Paying For Abominations

I discovered today that Nancy Pelosi and company have included a provision in the health care "reform" bill that has been dubbed "Obamacare" that would cover elective abortions under the so-called "public option," and that all subscribers to the public option would be forced to pay premium for abortions. See for yourself.

It would seem that the folks in Washington haven't learned a thing from the polls and from the town hall meetings of this past summer. Perhaps we can teach them the lesson better next October. The arrogance of the ruling party in Washington is stunning. It is time for a fanny smack.

Well, not just the ruling party in Washington. It is time for everyone in DC to get a wake-up call. Granted there are probably a few people doing a good job. I will do my homework and determine if the ones that I have a say over are or not and will vote accordingly next November. They can rest assured that if they have voted for this horrible bill or for cap and trade that they will not get my vote regardless of whatever else they have done while in office. Indeed, I will actively campaign against them. I may even run against them.

Here is what we are dealing with...



"Health, welfare, and defense?" Um, that isn't in the constitution. It is bad when a school kid doesn't know about the constitution. It is even worse when a US Senator doesn't. But the real problem is that even if he knew what it said, he doesn't care. He is interested in his own agenda.

The interview covers the penalties built into "Obamacare" for folks that don't have some sort of insurance. One thing that wasn't covered was the fact that there is provision for a person who refuses to pay such a fine to be jailed. Great. That's awesome.

So, how about people who are unemployed or underemployed? Are we going to force them to buy this coverage too? What that in effect will do is tell someone that they have to choose between putting food on the table, heat in the house, gas in the tank, clothes on their backs and going to jail. Brilliant. I just love Democratic compassion.

See Michelle Malkin's article on protests in Washington today.

Keep stoking the fires, y'all. Keep stoking them.

No One To Defend The Helpless

I don't know if you heard about the Muslim girl who converted to Christianity who has been (somewhat) in the news lately. She ran away from home because she feared that her family would kill her. Today I was saddened to read the following headline:

Judge Orders Christian Convert Runaway to Return to Ohio

My sister in the Lord is being forced back into a situation where she had reason to believe that she would be murdered by her own family. Perhaps the judge is grossly ignorant of the practices of Islam. After all we've been told that Islam is a "peaceful religion." But I've heard too many stories of Muslim converts to Christianity who find themselves "resting in peace" at the hands of those who should have undying love for them.

I am curious what grounds the judge had for forcing this young woman to go back. She is 17 years old - only months from her 18th birthday. Hopefully, those few months will not be her last. I will have to do more research.

The law is to protect the helpless, but in this country it never seems to. Where is justice? Where is the protection for the widow and the orphan? I am convinced that the state of our justice system makes God want to vomit.

I will be praying for this sister. I have been praying - but perhaps not diligently enough. But one thing is sure: God - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Great I Am, The Sinner's Hope - will be glorified by this young woman's life.

Lord God,

I ask you to protect my sister's life. I ask you to give her courage and strength to face this unjust decision and to trust Your sovereignty and Your goodness. Defend her life, Lord, and soften the hearts of every lost soul that she knows to come to the knowledge of you.

Father, I know that this outcome does not surprise You, and I know that You have prepared her for this moment from before the foundation of time. Let Your Spirit hover close to her. Let her sense Your closeness and Your love. May Your angels encamp around her to keep her from even dashing her foot against a stone.

Fill her with Your word and help her to not worry about what to say or what to do, but to trust that You will give her the words to say and the courage to face whatever comes. Lord God, I place her into Your hands.

Amen.

God be with you, sister. I will be praying for you.

UPDATE:

In another article I read, the father says he loves his daughter and has no plans to harm her. I hope he is telling the truth.

But according to another article the young lady sure seems to think something else:

"If I had stayed in Ohio, I wouldn't be alive," she said. "In 150 generations in family, no one has known Jesus. I am the first — imagine the honor in killing me."

