14/04: Amen, Brother Rick
Historically, I have NOT been a huge fan of Rick Perry (more on that later, perhaps), but, irrespective of past disagreements, he is looking better to me everyday. Why? His brand of strict fiscal conservatism is likely to be the recipe for survival in the lean and tumultuous years to come.
From the office of the Governor of the great state of Texas:
"Gov. Perry Backs Resolution Affirming Texas’ Sovereignty Under 10th Amendment"
Granted, this statement is freighted with political posturing, but I thoroughly appreciate the look, sound, and sentiment behind it. I admire any politician willing to stand up for federalism rightly understood through the prism of the Tenth Amendment.
I reserve the right to take back my tentative initial support, but this lovely symbolic stand is worth noting and watching.
With all his faults, Rick Perry's political ship may have just come in.
Worth reading and watching.
From the office of the Governor of the great state of Texas:
"Gov. Perry Backs Resolution Affirming Texas’ Sovereignty Under 10th Amendment"
Granted, this statement is freighted with political posturing, but I thoroughly appreciate the look, sound, and sentiment behind it. I admire any politician willing to stand up for federalism rightly understood through the prism of the Tenth Amendment.
I reserve the right to take back my tentative initial support, but this lovely symbolic stand is worth noting and watching.
With all his faults, Rick Perry's political ship may have just come in.
Worth reading and watching.
13/04: Barack Obama in the USA
All I need to know:
Three dead pirates and one live American.
I am very happy to praise this president for this success.
Kudos to the United States military (still the baddest bunch of white hats on the planet).
Kudos to the President for employing the tools in his arsenal.
UPDATE. Another thought: this strikes me as a big political win for the President--domestically, of course, but also as a defining moment on the international stage.
His Statement to the World: we love you and we want to be your friend--but, if you push too far beyond the bounds of civilized behavior, we will shoot you in the head.
Three dead pirates and one live American.
I am very happy to praise this president for this success.
Kudos to the United States military (still the baddest bunch of white hats on the planet).
Kudos to the President for employing the tools in his arsenal.
UPDATE. Another thought: this strikes me as a big political win for the President--domestically, of course, but also as a defining moment on the international stage.
His Statement to the World: we love you and we want to be your friend--but, if you push too far beyond the bounds of civilized behavior, we will shoot you in the head.
11/04: Black Saturday
Category: Christian Belief
Posted by: an okie gardener
Today is Black Saturday. Yesterday Jesus died, as observed with Good Friday. He was buried, and the stone rolled across the doorway of the tomb. The followers of Jesus are in hiding--despairing, hopeless, afraid-- and the enemies of Jesus are still gloating.
But tomorrow is Sunday, Easter. Despair will change to elation, hopelessness to hope, and fear to confidence.
Don't be afraid. Don't give up hope. Don't despair. Jesus lives. Tomorrow may surprise you. Things may turn for the better. And at the end of history, the winner is--------God!
Here is a repeat of an earlier post.
A couple of weeks ago I had to be out and about in my car for a few evenings. Listening to a geezer rock station I heard a nationally syndicated program hosted by Alice Cooper. What a trip! Rock music, anecdotes, Bible lessons, and occasional libertarian/conservative political commentary. In the 1970s who could have imagined Alice Cooper on the radio explaining the context of a New Testament story? Or warning against the dangers of excessive drinking? Life is totally unpredictable.
For much of my life, from childhood until about fifteen years ago, I had a recurring dream: I was standing in the back yard of my paternal grandparents. I looked to the southwest and saw the top of a nuclear mushroom cloud (the direction of Kansas City), then I looked to the southeast and saw the top of another mushroom cloud (in the direction of St. Louis). I assumed, given the talk of those days, and later given my own analysis of the world's political situation, that nuclear war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. was inevitable. (Boy did I feel that in the early 80s). I also recall, growing up in the 60s, having the feeling that America was doomed by enemies without, and by problems within. The same thoughts recurred in the late 70s with oil shortages, strong inflation, and the hostages in Iran. But, the U.S.S.R. is no more, the United States is still here, and my premonitions/predictions did not come to pass. The future is unpredictable.
