Joe Biden: Why I Could Never Make It The Other Side of the Aisle

I wish I could stop being surprised by the inane things this guy says. Very immature for a supposed elder statesman of a party. Delaware is just ripe with political gaffe machines.

Even in a generally positive article about the Tea Party

. . . the Economist had this to say, "Few tea-party candidates are as hapless as the overexposed Christine O’Donnell, the former campaigner against masturbation and present ignoramus whose selection as the Republican candidate in Delaware will probably cost the party a precious extra seat in the Senate."

Why All The Fuss?

Christine O'Donnell, the surprise Tea Party-backed Senate candidate in Delaware, threatened to sue a local radio station if it did not turn over a videotape of an interview it conducted with her.

O'Donnell's campaign later apologized to the station for the threat, WDEL reports.

O'Donnell appeared on WDEL's "The Rick Jensen Show" Tuesday, during which she fielded several questions from listeners and the host. Upon the conclusion of the interview, an O'Donnell aide demanded video of the interview be turned over to the campaign and destroyed because such videotaping had not been previously approved.

It was then, according to WDEL, that O'Donnell herself threatened to sue the station if it did not comply with the request. WDEL also says it later fielded a phone call from O'Donnell campaign manager Matt Moran, who threatened to "crush" the station with a lawsuit if it did not agree to turn over the tape.

WDEL's attorney was soon involved and told the campaign there was nothing illegal about videotaping the interview for later use on the station's website and added that such action is protected by the First Amendment.

Upon further investigation, WDEL says O'Donnell's attorney called the station to apologize for the uproar and threat of litigation.

I am looking forward to Tuesday.

The Gift That Keeps Giving to Democrats?

I wonder if Dr. Madonna has done research to support his theory or if it's just intuition.

And what's up with the typos in the story?

More Lies From the Moralist

Yet another "False" or "Mostly False" statement from Christine O'Donnel according to the News Journal.

Yeah, It's Kind of Like That

CNN: News for people with short attention spans

I may have commented on this in the past, but it struck me again today. Why do I bother reading articles on CNN? They posted an article today on an Iranian naval destroyer that totals only 134 words yet has "Story Highlights" with three bullet points on the left. Why? In case you can't make it through the whole article in less than two minutes?

$866 billion

I noticed an article this morning on CNN that Americans reduced their revolving credit for a record 11 straight months. This time it was at a clip of 8.5 billion. Not bad. At that rate, we'll zip through the $866 billion we've built up in a mere 8.5 years. Of course, we owe another $1.59 trillion in non-revolving debt, but at least this is a good baby step.

Will the trend continue once the economy improves or will people get sucked back in to the credit card debt treadmill?

Thought for the Day

. . . conjectures as to why God does what He does are probably of no more value than my dog's ideas of what I am up to when I sit and read. But though we can only guess the reasons, we can at least observe the consistency of His ways. - C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

Dig It

Well. This is going to take awhile.

Making progress.

Behold, one lone, brave Saturn emerges from the grasping clutch of ice and snow.

The Problem with Palin

An AP article on Sarah Palin's convention speech to the Tea Party noted that her message was "was short on ideas but big on enthusiasm." Doesn't that describe Palin as a whole? In the 3 years she's been in the public spotlight, I have yet to hear her offer any concrete proposals on anything. "Lower taxes"? Seriously? We're running trillion dollar deficits with no end in sight and you want to lower taxes? I seem to recall that the government was running surpluses and paying down the national debt before Bush's tax cuts. How's that Laffer curve working out? Yes, I know, the big issue is spending, but as Obama's freeze on discretionary spending outside defense, Social Security and Medicare showed, there's only so much that can be accomplished with spending cuts if these larger entitlement programs are not specifically addressed and no politician including Palin currently has the machismo to actually do so.

A friend and fellow blogger offered that Palin should be considered for the head of the RNC rather than running for office again. I would rather her be the head of the Tea Party and be out of the ranks and mention of my party altogether.

Sensationalist Meteorolgy

So apparently we're in for yet another winter weekend snowstorm. I flipped over to accuweather, and the map of the US has this area highlighted as "Paralyzing." Really? Paralyzing? The areas around the center are merely "Disruptive." I think an accumulation amount would have been more helpful and informative. When did we start showing dopplar radar with descriptors like paralyzing and disruptive? If it's 70 and sunny, is it "Charming", "Winsome" or "Relaxing"?

The sad thing is that it's still better than the Weather Channel's website where half the page is taken up by advertisements for assorted medications.

Obama Bashing

I am so tired of all the Obama bashing. It's strangely reminiscent of all the Bush bashing that I also grew tired of. Last night I heard someone comment that "all we'll have left is a few sets of clothes" by the time Obama leaves office. Really? I'm as frustrated as everyone else about the horrible budget deficits that we are running, but to add a little perspective, By tenure, the largest increases in gross debt relative to GDP, to date, occurred under George H.W. Bush (+11.2%), George W. Bush (+11.9%), and Ronald Reagan (+18.5%).

Reflections

I just picked Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis off the shelf. I am not the biggest fan of the Psalms so I was reticent to delve into it, but I am finding Lewis to once again be a very helpful guide. I was struck this morning by his insights. Regarding "The Cursings", Lewis pens,

It seems that there is a general rule in the moral universe which may be formulated "The higher, the more in danger . . . It is great men, potential saints, not little men, who become merciless fanatics. Those who are readiest to die for a cause may easily become those who are readiest to kill for it . .. The higher the stakes, the greater the temptation to lose your temper over the game.