"There is great honor in that, because if they love Allah more than me, they have to do it. It's in the Koran,"

So who do you believe? I think you probably ought to err on the side of life. If it is possible that they may want to kill her then I think she should be allowed to protect her life. We'll see how it plays.

Priceless...

Ignorance Isn't Bliss

My favorite columnist, Cal Thomas has written an article reporting on the national results of the latest Intercollegiate Studies Institute civics test:

For the third straight year, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) has found that a large number of Americans cannot pass a basic 33-question civic literacy test on their country's history and institutions. The multiple-choice questions ask about the inalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), the name of Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 series of government programs (The New Deal) and the three branches of government (executive, legislative, judicial). No, I didn't peek at the answers. I received a good education.

The random sample of 2,508 American adults, ranging from those without high school diplomas, to people with advanced degrees, revealed a minimal difference in civic literacy between the uneducated and the highly educated. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed could identify Paula Abdul as one of the judges on "American Idol," but only 21 percent were able to recognize a phrase from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. I had to memorize that speech in high school. What are they memorizing now?

This article is a must read. And you should also take the time to go to the ICI website and take the test for yourself. I scored 87.88, missing 4 out of the 33 questions, but learned something that I didn't know in the process of taking the test. I was hoping for an A, and if I'd gone with my instincts on two of the questions I would have gotten it. The scary thing is just how bad Americans do on this test across the board. What is even scarier is that the elected officials who took the test did WORSE than the national average.

It's no wonder that we're in the state that we are. God help us.

This One's Gonna Be Short

Perhaps you are wondering why I am posting at 3 in the morning. Me too. I was busy working on the website and, well, you know how those things go. I finally got to a stopping place a few minutes ago and foolishly went to check out the blogs. It's not quite an addiction, but I want to make sure everyone has something to read with the morning coffee.

This whole website thing has really bogged down. I think that the technical documentation for the software that I am trying to use was written by savant chimpanzees on a banana-induced fructose buzz. I am beyond frustrated.

I have at least figured out how to make parts of the web page in one program. The problem is I am having a hard time figuring out a couple of things: #1 Why isn't the FTP transfer working correctly? #2 Why can't the design program that I am using find an internet connection? #3 How do I make the CMS software talk to my design software? and #4 Why didn't I go ahead and check myself into Broughton when I came up with this hair-brained scheme? Those are the basic questions as of now. I have loaded Joomla and a couple other programs on the server that I think will be of use, but I have no road map and, frankly, I may be trying to drive to Hawaii.

I think I am going to try to bribe all of my developer friends with pizza and beer - or if they're not into that, whole milk and Little Debbies! Heck, I might even go so far as to offer all four! Maybe not all at once, though. Ewww.

Good Grief!

Political correctness coming to a Halloween celebration near you...

I guess you have heard about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee (a white man) who showed up at a Halloween party at Julie Meyers' home (Julie Meyers is the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at DHS) dressed as a black inmate complete with skin paint, a prison outfit, and dreadlocks.

From the sound of things it must have been a pretty impressive costume.

Myers was on a three-judge panel that originally praised the prisoner costume for "originality."

That's when the problem started.

"There were a couple of people who were offended," Nantel said. "When it was confirmed through a conversation with the employee that he was wearing make-up" the employee was counseled and Myers sent out a note to employees apologizing.

OK, in today's world that was just a dumb idea. To suggest that his costume would be improved by making himself look black was an invitation to be excoriated. I do wonder however, if it would have been considered "inappropriate" if it had been a black man using white makeup and dressed as a prisoner. What if he had painted himself as an Asian or a Hispanic? What if, God forbid, he had come in his natural skin color and acted gay?

Director of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff said:

"I get very perturbed when there is anything that is done that suggests that with respect to the enforcement of the law, we are anything other than even-handed. I have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination in the area of law enforcement. We have to be tough but we have to be fair. ... The idea that you are going to come and impersonate someone of another ethnic group, I think, is completely unacceptable."

