Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

TIM KELLER'S BOOK: "THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE"

I hadn't heard of Keller's new book (November, 2011) until today.  It's getting rave reviews.  Anything by Tim Keller is bound to be good (see, for example, my earlier review of his book, "The Reason for God.") Top Amazon reviewers helpfully give the gist of the various chapters which proves very helpful.   One reviewer included a list of insights he especially appreciated:

1. You never marry the right person. No 2 people are compatible. For this reason, marriage takes a lot of love and work. Also, marriage profoundly changes us!
2. Two-thirds of unhappy marriages will become happy within five years if people stay married. Keller uses this to demonstrate the power of making and keeping a vow. Promising is the key to identity and is the very essence of marital love.
3. Actions of love lead to feelings of love.
4. Marriage is a friendship, and friendship must have constancy, transparency, and a common passion, which, for Christians, should especially be Christ.
5. Each spouse should see the great thing that Jesus is doing in the life of their mate through the Word. And each spouse should then give himself of herself to be a vehicle for this work of God.
6. Your spouse IS the "someone better" you're looking for! This is true if you see him or her in terms of the glory God intends for them, a work to which you are called.

There's much, much, more, and each chapter holds its delights and wisdom for the reader. I highly recommend both "The Meaning of Marriage," as well as "The Mystery of Marriage" by Mike Mason!

A less distinctively Christian book, but drawing on shared Judeo-Christian foundations, and demonstrating uncommon practical insight, is Dr. Laura Schlesinger's book, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands."  I found very interesting the reviewer who wrote, "Stunned (in a good way)."  She had expected to hate the book.

Quote of the Day

From a Wall Street Journal letter to the editor:

"What you are not hearing [and should] is that every child deserves and wants a married mother and father."

I like that: simple, direct, and totally true.   A child's welfare should trump all other considerations.

HOPE & CHANGE FOUR YEARS LATER

Fox News produced the following accurate summation of Obama's grand promises and their sorry "fulfillment."  I am amazed that such facts aren't constantly dwelling in American minds when thinking of Obama's promised "hope & change."

 

MORAL RELATIVISM AND EDUCATION: ARE WE PRODUCING ETHICAL PARALYTICS?

I continue getting to back issues of Breakpoint that have been lying in my "in-box" far too long.  This one came out January 11, 2012.  It's importance can hardly be overstated.  We weeps for this culture. Colson wrote:

For years, I’ve been warning you about the dangers of relativism and what happens when society abandons a Christian worldview. Now I’d like to show you.

Dr. Stephen Anderson teaches philosophy at A.B. Lucas Secondary School in Ontario, Canada. His students had just finished a unit on metaphysics and were about to start one on ethics.

To jump start the discussion and to “form a baseline from which they could begin to ask questions about the legitimacy of moral judgments of all kinds,” Anderson shared with them a gruesome photo of Bibi Aisha, a teenage wife of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. When Bibi tried to get away from her abusive husband, her family caught her, cut off her nose and ears, and left her to die in the mountains. Only Bibi didn’t die. Somehow she crawled to her grandfather’s house, and was saved in an American hospital.

Writing in Education Journal magazine, Anderson relates how he was sure that his students, “seeing the suffering of this poor girl of their own age, [they] would have a clear ethical reaction,” one they could talk about “more difficult cases.”

But their response shocked Anderson. “[He] expected strong aversion [to it], … but that’s not what I got. Instead, they became confused . . . afraid to make any moral judgment at all. They were unwilling to criticize,” as he said, “any situation originating in a different culture. They said, ‘Well, we might not like it, but maybe over there it’s okay.’”

Anderson calls their confusion and refusal to judge such child mutilation a moment of startling clarity, and indeed it is. He wonders if it stems not from too little education, but from too much multiculturalism and so-called “values education,” which is really just an excuse for moral relativism.

REMEMBER - Memorial Day Tribute 2012

Three years ago I posted the following photo, which continues to moves me deeply:

May our debt to the brave men and women who gave their lives on behalf of the United States of America grow ever more acute, and may we ourselves be faithful to preserve and defend this Republic and its freedoms in the face of all encroaching threats, both foreign and domestic.

Update:  The late Charles Colson published the following in 2010, and Breakpoint has republished it today. 

Memorial Day is when we honor the men and women of our Armed Services who have made “the supreme sacrifice;” who gave their lives for their country.

Especially these days, when Memorial Day seems nothing more than a time for cookouts and swim parties, we cannot be reminded often enough about how great a debt we owe our war dead.

They gave up their hopes and dreams, families and friends. They submitted themselves to rigorous discipline — something I understand as a former Marine — 24-hour a day duty, and placed their lives in great peril. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

Their sacrifice should inspire in us a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, bought with a price. And that gratitude should compel us to lives of service as well. Serving Christ, our neighbor, and yes, our nation.

I can’t help but recall the brilliant film Saving Private Ryan. James Ryan, now in his seventies, has returned with his family to the military cemetery in Normandy. He visits the grave of Captain John Miller, the man who, a half a century before, led the mission to retrieve — to save — Private Ryan. At the end of the mission, Miller was fatally wounded. As he lay dying, his final words to Private Ryan were, “James. Earn this...earn it.”

We then see Ryan kneeling at Captain Miller’s grave, marked by a cross. Ryan, his voice trembling with emotion, says, “Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me.”

Red-eyed, Ryan turns to his wife and says, “Tell me I’ve led a good life...tell me I am a good man.”

With great dignity, she says, “You are.”

With that, James Ryan salutes the grave of Captain Miller.

I tell this story in greater detail in my book The Good Life, which you can purchase at ColsonCenter.org.

You see, Private Ryan, out of gratitude for Captain Miller’s sacrifice, did all in his power to live a good life.

And Memorial Day is a great time for each of us to look into the mirror...to examine our own lives. Are we living good lives in gratitude for all those who have sacrificed for us — including our men and women in the military, our families, our friends, and most of all Christ?

Are we, like Ryan, kneeling before the cross — Spielberg, a master cinematographer had to realize the power of this imagery. Are we, out of gratitude, doing our duty for Christ, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, ministering to those in prison, in whatever harvest field to which the Lord has called us?

Examine your life.

And this Memorial Day, at the very least, thank those who have sacrificed for you and those you know who have served in our nation’s armed forces. Maybe you’ll do what I do when you see a guy or gal in uniform...at the airport, at the store, wherever...walk up to them and thank them for their service.

And then go and remember Whom it is you serve.

(This commentary was originally aired on May 28, 2010).

Further Reading and Information

MAJOR PRO-LIFE SWING REVEALED IN GALLUP'S LATEST POLLING DATA

Gallup this week reported that 41 percent of Americans identify themselves as “pro-choice,” down seven points since last July.  This is good news indeed.  National Review Online has published a number of observations from a variety of pro-life "experts" to explain this latest polling data. 

OBAMA'S "LAW OF THE SEA TREATY" - A TREATY THE U.S. MUST REJECT

The Family Research Council reports:  (the bolding is my emphasis)

Rule number one of federal lawmaking: When a Senator says his colleagues would be "more comfortable" voting on a bill after an election, it spells trouble. And in the case of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), that trouble is spelled LOST, or Law of the Sea Treaty. It's been 30 years since President Reagan first sank the idea of a maritime bureaucracy, but that hasn't stopped big government advocates from dredging up the policy every few years and selling it to Congress as buried treasure. Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Kerry, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta took turns pitching the 1982 treaty in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a way to "bring order" to the world's oceans. The way they see it, LOST would help define the boundaries in international waters and create a "more peaceful" sea environment.

It sounds innocent enough, but behind those benign talking points is a dangerous agenda that would undermine U.S. security--and siphon away millions of dollars in the process. Lost in LOST's hearing were the facts. For one, proponents neglected to mention that the treaty would force America to release its hold on miles and miles of natural resources. Instead of profiting from the discoveries of oil or gas, U.S. companies would have to transfer those royalties to an international bureaucracy in charge of "redistributing" that wealth (sound familiar?) to needy nations. According to the U.S. Continental Shelf Task Force, those resources "may be worth billions, if not trillions, of dollars."

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), one of two dozen Republicans that oppose LOST, was emphatic about the threat. "[This] would be the first time in history that an international organization would possess a taxing authority, and it would amount to billions of American dollars being transferred out of the U.S. Treasury," he wrote. What's more, this "International Seabed Authority," or ISA, would have the power to haul the U.S. before global tribunals for perceived violations, order countries to share cutting-edge technologies, and bar the Navy from using global waterways for defense or military purposes. And if member nations decide to change the treaty? "There is no guarantee that the treaty will remain in the form that it is at the time of ratification. Under its terms, its content can later be changed by an amendment process that does not require the approval of the U.S. government."

Of course, most people recognized the bill was bad when Sen. Kerry announced during yesterday's hearing that he "would like to see this treaty stay out of the hurly-burly of presidential politics." Translation? I plan on pushing this bill after November 6 so that Senators can't be held accountable for passing such a controversial bill. Obviously, Sen Kerry and friends are hoping to follow the pattern of last year's START treaty, which is to wait until the lame-duck session to force unpopular and potentially unconstitutional policies on the American people.

Unfortunately for voters, this is a favorite tactic of the administration: using treaties to get radical policies through the country's backdoor. But, as FRC expert (and former ambassador to the U.N.) Ken Blackwell knows, this is exactly the kind of slippery slope that masks the destruction of American authority on everything from religious freedom to parental rights. What else could explain the Left's advocacy for the U.N.'s Convention on the Rights of the Child or the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women? They understand that once we dip our toe in the oceans, there will be no way to stem the tide.

