Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

BEN WITHERINGTON - AMAZING ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK IN EPHESUS (TURKEY)

Anyone even remotely interested in archaeology will want to become familiar with these fantastic photos of Ephesian terrace houses.   Witherington comments on the light they shed on the Apostle Paul and his ministry.

More . . .

NILE GARDINER LISTS THE TOP 10 CONSERVATIVE MOVIES OF THE LAST DECADE

As I've said before, I'm not much of a movie goer, but if the bug ever bites, I'll want to take a look at some of the movies on Gardiner's list.  (HT: John J. Miller at The Corner).  Incidentally, National Review Online has a list of its own: "25 best conservative movies of the last 25 years."  The two lists overlap a good bit.

STEPHEN WILTSHIRE: ARTISTIC GENIUS

From an e-mail.  You've got to see this to believe it!  The artist, incidentally, is autistic.

More about Stephen Wiltshire can be found here.

WASHINGTON POST INTERVIEWS THEOLOGIAN J. I. PACKER

In a wide-ranging interview, Packer (author of Knowing God and numerous other books) was asked about the variety of spiritualities abroad today.  His response:

"There's a great divide between all the spiritualities of the world and Christian   because Christian spirituality is at every point a  relation to the triune God of the Bible. Secular spirituality isn't focused on God, if God even comes into it, but on me and my fulfillment. My self-discovery. My inner peace. The more you look at that gap, the wider it gets. It's the difference between self-centeredness and God-centeredness. It's unhelpful, actually, that both sorts of concern are called spirituality."

Read the whole interview.

A COMMON-SENSE QUESTION

CHARLES COLSON - "DECEMBER 21, 2012"

Colson writes:

. . . If you Google “December 21, 2012,” you will get nearly 7 million hits. Do a similar search at Amazon and you find more than 400 books on the subject. There is obviously a lot of interest and more than a little anxiety about that date and both will only grow as we get closer to what’s already being called “12/21.”

December 12, 2012, is the last day listed on what is known as the Maya “long count calendar.” That calendar marks what the Maya—a now non-existent civilization—regarded as the end of the present cycle of creation.

What makes this fact rise above the level of a historical curiosity is, first of all, the Maya’s astronomical prowess. They charted the movements of celestial bodies with an accuracy

PAMELA GELLER - "EUROPE'S LOOMING DEMISE"

Geller's article in today's Washington Times offers news I had not known before.  It is well worth clicking  through to read the article.   It won't take long.

Come Jan. 1, 2010, a disastrous and suicidal pact called the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Europe/Mediterranean) goes into effect with little fanfare or examination. It boggles the mind that such a consequential and seismic cultural shift could be mandated and put into play without so much as a murmur from the mainstream media.   [more . . .]

THE MUSLIM "ENCLAVE" STRATEGY TO IMPOSE SHARIA LAW

Andy McCarthy helps us understand the tactics that Muslims employ to gain a foothold for Sharia and further Islam's desired conquest of Europe and America.  McCarthy writes:

The unique problem with Islam is that the creation of Muslim enclaves — what the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual guide, Yusuf Qaradawi, calls "voluntary apartheid" — is an intentional, long-term jihadist strategy to, as Sheikh Qaradawi puts it, "conquer America" and "conquer Europe."

McCarthy discusses the purpose of jihad, saying:

It is to implement sharia, the Muslim legal code. That is the necessary precondition for Islamicizing a society. By allowing the establishment and expansion of Muslim enclaves where sharia is the law, a Western society not only undermines civic cohesion; it legitimizes sharia as part of its legal framework — notwithstanding that the theory of sharia and many of its core provisions are antithetical to individual liberty and reason.

The creation of parallel Muslim societies is not just an incidental by-product of living in a dynamic, mobile world. It is a jihad — and, compared to blowing stuff up, it's a damned effective one. 

In 2007 — even as Yorkshire, Malmo, and Rotterdam were being transformed before our very eyes — David Millibank, the British foreign secretary, proposed expanding the EU to include the Muslim Middle East and North Africa (as well as Russia, Turkey, etc.). French president Nicolas Sarkozy has a similar scheme, dubbed "Club Med," to create a confederation between the EU and Islamic nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Never in his wildest dreams, I imagine, did Qaradawi think the West would voluntarily hand him what he's been urging Muslims to take in gradual steps.

Me: I understand that Yorkshire, Malmo and Rotterdam are Muslim "enclaves" par excellence. They represent the tip of the spear in the continuing and expanding conquest of Britain, Sweden, and Holland.