I think that the thing that annoys me most about this whole situation is the duplicity of it all. First it is considered a great costume. Then it was determined to be offensive.

"A department photographer took a picture of Myers with the man, but the photograph or photographs, originally posted online, were deleted after it was determined the costume was offensive."

Well, was it offensive or not? I contend that it would have been making the same exact statement had a black man been wearing the costume.

Robert D. Raiford has it right; we ARE the "United States of the Offended." We are so busy being offended and bending over backwards not to offend that we waste valuable government time (time that WE are paying dearly for) to deal with this stupidity.

If you want to read the whole article you can do it HERE, but I really don't know why you would want to.

The Most Asinine Thing I Have Read In Years

An article was posted right before I left on vacation that definitely ranks in the Top 10 Most Idiotic Statements Ever Made.

According to the article:

The human race will one day split into two separate species, an attractive, intelligent ruling elite and an underclass of dim-witted, ugly goblin-like creatures, according to a top scientist.

"A top scientist?!!!" How could any "scientist" make such an absurd statement? Sounds like this "scientist" was more "Carl Wheezer" than "Jimmy Neutron."



Dr. Stupie goes on to say

These humans will be between 6ft and 7ft tall and they will live up to 120 years.

"Physical features will be driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility that men and women have evolved to look for in potential mates," says the report, which suggests that advances in cosmetic surgery and other body modifying techniques will effectively homogenise our appearance.

Men will have symmetrical facial features, deeper voices and bigger penises, according to Curry in a report commissioned for men's satellite TV channel Bravo.

Women will all have glossy hair, smooth hairless skin, large eyes and pert breasts, according to Curry.

Aye, and he'll slay his enemies "with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse."

Sorry, but this is the largest load of organic fertilizer that I have come across in a while. This "scientist" should be ridiculed to scorn and blacklisted from ANY job more scientific than collecting the poo at his local animal shelter.

I have known quite a few HOT women that didn't have enough brains to count 20 without removing their shoes. (There are plenty of handsome men that would fit this description too.) Oh, and by the way some of these physical traits are impossible to maintain without surgical assistance. Those curves that men find so appealing at age 20 succumb to the ravages of gravity over the course of a lifetime. And as long as there are ugly men who make lots of money there will be plenty of pretty women willing to procreate. (I'm not saying all women are this shallow, but there are enough that are to give ugly guys a chance.)

It would seem that the law of entropy applies to human society. Even our "scientists" are getting dumber and dumber.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Another Sucker

John Edwards is on the campaign trail, wowing crowds with his slick answers and pretty hair. Just recently he was in Iowa talking about hunting of all things.

Mike Hanlon, of Glenwood, said afterward he was impressed by the way the crowd responded to Edwards and by his attitude.

"I just think Edwards can work with both parties, and he seems honest," said Hanlon, who hasn't decide who to support in the caucuses.

I have news for you, Mike. John Edwards is about as honest as Albert Einstein was dumb.

You have fallen for his best ruse - the sympathetic politician. It is the same ruse that he uses when he tells you - with a straight face no less - that those millions he won chasing ambulances was all for the sake of the victims. That is why he pocketed over 50% of the settlements in many cases, right?

You think he can work with both parties? Wrong again. John Edwards is one of the most liberal Senators to ever go to Washington for North Carolina. Notice that I didn't say "serve" North Carolina or "represent" North Carolina. He did neither. From the time that he was elected to the Senate he began his campaign for the Presidency. He missed over 50% of the votes during his time in office, and when he was on the road campaigning with Kerry his record was even worse. So, I don't think that you can say that John Edwards did much work when he was in office either.

I'd also like to point out that John Edwards wholly embraced the Democratic Party platform and line. He never worked with anyone across the aisle. In fact, when he did manage to show up to work in the Senate he was responsible for many filibusters of President Bush's judicial (and other) appointees. Not exactly the way to "work" with both parties.