- See also Frank Gaffney's commentary:

If, on the other hand, the members of the U.S. Senate trouble themselves to study, or at least read, the text of the Law of the Sea Treaty, they would immediately see it for what it really is: a diplomatic dinosaur, a throwback to a bygone era when U.N. negotiations were dominated by communists of the Soviet Union and their fellow travelers in the Third World.

MIRROR OR A 2-WAY GLASS? -- DO THE FINGERNAIL TEST

From an email:

How can you tell when you are in a room, restroom, motel etc. with
a mirror or a 2-way glass?

A policewoman who travels all over the US and gives seminars
and techniques for businesswomen passed this on.

When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms,
etc., how many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary
mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way
mirror (i.e., they can see you, but you can't see them)?

There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors
in female changing rooms . It is very difficult to positively identify
the surface by looking at it.

So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type
of mirror we are looking at?

TWO WAY GLASS IMAGE MIRROR IMAGE

Just conduct this simple test: Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is GENUINE mirror. However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE! IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR!

"No Space, Leave the Place" So remember, every time you see a mirror, do the "fingernail test." It doesn't cost you anything.

MIRROR OR A 2-WAY GLASS? -- DO THE FINGERNAIL TEST

From an email:

How can you tell when you are in a room, restroom, motel etc. with
a mirror or a 2-way glass?

A policewoman who travels all over the US and gives seminars
and techniques for businesswomen passed this on.

When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms,
etc., how many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary
mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way
mirror (i.e., they can see you, but you can't see them)?

There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors
in female changing rooms . It is very difficult to positively identify
the surface by looking at it.

So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type
of mirror we are looking at?

TWO WAY GLASS IMAGE MIRROR IMAGE

Just conduct this simple test: Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective
surface and if there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail,
then it is GENUINE mirror. However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE! IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR!

"No Space, Leave the Place" So remember, every time you see a mirror, do the "fingernail test." It doesn't cost you anything.

SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW

The Social Conservative Review: The Insider's Guide to Pro-Family News--May 24, 2012

The Family Research Council does superb work in assembling these articles.  For previous issues of the Social Conservative Review, click here.  The items below are found here.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• "Papal Delegation Says Homeschoolers Must be Free," Home School Legal Defense Association
• "Homeschooling Doesn't Mean Always Staying at Home," Lindell Kay, The Daily News

Legislation and Policy Proposals
Check out our new website, Save Me from College Debt, for more up-to-date information on the student loan crisis.

• "Congratulations, Grad, You're Unemployed," Karin Agness, Values and Capitalism
• "The Culture of 'Can't' in American Schools," Rick Hess, Education Week
• "Some States Reconsider Common Core Involvement," Lindsey Burke, The Heartlander
• "Bill expanding charter schools in Missouri goes to governor," Virginia Young, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• "Arizona Gov. Brewer Expands USA's Most Innovative School Choice Model," Lindsey Burke, The Heritage Foundation

Government Reform
Regulation

• "Regulation top risk seen by energy companies: U.S. study," Reuters
• "Tax Reform That Is Simple, Transparent, Fair," Mike Razar, American Thinker

Waste/Fraud/Abuse

• "Catholic Social Teaching and the Ryan Budget," Thomas V. Berg and James C. Capretta, The Public Discourse
• "Great Moments in Government Waste: Stimulus Spending on...um...Stimulus," Daniel J. Mitchell, Townhall
• "Public-Sector Pensions: The Transition Costs Myth," Andrew G. Biggs, The American

Health Care
Abstinence

• "Tenn. sex-ed more focused on abstinence," Bob Kellogg, OneNewsNow
• "Sex, Contraceptive Education 'Urgently Needed,' 60 Percent Of Young Adults Are Misinformed About Birth Control's Effectiveness: Study," The Huffington Post
• "Under Obama administration, abstinence-only education finds surprising new foothold," Ezra Klein, The Washington Post

Conscience Protection

• "BREAKING: Cardinal Dolan of NY, Cardinal Wuerl of D.C., Notre Dame--And 40 Other Catholic Dioceses and Organizations--Sue Obama Administration," Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com
• "Brownback signs 'conscience act' letting pharmacists refuse to provide drugs they believe might cause abortion," Brad Cooper, The Kansas City Star
• "Conscience Clause at Issue in Defense Bill Vote," CBNNews.com
• "Sebelius' Georgetown address refers to protecting religious freedom," Emily Belz, WORLD Magazine

Health care reform: Political and Legislative efforts

• "Catholic university drops student insurance," Associated Press
• "HSAs Could Bring Health Costs Down; Too Bad Obamacare Destroys Them," Alyene Senger, The Heritage Foundation
• "Study: Health care costs on rise," J. Lester Feder, The Politico

Homosexuality

• "Clarifying the Count of Marriage Amendments and Referenda," Peter Sprigg, Family Research Council
• "Made in Heaven," Roger Scruton, The American Spectator
• "Why Young Voters Won't Tip the Gay Marriage Debate Anytime Soon," Lazar Berman and Daniel Berman, The American
• "Gay "Marriage" is a Losing Issue...For Democrats," Daniel Horowitz, RedState
• "Explaining Obama's Evolution," Thomas Haine, The Public Discourse
• "Will Gay Marriage Oust Military Chaplains?," Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary Magazine
• "Higher and Lower Nature: The Christian Duty to Stand Against Gay Marriage," John Harris, The Intellectual Conservative
• "Will the Supreme Court Decide Same-Sex Marriage?," Justin Shubow, The FedSoc Blog

Human Life and Bioethics
Abortion

• "A Constitutional and Wise Way to Protect the Unborn: A Response to Paul Linton," Teresa S. Collett, The Public Discourse
• "Abortion Legal for Any Reason Until Birth in Nation's Capital," Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com
• "Ivy League Profs Call Docs to Civil Disobedience over Pro-Life Laws," Matthew Archbold, National Catholic Register
• "Abortion and disability," Rose Woodhouse, The League of Ordinary Gentlemen
• "States restrict abortion like never before," Anita Wadhwani, The Tennesseean
• "Maine says 'no' to Planned Parenthood," Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow
• "Obama Campaign Video: Girls' Dreams Require HHS Mandate," Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com
• "The 'War on Women' Implodes," Janice Shaw Crouse, The American Thinker
• "Breaking the 'Spiral of Silence'," Alan Sears, Townhall
• "Guttmacher Inflates Abortion Numbers In Latin America," Stefano Gennarini, Turtle Bay & Beyond

Bioethics and Biotechnology

• "Science vs. PR," Robert McHenry, The American
• "UNIQUE DONATION: Iowa Couple Helps Families," Krystle Kacner, WHOtv.com
• "Faith and Science In a Fallen World," Chris Robertson, The Acton Institute
• "The age of in vitro," Emily Belz, WORLD Magazine

Euthanasia and End of Life Issues

• "Palliative Sedation Not = To Terminal Sedation/Euthanasia," Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke
• "Georgia bans most late-term abortions, assisted suicide," David Beasley, Reuters

Stem Cell Research

To read about the latest advances in ethical adult stem cell research and keep up with leading-edge reports from FRC's Dr. David Prentice, click here.

• "Central nervous system stem cells shed light on mechanism that controls asymmetrical division," Physorg
• "First stem cell drug approved for systemic disease treatment," Fox News

Human Trafficking

• "United States - Human Rights Abuser?," Austin Ruse, The Catholic Thing
• "Sex Trafficking In California: State And Tech Companies Build Alliances To Combat Crime," Shoshana Walter, The Huffington Post

Women's Health

• "A Strong Note of Caution on Reproductive Health and Family Planning," Austin Ruse and Stefano Gennarini, First Things
• "Obama's Julia," Herbert I. London, Freedom Politics

Marriage and Family
Adoption

• "The Three Stooges, Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me . . . and Adoption," Nancy French, National Review Online
• "Fixing the international adoption mess," Kelly Ensslin, Global Post

Family Economics

• "A Tax Increase without the Pain," Steve Conover, The American
• "Capitalism is Honest," Isaac Morehouse, Values and Capitalism
• "The Poverty Life Lesson Plan," Rod Dreher, The American Conservative
• "How far away are states from a jobs recovery?," James Pethokoukis, The Enterprise Blog

Family Structure

• "Marriage: Not a Right, but an Office," Elizabeth Scalia, First Things
• "Therapists Try Tough Love for a 'Nation of Whiners'," Nancy French, National Review Online
• "What America Is and What It Will Be - Shades of Ozzie and Harriet," Kate Pitrone, Postmodern Conservative
• "Are Dads the New Moms?," Susan Gregory Thomas, The Wall Street Journal
• "Marriage is not a Contract, it is a Covenant," Steven Osbourne, Bearing Drift

Media
Pornography

• "Hunger Games Are Real: Children Sacrificed to Porn Now a Legal Spectator Sport," Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council
• "The Tennessean Investigates Books-a-Million Stores for their Pornographic Displays," Nancy French, National Review Online

Internet

• "Facebook Inc. valued above McDonald's Corp.: What does that mean for your kid?," Jessica Prol, Family Research Council
• "Mark Zuckerberg and the Biblical Meaning of Success," Joe Carter, The Acton Institute
• "Apple, Google, Facebook, and Censorship," Gregory S. Baylor, Alliance Defense Fund

Religion and Public Policy
Religious Liberty

• "Amendment Protects Religious Liberty of Military Members," National Catholic Register
• "Defending Religious Freedom in Full: A Generation's Challenge," George Weigel, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• "John Adams and Religious Liberty: What Our Second President Can Teach us About Constitutional Compromise," Richard Samuelson, Library of Law and Liberty
• "Second Circuit Finds NY Town Meeting Prayers Unconstitutional," Justin Shubow, The FedSoc Blog
• "Court: Colorado Day of Prayer Is Unconstitutional," Morgan Feddes, Christianity Today

Religion in America
Check out Dr. Kenyn Cureton's feature on Watchmen Pastors called "The Lost Episodes," featuring how religion has had an impact on our Founding Fathers.

