was when he stopped, before the last progression, and motioned to the crowd with out-stretched, beckoning hands, pleading for a louder response from the fans. Who were we supposed to be applauding, the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, or this wanna-be Hendrix?

Seriously think about this: when Christian musicians play on stage to adoring fans who have paid money to attend a well-publicized event, and the lead guitarist shreds four measures from the latest top 20 hit, who is receiving the praise? How can we do this appropriately in light of the above verse? Are we sharing in God’s glory, honor, praise? Maybe that’s why it feels “too” good.

A Suggestion

 

Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

This is just a suggestion to all my friends on stage, whatever you do. Re-evaluate what you are doing. Make sure that your efforts to win the lost; to bring the congregation into a heart of worship; or to turn all eyes upon Jesus, do not make YOU the only object in their line of sight. This ain’t Wayne’s World, and we shouldn’t be Aerosmith.

“We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” should be reserved for the ONE who IS.

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by | February 9, 2011 · 10:41 am

Biscuits, Jelly, and Legalism

Here’s the deal…

One can easily make rash judgments about people based on certain actions. A legalist will look at those actions and come to the conclusion that the ones being judged are in need of spiritual growth, revival, or maybe total repentance. How then should a “recovering legalist” judge, if at all, people who can’t get your biscuit order right?  Ever!

one sausage biscuit

Image via Wikipedia

For years I have been going to Hardee’s for breakfast. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t go there every day; only once a week, or so. Usually, I order a chicken or sausage biscuit with cheese and a cup of coffee. That is my standard, but occasionally I order a jelly biscuit, too. I get the jelly biscuit many times for my wife. But no matter how many times I go to the drive-through window, the outcome is always the same:

Speaker:   Hello, welcome to Hardee’s, would you like to try our new gravy-covered, bacon-stripped, egg-wrapped, ham-filled, spicy jalapeño, smoked sausage biscuit breakfast meal?

Me:           No, thank you. I would like a jelly biscuit and a medium coffee, please.

Speaker:   Would you like to make that a combo and add hashrounds, a larger size drink, a bigger bag, more calories, and a bigger bill?

Me:           No, thank you; just the jelly biscuit and coffee.

Speaker:   Would you like to add one of our new multi-fruit, caramel and nut covered, sugar-dipped, candy biscuits?

Me:           No…thanks.  Just a biscuit with butter on it and two packs of jelly (for the jelly biscuit), and the coffee.

Speaker:   Will that be all?

Me:           Yes.

Speaker:   Is your complicated, hard-to-understand order correct on our high-tech, flashy, electronic order-confirming screen?

Me:          Yes, it is.

Speaker:   Ok. Please drive around to the next window, please (2 please’s are always nice).

So, I drive around to the window to pick up my simple order of a jelly biscuit and coffee. How hard could it be? The sign that I was just looking at had all the stuff this place is supposed to sell, including, for $.99, a JELLY biscuit. Did I say, JELLY BISCUIT?

I get to the window, and then an older lady (at least she looks older, but her hard-living lifestyle has probably made her look like a sweet, old granny, even though she’s 23) leans through with my coffee. Got it….coffee….just like I ordered.

Next, after taking my money, I am handed a greasy, paper bag containing the simple (or maybe complicated) order of a JELLY BISCUIT.  Granny says, “Thank you, sweetie. Have a nice day and come back!” I then look in my bag which is supposed to contain Hardee’s completed portion of our transaction.

I stop my car….sigh….mutter something under my breath….bang my head on the steering wheel…..and do just what granny asked….

I go back!

When you order a JELLY BISCUIT, shouldn’t you expect blankity-blank JELLY?!!

Back to the window I go to get my jelly for my JELLY biscuit.  2 PACKS!  Window opens:

Granny:  Can I help you, dear?

Me:          Yes, I need jelly.  I ordered a JELLY biscuit, and there was no JELLY in the bag.

Granny:   Oh, I’m sorry, you have to ask for the jelly.

Me:         (Look of disbelief, feelings of high blood pressure not caused by the high-sodium content of the biscuit I have not yet consumed…because I didn’t get any JELLY for a JELLY BISCUIT!) Really? Well can I have 2 packs of strawberry?