HOLLYWOOD STARS WITH AND WITHOUT MAKEUP

I think you'll want to see these photos.  The "beautiful people" look pretty ordinary (to say the least).  There's a lesson here somewhere.  Photo to the right: Katie Holmes

PAMELA GELLER: RIFQA BARY BEING OUTLAWYERED, OUTFOXED, AND OUTGUNNED

  Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs is frustrated and angry that Rifqa Bary isn't getting better, wiser, and shrewder legal representation.  Rifqa's parents are being represented by a CAIR-appointed lawyer who is outmaneuvering Rifqa's lawyers.  Read about the developing situation here. 

Embedded in Geller's post is a plea from Wafa Sultan that was originally published here.  Sultan is an expert on Islam.  Of her Geller says:  "Author, writer, speaker, Sultan was born to a Sunni Muslim family in Baniyas, Syria. Sultan trained as a psychiatrist in Syria and is a US naturalized citizen."

Sultan writes:  (my bolding)

I was born and raised as a Muslim in Syria. I practiced Islam for thirty years of my life. Now I am a known human rights activist striving to save our future Muslim generations  from the impact of the violent, hateful Islamic doctrines embedded in the Sharia. My life is also threatened, not only by my own extended family, but by countless men who consider themselves devout Muslims. Under Sharia, if a Muslim leaves Islam or converts to another religion he / she is an “apostate,” to be killed. Under Sharia every Muslim has the right to kill such an apostate without any questions asked.  [more . .]

Me:  That American "educated elites" refuse to believe the universal testimony  of apostate killings under Sharia [Islamic law] is quite incredible.  Beyond that, it is disgusting.  Political correctness refuses to believe that a religion could be so barbaric.  Naivete and political correctness go together.  At some point, people will invariably recognize the politically correct for the fools they are, but by then it may be too late.  Let us hope and pray that Rifqa Bary survives her Muslim "apostasy" and that the U.S.legal system awakens to the danger in which she remains.

Incidentally, we may send New Year's cards to Rifqa at the following address: 

Rifqa Bary c/o Angela Lloyd 255C Drinko Hall 55 West 12th Avenue Columbus, OH 43210.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION RIDDLED WITH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS -- WHICH PUTS US AT RISK!

From Robert Costa at The Corner:

Rep. Peter King of New York, the leading Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, tells National Review Online that the Obama White House has built an “iron curtain” around national-security information in order to block Congress from investigating Northwest Airlines Flight 253. “This administration is not cooperating,” says King. “They have a stonewalling mentality.” . . .

The following, excerpted from Costa's short post at the Corner as well, could qualify as the "quote of the day": (my bolding)

“Some people call it profiling, but I call it common-sense screening, and that’s what we need to do,” says King. “When the FBI went after the mafia, they investigated Italian groups. When they investigated the IRA, they went to Irish bars. If you’re looking for the Ku Klux Klan, you don’t go to Harlem. When you know that nearly 100 percent of the terrorists coming after us are Muslims, you need to put aside political correctness and focus on young males from Middle Eastern countries. Israel does it and it makes sense. Otherwise, we’re wasting time by grilling the Scandinavian grandmother. The overwhelming majority of Muslims are good people, but we have to be frank. The terrorists are Muslims. We need the president to come out and admit that we’re at war with Islamic terrorism.”  [more . . .]

Update: Ralph Peters posts a scathing article related to the above, "Lying to Ourselves."

We proclaim that the terrorists "don't represent Islam." OK, whom do they represent? The Franciscans? We don't get to decide what's Islam and what isn't. Muslims do. And far too many of them approve of violent jihad. . .

On Christmas Day, a Muslim fanatic attempted to butcher hundreds of Christians (dead Jews would've been a bonus). Our response? Have airport security analyze the contents of grandma's mini-bottle of shampoo -- we don't want to "discriminate." [more. . .]

THE TRAGIC PLIGHT OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ LEFT UNPROTECTED BY THE U.S. AND THE WORLD

John F. Cullinan offers the sad report.  Before posting the entire article, I wish to highlight a couple of sentences:  (my bolding)

U.S. officials have deliberately refused to take any steps to safeguard Iraq’s persecuted Christians — or even to acknowledge their plight — for fear of being seen as aiding unpopular and unfashionable religious minorities. . .   The U.S. government’s consistent policy of studied and shameful indifference forms rare common ground between the Bush and Obama administrations. It is an indelible stain on American honor that two administrations did nothing to assist, much less protect, a beleaguered religious minority. Such was not the case in the Balkans a decade ago, when the Clinton administration came to the aid of embattled Muslim minorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo with decisive military force in similar circumstances.