• "The "Other Religious Right"," Rob Schwarzwalder, Family Research Council
• "The Future Will Be More Religious and Conservative Than You Think," Eric Kaufmann, The American
• "The Law of the Gift: 123rd Annual Commencement Address," Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Catholic University of America
• "Modern but Not Liberal," David S. Yeago, First Things
• "If Christ is Lord, Everything Matters," Mindy Hirst, The Acton Institute
• "Douthat on Orthodox Christianity's Implications for Markets," Joy Pullmann, Values and Capitalism

Secularism

• "Secularists Threatening to Wipe Out Christians, Says Senior British Cardinal," Stoyan Zaimov, The Christian Post

International
Israel

• "How History Weighs on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," Seth Mandel, Commentary Magazine
• "Let us embrace our friends," Caroline Glick, CarolineGlick.com

International Economy and Family

• "Reflections on the French Election," Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, The Center for Vision and Values
• "The Hayek Effect: The Political Consequences of Planned Austerity," Lee Harris, The American
• "Britain, "Austerity," and the Lessons of Economic History," Kyle Latham, The Center for Vision and Values

Religious Persecution

• "Anti Forced Abortion Activist Chen Guangchen Released by Chinese Tyrants," Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke
• "The Most Godless Place on Earth," Joe Carter, The Acton Institute
• "The new Egyptian wilderness," Jamie Dean, WORLD Magazine

Sharia law -- U.S., foreign

• "Are Islam and Liberal Democracy Compatible?," Kishore Jayabalan, The Acton Institute
• "Kansas lawmakers pass anti-Islamic law measure," Fox News

The Courts
Constitutional Issues

• "The Upside-Down Constitution by Michael S. Greve," Robert R. Gasaway, The Federalist Society

Judicial Activism

• "High Court Humpty Dumptys," Lester Jackson, American Thinker
• "Solomonic Wisdom from Another Federal Judge," Michael Avramovich, Touchstone Magazine

Other News of Note

• "The Flags at the Cemetery," Dr. Paul G. Kengor, The Center for Vision and Values
• "Yankees First Baseman Mark Teixeira on the Importance of Fatherhood," Trent Beattie, National Catholic Register
• "We are all Culture Warriors Now(?)," Matthew Lee Anderson, Mere Orthodoxy
• "Tocqueville on Julia," David Foster, The Ashbrook Center
• "Nanny State: School Fined $15,000 For Selling Soda," Daniel Doherty, Townhall

Book reviews

• "Tyrannosaurus Ecs," Michael M. Rosen, The American
• "Not Understanding Nothing," Edward Feser, First Things
• "Os Guinness on Virtue in a Free Republic," Ray Nothstine, The Acton Institute
• "Food Rules!," Jerry Weinberger, City Journal
• "Q Reviews | Young Adult Fiction," Byron Borger, Qideas
• "Intellectual debts," Marvin Olasky, WORLD Magazine

NEW REBELS FOR MARRIAGE! - AN UPDATE LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE

I found Brian S. Brown's email letter sufficiently informative and interesting to make it available for readers of my blog.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Dear Marriage Supporter,

I flew to Europe this week to spread the good news: marriage is a winning issue!

I was in London.

The Law Society had banned the conference. So the organizers switched the venue to the Queen Elizabeth II Center, which is actually owned by the government.

The managers of the QE2 Center waited until the night before the event to ban the conference against gay marriage—again.

We assembled at a London hotel instead.

Here's what I told the crowd:

"I'm an American—so I'm a bit of a rebel. You guys have accomplished something amazing here. Six months ago you gave yourselves only a ten percent shot of derailing David Cameron's gay marriage bandwagon. Now it's a fifty-fifty battle, a result of a genuine rebellion of the people against the elites who looked at polls and were going to throw in the towel."

And I told them, that's exactly what has happened in the U.S., over and over again. Political elites try to shut down the debate, they tell us it's impossible to win. Then we win, over and over again.

Phillip Blond is an important public intellectual in Great Britain. He's behind David Cameron's emphasis on localism and the true diversity it encourages. He's not behind the Prime Minister's absurdly counterproductive embrace of gay marriage.

He's actually taken the position that gay marriage is "homophobic" for forcing gay people out of authentic diversity into an institution designed by and for opposite sex couples. Domestic partnerships, he says, offer homosexual people a chance to develop their own diverse cultural norms.

Philip Blond showed up at the conference, and sat there tweeting a response to all those who claimed he was hanging out with bigots, saying more or less 'I haven't heard anything homophobic, and the way to get me to show up at something is to try to ban it.'

(For some of his actual tweets, the liberal press in the U.K. reports them here.)

We got a chance to hang out together afterwards.

For the flavor of Phillip Blond, take a look at this video from the nomblog:

Philip Blond is not the only rebel for marriage!

Brendan O'Neil used to publish a Marxist magazine. He now edits his own progressive online journal Spiked.

After the amazing victory for marriage in North Carolina, he published an essay in The Telegraph chronicling the open hatred and insults directed at an entire state by elites:

FIVE LESSONS ABOUT THE WAY WE TREAT PEOPLE

From an e-mail:

Five Lessons About The Way We Treat People

First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady…

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor, "In your careers, you will meet many people.  All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. 

PERENNIAL VEGETABLES: GROW MORE VEGETABLES WITH LESS WORK

I came across this article on perennial vegetables while perusing the current Mother Earth News in the library.  I'm not much of a gardener, but one day...  who knows?

This article also caught my eye: "Container Gardening With Vegetables and Herbs"

I found this especially fascinating: "Raise Seedlings With a Greenhouse on Wheels"

 

RECOMMENDED FILMS FROM CHUCK COLSON'S "BREAKPOINT"

Here's the list:

SAVING A HUMPBACK WHALE

A friend who knows one of the families involved in the rescue, sent me this video.  Keep watching to the end to see the freed whale's acrobatics!

 

SOUTH KOREANS ADDICTED TO THE INTERNET - (AND SO ARE WE)

Eric Metaxas writes for "Breakpoint": (my emphases)

By most estimates, South Korea is the most-wired society in the world. South Koreans “enjoy” virtually universal internet access at speeds and prices that Americans can only dream about.

But that access comes at a high price: By official government estimates, nearly two million South Koreans can be described as “internet addicts.”

Now, the words “addict” and “addiction” get thrown around a lot in contemporary culture, but what would you call the following: a Korean couple repeatedly leaves their apartment and goes to an internet café where they spend all night playing an internet game. One night they return to find their three-month-old daughter dead from malnutrition and dehydration.

This actually happened in Seoul. While it’s the most extreme case, the difference is one of degree, not kind. An episode of PBS’ “Frontline” showed South Korean kids at government-sponsored rehab centers trying, mostly in vain, to wean themselves from their dependence on the internet.

HEALTH NOTES

Articles from today's Wall Street Journal:

"Is Early Detection Useful if a Disease Has No Cure?  An Alzheimer's dilemma"

"Men should Skip Common Prostate Test, Panel Says"

"Weighing the Treatment Options for Scoliosis"

ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS ARE HEADING TO FEDERAL COURT TO DEFEND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The Obama Administration's hostility to religion, and its determination to have the government be the be-all and end-all to individual citizens, must be resisted.  The Bishops are suing the U.S. government, and  therefore Mike Huckabee (a Baptist) rightly says, "We're all Catholics now."  

In her article, "Why the Bishops are Suing the U.S. Government," Mary Ann  Glendon writes:

[...]More is at stake here than the mission of all churches, including the Catholic Church, to provide social services like health care and education to everyone regardless of creed, and to do so without compromising their beliefs. At the deepest level, we are witnessing an attack on the institutions of civil society that are essential to limited government and are important buffers between the citizen and the all-powerful state.

If religious providers of education, health care and social services are closed down or forced to become tools of administration policy, the government consolidates a monopoly over those essential services. As Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, put it, we are witnessing an effort to reduce religion to a private activity. "Never before," he said, "have we faced this kind of challenge to our ability to engage in the public square as people of faith."

With this week's lawsuits, the bishops join a growing army of other plaintiffs around the country, Catholic and non-Catholic, who are asking the courts to repel an unprecedented governmental assault on the ability of religious persons and groups to practice their religion without being forced to violate their deepest moral convictions.

Religious freedom is subject to necessary limitations in the interests of public health and safety. The HHS regulations do not fall into that category. The world has gotten along fine without this mandate—the services in question are widely and cheaply available, and most employers will provide coverage for them.

But if the regulations are not reversed, they threaten to demote religious liberty from its prominent place among this country's most cherished freedoms. That is why Cardinal Dolan told CBS's "Face the Nation" on April 8: "We didn't ask for this fight, but we won't back away from it."

Mary Ann Glendon is professor at Harvard Law School.

TV EMBRACES ITS DARK SIDE

This Wall Street Journal article is subtitled,"Broadcast Networks Add Edgy Dramas to Their Lineup for coming Season."  Gory stuff and defiled imaginations are in the offing.