For me this unpredictability gives me hope. Traditionally Christianity has regarded Despair (not to be equated with depression) as a sin. Despair is the rejection of hope. It is a sin because it is a form of pride, an assumption of omniscience. The person who chooses to despair assumes that he/she knows all the facts of the present, and knows what will happen in the future. We never know enough to declare that life is hopeless.
The Lord is risen! Is risen indeed!
But tomorrow is Sunday, Easter. Despair will change to elation, hopelessness to hope, and fear to confidence.
Don't be afraid. Don't give up hope. Don't despair. Jesus lives. Tomorrow may surprise you. Things may turn for the better. And at the end of history, the winner is--------God!
Here is a repeat of an earlier post.
A couple of weeks ago I had to be out and about in my car for a few evenings. Listening to a geezer rock station I heard a nationally syndicated program hosted by Alice Cooper. What a trip! Rock music, anecdotes, Bible lessons, and occasional libertarian/conservative political commentary. In the 1970s who could have imagined Alice Cooper on the radio explaining the context of a New Testament story? Or warning against the dangers of excessive drinking? Life is totally unpredictable.
For much of my life, from childhood until about fifteen years ago, I had a recurring dream: I was standing in the back yard of my paternal grandparents. I looked to the southwest and saw the top of a nuclear mushroom cloud (the direction of Kansas City), then I looked to the southeast and saw the top of another mushroom cloud (in the direction of St. Louis). I assumed, given the talk of those days, and later given my own analysis of the world's political situation, that nuclear war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. was inevitable. (Boy did I feel that in the early 80s). I also recall, growing up in the 60s, having the feeling that America was doomed by enemies without, and by problems within. The same thoughts recurred in the late 70s with oil shortages, strong inflation, and the hostages in Iran. But, the U.S.S.R. is no more, the United States is still here, and my premonitions/predictions did not come to pass. The future is unpredictable.
For me this unpredictability gives me hope. Traditionally Christianity has regarded Despair (not to be equated with depression) as a sin. Despair is the rejection of hope. It is a sin because it is a form of pride, an assumption of omniscience. The person who chooses to despair assumes that he/she knows all the facts of the present, and knows what will happen in the future. We never know enough to declare that life is hopeless.
The Lord is risen! Is risen indeed!
10/04: Good Friday
Category: Films & Ideas
Posted by: an okie gardener
The Layman Online links to this medical and engineering account of the crucifixion of Jesus. Written a few years ago, it exams the movie portrayal in The Passion of the Christ.
08/04: The Bosque Boys on Webcast
Category: General
Posted by: an okie gardener
Last night Farmer and Okie were guests on Political Vindication Radio. To listen go here. Then find the blogtalkradio in the center near the top. Click on Looking Forward to 2030.
Last night Farmer and I were guests on a webcast (see here for April 7th archive). The issue of the Republican Party's relationship to conservatism came up when I challenged the assumption that the Republican party is the natural home of conservatism: citing Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, men who were not ideological conservatives in the sense of the Conservative Movement (that term itself a topic of conversation).
Farmer replied that since Reagan, the Republican party should be the home of Conservatives, but that the Party had gone off the rails.
I would like to continue the discussion.
Did Ronald Reagan really transform the Republican Party into the Amerian Conservative Party?
I don't think so.
Exhibit A: George H. W. Bush. Although a loyal Vice-President to Reagan, will anyone argue that Bush 41 is now or ever has been a genuine Reagan Conservative? Yet he became the Republican standard bearer in '88 and the forty-first president.
Exhibit B: George W. Bush. Although conservative in many ways, will anyone argue that his Compassionate Conservatism is the same as Reagan Conservatism? Would Reagan have put forward the Prescription Drug Plan? Yet GWB was twice the Republican Standard Bearer and the forty-third president.