The entire article follows:

Spare a thought — and perhaps also a prayer — for Iraq’s beleaguered Christians, who yesterday observed the somber Feast of the Holy Innocents. Perhaps nowhere else does this particular occasion cut closer to the bone: In Iraq, Christians mourn their friends, the most recent martyrs for the faith, on the same day that

PHOTOS TO MAKE YOUR STOMACH TURN: MUSLIM SHI' ITE "ASHOURA" HOLY DAY COMMEMORATION

Pamela Geller over at Atlas Shrugs titles her must-see post, "Ashoura: Respect It!"  (She doesn't mean it!) 

"Ashoura commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in the 7th century battle of Kerbala."

Click through and ask yourself, "What kind of religion is this...?"

MASSIVE PROTESTS IN IRAN

- Update - Obama finally speaks out.  Krauthammer calls Obama's words"flacid, meaningless words."  Click here for Krauthammer's response (video).

- Update: Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugged posts continuing coverage.  Gateway Pundit posts: Angela Merkel Speaks Out In Support of Ianian Freedom Protestors. . .  Obama Relaxes At Beach.

- Gateway Pundit has numerous video reports.  Nile Gardener of the U.K. Telegraph asks, "Iranian protesters are dying for freedom.  Where is Barack Obama?"  Gardener's concluding paragraph:

This is not however a time for fence-sitting by the leader of the free world. The president should be leading international condemnation of the suppression of pro-democracy protesters, and calling on the Iranian dictatorship to free the thousands of political dissidents held in its torture chambers. Just as Ronald Reagan confronted the evils of Soviet Communism, Barack Obama should support the aspirations of the Iranian people to be free. The United States has a major role to play in inspiring and advancing freedom in Iran, and the president should make it clear that the American people are on the side of those brave Iranians who are laying down their lives for liberty in the face of tyranny.

Me: Obama the leader of the free world?  That represents one of the major tragedies of our time.  Let us pray that President Obama stops voting "present" and meaningfully takes up the cause of freedom around the world.   It would be ironic indeed if President Obama, the man who goes around the world apologizing for the United States, goes down in history as the man who failed the vision of freedom and left millions in bondage.  Future presidents would then have something genuine for which to apologize.

HEROISM - REMEMBERING THE ROMANIAN PROTESTS THAT BROUGHT DOWN THE COMMUNIST REGIME

Chuck Colson tells the riveting story:

"A Candle in the Darkness"  Twenty Years Later

By Chuck Colson|Published Date: December 24, 2009

This Christmas Eve, reflect with me on what it means to be a light in the darkness.

Listen Now | Download

As people across the world tonight light Christmas candles at Christmas Eve services, my mind goes back to another Christmas 20 years ago in Romania, when the country was still in the grip of communist tyranny.

The story begins with Laszlo Tokes, pastor of a fast-growing reformed church in the city of Timisoara. His powerful preaching had caught the attention of communist officials, and they began a strategy of suppression. They stationed police officers around his church, machine guns cradled in their arms. They hired thugs to

NAZARETH - LATEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND

Dr. Ben Witherington posts of a house dating back to Jesus' time plus additional facts about Nazareth.  Excerpt:

What do we learn about Nazareth of Jesus' day from this find?  Several important things. The find, coupled with what has been found elsewhere in the same vicinity suggests Nazareth was indeed a tiny, out of the way village, with possibly as few as 50 houses. This estimate is based on the tiny findings at the neighboring graveyard. No wonder one of Jesus' potential disciples once asked 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'  Cities, like people, had honor ratings in antiquity, and the honor rating of Nazareth was not even on the chart of top 100 cities,towns, and villages in Israel. A little village set on four acres would not draw much attention.

 King's College Choir  (HT: MichelleMalkin)

"FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY . . ."

I appreciate Ed Morrissey's family tradition of watching "The Nativity Story" each Christmas Eve.  After quoting Luke 2:1-14, he posted the song, "Breath of Heaven" (via The Anchoress) which uses footage from the movie.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Also from the Anchoress:

Pray for the persecuted Christians of Bethlehem

Wintery Knight has some reflections and explanations worth pondering.