My stomach sickens at the news. 

CHINESE PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST, CHEN GUANGCHENG, STARTS NEW LIFE IN U.S.

This is good news. (WSJ report here)  The problem is that Chen's  mother, brother, and nephew, and many supporters are still in China, their fate uncertain.  FRC reports:

"For the past seven years, I have never had a day's rest," Chen said. And he doesn't plan on taking one now--at least when it comes to his crusade against forced abortion and sterilizations. "We should link our arms and continue in the fight for the goodness in the world and to fight injustice," he told the press. Let's hope Chen's influence extends to his new home, where the inhumanity of abortion is so often ignored.

Eric Metaxas wrote of Chen earlier, before his trip to the U.S.

Share with Friends | | May 21, 2012 | Permalink Major League Base Brawl At 996 pages, the Defense Authorization bill isn't for the feint of heart. But, after some late nights and long debates, the House finally waded through the two reams of provisions--and 146 amendments--to vote. On Friday afternoon, 299 members from both parties put their stamp of approval on a plan to fund the troops in the next fiscal year. If it survives the Senate's scrutiny, the $554 billion blueprint would kick in on October 1. But it will have to make it past the White House first--and the odds of that look slimmer every day. The President has already threatened to veto the bill if it stands in the way of the administration's "new defense strategy," which apparently includes same-sex military weddings and trampling chaplains' rights. In a formal Statement of Administration Policy, the White House singled out two amendments for criticism: one offered by Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) to shield chaplains from religious coercion, and the other by Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.) to ban same-sex "marriage" ceremonies on military bases. According to the White House, the President "strongly objects" to "any policies that would inhibit the ability of same-sex couples to marry or enter a recognized relationship...a troublesome and potentially unconstitutional limitation on religious liberty." Funny, the administration didn't seem to care all that much about the "limitation of religious liberty" when it came to Rep. Akin's amendment, which lets chaplains opt out of duties they find morally objectionable. "Liberals may have successfully ended 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' but they should not be allowed to force members of our military to give up their religious beliefs," said Congressman Akin. As far as the White House is concerned, allowing spiritual leaders to live by their faith is "harmful to good order and discipline." On the contrary, what would be harmful to good order and discipline is muzzling those who preach, teach, counsel, and console. This is a micro view of the macro problem that we've been warning would be a part of any same-sex "marriage" proposal. If the religious freedoms of our troops are disposable, then how could anyone believe that the administration won't broaden its attack to everyone who opposes homosexuality? For now, the dispute between the President's agenda and religious freedom is in the Senate's hands. Before it weighs the Defense Authorization bill, contact your leaders and ask them to respect the rights of our military. The American military is trying to resolve conflicts around the world. The last thing it needs is to be deployed in the President's war to legitimize homosexuality. Keeping up the Good Werk! This past weekend, I had the privilege of honoring a fellow Marine--FRC's own Doug Werk, who, along with his wife Shirley, has been a mainstay of this organization for more than 20 years. First as Vice President for Administration and later as Presidential Envoy, Doug anchored everything from the construction of FRC headquarters to the building of FRC's reputation as the premiere pro-family organization in Washington. On Saturday, we honored his decades of service at a special reception in Orange County. Without the Werks' passionate commitment to faith, family, and freedom, FRC would not be where it is today--among the strongest, most respected voices on Capitol Hill. Our deepest thanks to Doug and Shirley for inspiring generations of FRC staff to love God by fighting for America's best. During my trip to the West Coast, I also joined my good friend and fellow Watchman Pastor, Jack Hibbs, at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills (CCCH). I had the opportunity to preach at all three services yesterday morning with the theme of how Jesus's followers are to be in--but not of--the world (John 17). CCCH is one of the many churches in FRC's growing Watchmen on the Wall network. Pastor Hibbs's church, like so many other Watchmen churches, are making huge impacts in their communities and states. If you'd like to know more about how your pastor can become a part of the network of churches transforming America, click here. Coming to America ... For Chen Guangcheng, it was a bittersweet trip to New York City. The blind pro-life activist, who escaped years of torture by Chinese authorities, is acutely aware of the family he leaves behind. His mother, brother, and nephew are still in China, their fate uncertain. But for today, the human rights attorney, his wife, and two children, will celebrate their first taste of freedom the Big Apple, where the family will make its home. "For the past seven years, I have never had a day's rest," Chen said. And he doesn't plan on taking one now--at least when it comes to his crusade against forced abortion and sterilizations. "We should link our arms and continue in the fight for the goodness in the world and to fight injustice," he told the press. Let's hope Chen's influence extends to his new home, where the inhumanity of abortion is so often ignored. ** What does President Obama's same-sex "marriage" announcement have to do with electoral math? Find out in my new op-ed with Ken Blackwell on Fox News, "Why Obama's Gay Marriage Move Weighs against His Reelection." *** If you missed my interview on Fox News Business's "Lou Dobbs Tonight," check it out below.

CHINESE CONSUMERS: MODERN IN THEIR TASTE, BUT NOT BECOMING "WESTERN"

Tom Doctoroff writes in the Wall Street Journal:

(...) But don't be deceived by appearances. Consumers in China aren't becoming "Western." They are increasingly modern and international, but they remain distinctly Chinese. . . .  

Understanding China's consumer culture is a good starting point for understanding the nation itself, as it races toward superpower status. Though the country's economy and society are evolving rapidly, the underlying cultural blueprint has remained more or less constant for thousands of years. China is a Confucian society, a quixotic combination of top-down patriarchy and bottom-up social mobility. Citizens are driven by an ever-present conflict between standing out and fitting in, between ambition and regimentation. In Chinese society, individuals have no identity apart from obligations to, and acknowledgment by, others. The clan and nation are the eternal pillars of identity. Western individualism—the idea of defining oneself independent of society—doesn't exist. . . .

Read it all.  I found it informative.

GENETIC MODIFIED FOOD - "GOLDEN RICE" WITH BETA CAROTENE

Matt Ridley writes in this weekend's Wall Street Journal:  (my emphases)

[...]  Another person who spotted the importance of micronutrients a long time ago is a Swiss geneticist, Ingo Potrykus. Realizing that insufficient calories was not the only form of malnutrition, he concluded that vitamin A deficiency, for those living on a monotonous diet of rice, was the most tractable of the big problems facing the world. He and Peter Beyer designed a new variety of rice plant that could be given away free to help the poorest people in the world.

Vitamin A deficiency affects the immune system, leading to illness and frequently to blindness. It probably causes more deaths than malaria, HIV or tuberculosis, killing as many people every single day as the Fukushima tsunami. It can be solved by eating green vegetables and meat, but for many poor Asians, who can afford only rice, that remains an impossible dream. To deal with the problem, "biofortification" with genetically modified food plants is 1/10th as costly as dietary supplements.

"Golden rice"—with two extra genes to make beta-carotene, the raw material for vitamin A—was a technical triumph, identical to ordinary rice except in color. Painstaking negotiations led to companies waiving their patent rights so the plant could be grown and regrown free by anybody.

Yet today, 14 years later, it still has not been licensed to growers anywhere in the world. The reason is regulatory red tape deliberately imposed to appease the opponents of genetic modification, which Adrian Dubock, head of the golden rice project, describes as "a witch-hunt for suspected theoretical environmental problems...[because] many activist NGOs thought that genetically engineered crops should be opposed as part of their anti-globalization agenda."

It is surprising to find that an effective solution to the problem consistently rated by experts as the poor world's highest priority has been stubbornly opposed by so many pressure groups supposedly acting on behalf of the poor.

Me:  For what I think are good reasons, I've always been scared of genetically modified foods.  This article, however, makes me wonder if there might be exceptions.  I don't know. 

Update 5/22/12 - Here's a current negative assessment from Mother Earth News - "The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods"

WRITER PAUL THEROUX SAYS CREATIVITY FLOWS MORE FROM A PEN THAN A KEYBOARD

I remember reading that George Will uses a pen and legal pad in writing his columns.   That was some years ago, so I don't know if he still follows that practice, but I presume he does.  Paul Theroux (with whose work I am not familiar), says:

Writing by hand is part of my creative process. The speed at which I write with a pen seems to be the speed at which my imagination finds the best forms of words. A long-ago introduction to the Paris Review Interviews said that authors spoke of pens and rewriting with such passion that it seemed that "writing is one of the plastic arts." I agree with this metaphor of sculpting. I was gratified to read in a Newsweek piece about intelligence last January, that "brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing" and "it's easier to remember something once you've written it down on paper."   (more . . .)

Me:  This quote inspires me to do more work with pen and ink!  I also want to improve my handwriting, which suffers due to incessant haste! 

MARCO RUBIO: OBAMA IS MOST “DIVISIVE FIGURE IN MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY"

HT: Weasel Zippers

SURPRISE TO ME: CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUSUS REMAINS SHOCKINGLY PRO-ABORTION EVEN GIVEN ABORTION'S DECIMATION OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY

I found Jill Stanek's report, "Congressional Black Caucus Holds Meeting to Blast Pro-Lifers," utterly shocking.   With "leaders" like this, the black community is in very deep trouble indeed.  (HT: Weasel Zippers)

Congressional Black Caucus members strongly object to the following billboards:

Stanek reported on a number of presentations, including Nancy Belden's.  Belden is a  partner at Beldon Russonello Strategists.   Stanek wrote,

Beldon handed out  “five key points” to oppose billboard campaigns, how to respond to pro-life messaging. . . .