Granny:   How many do you want, sweetie?

Me:         TWO.

Granny:  Here you go, sweetie. Now you come back!

I do go back, but I don’t know why. Maybe I just have a big heart for the “order-taking” challenged.

All I want is a jelly biscuit with, oh, I don’t know……..JELLY!

Obviously, someone at Hardee’s needs to get their heart right with the Lord…or am I being too legalistic? Maybe I need to show a little more grace. Maybe I need to do as some have suggested (like my friend, Rhonda) and just have a stash of jelly with me at all times, just in case. Or maybe, I should keep in mind the words of Proverbs 10:12,  “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins,” and just keep my jelly-mongering to myself and “granny.”

I really like Hardee’s……..but anyone claiming to be right with God should automatically give JELLY with a JELLY biscuit….it’s the LAW!  Isn’t it?

Oh well, see…..living a life of grace isn’t always easy……sometimes you have to eat your biscuits plain.

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by | January 19, 2011 · 2:53 pm

Missing the Point…AGAIN!

It never fails to amaze me…the ignorance of those who claim to know so much.

Just recently, Governor Robert Bently of Alabama made a whole lot of people angry. According to the reactions of some, he might as well have said that from now on, only Christians will be allowed to eat and breath in the state of Alabama. Of course, that is not what he said, but that is how it was interpreted.

You can read the articles for yourself (I attached the links, below). Both are full of accusations from non-Christians and atheists. None show any understanding or appreciation of the biblical principles to which Governor Bently was referring. Moreover, they smugly and hypocritically avoid the fact that the word “brother” is used in more circles than just Christian ones. Most of all, they accuse the governor of making all non-brethren out to be “second-class citizens.” All because he said that if you are not a follower of Jesus Christ and born again you can’t be considered family?

Correct me if I am wrong, but since when was I included in the family of the Muslim brotherhood? Tell me, when was it that I was last notified of my spot at the reservation in Montana? Has anyone received a call from Jessie Jackson, recently? Surely, the Rev. Jackson is wanting to welcome me as a “brutha.” Did anyone misplace the memo? NO, because I am not in those “families.” Moreover, most don’t want me, if I could, to become a part.

Governor Bently said what he said based on the fact that only believers in Jesus Christ as Saviour can claim a relationship. That, however does not make us incapable, as Christians, to love and serve our fellow man, even if he is a part of another “family” which seeks to destroy our own. The Apostle Paul made it very clear in the 12th chapter of the letter to the Romans that even though we may not all be “family,” we are to be “kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another (v. 10).”

On a side note, where do the people of Philadelphia think they got the name for their city? Philadelphia is the Greek word for “brotherly love,” as in Romans 12:10. Atheists and Muslims weren’t the ones who named the city, and those leaders led well.

No, it is precisely the Christian who is commanded to do what so few others are willing to do to non-brothers – love them and show kindness, even amidst persecution. Consider the following verses from Romans 12…

Romans 12:14-21  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

If the Constitution was not the law of the land, and we were in any other country, especially one ruled by Sharia Law, would the above words bring comfort, or install fear? If the founders of our nation had been Jihadists, would they have written a Constitution such as ours that allows for “freedom of religion?” Is it fair to say that Governor Bently will treat non-Christians like “second-class citizens?” Not if he really does abide by his religious beliefs. If he does what he is supposed to do, then the non-brethren will fair much better than the non-brethren do in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, China, North Korea, etc., etc., etc.

Give the governor a break people! The great thing about America is that we are a nation of many “families,” but we’re still Americans. Don’t miss the point to make a stupid one.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/alabama-gov-robert-bentley-apologizes-christian-comments/story?id=12662495

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/01/18/new-ala-gov-just-christians-family/?test=latestnews#content

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by | December 28, 2010 · 2:57 pm

What’s Down the Road?

I was just thinking about the new year, not to mention all of the things that I have committed to do. First, there were simple things like pounds to lose, things to fix, books to read, tests to take, messages to preach, and people to see.  Now, on top of all of that, there are more threats of war, higher fuel prices, decreasing morals, and a new season of American Idol. What are we going to do?