If I am never tempted, and cannot imagine myself being tempted, to gamble, that does not mean that I am better than those who are. The timidity and pessimism which exempt me from that temptation themselves tempt me to draw back from those risks and adventures which every man ought to take.

For the Supernatural, entering a human soul, opens to it new possibilities both of good and evil. From that point the road branches: one way to sanctity, love, humility and the other to spiritual pride, self-righteousness, persecuting zeal. And no way back to the humdrum virtues and vices of the unawakened soul. If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God. There seems no way out of this. It gives a new application to Our Lord's words about "counting the cost."

Partisan Radio

The other night I was driving home from class and flipped through stations on AM radio. For a few minutes I listened to a conservative show (I think it was Shawn Hannity), and later I listened to a liberal show. It was really quite comical. Both sides were fully convinced that their opponents were equal parts ignorant and evil. At one point a more sensible and moderate caller got on and said something along the lines of , "I don't think [insert party name here] took this position just because they are evil and hate America. They probably have a reason for their position." At which point the commentator started backpedaling and claiming nonpartisanship.

Here are a few points: First, don't get all of your news from just once source, whether it be Fox News, NPR, CNN or the Wall Street Journal. Second, understand that partisan radio shows are not news. They are entertainment and/or propaganda machines. Third, try to allow room for the idea that your political opponents are not evil incarnate who hate everyone and everything while you and your political affiliates are God's gift to the world and will set everything right. Fourth, read the Economist to get an idea of what depth of research and commentary actually looks like from a news source.

Thank you and God bless America.

Widget

Pastoral Staff Blog

Wow, I didn't realize our pastoral staff at BVBC had a blog, did you? Check it out.

Shoot The Moon

Man, this country love blowing stuff up.

Does this mark a departure in President Obama's foreign policy? Is this an unprovoked, preemptive, unilateral attack on the Martians?

And The Award Goes To . . .

President Obama. I was surprised to hear on the news this morning that he received the Nobel Peace Prize. Admittedly my initial reaction was "for what?" It is not as though he has brokered peace between Israel and the Palestinians, resolved Iran or North Korea's nuclear ambitions, ended the genocide in Darfur, improved the situation in Afghanistan or made any other obvious signs of tangible progress.

I think though there was a shrewd acknowledgment to the change in tone that can make for better peace in the future with this award. No, Obama hasn't brought lasting peace and a successful resolution to the Middle East. Neither have past presidents or Nobel peace prize winners. What Obama does bring is a willingness to engage first in diplomacy with enemies and cooperation with allies rather than a shoot first, ask questions later unilaterism that undermines a global rule of law and global efforts to resolve multinational conflicts, hopefully without military force.

I can already feel the seething anger bubbling up from many Republicans. Fox News already ridiculed the award, and one show host mockingly asked, "Isn't there cash involved with this too, like a million dollars?" as though the President were trying to attempt a different foreign policy tact for the sake of winning a prize and a million dollars. I mean, really, how incredibly ignorant is that statement? No doubt conservative pundits will also lament how the whole world is simply fawning over the charismatic leader and fallen under his spell. Yet over 20 years later Republicans still fawn over Reagan, "The Great Communicator" with nearly evangelical fervor so I don't understand the resentment; it seems more like jealousy to me.

Obviously only time will tell if Obama's strategy and efforts will prove to be successful. But personally, I am proud of my new president for winning this award, and the recognition from the global community that it imparts that we are not a closed minded, arrogant, bullying, war mongering nation. It gives us renewed credibility which in turns grants a certain amount of leverage in future efforts at dealing with those who would act violently against us or other members of the global community.

So congratulations Mr. President. May we all renew our prays for wisdom and strength for you and all of our leaders to work towards peace.

I Am My Beloved's

During my retreat, I was also reminded of the beautiful song "As I Am" by the Violet Burning.

Mary, she knows
In a world that's dark
Torn apart at the seams
She lifts up her eyes
Up to the skies
And sings

"I am my beloved's
And he loves me as I am"

Sometimes it's hard
Though patiently
You wait for the time to see

Whose are you?
(Tell me)
Whose are you?

I am my beloved's
And he loves me as I am

Light of the world
Please, come shine on me

Sometimes I cry
In a world that's dark
Torn apart at the seams
Sometimes I cry
For I am weak

Light of the world
Please, come shine on me

Reflecting on this some more, I was able to determine the following. Because I am my Beloved's:

• I will not fear mistakes at work or the rebuke and correction of my superiors, for his affection for me is secure.
• I will not be anxious at the deterioration of my wealth from the fluctuations of the economy, for he will grace me with contentment in poverty. Nor will I become greedy at the expansion of the same, for all is from him and belongs to him.
• I will not be grieved in loneliness, for his presence is with me as brother, friend, savior and king.
• While making all good efforts to maintain health, strength and vitality, I will not fear sickness, aging and death, for this veil and earthly tent must fall and I will share in his likeness in glory and resurrection.
• I will be charitable to my neighbor, whom he also loves, while at appropriate times and ways enjoying, rejoicing and giving thanks in his manifold blessings.
• I will continue to pursue the knowledge of and intimacy with Christ, the lover of my soul.
• I will continue to seek to be filled with and controlled by the Spirit, my help and comforter.
• I will continue to fear, honor, glorify and obey the Father, the giver of every good and perfect gift.
• I will not waste my time in idle pursuits, for I am responding to a higher calling worthy of my full attention and efforts.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.