Belden, pictured left,  said it will be necessary to make sure polling generates the answers they need. She bragged she can make polls say what she wants them to say, that it’s all about asking the right questions, in the right sequence, with certain phrasing.

Belden said it is critical to keep the subject on healthcare, not babies.

She said abortion proponents must also accept the fact that many blacks believe there should be some restrictions on abortion. So, “you move them off the circumstances, which you know are going to lose,” she said. She said to move the conversation to reminding people we can’t possibly know all the health reasons and issues going into a decision to abort. . ..

The four-part generalized message to defend abortion:

• Frame the issue as the need for quality healthcare and education in the black community.
• Site disparities with healthcare and education between the cultures.
• Call for an end to the disparities.
• Express the value of self-determination.

To specifically battle “genocide awareness” billboard campaigns:

• Turn “genocide” around: The killing and endangering of our people is really happening by way of substandard healthcare and lack of good education. That’s really the problem.
• Site historical disparities.
• Call for an end to the disparities.
• Try to switch topics to violence in communities – Trayvon Martin – lack of food, etc. (“What are you doing to help the children already here?”)

To that Jill Stanek wrote:

Takeaways:

1. The pro-life community needs to more heavily invest in billboard campaigns in black communities. Donate today to one or more of the organizations listed on the dossier above, or to the NBPLU.

2. Focusing on the babies, that abortion is calculated genocide of the black community, and that most abortions are committed for reasons of convenience are winning issues.

3. Encourage black pastors to preach more strongly against abortion.

4. A fitting verse comes to mind: “The arrogant godless try to throw me off track,” Psalm 119:85. But we won’t let them.

 Read the whole thing.

GEORGE WILL REFLECTS ON HIS SON, JON, WHO RECENTLY TURNED 40

Jon has Down Syndrome.  Story here.

CHRISTIAN WORLD PRAYER ASSEMBLY TAKING PLACE IN INDONESIA

I hadn't known of this gathering until this morning.  How magnificent that thousands of Christians from all over the world are coming together in Muslim Indonesia for this five-day prayer gathering. 

 

George Thomas of CBN News reports:  (my bolding)

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Thousands of the world's Christian leaders are in Indonesia seeking God's guidance on how to transform the nations with Christ's message of love.

It's an historic prayer gathering in many ways, not the least of which is Indonesia's decision to host the event. The huge Southeast Asian island nation is home to the world's largest Muslim population.

"That's what we are well known for, but there's something else taking place in our country," one Indonesian woman said.

Her words echo a deep desire among Indonesia's minority Christians to make the name of Jesus Christ famous. 

"We are a small percentage of the population, but we are compelled to tell others about Christ," the woman said.

Winds of Revival

A massive prayer movement is underway, connecting some 500 Indonesian cities with more than 5 million believers.

This week, an hour's drive south of Jakarta, the capital city, Indonesian churches invited more than 9,000 Christians to take part in the World Prayer Assembly 2012.

"We feel that the epicenter of the world revival is going to be Asia and especially Indonesia," World Prayer Assembly's John Robb told CBN News.

Such a large Christian event has never been held in this majority Muslim country.

"We see the WPA as kind of a stepping stone toward the fulfillment of Habakkuk 2:14: 'For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea,'" Robb said.

For five days, representatives of more than 60 countries will network and strategize on how to bring Christ's salvation and healing to the nations.

"A new wave is coming so we wanted to catch it, the spirit of prayer, so that we can bring revival to our nation," Pricilla Abbathurai of India said.

"I've been praying that I would be a part (of) what God is doing in my country and for the whole world as we fulfill the Great Commission," Philippines resident Julius Velasco said.

"My prayer for this Congress is that this movement of prayer, this movement of mission will be joined together to see the Great Commission accomplished in the coming decades," American Paul Eshlemen said.

Organizers say worship and intercession will serve as the cornerstone for all the week's activities.

Throughout Indonesia some 1.5 million believers have committed to praying this entire week, and about 300 cities are joining together with all of their focus and prayer right here outside Jakarta.

The highlight of the gathering comes Thursday, when an estimated 100,000 Christians are expected to fill Indonesia's largest stadium with several more hours of worship and prayer for the nations.

THE ELECTRIC GRID IS VULNERABLE TO A BIG SUNSTORM

Ryan Tracy writes in the Wall Street Journal about a potential crippling event that many of us probably haven't been paying much attention to.

The sun is expected to hit a peak eruption period in 2013, and while superstorms don't always occur in peak periods, some warn of a disaster. John Kappenman, a consultant and former power engineer who has spent decades researching the storms, says the modern power grid isn't hardened for the worst nature has to offer. He says an extreme storm could cause blackouts lasting weeks or months, leaving major cities temporarily uninhabitable and taking a massive economic toll.

"This is arguably the largest natural-disaster scenario that the nation could face," said Mr. Kappenman.

Ryan explains further:

In a solar storm, charged particles flare from the sun and hurtle into space. When they collide with Earth, the electricity-transmission system acts like a jumbo antenna, picking up currents created when the particles interact with the planet's magnetic field. Those currents can cause wild voltage fluctuations, overheating and permanent damage to transformers, which zip electricity around the grid. The transformers weigh hundreds of tons each and aren't easily repaired or replaced.

Regulators have known about the threat of sunstorms for years but have only recently begun to coordinate disparate efforts to study the problem and formulate a response. Sunstorms can also force airlines to reroute flights and can disrupt the operation of commercial satellites and interfere with or damage their power and navigation systems. Military and spy satellites typically are less vulnerable.

Speaking historically,

[...] the two biggest solar storms in recorded history took place in 1859 and 1921, before the development of the modern electricity grid.

My take:  What with tornados, earthquakes, and now sunstorms (not to mention Muslim terrorist threats), it's not possible to guarantee uninterrupted "ordinary life" (shopping at our local grocery store, having abundance electricity, etc).  With this sunstorm warning, some of us (myself included!) have even more incentive to get on with emergency preparations to weather challenges that may arise. 

PROFESSOR JOHN LENNOX - "GOD'S UNDERTAKER: HAS SCIENCE BURIED GOD?"

Oxford mathematician and expert in the philosophy of science, Dr. Lennox spoke February 20, 2012 in Cabel Hall at the University of Virginia to a gathering of almost 1,200 people.  The Center for Christian Study at UVa wrote: "Lennox received world-wide notice when he began debating popular atheists Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.  He has since traveled and spoken extensively on New Atheism and the proper relation between faith and science."  Lennox's lecture reinforces the idea that Christians have every reason to study science, because as Lennox puts it, "God is not a god of the gaps.  He's the God who created the whole show!  The more Newton understood about how gravity works, the more he could admire the genius of the God who did it that way."

 

EARTH, SUN, AND STARS -- GETTING THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE

"The heavens declare the glory of God," the Bible says.  But we often fail to contemplate the heavens as we should.  "Awesome" is a word much abused.  Here it truly fits.  

 

SEMINARS ON HOMOSEXUALITY, CHANGE, AND THE GOSPEL

Justin Taylor has collected some additional resources - audio, video, and print.  He includes preliminary summaries of audio/video content which proves helpful in choosing what to watch or listen to.

The audio/visual lecture by Professor Sam Williams (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) linked above is available in manuscript form here.

Justin Taylor says "If you’re looking for a good resource on thinking about the arguments for homosexuality—especially exegetical ones—the best authority to consult is Professor Robert Gagnon. His book The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics is the standard in the field."

A commenter on Taylor's blog post, recommended these additional talks.  

Another commenter noted that Regent College Audio has an entire course (“The Bible, Homosexuality, and Sexual Ethics”) taught by RobertGagnon for sale.  He says, "It is not cheap but it was well worth it. It is basically his “The Bible and Homosexual Practice” text in lecture form. 20 hours worth."

 Additional note: On the subject of same-sex marriage, see previous posts here and here.

A CLASSICAL SCHOOL READING LIST: GRADES 1-3

The list can be found here.

ARE WE NOT OUR TRUE SELVES WHEN NAKED?

C.S. Lewis responds:

"Are we not our true selves when naked?  In a sense, no.  The word naked was originally a past participle; the naked man was the man who had undergone the process of naking, that is, of stripping or peeling (you used the verb of nuts and fruit).  Time out of mind the naked man has seemed to our ancestors not the natural but the abnormal man; not the man who has abstained from dressing but the man who has been for some reason undressed.  And it is a simple fact--anyone can observe it at a men's bathing place--that nudity emphasises common humanity and soft-pedals what is individual.  In that way we are 'more ourselves' when clothed."  - From  The Four Loves, chapter 5

Update:

A friend emailed me wondering about the context for posting the CSL quote.  The answer is simple and I probably should have offered an introduction before posting it.  I am aware of "back to nature" types both historically and presently who think nakedness desirable, and a step forward toward a kind of stripped-down authenticity.  I think the CSL quote addresses that notion insightfully and concisely.