A wallpaper picture really caught my attention, today. The scene was a peaceful road leading towards some distant mountains obscuring the horizon. Above the mountains were what seemed to be fireworks and the phrase, “Happy New Year!” It caught my attention because it made me think, “Are we driving into a celebration, or a battle?”

We may not like to think of it this way, but we have lived in a pretty peaceful world for a number of years. Well, just to qualify that statement, Americans have lived peacefully. Even with the last 20 years’ worth of gulf wars, nothing we have experienced in the last 30+ years compares to the Vietnam conflict, the Korean War, or especially World Wars 1 and 2. The world has had its share of trouble, but nothing on the scale of the world wars and genocides of the early to mid 1900’s. Is it possible that the road leading into 2011 may find something besides celebration?

Just a quick glance of the the world news today gave me a shudder……

When you think about it, our country is no longer the leader she once was. We have lost our moral authority and our will to act unilaterally. Our leadership is seeking a plurality of world powers in the name of peace, while giving away our blood-bought sovereignty wrapped in treaties. The peace that was maintained by our threat of force is now up for grabs by any snot-nosed maniac willing to threaten with a car bomb. Who will now lead us down the road? Even more frightening, who are we willing to let lead us?

But even with all the doom and gloom on the horizon, there is hope.

Things could really get bad in the days ahead, and that should disturb us. What is just beyond the mountains ahead could spell the end to everything we have grown to accept as normal and peaceful. Even so, our hope is not in man, nor governments, nor political parties, or fragile treaties. Our hope is in God. Our God is in control.

Just think, the Bible is a good example of how nations can come and go like the seasons of the year. Israel was hardly ever at peace, yet the believers in God were comforted with such words as, “Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” – Isa 41:10 KJV

If world markets crumble and governments collapse; if Social Security checks cease; if jobs become harder to find than Lindsay Lohan‘s common sense; God is still God. Followers of Jesus need not fear what is down the road. He can take care of His own.

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. – Luk 12:22-30 ESV

The future could be full of conflict, or it could be as peaceful as ever. We don’t know what the fireworks mean. But one thing is for sure, “I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand.” As I walk down the road of life, I am not alone.

Bring on the future!

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by | December 20, 2010 · 11:36 pm

Give Me a Break! I’m a Man!

And now a thought resulting from too much Christmas shopping…

Men have to go rest, sometime. We even have a special room in which to rest.  They call it a Men’s Restroom. It is a place men can go and conduct business with very little, if any, conversation. As a matter of fact, it is a place where men usually choose to go alone, without a friend. It is a place where we talk to the “Fonz.”

This year I have decided to speak out against an injustice, a travesty, an attack on masculinity.  If you go to the J.C. Penney store in Hixson, Tennessee, you will see a sight that should not be. I don’t know who thought of this scenario, but whoever planned it is either anti-John Wayne, or Pro-Justin Bieber and Lady GaGa. What is wrong with this picture?

 

I'm sorry, but this is just wrong!

 

 

You see, it is bad enough that we men have to stand in the women’s clothing section for hours at a time while our women try on clothes. Could you at least give us a break when you plan where we are supposed to,…..well,……………go rest?

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by | December 3, 2010 · 1:11 pm

Clark Kent’s Glasses and Sharia Law

I got some new glasses, finally.  I have been waiting for these over-priced sight-fixers for months.  Long story short, it has been a struggle finding the right frames, lenses, price, and place that accepts Care Credit.  You can see from the picture the difference, cosmetically, from the older, black frame…the new ones are rimless (they’re also progressive bi-focals, too, because I’m getting old and decrepit).

When looking in the mirror at my new appearance, a deep and profound thought crossed my mind: “How would rimless glasses affected the secret identity of Superman?”  You know what I am talking about, right?  Superman had a clever, foolproof disguise which kept his identity from being discovered – glasses.  Superman (a.k.a. Clark Kent), when not out saving the day in his jumpsuit and cape, wore a business suit and dark-rimmed glasses.  That fooled everybody!  Even the love of his life, Lois Lane, could make out with him without his glasses, only to totally not recognize him later at the office – it was the glasses.  Amazing.