You missed the one quality of John Edwards that I would not be able to deny. He IS consistent. I could always count on John Edwards to vote strictly along party lines. I could almost always count on him to vote against my desires as his constituent. So I could not deny that John Edwards IS consistent. He is consistently all about whatever is best for John Edwards.

Al Gore's Broken Hobby Horse

Global warming is a crock. At least Al Gore's version is. I can't believe that boob won the Nobel Peace Prize. Of course, he is in pretty good company. Over the past 30 years or so the winners' list has had more boobs than a statue of Artemis of Ephesus.

John Stossel has written a pretty good article debunking most of the conclusions of looney-boy Gore. You can read it HERE. The article also draws attention to some wrong assumptions made about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:

The media also treat the (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) IPCC as impartial scientists, but Reiter and Christy, who were members of the IPCC, say it is not what the public thinks it is. Many of the people involved in writing its report "are not scientists at all," Reiter says. "They were essentially activists." Members of groups like Greenpeace were involved. Skeptics were often ignored.

Say it isn't so! You mean they actually let non-scientists write the report?!!!

Al Gore may have declared the debate on "global warming" closed, but the fat lady hasn't even made her way from the dressing room yet.

Cool Picture

OK, it wouldn't be cool if you were there, but from here that is a cool picture.

So, Michelle Malkin has written that this fire is partly the fault of the environmentalists who have been blocking the clearing of deadwood debris in the forests. Of course the environmental moonbats are screaming "Global warming is to blame!" The Democrats are certain President Bush is to blame. And I'm going to chime in and say that the project that I mentioned in THIS post would have gone a long way to helping to curtail this fire had various government agencies actually been willing to do something to benefit America instead of furthering the stupidity known as partisan politics.

Keep Your Money, Boys. The South's Gonna Rise Again!

And now for something completely different...

Southern and Northern Secessionists Meeting In Tennessee

Well, that's something that I wasn't expecting to read. I'll admit that it might be easier if all of the little groups would stake out their piece of America and set the laws the way they want to!

I always heard that a lot of folks consider all Southerners to be inbred, ignorant, bigots, but I thought that things were perhaps getting a little better. I guess not. Here's a quote from the article that struck me as particularly arrogant and stereotyping of the South:

The League of the South says it is not racist, but proudly displays a Confederate Battle Flag on its banner.

Um. A Confederate battle flag does not a racist make. Many Southerners are proud of their heritage. They are proud that their ancestors fought under great men like General Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. These were men of very high standard, integrity and honor. For many in the south, the Civil War wasn't about slavery. It was about defending their country. For many it was about states' rights - something that we are seeing eroded every day with the debates about abortion, homosexual marriage, and gun control.

These people don't even try to hide their contempt of these folks:

Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, which monitors hate groups, said the League of the South "has been on our list close to a decade."

"What is remarkable and really astounding about this situation is we see people and institutions who are supposedly on the progressive left rubbing shoulders with bona fide white supremacists," Potok said.

Sale said the League of the South "has not done or said anything racist in its 14 years of existence," and that the Southern Poverty Law Center is not credible.

"They call everybody racists," Sale said. "There are, no doubt, racists in the League of the South, and there are, no doubt, racists everywhere."

Harry Watson, director of the Center For the Study of the American South and a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said it was a surprise to see The Middlebury Institute conferring with the League of the South, "an organization that's associated with a cause that many of us associate with the preservation of slavery."

Leave it to a UNC professor to take that stance. I don't know if the League of the South is a racist organization or not. I hope not - racism is abhorrent, but I am ruffled that the assumption is made that they are racists simply because they have chosen to use the Stars and Bars as a part of their banner. Southerners have a right to celebrate their heritage just like everyone else.

Greed Is Going To Do Us In

There are days when I just can't believe what I am reading. I am sadly discovering that common sense is even less common than I had imagined. Consider the following headline:

Selling National Security:
China bids for firm that makes "intrusion prevention" technology for the Department of Defense.
by Irwin M. Stelzer
09/29/2007 12:00:00 AM

Perhaps you will recall that I posted an article a few weeks ago about how the Chinese had launched a cyber attack against the Pentagon?