The Social Conservative Review: The Insider's Guide to Pro-Family News--May 10, 2012

The Family Research Council does superb work in assembling these articles.  For previous issues of the Social Conservative Review, click here.  The items below are found here.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• "Homeschooling Mother's Name Removed from Registry," Home School Legal Defense Association
• "10 Things I Learned in Our First Year of Homeschooling," Jennifer Fulwiler, National Catholic Register

Legislation and Policy Proposals

• "Academics vs. sexual orientation," Becky Yeh, OneNewsNow
• "Is Evolution a Lousy Story?," Tom Bartlett, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• "A Lose-Lose Deal: Timid Leadership Yields Half-Baked Policies," Rick Hess, Education Week
• "College, loans, and the road to success," Cal Thomas, WORLD Magazine
• "Fixing the Problems in Student Lending," Reps. Phil Roe and Tim Walberg, The Washington Examiner
• "Immersion Education for Parents," Pete Peterson and Kevin Klowden, City Journal

Government Reform
Regulation

• "How Financial Regulation Is Creating Another Bubble," Christopher Grosvenor, Seeking Alpha
• "CEI's Battered Business Bureau: The Week in Regulation," Ryan Young, OpenMarket.org
• "A Stealth Expansion of the Welfare State," Michael G. Franc, National Review Online

Waste/Fraud/Abuse

• "Blueprint for cutting government spending," Cal Thomas, The Sun Sentinel
• "What Real Government Waste Looks Like," Paul Waldman, The American Prospect
• "Tracking the Pork," Gerri Willis, Fox Business

Health Care
Abstinence

• "Sex and the Seamless Garment," William Doino, Jr., First Things
• "Guttmacher Institute Misleads on Why Teen Births Declined," Michael New, LifeNews.com

Conscience Protection

• "Is Conscience Partisan? A Look at the Clinton, Moynihan, and Kennedy Records," Richard M. Doerflinger, The Public Discourse
• "Pro-Life conscience protection headed to KS governor," Kathy Ostrowski, Kansans for Life
• "The Catholic Pendulum Swings," Justin Paulette, The Intellectual Conservative

Health care reform: Political and Legislative efforts

• "HSAs also work for lower-income individuals," The Galen Institute
• "New ruling reveals the future of Washington-directed healthcare," Scott Gottlieb, The Enterprise Blog
• "Exposing the Medicare Double Count," Charles Blahous and James C. Capretta, The Wall Street Journal
• "Sandra Fluke and Georgetown's Position of 'Neutrality'," Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register

Homosexuality

• "Campbell's not so 'clean-cut'," Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow
• "NC Marriage Battle Heats Up Ahead of Tuesday's Vote," Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post
• "NY civil rights debate moves from gay marriage to transgender rights; 16 states have laws," Michael Virtanen, Associated Press
• "GLAAD Argues Pro-Homosexual Voices 'Underrepresented' in Media," Crosswalk
• "Methodists Uphold Policy that Calls Homosexuality 'Incompatible with Christian Teaching," Daniel Burke, Religion News Service
• "EU Commissioner Reding: "We Only Finance the Gay Lobby, but We Have No Influence on its Activities"," J.C. von Krempach, J.D., Turtle Bay and Beyond

Human Life and Bioethics
Abortion

• "Should Libertarians Be Conservatives?: The Tough Cases of Abortion and Marriage," Jay W. Richards, The Public Discourse
• "Pro-lifers not protected at WKU," Bob Kellogg, OneNewsNow
• "Family Breakdown at the Heart of Global Aging Crisis," Susan Yoshihara, Turtle Bay and Beyond
• "Addressing the Needs of Expectant Mothers: A Reply to Rafie & Winsor," Mark W. Leach, The Public Discourse
• "Successful Advocacy Begins in the Womb: A Reply to Mark Leach," Monica Rafie and Tracy Winsor, The Public Discourse
• "What's Planned Parenthood afraid of?," Anna Franzonello, The Washington Times
• "The Reproductive Life of Julia," Jill Stanek, JillStanek.com
• "Professors: Babies Don't Know They're Killed in Abortions," Warner T. Huston, LifeNews.com
• "Korea cracking down on Chinese "human flesh pills" made from ... dead babies," Allahpundit, Hot Air

Bioethics and Biotechnology

• "Pope Reminds Doctors, Medical Students and Scientists to Incorporate Faith Into Science," National Catholic Register
• "Jon Will's gift," George Will, The Washington Post
• "Higher risk of birth defects from assisted reproduction," Medical Express
• "Distinguish Medical "Treatments" From "Services" to Win Bioethical Debates," Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke

Euthanasia and End of Life Issues

• "Vatican Paper Compares Pro-Abortion and Euthanasia Arguments to Nazi Eugenics," Stoyan Zaimov, The Christian Post

Stem Cell Research

To read about the latest advances in ethical adult stem cell research, keep up with leading-edge reports from FRC's Dr. David Prentice, click here.

• "Stem cell lawsuit poses wide impact for conscience rights," Michelle Bauman, EWTN News

Human Trafficking

• "GOP lawmaker looks to shut down sex trafficking through Backpage.com," Pete Kasperowicz, The Hill
• "Child Marriage: A Human Trafficking Problem?," Tripti Lahiri, The Wall Street Journal
• "Local women working to expose, eradicate human trafficking," Michelle Esteban, KOMONews.com

Marriage and Family
Adoption

• "Agency To Educate Others About Adoption," Daniel Hubbard, The Wayne Patch
• "Adoption adventure in China," Elizabeth Patel, China Daily
• "Adoption scam victims tell of loss, heartbreak as two are sentenced," Mark Morris, The Kansas City Star
• "National Pro-Life Adoption Conference Focuses on Orphan Crisis," Ryan Bomberger, LifeNews.com

Family Economics

• "A Better Estimate of the Unemployment Rate -- 11%," Chris Gacek, Family Research Council
• "Yo-Yo Economics?," Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, The Center for Vision and Values
• "You Can Keep Preaching About Tax Fairness, Mr. King, But Cut a Check First," Joe Carter, The Acton Institute
• "Ignore the Income Gap," Deroy Murdock, National Review Online
• "The Meanings of Mobility: Checking the New Pressure Points on the Middle Class," William Voegeli, The Family in America

Family Structure

• "Are Children Worth the Cost?," Barbara Curtis, Crosswalk
• "Maria Steen of the Iona Institute discusses divorce on Newstalk," The Iona Institute
• "Two Steps from Reasonable About Marriage," Stephen J. Heaney, The Public Discourse
• "The Story of Ian & Larissa," John Piper, Desiring God
• "Marital Parenthood and American Prosperity: As Goes the Middle-Class Family, So Goes the Nation," Ryan C. MacPherson, The Family in America

Media
Pornography

• "Groupon now for Playboy?," Bill Bumpas, OneNewsNow
• "Pedophiles found using Facebook to trade child pornography," Natalie DiBlasio, USA Today
• "NY top court: Just viewing child porn not a crime," Associated Press

Internet

• "Tweens' Secret Lives Online," Katherine Rosman, The Wall Street Journal

Religion and Public Policy
Religious Liberty

• "Religious freedom, rebellion, and indoor prostitution: Why Rhode Island's independence day matters," Lazar Berman, The Enterprise Blog
• "Tenn. Governor Vetoes Vanderbilt Bill; All-Comers Policy to Remain in Place," Katherine Weber, The Christian Post
• "CCJ Urges Supreme Court to Protect the Mt. Soledad Cross," John C. Eastman and Edwin Meese, The Claremont Institute
• "Let's Have A Referenda On Ten Commandments," Chris Freund, The Family Foundation

Religion in America

Check out Dr. Kenyn Cureton's feature on Watchmen Pastors called "The Lost Episodes," featuring how religion has had an impact on our Founding Fathers.

• "Millennials, Christianity, and Culture," Rob Schwarzwalder, Family Research Council
• "Traditional Christianity versus Christian Heresies," George J. Marlin, The Catholic Thing
• "An Agenda for Recovering Christianity in America," Tim Keller, The Gospel Coalition
• "The God Who is Worldly," Peter J. Leithart, First Things
• "John Stott, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien: Why American Evangelicals Love the British," Molly Worthen, Religion & Politics

Secularism

• "Evil, militant anti-Christian secularism is simply a myth," The Irish Times
• "Why the Future Will Be More Religious and More Conservative Than You Think," Eric Kaufmann, The American
• "The Soul of Liberty," Hunter Baker, Touchstone Magazine

International
Israel

• "The eye of the storm," Jill Nelson, WORLD Magazine
• "The Wages of the Sinai," Steven A. Cook, Council on Foreign Relations
• "New Unity Government Is Smart Politics," Evelyn Gordon, Commentary Magazine
• "New Israeli Coalition: Good for Israel, Good for Netanyahu, Good for Obama," Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia

International Economy and Family

• "Rise of far right threatens to pollute politics across Europe," Peter Popham, The Independent
• "The Difference Between the U.S. and Europe in 1 Graph," Derek Thompson, The Atlantic
• "Half a Million Sign Petition to Protect Definition of Marriage in UK," Christian Today, The Christian Post

Religious Persecution

• "A Christian Arab Pastor's Perspective on Persecution and Ministry in the Holy Land," Family Research Council
• "Telling the Whole Story: The Flight of Chen Guangcheng," Eric Metaxas, The Christian Post
• "Was U.S. Duped by China on Dissident Deal," Rick Moran, Frontpage Magazine
• "Communist China's Perilous Phase," Minxin Pei, The Wall Street Journal
• "'Defend the persecuted'," Emily Belz, WORLD Magazine

Sharia law -- U.S., foreign

• "Dangerous illusions about Islamism," Robert R. Reilly, The Washington Times
• "A war that's bigger than Afghanistan," William Kristol, The Washington Post
• "Reaching the Muslim World -- On the Web," Josh Etter, Desiring God

The Courts
Constitutional Issues

• "The Federalist Papers Still Matter," Rob Schwarzwalder, Family Research Council
• "Does the Takings Clause Have an Expiration Date?," Justin Shubow, The FedSoc Blog
• "Greve on Originalism and Chief Justice Marshall," Mike Rappaport, Library of Law and Liberty
• "In the Courthouse was the Word," Anthony Esolen, The Public Discourse

Judicial Activism

• "House Begins Contempt Process Against Holder for "Fast and Furious"," Justin Shubow, The FedSoc Blog

Other News of Note

• "Occupy the Southern Poverty Law Center," Charles C.W. Cooke, National Review Online
• "The Centurion," James M. Kushiner, Touchstone Magazine
• "Lessons In Leadership From The NY Times," Tom Maguire, JustOneMinute

Book reviews

• "What Augustine's Baptism Can Teach Our Churches," Russell D. Moore, Moore to the Point
• "Liberalism Is Bad for Literature," Mark Bauerlein, The Public Discourse
• "Bearing Life in a Broken World: A Review of No Easy Choice," Amy Julia Becker, Christianity Today
• "A Truce in the Culture Wars: A Review of Jonathan Merritt's "A Faith of Our Own"," Trevin Wax, The Gospel Coalition
• "The Unmet Political Challenge of Family Breakdown," Jennifer Roback Morse, The Family in America

U.S. WOMEN WARNED OF SHARIA LAW

Paul Strand, CBN News, reports:

WASHINGTON -- There's growing concern that Sharia law is creeping into America, with some U.S. judges even citing Islamic law in their rulings.