Now, consider for a moment, what if the styles had been different back then?  If, let’s say, Superman had strolled into the local LensCrafters to purchase a pair of specs, what would he have done if all they had were rimless frames?  What if, after a few decades of being Clark Kent, the styles changed and management at the news paper wanted him to upgrade his look?  What would have happened if the crew from “What Not to Wear” (on TLC) were called in to do a makeover?  Wow!  That would have been interesting!  I could just imagine Stacy and Clinton confronting him for the first time…

Clinton:  Clark, we have been watching you with our hidden cameras for a few days, and you never change clothes.  As a

Stacy and Clint

matter of fact, you disappear a lot, only to come back to work in the same clothes you always wear.Stacy:   That’s right, Clark, and your coworkers have gotten together to do an intervention.  They want you to change with the times.

Clinton:   Yeah, Clark, you have got a look straight out of the 1940’s and it’s got to change.  Let’s start right now.

Stacy:   Clark, we have an appointment set for you with the Optomitrist to the stars, Franko Foofoo, and we are going to update your eyewear….here, let’s just imaging what you might look like, for instance, in a pair of Sillouette rimless frames…..let me just take those old, black ones………

Clinton:  OMG!!!!  It’s SUPERMAN!  (whispering to Stacy, “I always thought he looked super in those tights.”)

Seriously, how crazy is it that just a pair of glasses would keep a famous person from being recognized by his closest friends?  I mean, really?  The truth about Superman’s identity should have been easy to see, even if he had worn a wig and a rubber nose.  All the fans of Superman figured it out the first episode.  Well, sometimes I wonder if the same sort of blindness to the obvious is what is wrong with most people today.  I could site example after example until this article turned into a book the size of “War and Peace.”  Instead of that, let me just share with you one example.

If you follow this link, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/12/afghan-women/addario-photography, you will see a picture of a poor woman in Afghanistan.  Let me quote the caption beneath the picture…

The Wails of a Jailed Wife

A female inmate at a Mazar-e Sharif prison has just been released, prompting Maida-Khal, 22, to cry out because she is still trapped in her cell. When Maida-Khal was 12, she was married to a man of about 70 who was paralyzed. “I was so young, I couldn’t carry him because he was so heavy, so his brothers would beat me,” she recalls. When she asked for a divorce four years ago, she was imprisoned. “I am in jail because I don’t have a mahram [male guardian]. I can’t get a divorce, and I can’t leave prison without a man.” She says, with remarkable understatement, “I have had a difficult life.”

Is that not just horrible? What kind of law would allow a 22 year old girl to go prison because she wanted to get a divorce from an abuser, then keep her there indefinitely because she didn’t have a man?  It’s called Sharia Law, and it’s coming to a courthouse near you!

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about allowing Sharia Law into our American courts.  A case is being battled at this very moment (see link at bottom of page) between the people of Oklahoma and Muneer Awad, director of the Oklahoma chapter of  the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Oklahoma was the first state to say “no” to Sharia Law being considered, or worse, implemented in court.  Muneer Awad said this was an affront to his religious rights.  So, even though the people voted overwhelmingly, a judge put a hold on the results.

Alan Combs, the well-know Liberal spokesman, quoted in his blog a professor from the University of Oklahoma’s College of Law, Joseph Thai:

“There is no plausible danger of international law or Sharia law overtaking the legal system,” Thai said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. He said courts only consider international law when deciding issues involving a federal treaty, a business contract or a will that incorporates international law.

http://www.alan.com/2010/11/05/cair-seeks-injunction-on-oklahoma-vote-banning-sharia-law/

The problem with all of this is, however, akin to not recognizing Superman, in spite of his disguise.  Many of us know the true intentions of those who want Sharia Law to be allowed in our courts.  We can see through the horn-rimmed glasses and distinguish the face of terror and oppression.  This is not a battle for equal rights and religious freedom.  This is a fight for Western Culture, for Judeo-Christian ethics, for a Constitution that was based on the premise that “all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” among them the right for women to not be treated as cattle, sex–slaves, and punching bags! For crying out loud, where’s Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem when you need them?  What about Equal Rights?