GALLUP: 78% OF AMERICANS IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS CHRISTIANS

Gallup reports:

PRINCETON, NJ -- This Christmas season, 78% of Americans identify with some form of Christian religion, a proportion that has been declining in recent decades. The major reason for this decline has been an increase in the percentage of Americans claiming no religious identity, now at 13% of all adults.

Below are two charts.

G

Gallup polled another question also:

Me: Check the Gallup website for interpretive comments on these polls and two others:  on church membership and on whether or not religion is out of date.  I found interesting Gallup's concluding comments:

Although a little more than one out of five Americans do not identify with a Christian faith, the Christmas season has ramifications for a broader segment of society. A Gallup survey conducted last year showed that 93% of all American adults said they celebrated Christmas.

SARAH PALIN'S "DEATH PANELS" EMBRACED IN NEW HEALTH CARE BILL

The nation continues its death bed decomposition under the Democratic revolutionaries now manhandling law-making in Washington, D.C.  It's hard to overstate how menacing and dangerous this government is becoming.  From Obama giving Interpol immunity from Americn law, to the irresponsible release of 12 dangerous Gitmo detainees, to holding the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City, to the bribery of Senators to get votes for Obamacare, it's a squalid, smelly Washington scene unprecedented in American history.  McCarthy is right:

Quite intentionally, the Obama administration is making so many radical moves on so many different fronts simultaneously that it's difficult to stay on top of them all, much less give them the attention they deserve.

Into this porridge of poison, Sarah Palin weighs in on Facebook, "Midnight Votes, Backroom Deals, and Death Panels:

Last weekend while you were preparing for the holidays with your family, Harry Reid’s Senate was making shady backroom deals to ram through the Democrat health care take-over. The Senate ended debate on this bill without even reading it. That and

ARE THE DEMOCRATS THINKING STRATEGICALLY, AND THE REPUBLICANS ONLY TACTICALLY?

Mark Steyn thinks so and Andy McCarthy agrees.  McCarthy writes:

Democrats have their eyes on a different end-game than our guys do: namely, the establishment of permanent, European-style socialism in the U.S. Our guys are focused on converting Obama radicalism into big-time electoral success in the next election cycle. The Dems have already factored in that likelihood and are betting — over the long haul — that even if the GOP cuts deeply into Dem majorities or takes over Congress (and even takes over the White House in 2012), Republicans will lack the commitment (and perhaps the numbers) to roll back what the Left is accomplishing now.  [more . . .]

POPE LAMBASTS LIBERATION THEOOGY

Samuel Gregg of the Acton Institute reports:

It went almost unnoticed, but on December 5, Benedict XVI articulated one of the most stinging rebukes of a particular theological school ever made by a pope. Addressing a visiting group of Brazilian bishops, Benedict followed some mild comments about Catholic education with some very sharp and deeply critical remarks about liberation theology and its effects upon the Catholic Church.

After stressing how certain liberation theologians drew heavily upon Marxist concepts, the pope described these ideas as “deceitful.” This is very strong language for a pope. But Benedict then underscored the damage that liberation theology did to the Catholic Church.

WITHOUT POWER OR INTERNET ACCESS

I lost power at my home at 4:30 on Friday.  It didn't come on until 1:30 PM today (Monday).  That makes 69 hours without heat or any other kind of power (thanks to a 10-14" snowfall).  Thank God for gas logs that helped stave off the cold and a camp stove by which to heat up food.   As of right now I still don't have internet access, even though the power has come on.  I access the internet via a cable service that has not yet been restored.  I am writing this at a coffee shop.  Blessings and peace to all regular readers of this blog.

WHY E-MAIL WAS INVENTED

From an e-mail:

WINTERY KNIGHT ON WHAT A CHRISTIAN MAN SHOULD LOOK FOR IN A WIFE

Anybody interested in a robust, controversial column on marriage and Christian service should head over to Wintery Knight's blog and be sure to read all the comments as well.  It will be fascinating --or frustrating (possibly infuriating) -- depending on your point of view.   He starts out fairly tame:

The only virtuous reason for a man to get married is when he is convinced that he can do better for God with that woman by his side than they can do as singles. Once a man gets married to someone who wants to live a secular life of pleasure, he’s stuck – he can’t break up the marriage to save his ministry. Mike is right about that. So that’s why I say again to men – DON’T MARRY! Marriage gets in the way of your commitment to God, unless you are very careful to find a wife who will support you in your ministry.

