I could never be a member of the Democratic Party, if only because of their history. If you haven't already seen this very informative video featuring Professor Carol Swain about the Democratic Party's long history of racism in America, you should watch it now. I will never join the Republican Party either, because I can't abide the stupidity of their current leadership in Congress, or the fact they don't seem willing to keep their campaign promises. ( see John McCain.) I love my friends on Facebook. They know me well. Yesterday when I started posting pictures of puppies, kittens, and flowers on Facebook, they recognized the calm before the storm. Some wondered if they'd missed it. Nobody missed anything. Yesterday, the pot was still simmering. We've finally reached a full boil. It's time for me get it off my chest and toss in my two cents on this recent debacle in Charlottesville. I'll start with the reasons for both protests, why it became violent, and my opinion on who were the bad guys. The short answer is, everyone involved. Charlottesville began when a few politicians decided that some statues of Confederate generals so grievously offended them that they must be removed from public property, announcing their plans in advance. Some might believe the announcement was a necessary public service, but more cynical minds could suspect the Democrat politicians running both the city and the state had schemed to manufacture the crisis to come. Large numbers of skinheads and neo-Nazi thugs blatantly used the event as an excuse to draw attention to themselves, … [Read more...]
The “smoking gun” evidence for intelligent design
The computer I'm using to create this information is an obvious product of intelligent design. We even know the designer(s) are employees of Apple computers. In fact, "design" does not exist until produced by intelligence, so the term would seem to be slightly redundant. In the absence of intelligence the presence of design, no matter how beguiling it may be, could be assumed to be an illusion. But is that a safe assumption? In a way, this article also serves as proof that intelligent design exists. I am choosing my words more carefully than unusual, knowing that the title of the article and subject matter will surely attract the attention of my harshest critics, who also happen to be the intended audience. No typos for you! Intelligent design has also been described in an online dictionary as "a theory that life, or the universe, cannot have arisen by chance and was designed or created by some intelligent entity." Biologist Jerry Coyne, author of the book Why Evolution is True, also wrote a screed titled "THE CASE AGAINST INTELLIGENT DESIGN", which he neglected to make despite its length. The extraordinarily long essay turned out to be nothing more than an extended defense of evolution, combined with a completely dishonest portrayal of intelligent design as an attempt to reconcile scientific evidence with Young Earth Creationism (YEC). What evidence do people like Mr. Coyne or Richard Dawkins offer in rebuttal to the idea of intelligent design? Advocates of Darwin's theory of evolution (or some permutation of it, such as neo-Darwinism) will insist that the … [Read more...]
The Hummingbird
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This short story originally appeared in the first edition of the anthology God Makes Lemonade. It was the first time I received a check for something I wrote. A friend asked where he could find the story, which reminded me that I've never shared it on my blog. The story is very personal, emotional, and true. The "baby" in the story is now a gorgeous cheerleader in high school.] The Hummingbird Lisa heard a tapping sound but when she checked the front door, no one was there. It wasn’t the first time during the past year she’d thought she might be losing her mind. Given all that had happened, it was understandable. Her beautiful daughter Stephanie dropped out of high school during her senior year because of excessive absences for a mysterious illness that turned out to be morning sickness. A surreal sequence of events caused a rollercoaster of emotion through the course of her pregnancy. In the end a beautiful baby girl named Ava Grace was born, but months of pain and anguish preceded that happy delivery. The baby’s father was 21 year old Josh. Both Lisa and her husband liked the polite young man who seemed to calm their impulsive and unpredictable daughter. Stephanie and Josh met at church. Both families were cautious about their relationship given their age difference because a few years can make a big difference at their age. Although the young couple needed to complete their education, Lisa secretly thought Josh might be the right man for Stephanie one day. His tender and caring nature was demonstrated by the small things he did when he was … [Read more...]
The federal budget
Do you remember the very end of the movie Animal House? Future U.S. Senator John Blutarsky drives away (presumably toward Washington, D. C.) with his kidnap victim/bride-to-be, toward a career in politics. The scriptwriters didn't warn us that the Senator (who flunked out of college with a zero point zero G.P.A.) was going to be given an unrestricted credit card with no limits, or that the American taxpayer will ultimately get stuck with the bill -- because that isn't even remotely funny -- but it's absolutely true. During the 2016 fiscal year, tax revenue collected by the U.S. Treasury was approximately $2.99 trillion dollars. Even more amazingly, the federal government managed to spend about $3.54 trillion dollars, increasing the national debt by another $500 billion dollars. What spendthrifts we've elected to Congress! If only we were talking about Monopoly money, the national debt wouldn't be that big of a deal. However, these are real U.S. dollars we're talking about. Eventually, that debt will need to be repaid. I believe I read somewhere that every American citizen -- every man, woman, and child -- would need to come up with more than $60,000 in order to pay their share of the federal debt. In 2008, at the beginning of President Obama's first term, the federal debt was roughly $10.7 trillion dollars. As of this writing, the federal debt has grown to more than $19.9 trillion dollars and counting, with no end in sight. How is this even possible? Part of the problem is that Congress and the federal government have totally divorced themselves from … [Read more...]
An open letter to Senator John McCain
Dear Senator McCain, I'd like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for your time spent in military service. You showed remarkable courage under extreme duress, enduring torture by the enemy while refusing an early release, or any special treatment. As a result, you've suffered from permanent physical disabilities after six years in captivity. I have enjoyed a lifetime as a free citizen in the greatest nation on the face of the earth, because of brave warriors like you. Thank you for your service, sir. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Secondly we, the people, recently learned the very serious news about your cancer diagnosis, and I wanted to convey my sympathy to you. Twenty years ago my father died from that exact same disease, a glioblastoma tumor in his brain, so I am well aware of the challenge you face. It was shortly after his retirement that my father began acting uncharacteristically confused and disoriented. He also complained of a constant headache. An MRI confirmed that he had a large brain tumor, a glioblastoma. The neurologist diagnosed him on a Tuesday, and he had surgery the following Monday, but never regained consciousness. About two weeks later, his life support was disconnected. I'm glad your surgery was more successful than his, and I wish you the best as you continue to recover. While I'm fairly confident that a sitting U.S. Senator such as yourself has access to the very best healthcare in the world (probably much better care than a retired serviceman living in Savannah, Georgia would ever get), I do not blame my father's … [Read more...]
