No Unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant

Well, I guess patriarchs as well as politicians "misspeak" so no Ark of the Covenant yet. Someday, perhaps. www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102532

California Here We Come!

That's right - an army of bankruptcy attorneys is coming to California on July 1 for the biggest bankruptcy ever! That assumes that the state's politicians don't get their act together and there are few signs that is happening.
(townhall.com/columnists/CarolPlattLiebau/2009/0/29/politicians_bankrupted_california,_not_prop_13)
This is where the rest of the U.S. is headed because California has been a laboratory for all the trendiest liberal ideas for the last 25+ years and this is the result. The same ideas are being passed by the Democratic Congress at the national level and we can look forward to the same train wreck, probably sooner rather than later. Think it can't happen? California says it can.

A Creative Use for a Trojan Horse

Most of us run into trojan horses when our computer anti-virus program keeps one from infecting our machine. Here is a very beneficial use of the same principle that may someday protect our health. It's nice to know that someone is doing worthwhile work. www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE55R1Q320090628?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Could It Be?

The Ark of the Covenant found? Could it be? If true, the impact will be instantly recognized by Christians, Jews, and Steven Spielberg fans. Look for follow up articles on this. Deeper things than we imagine may be underway www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102200

The Way It Should Be Indeed

Here is a story that you probably read in passing, but it's worth savoring in detail in Sports Illustrated. (Ed. note - bring kleenex). vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1157051/index.htm

Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and - Kim Jong ll?

As North Korea gets ready to help the U.S. celebrate July 4th with its own fireworks by launching a ballistic missile towards Hawaii (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1193941/North-Korea-plan-missile-launch-Hawaii-Independence-Day.html), it is more than a little ironic that President Obama has ordered anti-ballistic missile units into action. (www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5600854/Barack-Obama-US-fully-prepared-for-North-Korea-missile-launch.html) Why is it ironic? Because Obama and Congressional Democrats have been whacking away at funding for these same missiles in the budget now under consideration, apparently on the premise that deficit social spending is much more suited to keeping them in office than nasty defense spending. (blog.al.com/space-news/2009/06/missile_defense_budget_cuts_co.html ) Right at the moment I suspect that the voters of Hawaii might disagree and if the little weasels in North Korea keep perfecting their ballistic missile technology, a lot of voters in the continental United States might come to the same conclusion.

Why the World is Such a Mess

One of the reasons I like Chuck Colson's writing is that he goes right to the point. Even Colson, though, is not as pithy in his writing as the great English author and Christian apologist, G.K. Chesterton:

"When the Times of London invited leading intellectuals to write about what was wrong with the world, Chesterton’s contribution was a short letter that simply read: 'Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton.' " Breakpoint, 6/19/09 (www.informz.net/pfm/archives/archive_800609.html)

We all are. Be repentant. Be humble. Pray.

Who Are These Guys?

Iran is a major problem for the U.S. It is dedicated to getting nuclear weapons and it has consistently said that it will use them to erase Israel from the face of the earth and hopefully The Great Satan (that's us folks!) too. The question for the last several years has been: do we hit them first or try to contain them after the fact? Iran's population is now in full rebellion against the mad mullahs who have run the country for 30 years with an iron hand and what does the Obama Administration do? Why it takes a pass, not wanting to "meddle" in Iran's affairs. (townhall.com/columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2009/06/19/hope_and_change_-_but_not_for_iran)

Meddle? Meddle by supporting democracy and decrying dictators stepping on the necks of people who want what the Declaration of Independence says is a universal and God-given right? We have an opportunity to help the Iranian people free themselves and defuse a very dangerous situation for the whole world and we take a pass? Who are these guys? Who really stands up for freedom and human rights?

Every once in awhile you come across a film that portrays what is decent and good in this country. Taking Chance is such a movie. I hope you will take the time to watch it and thank God for the good that is still in America and for young men like PFC Chance Phelps. I marvel where we have gotten men such as these over the centuries.

Global Cooling?