But gets more controversial as he moves on.  Read the whole thing.  For the record, I think Wintery Knight is more right than wrong, though I think he overstates the intellectual capacity (and interests) he requires a Christian wife to possess.

CORNWALL ALLIANCE - THE BEST WAY TO KEEP UP WITH WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON IN COPENHAGEN AND THE "GLOBAL WARMING CROWD"

E. Calvin Beisner is live blogging in Copenhagen.  See the Cornwall Alliance's website and note in particular "An Evangelical Declaration on Global Warming which has been signed by scores of Evangelical leaders.  About the Cornwall Alliance:

The Cornwall Alliance is a coalition of clergy, theologians, religious leaders, scientists, academics, and policy experts committed to bringing a balanced Biblical view of stewardship to the critical issues of environment and development. The Cornwall Alliance fully supports the principles espoused in the Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship, and is seeking to promote those principles in the discussion of various public policy issues including population and poverty, food, energy, water, endangered species, habitat, and other related topics.

So far as I can tell, the Cornwall Alliance is strongly concerned about how global policies will affect the poor -- which is often quite different from what major media outlets would have us believe.  Also, an often overlooked or hidden agenda of the Global Warming crowd is to dramatically reduce world population.  The Cornwall Alliance gets behind the "alleged facts" to the truth.  This is definitely a website to consult often.

TRAC FONE - - A COMPANY TO BE AVOIDED!!

I like the idea of  pay-as-you go cell phone service.  Unfortunately, I cannot recommend "Trac Fone."  In fact, I have had nothing but grief with the company.  On November 18th I was on the phone for one hour and 40 minutes, being moved from one person to another.  Today, I had another issue and talked at first with a person from Colombia (in South America).  I had to ask him to repeat, and repeat, and repeat and could barely understand him.  Because of the nature of my issue I was transferred more times.  I then asked to talk to a supervisor and then to a supervisor of the supervisor.   Eventually I wanted the name of the CEO or President in order to write him/her a letter.  That could not be provided me.  

If you like the idea of punching in strings of numbers multiple times then this is the company for you.  If you have questions or problems, be prepared to be frustrated.

WORSHIP "CENTERS" THE SOUL

The Bible reading for today includes Revelation 4:1-8. 

(1) After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (2)  At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.. . 

Eugene Peterson (Reversed Thunder) says it well:

“A throne centers authority.  Worship is centering...  In worship God gathers his people to himself as center: ‘The Lord reigns’ (Ps. 93:1)  Worship is a meeting at the center so that our lives are centered in God and not lived eccentrically.  We worship so that we live in response to and from this center, the living God.  Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasm and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren.  Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives.  We move in either frightened panic or deluded lethargy as we are, in turn, alarmed by spectres and soothed by placebos. If there is no center, there is no circumference.  People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness, epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose.”

Gloucester Cathedral Choir - In the Bleak Midwinter

HT: The Anchoress

IS SNOPES ACCURATE? IS IT BIASED TOWARDS LIBERALISM?

Ben Witherington posts an e-mail that poses the question and concludes that Snopes is not always and entirely trustworthy.

1939 WAS THE ZENITH OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD

So says Pamela Geller. 

The thirties, forties, fifties boast a treasure trove of  classic, brilliant film masterpieces, but '39 was unmatched.  Movie historians and cinemaphiles agree that 1939 was "the greatest year in film history". Consider the exceptional Dark Victory, Ninotchka, Rules of the Game , The Wizard of Oz, The Young Mr. Lincoln, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Juarez, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Destry Rides Again, Gunga Din, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Women, Wuthering Heights, and Gone With the Wind -- all made that year.

These films reflect American culture's finest hour. Essentially, they are a reflection on our values, morality, and art. Consider American film just one of our unquantifiable gifts to the world. We ought to look back, in order to go forward. So grab the popcorn, dim the lights and take a trip back with Atlas.  [more . . .]

ONE MAN MAKES A DIFFERENCE - NON-CLIMATOLOGIST STEPHEN McINTYRE ANALYZED THE DATA AND CHANGED THE CLIMATE SCIENCE WORLD

I found this article fascinating.  (HT:  HotAir) It proves once again that the right man, in the right place, with the right background and mindset, with focus and deliberation, can take down a Goliath.  One man!

McIntyr states a somewhat startling fact:

“There is far more independent due diligence on the smallest prospectus offering securities to the public than on a Nature article that might end up having a tremendous impact on policy.”