Activists are now working to shine light on what they call Sharia's war on women.

A vast coalition met in Washington, D.C., Thursday, to warn women of the threat Islamic law would pose to their rights if enacted in the U.S.

"Sharia takes an entirely different approach to their rights than would the American Constitution or the Declaration of Independence," explained Karen Lugo, assistant director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence.

The group's national public education campaign includes women who've been affected by harsh Sharia law.

Cynthia Farahat fled Egypt to avoid facing military prison for her human rights work against Islam.

"I'm almost here in America on exile for standing up for basic human rights and basic values under Sharia law," she said. "I lived under Sharia law all my life. I just came to America six months ago."

From her experience, Farahat summed up Sharia's treatment of women as "oppressive" and "violent."

"It does not identify women as citizens. And some jurists in Sharia law do not identify women as human beings," she explained. "Some jurists would go so far as defining them as livestock."

Farahat is a writer and helps with efforts by the Center for Security Policy, the group behind Thursday's panel discussion in Washington.

Participants want America's women to understand the stifling effect Sharia law would have on their unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"The women living in Sharia are often in polygamous marriages, often in marriages where they do not have freedom to pursue their education or pursue a career if that should interest them," Lugo said.

The panelists also noted that Islam is far more than just a religion, and the Koran commands the whole world must come under Sharia law.

"They say Islam is religion and state," Farahat said.

"It encompasses every aspect of one's life," Lugo added.

Some 5,000 Muslim women die in honor killings every year, which Islamic extremists declare imperative.

Sharia insists women have guardians, and some Islamic countries view them legally as perpetual minors, never as adults.

Sharia law also allows husbands to divorce their wives at any time, without reason.

MORE RESOURCES RELATED TO THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE

Earlier today I posted resources from the Manhattan Declaration offering arguments in support of the traditional position that marriage should be defined as the union of one man and one woman.  The Family Research Council today also weighed in with resources of its own supporting the traditional understanding of marriage.  FRC has produced the video (below), “The Problem with Same-sex Marriage:  How It Will Affect You and Your Children.” 

 

Additionally, FRC has a variety of resources on the dangers of same-sex “marriage.”

• Why Marriage Matters
• Protect Marriage as the Union of One Man and One Woman
• Keep the Definition of Marriage as the Union of One Man and One Woman
• The Defense of Marriage Act: What It Does and Why It Is Vital for Traditional Marriage in America
• Is the Defense of Marriage Act Constitutional? Yes
• Basic Facts About The Defense of Marriage Act
• DOMA Won’t Do It: Why the Constitution Must Be Amended to Save Marriage
• Debating Homosexuality: Understanding Two Views
• The Top Ten Harms of Same-sex Marriage
• The Top Ten Myths of Homosexuality
• Homosexuality in your Child’s School
• The Bible, the Church, and Homosexuality

RESOURCES FOR ENTERING THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE

Eric Teetsel of The Manhattan Declaration has responded to President Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage by writing the following:

The Manhattan Declaration is a coalition of the historic Christian faiths united in support of the sanctity of every human life, marriage as the conjugal union of a man to a woman as the bedrock of society, and religious liberty as the cornerstone of freedom. We promote a culture of life, love, and liberty in many ways. One is to equip you, our advocates, with the best resources on these issues.

 

Below is a list of ten articles and videos on the subject of marriage. Take an hour to skim them. Don’t try to memorize the data or recite the arguments verbatim; rather, reflect on them. Allow your mind to absorb the broad principles. As the national conversation on this topic reaches a fever pitch in the next few days, you will be primed as a witness to the truth.

 

One final thought: this is not a war to be won in the blogosphere or on Facebook. We are teachers, co-workers, family members, and friends in relationship with those who have yet to see. Be gracious, be patient, and be kind.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. (Matthew 5:11)

 

What is Marriage?

by Sherif Girgis, Robert George, and Ryan T. Anderson

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1722155

 

Why I'm Optimistic About Natural Marriage

by Andrew Walker

http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/why-im-optimistic-about-natural-marriage/

 

Why Is Marriage Important? (video)

by John Piper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd3AmKexugM

 

Who Needs Marriage?

by Chuck Colson

http://www.breakpoint.org/the-center/columns/colson-files/17606-who-needs-marriage

 

Marriage in Society: The Generation Clash (pps. 47-57)

by Matthew Lee Anderson

http://issuu.com/thecity/docs/thecitywinter2009/47?mode=embed&layout=http://skin.issuu.com/v/light/layout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

 

What Would Bonhoeffer Do?

by Eric Metaxas

http://www.breakpoint.org/the-center/columns/call-response/15129-metaxas-what-would-bonhoeffer-do

 

Dennis Prager Debates Perez Hilton on Same-Sex Marriage (Warning: YouTube contains objectionable content)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTE9zWaQc_Y

 

Religion, Reason, and Same-Sex Marriage

by Matthew J. Franck

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2011/05/religion-reason-and-same-sex-marriage

 

A Marriage in Full

by Gary A. Anderson

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/04/003-a-marriage-in-full-3

 

On Marriage and the Moral Limits of Human Sexuality

by Metropolitan Jonah

http://orthocath.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/metropolitan-jonah-on-marriage-and-the-moral-limits-of-human-sexuality/

 

There is a lot of great stuff I have failed to include in my list. Share your favorite articles, blogs, and videos with us on our Facebook page.

 

Warmly,

 

Eric Teetsel

INDIA: HINDU NATIONALISM FUELS VIOLENCE & INJUSTICE

Not many people are aware of the situation that Christians face in many parts of India.  Elizabeth Kendal, international religious liberty analyst and advocate, explains the violence and injustice Christians face:

Hindu nationalism -- the idea that India should be a Hindu State -- is the political construct of India's high caste Hindu powerbrokers who pursue political power for the purpose of perpetuating their own power and privilege.

Hindu nationalism works to dragnet the votes of India's Hindu majority (74 percent), primarily through promoting Hindu supremacy and to effect religious conversions for political gain through fear-mongering amongst India's indigenous tribal peoples who are traditionally non-Hindu. The Hindu nationalists tell the indigenous tribals that their nation is under threat from seditious elements (Muslims and Christians) who they say are in the pay of foreign enemies like Pakistan and the CIA. The only way to protect India from separatism and colonialism is for the tribals to join the Hindu mainstream and fight politically and physically. This Hindutva propaganda goes largely unchallenged and is responsible for the dramatic escalation in dangerous communal violence right across India, a situation that is further fuelled by the impunity with which attackers are rewarded.

AN OCCUPIER AND A SOVIET REFUGEE HAVE A CONVERSATION

Click here for the video.  I wish it were on YouTube so I could post it.  The young occupier is sweet, but without a clue.   UPDATE:  Here's the video -

 

GETTING CAUGHT UP ON WINTERY KNIGHT POSTS

I scanned recent posts from Wintery Knight and wish to highlight the following:

     - How to respond to an atheist who complains about slavery in the Bible

     - Can atheists be moral?  Sean McDowell and James Corbett - debate-2

     - Jennifer Roback Morse lectures on sex and sexuality at Harvard University

TOP 10 MOST READ BOOKS IN THE WORLD

The social media website Squidoo has produced an info-graph about the most read books in the past fifty years.  HT: Justin Taylor 

Many commenters have registered serious reservations about the accuracy of this graph.  Still, I found it interesting.

Quick Takes

George Will - Democrats have no respect for the Bill of Rights. 

South Korean customs officials discover thousands of pills filled with powdered human baby flesh

Southern Poverty Law Center refuses to investigate the Left

Eric Metaxas - Christian outreach to  Elites can change history

KEN HUTCHERSON ON GAY MARRIAGE - AND ON RECLAIMING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

I hadn't heard of Ken Hutcherson until tonight.  He's the pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Redmond, Washington.  He's also a former linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks.  I like the responses he gives in this interview.

 

And here he is reclaiming the original meaning of "gay" and "rainbow."

U.S. MILITARY DEVELOPING SPYCHIPS FOR SOLDIERS

Bob Unruh writes:  (HT: Drudge)

The U.S. military wants to plant nanosensors in soldiers to monitor health on future battlefields and immediately respond to needs, but a privacy expert warns the step is just one more down the road to computer chips for all.