Politicians love crises, especially ones that are more sizzle than substance, but a mini - Ice Age would be the real deal. Plants love warmth and CO2 but ice and cold, not so much. The sun is going through a cycle of reduced sun spots at the moment and historically this has coincided with significantly lower levels of food production, i.e. - the Dark Ages in Europe. It's too soon to know if we are entering such a sustained cycle, but consider the following from the London Daily Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/5525933/Crops-under-stress-as-temperatures-fall.html

What Comes Naturally to Government

As the U.S. heads for a much bigger role for government in everything, it's instructive to look at our European cousins to see how big government plays out in real life rather than the rosy promises of American politicians. Here is an amusing rant by Lance Ulanoff, a PC Magazine columnist, about the battle between Microsoft and, as he calls them, the "band of European Union crossing guards" - a very apt description of their mentality. ( www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2348655,00.asp) I am writing this on an Apple so understand that I am no Microsoft apologist. Rather, this trade dustup illustrates what comes naturally to government when it becomes bloated and all-encompassing. You can be sure if it tries nanny-state stuff with Microsoft, individual citizens will be told how to wipe their noses (or elsewhere), how to raise their children, run their businesses, etc. Ulanoff's reaction is classically American - what a load of crap! It gives me hope that the basic American traits of impatience with government, individualism - generally the frontier spirit - will reassert themselves and blunt or even reverse the path on which we are now seemingly blindly rolling.

P.S. - But wait - there's more! Be sure to read this post (gizmodo.com/385626/crossing-guards-become-big-brothers ) discussing what crossing guards have become in Britain. Amazing!

Killing Consciences and Hardening Hearts

I was talking with my law partner Ray about people killing their consciences. C.S. Lewis believed that every person was born with a conscience - an innate sense of good and evil - but that it can be killed with time and effort. I entirely agree and the news is filled with people who have done so and committed horrendous deeds that are unfathomable to most of us. Ray observed that the Bible is full of instances where people "hardened their hearts" and wasn't this really people killing their consciences? My answer was "Absolutely!" Every time we say "yes" to evil we kill a piece of our conscience and allow our heart to harden. Every time we say "yes" to God and to good, He continues His work of regeneration in us, making us more like Him. May we all say "yes" to Him much more often so His light will shine through us to this darkening world.

When Do We Sing Hosanna?

CHRIS MATTHEWS (HOST):Evan Thomas is editor at large for Newsweek magazine. Evan, you remember 1984. It wasn't 100 years ago. Reagan and World War II and the sense of us as the good guys in the world, how are we doing?

EVAN THOMAS: Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama's had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he, he has a very different job from ... Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is - we are above that now. We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial. We stand for something, I mean in a way Obama's standing above the country, above above the world, he's sort of God.

www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/06/05/newsweek_editor_evan_thomas_obama_is_sort_of_god.html

Flying Sardine Cans

I recently returned from a cross country trip feeling a bit squeezed by the experience. After doing a little investigation, I discovered why: the so-called legacy carriers (American, United, Delta, etc.) have standardized on a coach seat pitch - the gap between seats - of 31 inches. Anyone over 5' 5" will feel like a sardine with these dimensions! Fortunately, the market has a remedy with upstarts Southwest and Jet Blue.

Southwest jets provide a more comfortable 32-33 inches for its passengers. Jet Blue has a regal 34 inch seat pitch. Not bad for what the legacy carriers deride as "no-frills" carriers. But wait - that's not all! Southwest doesn't charge for your first two bags as almost every other carrier does. If your plans change, you can cancel your Southwest reservation without penalty and the fare you paid is carried as an electronic credit for up to a year on another Southwest flight. The credit is easily applied on their website when you make your new reservation. Finally, Southwest crews are usually good-natured, the flights most often are on time and your bags show up on the carousel with great regularity. The moral of the story: Southwest will be at the top of my airline list for future travel plans.

GM - The Government Motor Company

It's official - GM has gone banko and the the Feds will soon own a majority share. Great. Here come Yugos and other quality vehicles! If the Feds wanted to loan to GM - fine, especially if the company went through bankruptcy first and shed its non-viable labor contracts. But the purpose isn't to help GM - it's a payoff to the UAW to assure the union's political support. Playing political games with one of the biggest American companies and massive amounts of taxpayer money is inexcusable. Not to mention what it does to Ford, who is trying to play by the rules. I will never buy a car from the Government Motor Co. and I hope you will join me in that resolve.

How a Boy Should Look

Now this is how a boy should look! My grandson Braden proudly wears his Baltimore Orioles' hat with a look that his parents will probably see repeated over the years as he grows. Looking good Mr. B!