** Also, consider this video (not directly related to the McIntyr story above) demonstrating the deceptive use of the "hockey stick" set against an historical perspective :  (HT: HotAir via the Autopsy)

KRAUTHAMMER - The "NEW SOCIALISM" USES THE "RELIGION OF ENVIRONMENTALISM" AS ITS PRETEXT

Charles Krauthammer's article lays out the goals and technique of the "New Socialism" now raising its hydraheaded spectre once again.  It's  must reading for anyone interested in what's really going on, and for understanding the enormous threat the new socialism poses.

STATUE OF BARACK OBAMA AS A CHILD UNVEILED IN INDONESIA

I don't know what to say.   Monuments erected before a man has finished his course can pose an embarrassment.   We can all hope that will not be the case.   I post this simply as an interesting bit of "news".

MAGGIE GALLAGHER: EIGHT REASONS WHY GAY MARRIAGE IS NOT INEVITABLE

Given here.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD: "THAT'S NOT A BABY GROWING INSIDE OF YOU"

Unbelievable.  And this outfit gets millions of U.S. tax dollars!!  I have used the term "slimy" before to describe Planned Parenthood and it still fits.   HotAir reports,

Live Action has a new series of videos that launches today called the Rosa Acuna Project. Their new effort aims to expose manipulation by Planned Parenthood counselors intended to pressure women into having abortions, or at the very least, provide dishonest information to support false rationalizations for the procedure. In this clip from the Appleton, Wisconsin clinic, a counselor tells the woman that what’s growing inside her uterus isn’t a baby at all, or “anything like that” — and the doctor agrees.

Read the Live Action report itself.

NORWEGIANS INCENSED OVER BARACK OBAMA'S SNUBS

Story here.    (HT: Drudge)

AL GORE IS A LIAR

- Update - Sarah Palin on her Facebook repeats her contention that President Obama should stay at home and not go to Copenhagen.  Excerpt:  (HT: HotAir)

In his inaugural address, President Obama declared his intention to “restore science to its rightful place.” But instead of staying home from Copenhagen and sending a message that the United States will not be a party to fraudulent scientific practices, the president has upped the ante. He plans to fly in at the climax of the conference in hopes of sealing a “deal.” Whatever deal he gets, it will be no deal for the American people. What Obama really hopes to bring home from Copenhagen is more pressure to pass the Democrats’ cap-and-tax proposal. This is a political move. The last thing America needs is misguided legislation that will raise taxes and cost jobs -- particularly when the push for such legislation rests on agenda-driven science.

- (Original Post) -That's the only conclusion one can come to if one reads Andrew Bolt's post:  (HT: Drudge)  (Note: Readers must click through to the extended page for the revelation of  Gore's falsehoods.)

Al Gore has studied the Climategate emails with his typically rigorous eye and dismissed them as mere piffle:

Q: How damaging to your argument was the disclosure of e-mails from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University?

A: To paraphrase Shakespeare, it’s sound and fury signifying nothing. I haven’t read all the e-mails, but the most recent one is more than 10 years old. These private exchanges between these scientists do not in any way cause any question about the scientific consensus.

And in case you think that was a mere slip of the tongue:

Q: There is a sense in these e-mails, though, that data was hidden and hoarded, which is the opposite of the case you make [in your book] about having an open and fair debate.

A: I think it’s been taken wildly out of context. The discussion you’re referring to was about two papers that two of these scientists felt shouldn’t be accepted as part of the IPCC report. Both of them, in fact, were included, referenced, and discussed. So an e-mail

THE TOTALITARIAN IMPULSE OF CLIMATE CONTROL

Bret Stephens, writing in the Wall Street Journal, sees the intellectual methods of true believers in global warming as instructively similar to Stalinists:  (HT: NRO Corner)

• Revolutionary fervor: There's a distinct tendency among climate alarmists toward uncompromising radicalism, a hatred of "bourgeois" values, a disgust with democratic practices. So President Obama wants to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 83% from current levels by 2050, levels not seen since the 1870s—in effect, the Industrial Revolution in reverse. Rajendra Pachauri, head of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, insists that "our lifestyles are unsustainable." Al Gore gets crowds going by insisting that "civil disobedience has a role to play" in strong-arming governments to do his bidding. (This from the man who once sought to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.)

• Utopianism: In the world as it is, climate alarmists see humanity hurtling toward certain doom. In the world as it might be, humanity has seen the light and changed its patterns of behavior, becoming the green equivalent of the Soviet "new man." At his disposal are technologies that defy the laws of thermodynamics. The problems now attributed to global warming abate or disappear.

