“Don’t let the facts intrude on my reality”

Here in the Detroit area, last weekend’s newsmagazine featured a local columnist who was bemoaning the confrontational nature of recent political discourse among friends and acquaintances: “Many fine folks elect not to talk politics” (Marney Rich Keenan). [Note – This article has apparently been purged from the Detroit News site. A 2-17-13 search came up empty.]
 
The writer’s position was basically, you’re not going to change my mind, so let’s not argue. But the undertone was don’t confuse me with the facts; I prefer my own fantasies.
 
Unfortunately, it’s a position that all too many voters seem to take these days ~

“Philosophy experts tell us political disagreements are not so much about policy or facts as they are about values and beliefs.”

 
Sadly, that may be true for many. But ignoring facts won’t change them.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t believe everything you think. ~ Amish Proverb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
This go-away-leave-me-alone sentiment reminds me of our teenage son who doesn’t want to escape the self-centered peer-induced bubble he’s currently residing in and face reality. (Is it any wonder that Barack Obama’s vague, feel-good mantra of “Hope & Change” is calculated to appeal to the youth – and the youthfully naive?)
 

 
But after a couple decades of living in the real world, don’t most of us learn that the worldviews of our younger selves were heavily clouded by idealism? That the way we want things to be isn’t necessarily the way they are?

 
As one matures to adulthood, feelings generally give way to opinion informed by facts. At least they used to. Most of us eventually discover that;
 
• There is no Santa Claus
• You can’t spend more money than you make
• Independence doesn’t mean freedom from responsibility
 
But here in the 21st century have we actually become so unmoored from reality that everything is subjective?
 
Less than three hundred years ago, thank God, America’s founders certainly believed in objective truth:
 

“It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth – and listen to the song of that syren, till she transforms us into beasts.
 
Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?
 
For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”
 
~ Patrick Henry, speech in the Virginia Convention, 1775

 

To those “fine folks” who wish to avoid the uncomfortable realities of political debate, I would say that if there are no transcendent truths, you are correct; everything is reduced to personal feelings and beliefs. And there’s no point in even trying to change hearts and minds. If there are no transcendent truths, there are no souls to save. And all is mere illusion.
 
But I don’t believe it.
 

Posted in Arrested Development, Fantasyland, Unvarnished | 1 Comment

New Zealander standing strong for Freedom

We got to hear the great Trevor Loudon (and Michelle Malkin!) speak this afternoon in Brighton, MI at an Americans for Prosperity rally. Loudon is a New Zealander who sees the threats to the free world much clearer than most Americans.
 
Listen up people. Is the “Red Menace” is still alive – and living in the White House? ~
 

 
Check out Loudon’s blog: New Zeal – shining the torch for liberty.
 

Posted in Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Saturday Shorts – 10-27-12

Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
LSU Digitally Removes Crosses From Picture Of Christian Football Fans ~ Separation of God and college football I guess.
 

Top Dem donor and kooky religious bigot J.Z. Knight rants on video: “F**k you, Catholics” ~ Oh look! Another charming Leftist.
 
A Red Carpet for Radicals at the White House ~ This may go a long way toward explaining the administration’s criminally negligent handling of the Benghazi tragedy. Whose side are they really on? ~

A year-long investigation by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) has found that scores of known radical Islamists made hundreds of visits to the Obama White House, meeting with top administration officials.

 
Obama’s Vote Cost Taxpayers $716,000 ~ Actually that’s only travel expense back and forth to Illinois for his photo op, doesn’t include local security. But that’s just chump change when you add up what each vote for him in 2008 has cost the country in terms of debt ~

Obama has added 5 trillion dollars to the national debt after winning 69,456,897 votes. Divide 5 trillion by 69,456,897 and we learn that each of those irresponsible votes cost the country… $71,987. 😯

 
North Korean army minister ‘executed with mortar round’ ~ Dear Lord. Kim Jong-un is determined to prove he’s every inch the murderous dictator that his father Kim Jong-il was.
 
Chicago Small Business Owner Labeled a ‘Racist’ For Posting Anti-Obama Signs in Store Window ~ Be advised, new definition of “racist”: “Obama, I built this business working 7 days a week, you didn’t.”
 

Flex Mex, The Hexaflexagon Burrito ~ Wanted to end on a lighter note, and this is just kind of cool. 🙂
Unique approach to making math appetizing with an instructional video. From Foodiggity, a creative food blog, where you can find fun stuff like candy corn cookies.
 
 

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Desperately Seeking the Slut Vote

We know that Obama never had the patriots, the “Don’t Tread On Me” crowd, or the capital “C” Christians. But now that he’s losing ~
 
Veterans
Catholics
Postgraduate voters
Black Christians
Jews
Latinos
and even the “Yutes?!”

 
All that’s left is pandering to the promiscuous. Can Democrats sink much lower?
 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
Related:

Gallup: Obama down among every demographic from 2008

 
Steven Crowder’s hysterical response to the Lena Dunham ad 😀 ~
“More Free Crap”
 

 

Posted in Arrested Development, Cultural Erosion | Leave a comment

OUTRAGE! Benghazigate!!!

Breaking, from The Blaze: New Explosive Benghazi Allegations: CIA Operators Told to ‘Stand Down’ During Attack As 3 Urgent Requests for Military Back-Up Were Denied
 

 

Explosive new allegations surrounding the Benghazi attack emerged this morning, with FOX News’ Jennifer Griffin reporting that sources have confirmed that three urgent requests for military assistance sent from the CIA annex were all denied. Additionally, CIA operators were told to “stand down” rather than respond when shots were heard around 9:40 p.m. on September 11.