Exhibit C: The Republicans in the U.S. Senate from 1980 until now. Are these all Reagan Conservatives? No, though most are conservative in some ways.
It seems to me that the Republican Party was not remade by Reagan into a homogenous, cohesive, party supporting Reaganism.
Italy and Israel have numerous political parties each relatively pure ideologically. In order to form a government, several parties must agree to form a coalition. By contrast, in the United States, with our Two-Party System as it has evolved, both parties are of necessity made up of internal coalitions agreeing to cohere for political success. Reaganism dominated for a time, but it did not completely transform the other Republican Party coalition members.
Thoughts?
Farmer replied that since Reagan, the Republican party should be the home of Conservatives, but that the Party had gone off the rails.
I would like to continue the discussion.
Did Ronald Reagan really transform the Republican Party into the Amerian Conservative Party?
I don't think so.
Exhibit A: George H. W. Bush. Although a loyal Vice-President to Reagan, will anyone argue that Bush 41 is now or ever has been a genuine Reagan Conservative? Yet he became the Republican standard bearer in '88 and the forty-first president.
Exhibit B: George W. Bush. Although conservative in many ways, will anyone argue that his Compassionate Conservatism is the same as Reagan Conservatism? Would Reagan have put forward the Prescription Drug Plan? Yet GWB was twice the Republican Standard Bearer and the forty-third president.
Exhibit C: The Republicans in the U.S. Senate from 1980 until now. Are these all Reagan Conservatives? No, though most are conservative in some ways.
It seems to me that the Republican Party was not remade by Reagan into a homogenous, cohesive, party supporting Reaganism.
Italy and Israel have numerous political parties each relatively pure ideologically. In order to form a government, several parties must agree to form a coalition. By contrast, in the United States, with our Two-Party System as it has evolved, both parties are of necessity made up of internal coalitions agreeing to cohere for political success. Reaganism dominated for a time, but it did not completely transform the other Republican Party coalition members.
Thoughts?
Category: Media and Politics
Posted by: an okie gardener
This morning on the Laura Ingraham show she played a clip from ?MSNBC? in which talking heads were blaming the Talk Radio "echo chamber" for the murderous rampage in Pittsburgh in which a crazy gunman killed three police officers. According to the talking heads all the crazy Talk Radio convinced the gunman that Obama would be coming for his guns. One of the heads asserted that all it took was one or two crazies listening to their radios and taking Conservative Talk seriously to make it a danger.
As a social conservative I welcome these liberal talking heads into our camp.
For decades we social conservatives have been arguing that violent video games, music that degrades women, and media glorification of perversion and sexual experimentation, were affecting people's attitudes and actions. Liberal reaction to our assertions has been to deny any connection and to accuse us of being dumber than Dan Quayle when he criticized Murphy Brown.
Bravo to these liberal talking heads for admitting, finally, that the media can influence people's attitudes and behavior. I await their pronouncements on Gangster Rap.
As a social conservative I welcome these liberal talking heads into our camp.
For decades we social conservatives have been arguing that violent video games, music that degrades women, and media glorification of perversion and sexual experimentation, were affecting people's attitudes and actions. Liberal reaction to our assertions has been to deny any connection and to accuse us of being dumber than Dan Quayle when he criticized Murphy Brown.
Bravo to these liberal talking heads for admitting, finally, that the media can influence people's attitudes and behavior. I await their pronouncements on Gangster Rap.
07/04: The World Upside Down
We live in strange times.
We spend more money on weddings than ever before, and marriages are becoming temporary.
We have an abundance of time and labor-saving devices, and live more hectic lives.
We use more coarse language in public, but villify any speech that might offend certain groups.
And we exercise more moral discipline in regard to our eating, than in regard to our sex lives.
Food, Sex, and Conscience by James Tonkawich.
We spend more money on weddings than ever before, and marriages are becoming temporary.
We have an abundance of time and labor-saving devices, and live more hectic lives.