FORBES MAG: "THE WEST'S GOALS IN COPENHAGEN ARE TANTAMOUNT TO SUICIDE"

Forbes magazine published an important article, The West's Goals in Copenhagen are tantamount to Suicide." (HT: HotAir)  A few paragraphs near the end especially caught my eye:

Hegemony-seeking communist capitalists in China might fancy seeing America and the West decline to the point that they can no longer compete or fund their militaries. A weakened European Union or U.S. also won't be able provide a model of a more democratic version of capitalism to counter China’s ultra-authoritarian version.

The Chinese may win a victory in Copenhagen greater than anything accomplished so far in the marketplace--and our leaders will likely thank them for it. Forget bowing to the emperor in Tokyo; like vassal states at the height of the old Middle Kingdom, the new requisite diplomatic skill for Westerners will be kow-towing to Beijing.

MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN) IS A RISING STAR ON THE POLITICAL SCENE

More and more people are becoming aware of Michele Bachmann and liking what they see.  Count me among them.   I cannot think of anyone more articulate, bold and persuasive than she.  Bachmann gave an extraordinary interview to Pat Robertson and the 700 Club last week.

Wintery Knight has posted an additional video of Michele Bachmann, this one commenting on President Obama's speech on Afghanistan.  It's excellent and a MUST-SEE.  Click here..  Wintery Knight also provides the following links:

• Congresswomen denounce Obamacare’s rationing of breast cancer exams
• Michele Bachmann video on the future of Obamacare
• Moderate George Will lauds the virtues of Michele Bachmann
• Michele Bachmann explains why the US dollar is in serious trouble
• Collection of the best Michele Bachmann video clips

IS PRESIDENT OBAMA A FIFTH-COLUMN ALINSKYITE?

Andy McCarthy thinks so.  He writes:  (my bolding)

First, the president is an Alinskyite, so steeped in the ideology of the seminal community organizer that he became a top instructor in Alinskyite tactics for other up-and-coming radicals. As David Horowitz explains in an essential new pamphlet, Barack Obama’s Rules for Revolution: The Alinsky Model, Alinksyites are fifth-column radicals. They have, in substance, the same goals as open revolutionaries: overthrowing the existing free-market republic and replacing it with a radical’s utopia. That’s why Obama could befriend such unrepentant former terrorists as Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, and take inspiration from Jeremiah Wright, a black-liberation theologist. But Alinskyites are more sophisticated, patient, and practical. They bore in, hollowing out the system from within, appropriating the appearance and argot of mainstream society. Their single, animating ambition is to overthrow the capitalist social order, which they claim to see as racist, corrupt, exploitative, imperialist, etc. Apart from that goal, everything else — from the public option to Afghanistan — is negotiable:

CHRISTMAS CARD

My first Christmas card came yesterday, and I doubt it will be topped in truth or simple elegance.

    JESUS -

                    He came not to a throne,

                             but to a manger.

            He lived not as a king,

                   but as a servant.

                He chose not an earthly

                            kingdom,  but a cross.

           He gave not just a little,

                   but everything.

                             - Holley Gerth

CHRISTMAS TREE FACTS

Every year since 1947, the people of Oslo, Norway have given a Christmas tree to the city of Westminster, England. The gift is an expression of good will and gratitude for Britain's help to Norway during World War II.

From the University of Illinois Extension:

• Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
• Until fairly recently, all Christmas trees came from the forest.
• In 2002, Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, and Virginia were the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon was the leading producer of Christmas trees – 6.5 million in 2002.
• The best selling trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, balsam fir and white pine.
• More than 2,000 trees are usually planted per acre. On an average 1,000-1,500 of these trees will survive. In the North, maybe, 750 trees will remain. Almost all trees require shearing to attain the Christmas tree shape. At six to seven feet, trees are ready for harvest. It takes six to ten years of fighting heavy rain, wind, hail and drought to get a mature tree.
• In the United States, there are more than 21, 000 Christmas tree growers.
• In the United States, there are around a half billion Real Christmas Trees growing on U.S. farms.
• In the United States, there are more than 12,000 cut-your-own farms.
• In 1979, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted except for the top ornament. This was done in honor of the American hostages in Iran.

SARAH PALIN TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: BOYCOTT COPENHAGEN

- Her latest Facebook message is here.