Apparently there are many assurances that the Chinese won't be able to get access to this sensitive information. They will only be minority stock holders, right? The best argument of all, though, was that it would be really good for the value of the stock.

Aye, aye, aye, aye!

I'm sure the same arguments were used when President Clinton allowed sensitive computer technology to be given to China. The same technology that has allowed them to pursue a Lunar mission and has given them the technology that they need to develop ICBMs.

It is about time that Americans refute the lie that "it's all about the economy, stupid." It isn't. There comes a time when we have to say, "Our national security isn't for sale at any price." When we get to that point, American manufacturing companies will stop "outsourcing" production overseas, politicians will stop receiving illegal contributions from foreign governments (or will be treated as the traitors that they are), and illegal immigration will be stopped and the borders secured.

I fear that our greed will be our undoing.

These People Can't Seem To Make Up Their Minds

Global Warming, er, I mean a new Ice Age, or was it warming, but the warm and now I'm feeling chilly, uh... gee, I just get so confused...

Read about it HERE.

My Sentiment Exactly

I can't believe that that little wacko was allowed anywhere near the United States - regardless of the whether the UN is here or not. (I think that I have already voiced my opinion of the welcome that I extend to the UN in yesterday's post...) I'd like to see him get up in Times Square and spout some of that crap that he does when is is with friends. I think that within 30 minutes in a steel cage with New York's finest would take care of that little problem....

What astounds me is that the freak was invited to Columbia University to have a discussion with students, faculty and alumni. Scratch another one off the list of schools any future kids of mine will be allowed to go to.

That reminds me... Cal Thomas wrote a pretty good article called Cheating College Students that talks about how poorly American universities are doing in teaching their students American civics. Here is a quote from the article:

For the second year in a row, America's elite universities and colleges have failed to rise above a "D plus" on tests of basic knowledge about civics and American history, maintains a study commissioned by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's (ISI).

Apparently, the more prestigious the school, the worse the score.

America's most prestigious colleges had the worst scores. Many of the schools that typically rank the highest in popularity scored among the lowest in advancing civic knowledge. Generally, the ISI study found, the higher the ranking by U.S. News and World Report in its annual survey of institutions of higher education, the lower the rank in civic learning. "Even when controlling for numerous variables that influence learning, seniors at schools with reasonably strong core curricula - for example, Rhodes, Calvin and Wheaton - had double the gain in civic learning compared with those seniors at schools without a coherent core curriculum - for example, Brown, Cornell and Stanford."

Not that the average college student fared any better:

The average college senior knows very little about America's history, government, international relations and market economy. Their average score on the civic literacy test was 53.2 percent. "No class of seniors scored higher than 69 percent, or D plus."

I think Cal's conclusion sums it up best:

In 1777, John Adams wrote to his son about the importance of education. He said it was necessary to teach the next generation about America's founding principles in order to preserve the freedom and independence so many of his fellow countrymen sacrificed to achieve. Only when we know and embrace those principles can we pass on to a new generation that which we inherited from the past. The ISI study reveals severe cracks in that foundation; cracks that need immediate attention and repair.

Wanna take the quiz for yourself? Click Here and go for it. I missed 7. I'd be curious how anyone else does who takes the quiz. Post a comment if you do!

Here's the thing that concerns me. Folks who legally immigrate to America know more about American government and history than natives. Illegal immigration is out of control, and these illegals do not seem interested in assimilation and integration. Therefore, if something isn't done soon we are in grave danger of losing our national identity. Yes, America is a melting pot, but lately some folk don't want to melt.