Look again at that picture of the woman in Afghanistan.  My heart literally breaks for her.  Does the American system of law allow that kind of abuse?  No, but Sharia Law does.  Where in our Constitution does it state that a man can behead his wife or daughter, keep his daughter locked up, or kill a person for just embarrassing the family by converting to Christianity?  Nowhere, but Sharia Law allows it. Who gives a flying prayer rug if this guy in Oklahoma is offended?  I’m not!  If he wants Sharia Law, then let him go to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, etc.  There, his view will be welcomed with open, manly arms (I’m just not sure the women are too thrilled about it).

The supporters of Sharia Law are walking around our country wearing Clark Kent’s glasses…

Who could it be?

They are saying, “I am not who you think I am.  I am not trying to change your country or your culture.  I don’t want this country to become a Muslim theocracy governed by Sharia Law, NO WAY!  I like American apple pie just as much as you, friend.  As a matter of fact I, too, think America is the greatest country in the world! I don’t want to change a thing.”  Then, just when you think everything is going fine, the glasses come off, but it’s too late.  The difference between Superman and Sharia is that Superman fought for “truth, justice, and the American way.”  Sharia Law and it’s supporters follow a five-fold path that is anything but the Constitutional way.

In conclusion, you may think that I should give a “shout out” to all the “peaceful” Muslims out there who want to live in harmony with other Americans and people of all faiths, including Christians.  You may think that I should admit Islam is a “peaceful and great religion” that has been “highjacked and perverted by terrorist.“ If that is what you want me to say, then let me say this, “You, too, would have believed Clark Kent was just a mild-mannered reporter.”

Look past the glasses, folks.

For further consideration, here’s an enlightening article from the Heritage Foundation, “The Real Impact of Sharia Law”: http://blog.heritage.org/?p=42257.

Story on the Oklahoma case: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/08/oklahomas-ban-shariah-law-blocked-critics-say-attorney-general-failed-respond/

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by | November 25, 2010 · 10:30 am

Remembering to WHOM We Give Thanks

The Thanksgiving holiday is all about thanks, but so little about the Object of our thanks.

What would be the harm in reflecting upon the words of our Founding Father, President George Washington?  Do you remember him? Supposedly, he was a guy that people say was a deist.  A deist?  Yeah, a person who believes that God made the universe, the world, and maybe even man, but took a hands-off approach after that.

But wait!  What can you thank a “hands-off” God for?

If George Washington was a deist, then he hid it really well.  It seems to me that he believed America owed a great debt of gratitude to an Almighty God who bestowed “benefits,” “mercies,” and forgiveness for “transgressions [national and other].”  That doesn’t sound like a card-carrying deist to me.

And to think, there are those who say our founding fathers wanted to separate faith from public life.  Evidently, they were….shall I say….wrong?

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be– That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions– to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.  May we humble ourselves and give Him thanks.  Without His mercies and providence, we would not be the nation we are.  Without Him, I fear what we will become.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

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by | November 18, 2010 · 10:27 am

Should I be Shocked?

What the...?

Do I have the look of shock written all over my face? It shouldn’t surprise me, but sometimes I can’t help being dumbfounded by the insanity that is so common in our country?

First, there was the story of the acquittal of a terrorist:

Jurors in New York City on Wednesday convicted Ahmed Ghailani of conspiracy to blow up government buildings in the al-Qaida attacks on two U.S. embassies in 1998, but they acquitted him on more than 280 other charges. – AP

Then there was this from the New York Post:

A squad of cops in bulletproof vests swooped into an upper Manhattan park and charged seven men with the “crime” of playing chess in an area off-limits to adults unaccompanied by kids — even though no youngsters were there.

And finally, from The Australian:

A WOMAN is suing over an incident where airport staff allegedly pulled down her top and joked about her breasts in public view.

The 23-year-old traveller, from Amarillo, US, is suing the US Government for the emotional distressed she says the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents caused.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/news/airport-staff-exposed-womans-breasts-laughed/story-e6frg8ro-1225955345734

Innocent women can be assaulted in public by “public servants.” Quiet, brain-expanding, chess-playing thinkers can be taken down by weapon-toting SWAT teams.  But when it comes to people who want to blow up America, send THEM to a New York court and they get acquitted on all but one account, the crime of which was less than what Bill Ayers, friend of Obama, admitted to actually doing.

I’m going crazy.

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