“It’s never going to happen that the government at gunpoint says, ‘You’re going to have a tracking chip,’” said Katherine Albrecht, who with Liz McIntyre authored “Spychips,” a book that warns of the threat to privacy posed by Radio Frequency Identification. 

“It’s always in incremental steps. If you can put a microchip in someone that doesn’t track them … everybody looks and says, ‘Come on,’” she said. “It’ll be interesting seeing where we go.”

According to a report at Mobiledia, the U.S. military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has confirmed plans to create nanosensors to monitor the health of soldiers on battlefields.

The devices also would report data to doctors. But privacy analysts have expressed concern that the implants could be used not just to monitor health but to keep track of and possibly control people. . . [more. . .]

Me: The attempt to track civilians won't be long.   Any bets?

PAPER: SECRET PLAN TO CREATE 'SUPER-POWERFUL EUROPEAN UNION PRESIDENT'

Look for prophecy buffs to have a heyday with this report.  I've taken the title of this blog post from the Drudge Report. 

Opponents fear the plan could create a modern-day equivalent of the European emperor envisaged by Napoleon Bonaparte or a return to the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne that dominated Europe in the Dark Ages.

Me: Bears watching... 

WILL OBAMA STAND UP TO CHINA ON BEHALF OF CHEN?

President Obama gloats over killing Osama bin Ladin.  Now comes a real test.  Will he stand up to China on behalf of blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng?  He wants to meet with Secretary Hillary Clinton who is now in China.  The Financial Times reports:  (HT: Drudge)

The fate of blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng was injected into the US presidential election on Thursday after Republican challenger Mitt Romney described the incident as “a day of shame for the Obama administration”.

Mr Romney joined a series of Republican lawmakers who piled criticism on the Obama administration after an agreement to allow Mr Chen to remain in the country appeared to collapse.

The Obama administration was forced into damage limitation after Mr Chen said he had changed his mind and now wanted to leave China, one day after the state department announced a deal with the Chinese authorities to allow him to reunite with his family and attend law school.

In a telephone interview with the FT, Mr Chen said that he wanted to leave on the same aircraft as Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, who is in Beijing for an annual economic and security summit.

Mr Chen, a 40-year-old self-taught lawyer, took refuge in the US embassy last week after making a dramatic escape from house arrest in a rural area 300 miles from the capital.

Mr Romney said that it appeared US officials had “sped up” Mr Chen’s departure from the US embassy in Beijing because of the summit meeting being attended by Mrs Clinton and had not put in place measures to assure Mr Chen’s safety once he left the embassy.

“If these reports are true, this is a dark day for freedom,” he said.  . . . 

The administration also came under intense criticism from Republican lawmakers and some human rights groups at a specially called congressional hearing on the case. Christopher Smith, a Republican congressman from New Jersey, said that the administration had “dropped the ball significantly” and that it would be “scandalous” if the US did not do everything it could to protect Mr Chen.

Bob Fu, who runs ChinaAid, a Texas-based Christian group that has worked extensively on human rights issues, added to the pressure on the administration. “Secretary Clinton, this is the moment to deliver on what you promised over the last few years,” he told the hearing. . . . [more...]

Me:  Now, it seems to me, is a test of the importance President Obama places on freedom and human rights.    Is anyone brimming with confidence?

U.S. ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS WHITEWASH ISLAM

How do you react when you become aware of blatant lies being fed our youth?  I find myself upset, angry -- and amazed.  What kind of mentality is so bold as to put forth not only distortions of the truth, but outright, bald-faced lies?   Are publishers in the pay of Saudi Arabia that they would agree to print such material?  How can school districts agree to use these textbooks?   Enquiring minds want to know

Erick Stakelbeck of CBN news reports:

WASHINGTON -- Through the years, American public schools have taught students that Nazism, communism, and other totalitarian ideologies should be opposed.

But when it comes to the current war with Islamic jihadists, public schools are taking a much different course.

According to a new report, students are getting a white-washed version of what our enemies believe, and it could have dangerous implications for America's future.

Sugar-coating Islam

For students in America's middle and high schools, 9/11 is a distant memory. Some were still toddlers when the World Trade Center towers fell.

But if they're looking for answers in their history textbooks about who attacked the United States and why, they may be disappointed.

One 2003 world geography textbook widely used in public schools gives the following explanation for the 9/11 attacks:

"On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes, crashing two of them into New York City's World Trade Center and the third into the Pentagon. The devastation and loss of so many lives made the United States firmly resolved to rid the world of terrorism."

Guy Rodgers, a former public school teacher who is now executive director of ACT! for America Education, noted that while the text mentions terrorism or a terrorist attack, it never mentions Islam or that the attackers were Muslim.

"The closest they'll get to it is they'll mention al Qaeda," Rodgers told CBN News. "But they don't typically define what al Qaeda is or describe it."

CAROLINE GLICK - ISRAEL IN 2012 IS FAR DIFFERENT FROM ISRAEL IN 1998

I found Glick's description of how Israel has changed since 1998 informative and fascinating.  She writes in her article "Post-Zionism is so 1990s":

You can learn a lot about a nation's health by watching how it celebrates its national holidays. In Israel's case, compare how we celebrated our 50th Independence Day in 1998 to what celebrations involve today.

During the 1990s, Israel's elite took a vacation from reality and history and they brought much of the public with them.

Then-foreign minister Shimon Peres said that history was overrated. The so-called "New Historians," who rummaged through David Ben-Gurion's closet looking for skeletons, were the toast of the academic world. Radicals like Yossi Beilin, Shulamit Aloni and Avrum Burg were dictating government policy.

The media, the entertainment establishment, and the Education Ministry embraced and massively promoted plays, movies, television shows, songs, dances, art and books that "slayed sacred cows."  Everywhere you turned, post-Zionism was in. Post-Judaism was in. And Zionism and Judaism were both decidedly out.

As he is today, in 1998 Binyamin Netanyahu was prime minister, and then as now there were prominent voices seeking to blame him for the absence of peace and every other terrible blight on the planet.

In 1998, the government invested a fortune in marking Israel's 50th Independence Day. The main official celebration was a massive affair called Jubilee Bells that took place at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. More than 2,000 performers participated. But rather than serve as an event that unified Israeli society in celebration of 50 years of sovereign freedom, the event exposed just how far Israel's political and cultural elite were willing to go in attacking basic societal values.

The Bat Sheva Dance Troupe was scheduled to participate in the program and present a dance set to the traditional Passover song "Ehad mi yodea," (Who knows one). The song contains 13 stanzas that praise God, praise Jewish law, and outline the Jewish life cycle. In the number Bat Sheva was scheduled to perform, the dancers come on stage dressed as ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and by the end of the song, all they are wearing is underwear.

The choreography enraged members of Netanyahu's cabinet including education minister Yitzhak Levy. They insisted that the program shouldn't contain material that insulted sectors of Israeli society. The organizers tried to forge a compromise. But the dancers chose to boycott the festival.

Israel's cultural and media establishment expressed shock and horror at what they viewed as the government's attempt to infringe on artistic freedom. The Association of Israeli Artists demanded that a public commission be formed to ensure that the government would be unable to interfere in artistic freedom in the future. Major cultural icons declared cultural war against religious Jews.

The question of whether the dance was appropriate for an official, state- financed celebration of Independence Day was never asked. So, too, no one asked whether a dance portraying ultra-Orthodox Jews moving sensuously to a traditional Jewish song while taking off their clothes reflected the values of society.

To understand the distance Israel has traveled since then, consider Tuesday night's Memorial Day ceremony at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. None of the performers attacked their fellow Israelis. And the best-received artist and song was Mosh Ben-Ari and his rendition of Psalm 121 - A Song of Ascent.

The psalm, which praises God as the eternal guardian of Israel, became the unofficial anthem of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009. And Ben-Ari's rendition of the song propelled the dreadlock bedecked, hoop earring wearing world music artist into super-stardom in Israel.

IT WAS impossible to imagine Pslam 121 or any other traditional Jewish poem or prayer being performed as anything other than an object of scorn in 1998. Back then, it would have been impossible to contemplate a crowd of tens of thousands of non-religious Israelis reverently singing along as Ben-Ari crooned, "My help is from God/ Maker of Heaven and Earth/ He will not allow your foot to falter/ Your Guardian will not slumber/ Behold he neither slumbers nor sleeps - the Guardian of Israel."

It's not that the crowd would have necessarily booed him off the stage. He simply never would have been allowed on the stage to begin with. The 1990s was the decade that launched Aviv Gefen, the most prominent secular draft-dodger, to stardom.

Israel is no longer in the throes of an adolescent rebellion. It has regained its senses.

DENNIS PRAGER - "NOVEMBER IS A PLEBISCITE ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION"

I urge you to click through to read Prager's entire article.  He lays out the crucial issue that Americans need to understand: this election is a vote for or against the American revolution.  Prager writes:

Election Day 2012 will not be a presidential election. It will be a plebiscite.

Americans will not only be voting for a president (and a House and a third of the Senate). They will be participating in a plebiscite on the definition of America.

If Americans reelect the Democrat, Barack Obama, they will have announced that America should be like Western European countries — governed by left-wing values. Americans will have decided that America’s value system — “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” “E Pluribus Unum” — should be replaced.

The election in November is therefore a plebiscite on the American Revolution. The usual description of presidential elections — “the most important in our lifetime” — is true this time. In fact, it may be the most important election since the Civil War, and possibly since America’s founding.