Here's another thing. This report shows just how greatly the American educational system has failed our country. I don't think that this failure is accidental. The problem is that McCarthy was right. Communists were (and are) here and they were (and are) trying to bring down our American way of life. Too bad that he started with the entertainment industry instead of academia. Apparently they were all hiding out at the universities - and from there they have done immense damage to our country by undermining all of the foundations (religion, politics, reason, logic, etc.) through their brainwashing. We can no longer assume that our schools - even our universities - are teaching students the truth about our history, our culture, and the things mores that we have valued as a nation. It is time to take that control back.

Florida Drivers

Kentucky is the reason I'm not a pinhead Florida driver who rides his brakes and falls apart when it rains and can't drive on ice. You can always tell the Florida people in North Carolina in the mountains in the summer. They drive 30 miles per hour in 55 zones, and they use their brakes on every curve, and they're so ... dumb they brake all the way down mountains instead of using the transmission. Then their brakes go out, and they go over the high side on the next curve, and the locals behind them get to drive at normal speed until they catch up to the next Florida idiot. My mother straightened me out on that score. Florida drivers exasperated her.

- Steve Graham @ Hog On Ice

That is so true... God help you if you happen to be driving down 321 south of Boone in the middle of October. My mom was raised up there (NC mountains) and every time we went up to Boone she'd be complaining about the "flatlanders." You didn't even have to see the license plate to know - the smell of burning brake pads was a dead giveaway. My mom can absolutely fly down those roads. Riding with her I hardly ever worried that we'd go flying off the side of the mountain.

Actually, I think that it is matter of pride for mountain folk that they can drive curves without fear. Though I am not native mountain folk, I do pretty well, but I can't live up to my uncle's level.

My mom's brother claims that he could drive from Tweetsie to Patterson in a panel van with a load of oak cabinets without touching the brakes. I'll have to take his word for that one. I'm pretty certain that I don't want to be in the van. I have ridden with him on the narrow, windy back roads between Patterson and North Wilkesboro in a full-sized pick-up truck hauling a bass boat going every bit of the speed limit. (Maybe more. True story.) That was enough adventure for me!

On a side note, right off of the Wilkesboro Road is the grave site of the infamous Tom Dooley.

I love the mountains. Give me mountains over the ocean any day. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate the water. I do. But the ocean can't compare to my beautiful Blue Ridge.

And, by the way, "Appalachian" is Ap-puh-LATCH-un NOT Ap-puh-LAISH-un.

Quotes of the Day

Thomas Sowell had some good thoughts in his article titled Random Thoughts

People who refuse to face the reality of hard choices are forever coming up with some clever "third way"-- often leading to worse disasters than either of the hard choices.

Wise people created civilization over the centuries and clever people are dismantling it today. You can see it happening just by channel surfing on TV or hear it in rap music or read it in the pompous nonsense of academics and judges.

With all the old movie favorites being shown again and again on television, it is remarkable that the old movie classic "Alfie" is seldom shown. Could it be fear that the scene where cold-blooded Alfie breaks down and cries at the sight of an aborted baby is something that would unleash the furies of the feminazis?

Chutzpah department: When disbarred former D.A. Michael Nifong mailed his Bar card back to his state Bar Association, he included a note decrying "the fundamental unfairness" with which the Bar had treated him. This from a man who was ready to ruin three lives and polarize a community, in order to win an election.

Did You Hear About The German Terrorists?

There is a very interesting entry at Powerline called Connect the Dots

In the article they discuss that the captured terrorists were supposed to strike by September 15 - which would coincide with the report by General Petraeus.

First of all, I wish these terrorists would quit trying to help me have a happy birthday. 9/11 was plenty close to my birthday and 9/15 is even closer. If you want to make me happy, either repent or blow yourself and all the other terrorists in your organization up... preferably in the middle of the desert.

I don't think that these guys get the American psyche. They want to sting us, when our general is about to tell us that things are going well and we can start to draw down troop levels. That's just dumb. All that is going to do is cause us to renew our resolve to fight. It would also nearly guarantee a Republican surge in the next election. That seems to be antithetical to the goal of winning and creating a worldwide Islamic state. That is their goal, right?