- Update 12/4/09 - On a different subject, Ben Smith names Sarah Palin a "Pro-Life Star" (he calls her the "anti-abortion star").   It's an excellent article that needs to be read in full.  (HT: HotAir)  It begins: 

In the months since she returned to the public spotlight, Sarah Palin’s continually evolving political identity has undergone a subtle change as her public persona centers increasingly on her disabled son, Trig.

Palin began her political career as a reformer breaking up Alaska’s corrupt boys club and shifted seamlessly into last fall’s campaign trail culture warrior. But her decision to carry to term her Down syndrome child established a special relationship with anti-abortion activists, and now Palin has transformed herself from a politician who was anti-abortion into the leading figure of the anti-abortion movement. . .

More:

But the most striking evidence of her son’s impact has been Palin’s book tour promoting her memoir, “Going Rogue.” As she descends from her tour bus or private jet to meet her fans, 19-month-old Trig has been a conspicuous presence — and generated a huge response. “There’s a lot of people who come through the line to see Trig instead of to see her,” says Jason Recher, a campaign aide who remained close to Palin and is now accompanying her on her book tour.

And those people, says Greg Mueller, a veteran anti-abortion political operative and former spokesman for Pat Buchanan, are getting a powerful message. “She’s going out there as a pro-life woman to say that there’s great joy in special-needs kids — and that we shouldn’t be aborting them.”   [Read the whole thing. . .]

See also Gary Bauer - Trig Palin has divided America

ADULT STEM CELLS vs. EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS

From the Family Research Council:

Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health released the first 13 lines of cells under Obama's new policy to destroy life in the name of embryonic stem cell (ESC) "research." "This is the first down payment," said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, drawing a perfect picture of the commodification of life under this administration. Obama's decision puts the government in a business which is not only unethical but also medically unnecessary.

As recently as this week, researchers announced that they successfully used adult stem cells to treat lung disease in mice. The week before, scientists produced evidence that they had used patients' own cells to repair heart damage caused by heart attacks. President Obama would like us to believe that, through his policy, the U.S. is on the cutting-edge of science. In reality, the best technology is moving in the opposite direction of ESC research. To see how ethical science is helping patients now, check out FRC's new "Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life" videos on our website.

NEW EXTENSIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY JUST RELEASED

Press release:

Washington D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) released a new study today that comprehensively details the effects of pornography on marriages, children, communities and individuals. Pat Fagan, Ph.D. authored the study and serves as FRC's Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Research on Marriage and Religion.

Dr. Fagan made the following comments:

"This is a ground-breaking review of what pornography costs families trying to create a life together. Men, women and sometimes even children are saturated by sexual content, and more significantly, are told that it has no real effect. It's just a little amusement.

"Pornography corrodes the conscience, promotes distrust between husbands and wives and debases untold thousands of young women. It is not harmless escapism but relational and emotional poison.

NEW EXTENSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ABBY JOHNSON, THE DIRECTOR OF A TEXAS PLANNED PARENTHOOD CENTER, WHO TURNED PRO-LIFE

This interview is well worth reading.   (HT: DV)  I thought I knew all there was to know about Abby Johnson's change of heart from being a director of a Planned Parenthood clinic to becoming a pro-life advocate.  I previously blogged about her here, but this interview goes into more detail.  In this interview Johnson explains her climb up the Planned Parenthood ladder beginning with volunteering as an "escort" in college to becoming the director and even winning the affiliate's Employee of the Year award in 2008.  Excerpt:

I think the mentality, though, that they tried to instill in you is that if you work at Planned Parenthood, you are the victim — that you have all of these outside attacks from these pro-lifers. So that’s what keeps you there, that victim mentality, and it works. . . 

She said that in most abortions, the doctor doesn't use ultrasound but in one case he did, and she was called in to assist (an unusual occurrence for her). 

My job was to hold the ultrasound probe on the woman’s abdomen during the procedure so he could visualize the uterus during the abortion. What I saw during the procedure was so gruesome to me, and something I had never experienced before, that I just thought, “I’ll never do this again.”

She was asked if she had faith while working at Planned Parenthood.  She replied:

I was always trying to rationalize my work and my faith, and I was trying to make it fit.

One thing that I’ve said throughout this whole thing is that there’s no spirituality in abortion because there really can’t be. It’s very hard to justify what you’re doing if you’re a Christian. You try to make it fit, you try to make it work, but in the end it just really doesn’t wash. So that’s why, I think, God was in this the whole time, and he is the one who led me out of there.

Read the whole thing.