We use more coarse language in public, but villify any speech that might offend certain groups.
And we exercise more moral discipline in regard to our eating, than in regard to our sex lives.
Food, Sex, and Conscience by James Tonkawich.
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical ... in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."
The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
From AP via Breitbart via Drudge. Full story.
Islam is by its nature expansive through conquest. Both the Qu'ran, the life of Mohammad, and history demonstrate this. Those closest to the core of Islam are those who recognize jihad as an imperative. Periodic revivals of Islam result in violence.
If Muslims wish to demonstrate good faith in proving to the world their peaceful intentions, then I post this challenge that I wish Obama had made while in Turkey. Return Hagia Sophia to the Christian Church and end all restrictions on Christians. That would be a start.
For more that 1000 years Holy Wisdom [Hagia Sophia] served as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Constantinople as well as the church of the Byzantine court but that function came to an end on May 29, 1453, when the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror seized the Imperial City and converted the Great Church into his mosque. It remained a mosque until 1935 when Turkish head-of-state Mustafa Kemal converted it into a museum. Years later the plaster which had been applied by the Muslims to cover the icons was removed revealing for the first time to modern eyes the extent of the desecration perpetrated by the Muslims in their effort to render the structure appropriate for their own purposes.
The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
From AP via Breitbart via Drudge. Full story.
Islam is by its nature expansive through conquest. Both the Qu'ran, the life of Mohammad, and history demonstrate this. Those closest to the core of Islam are those who recognize jihad as an imperative. Periodic revivals of Islam result in violence.
If Muslims wish to demonstrate good faith in proving to the world their peaceful intentions, then I post this challenge that I wish Obama had made while in Turkey. Return Hagia Sophia to the Christian Church and end all restrictions on Christians. That would be a start.
For more that 1000 years Holy Wisdom [Hagia Sophia] served as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Constantinople as well as the church of the Byzantine court but that function came to an end on May 29, 1453, when the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror seized the Imperial City and converted the Great Church into his mosque. It remained a mosque until 1935 when Turkish head-of-state Mustafa Kemal converted it into a museum. Years later the plaster which had been applied by the Muslims to cover the icons was removed revealing for the first time to modern eyes the extent of the desecration perpetrated by the Muslims in their effort to render the structure appropriate for their own purposes.
04/04: Get Ready for Gun Control
I continue to assert, even in the face of the obvious tragic consequences, there are compelling reasons for American citizens to have the right to arm themselves against a hostile world.
However, for weeks now (even before this twenty-four-hour period of murder and mayhem), I have had the sense that we are reaching a public opinion tipping point in re guns. Ironically, for political reasons, the Obama administration has remained silent. Convinced that gun control was a losing issue, the President has taken great pains to put gun owners at ease (although it is far from clear that he has succeeded in that respect).
Don't look for this hesitation to last forever. This uptick in gun violence, and the inevitable public clamor for a crackdown, will flush out those activists within the Democratic Party who have sincerely believed for decades that America would be much safer without an armed citizenry.
I suspect we are in for a big fight over guns in the near future.
I think reasonable people can disagree on this issue, but, in truth, I am not expecting a very reasonable or honest debate. Get ready for a no-holds-barred donnybrook.
However, for weeks now (even before this twenty-four-hour period of murder and mayhem), I have had the sense that we are reaching a public opinion tipping point in re guns. Ironically, for political reasons, the Obama administration has remained silent. Convinced that gun control was a losing issue, the President has taken great pains to put gun owners at ease (although it is far from clear that he has succeeded in that respect).
Don't look for this hesitation to last forever. This uptick in gun violence, and the inevitable public clamor for a crackdown, will flush out those activists within the Democratic Party who have sincerely believed for decades that America would be much safer without an armed citizenry.
I suspect we are in for a big fight over guns in the near future.
I think reasonable people can disagree on this issue, but, in truth, I am not expecting a very reasonable or honest debate. Get ready for a no-holds-barred donnybrook.