Is it possible that Al Quaeda is a diversion from something else? Hmmm. Could Al Quaeda be in cahoots with another enemy of America that would be benefitted by our distraction? Definitely something to consider. If that isn't the case, then I'm thinking that I gave Al Quaeda too much credit.

You Have Got To Be Kidding...(no pun intended)

Airline Sacrifices Goats to Appease Sky god

And these people have nukes?! Be afraid, very afraid. Mark that airline off of the list of those I'll fly.

The Hour of the Thief

And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
- God (Luke 12:39)

They say that ignorance is bliss. If that is true Michael Moore must be in a constant state of ecstasy. Actually, I don't believe that Michael Moore is ignorant. I could excuse him if he were. No, His Royal Haughtiness is something far more malevolent - he is a bold-faced liar and distorter of truth. The sad thing is that he is right about one thing: there are a lot of really stupid Americans. Let me take that back. I don't know how many Americans are really stupid, but I will say that there are a lot that are pretty ignorant. These people act like they have been hypnotized. They fall for everything that they see or hear hook, line, and sinker.

One of my greatest laments these days is, "Where have all of the thinkers gone?" It seems like way too many Americans checked their brains at the door of the hospital when they left the maternity ward. I lay much of the blame at the feet of the educators of this country. There is very little in the education of our population that actually challenges an individual to learn the basic principles of logic and reasoning. There are very few courses that require this sort of thought. Geometry and Trigonometry and some of the higher maths incorporate proofs into their curricula. These certainly train individuals to use logical thought to solve problems. Computer programming requires an understanding and application of logic. However, these courses are few and far between, and (with the exception of computer programming) few emphasize the logical aspects of the disciplines. If you think back on your education, I dare say that like me, you will have to admit that you were rarely ever forced to think logically. 90% of all education today doesn't require thought. It requires an ability to memorize, regurgitate, and apply. That is a far cry from real thought.

I guess I was one of the fortunate ones. One of my teachers in Junior High School began my logic instruction. Oddly enough it was my English teacher in 7th and 9th grade. Mrs. Emerson was a great teacher. I hated her in 7th grade because she actually made you work! Sheesh! But occasionally she would give our class logic puzzles to solve. They were incredibly hard! But eventually I began to get the hang of drawing accurate conclusions based on incomplete information. In college I actually had a course that applied logical principles to more abstract ideas like morality and ethics. Fortunately, my professor did not take advantage of this opportunity to force me to conform to any predetermined conclusions. (Thank you SO much Dr. Stalnaker! I am eternally grateful to you!) The two courses that I took with Dr. Stalnaker at NC State taught me like nothing else to follow an argument to its logical conclusion. They also forced me to look at the major issues of the day and form well conceived opinions. He also taught me to be consistent in my arguments to avoid contradicting myself. Perhaps the honorable Senator Kerry would benefit by taking Dr. Stalnaker's class. I would be willing to say that these two courses were the most valuable ones that I took in 5 years at the university. But I digress.

The point that I intend to make at some point this evening is that people like Michael Moore are trying to convince Americans that the events of 9/11 were either an aberration - a fluke, or that they are a fabrication of the great satan, President Bush. I am here to assure you tonight that neither assertion is true. Sadly, there are many who would prefer to live their lives like the proverbial ostrich with their heads in the sand. They have chosen denial because they cannot handle the undeniable truth that there is a rather large group of unreasonable people out there who hate America regardless of who is in the White House and have made it their mission and quest to destroy as many of us as possible.

My friend WB wrote an incredible post today entitled Woman With Possible Terror Ties Arrested that is a MUST READ. Folks, I am not kidding. You REALLY need to read this post. When I read it I was reminded that this war on terror is VERY real and isn't just being played out somewhere over in the Middle East. People, the enemy is here and is looking for an opportunity. READ THE POST.

After reading what he had to say a couple of things just jump out at me. First of all, it is evident that we don't hear about all of the potential terrorists that are caught by our law enforcement officers. I don't know who is covering this up. Perhaps it is the government. There are very good economic and security reasons to not let this sort of information get out. Perhaps it is the media. Most of them don't want us to realize that there is still an imminent threat to our country. That would go a long way to getting President Bush re-elected. I'm guessing that it is probably a combination of the two, but if I had to pick one, I'd probably lean more heavily towards the government. Neither of these stories were covered by the Drudge Report or Newsmax, two very conservative news sources. Secondly, we are very blessed to have such a great group of people protecting us. It has been almost 3 years since 9/11 and there hasn't been a successful major attack on America since then. With the type of activity that WB describes in his post that is nothing short of a miracle.

Folks, we need to get real about the threat to our country. The danger is very real, very clear, and very present. How many of the WMDs that the world was convinced existed in Iraq prior to the coalition invasion are now in terrorist hands inside of the United States or our coalition partners? (Yes, the WORLD. The US didn't make this stuff up! Stop believing that tripe that Moore tries to pass off as truth! The UN passed resolution after resolution and asserted over and over that these weapons were there. Why does everyone seem to have such a hard time remembering something that happened longer than 8 hours ago?) How many of the missing Russian "suitcase" nuclear weapons are hidden inside major US cities? If these weapons are used against us, they will make the attack on the World Trade Center look like a bad traffic accident by comparison. These weapons have the capability of destroying CITIES. They don't discriminate between Republican or Democrat, liberal, moderate, or conservative, white or black, male or female, young or old either.

Now let's consider this: who would the terrorists prefer to have in the White House? Would they rather have someone who thinks that we should get a consensus from the UN and especially from countries that are partners with the regimes that support terrorists? Or would they prefer to have a team in Washington that has proven that they are willing to take the fight to the terrorists even if we are the only country on the Earth with the courage to fight them, freeze their assets, and hunt them like the dogs that they are? Where do John Kerry and John Edwards fit into that picture? How about President Bush and Dick Cheney? Which one is the most likely to strike fear into the heart of the enemy? If you were a terrorist would you rather be treated as a criminal or as a combatant? Do you want to agree with a terrorist? Not me!

How about this: which of the candidates has demonstrated an ability to choose a course of action and follow it through to completion? Which of the candidates has actual foreign policy experience? Which team has the most experience actually governing the country? Is this a time for dual mindedness? The Bible says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Is this a time for instability? Is this a time for on-the-job-training? I think not.

I know this is some heavy stuff. It is easy to become fearful when you think of the possible destruction that could be done by a single successful terrorist. I am here to tell you that there is hope though. If we had to rely solely on our ability to catch every terrorist and to uncover every plot against us, we would have reason to fear, but we don't. We can repent of our self-reliance and cry out to the God of our forefathers. We can turn back to Him and ask Him to protect and heal our land. The Bible tells us:

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
Psalm 28:7

O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.
Psalm 140:7

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down." Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. "With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation."
- Psalm 91

This is good news. I am so grateful to have a God who loved me enough to rescue me from my own wickedness by sending His Perfect Son as a sacrifice to wash away my sin and imperfection so that I could enjoy the benefits of knowing and loving Him. That is something the terrorists don't understand. I have a God who is into LIFE! He loves to give us life! Isn't that amazing?! We have no need to fear if we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ to cleanse us and bring us peace with a just God. I don't have to fear the destruction. My God is more than capable of defending me and my life here on earth, but even if He chooses to let my body die, He has promised that I will live with Him FOREVER. If THAT isn't good news, NOTHING is!

If all of this is foreign to you, but you want to know how to gain this confidence it is really simple. Just ask God for it. He says that He will give the gift of salvation to anyone who is willing to ask Him for it, who will confess that Jesus is the King of their life, and who believes that God raised Jesus from the grave. That may still be hard to grasp so I'll try to lay it out in simple steps tomorrow.