 

Also, lost amid the news from this tragic debacle, was another disaster unfolding in Afghanistan. Michelle Malkin asks: What about the Camp Bastion attack?
 
Not only is this Commander-in-Chief and his entire administration criminally and morally negligent in these attacks-
the mainstream media is complicit in the cover-up.

 
And Colin Powell is an absolute disgrace to his uniform.
 

Posted in Good vs.Evil, MSM Malpractice, Unvarnished | 5 Comments

Morsi prays for “victory over the infidels”

Gee, I’m wondering if Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi will be attending Friday prayers tomorrow in the same mosque as last week:
 

 

Oh Allah… grant us victory over the infidels;
destroy the Jews and their supporters;
displace them and rend them asunder.

 

Peaceful tolerance? Hardly.
No, like any devout Muslim, and proud member of the Brotherhood, Morsi has been dutifully following up his prayers with action: Egypt’s Christians – Distraught and Displaced

For months, Arabic-Christian media have been reporting ongoing stories of Muslim “gangs” and “thugs” attacking Coptic Christian homes, abducting the residents, including women and children, and demanding ransom monies—not unlike what is happening to Christians in Iraq and Syria.
 
All media reports describe the same sequence of events: 1) Christians were threatened with leaflets warning them to evacuate or die; 2) an armed attack with automatic rifles was made on a Christian-owned shop; 3) Christians abandoned everything and fled their homes.
 
Such reports often conclude with an all too familiar postscript: Christians calling police for help and filing complaints, all in vain.

 

Oh Allah, displace them and rend them asunder…

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
 
Recall that President Obama had been pretty chummy with old Mohammed throughout the whole Arab Spring Fling. Apparently the desperate situation of the Copts hasn’t troubled him much (especially since the msm is pretending it’s not happening)…
But after Morsi allowed an Islamist mob to break into the U.S. embassy grounds in Cairo, burn the U.S. flag and raise an Islamist flag on Sept. 11, Barack Hussein found the political climate getting a little too warm and suddenly called off a meeting the two had scheduled, describing Egypt as neither an ally nor an enemy, marking a sharp breakdown in relations after 33 years of U.S.-Egyptian-Israeli cooperation. [Source: Daily Caller]
 
Couldn’t have anything to do with an upcoming election could it? Nah.
 
Media Whitewashing Muslim Brotherhood’s Goals? ~ “The Muslim Brothers ideology is to wipe Israel off the map and kill the Jews. It is anti-Semitic before being anti-Israeli.” ~ Former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Zvi Mazel

Middle East expert Barry Rubin said their goals are evident but seldom reported by the media.
 
“I think we have a Muslim Brotherhood dictatorship pushed on and sometimes working with the Salafists who are even more radical. Look, this is an anti-Semitic government who’s leaders want to commit genocide against the Jews,” Rubin said.
 
“All you have to do is read their speeches and publications,” he said. “It’s not hidden but it doesn’t get into the mass media in the United States which conceals, whitewashes this to a ridiculous extent.”

 

Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Good vs.Evil | Leave a comment

ADULT Stem Cells Still Winning the Race – by a Mile

Haven’t heard much about embryonic stem cell studies in the news lately… Probably because there’s not much to report. All the good news, and breakthroughs, are still coming from… adult stem cell research.
 
Just a couple weeks ago, Shinya Yamanaka MD, PhD won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how to transform ordinary adult skin cells into cells that – like embryonic stem cells – are capable of developing into any cell in the human body.
 
Embryonic stem cell research is ethically controversial (the cells are culled from embryos and would eventually require therapeutic cloning), and has produced little if any success. As To the Source reports ~

… adult stem cell research human trials—now numbering in the thousands—have shown very promising results for diseases and disabilities ranging from spinal cord injury, to multiple sclerosis, to heart disease.
 
In contrast, despite spending billions in public and private investments, embryonic stem cell research remains moribund. At present, there are only three tiny human safety trials using embryonic stem cells for a degenerative eye condition being conducted in the entire world. There was a fourth, sponsored by Geron Corporation—an experiment to treat acute spinal cord injury that made international headlines. But it was canceled after only a year and the company abandoned embryonic stem cell research altogether.

 

Gladstone, UCSF Leaders Reflect on Dr. Shinya Yamanaka’s Nobel Prize

 
Money Morning discusses the implications for the future, in light of this discovery and other recent medical advances in this field ~

… they point to a day in the very near future in which adult stem cells will become a routine part of treating a wide range of diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
 
See, that’s the great thing about stem cells – they can grow to become anything, from bone to brain tissue. Doctors hope to take your own cells, like those in your skin, and use them to grow replacement organs or to repair damaged muscles or other tissue.

 
Awesome stuff! With Dr. Yamanaka’s discovery there’s little if any need to continue research on embryonic cells, and by extension, human cloning.
 
Related:
Smart Money’s on ADULT Stem Cells
Stem Cell Research Facts ~

Adult stem cells are a “natural” solution. They naturally exist in our bodies, and they provide a natural repair mechanism for many tissues of our bodies. They belong in the microenvironment of an adult body, while embryonic stem cells belong in the microenvironment of the early embryo, not in an adult body, where they tend to cause tumors and immune system reactions.

 

Posted in Comfort & Joy, Fruits of Their Labors, Unvarnished | 2 Comments

Democrats’ Racist Roots

Updated: 10-26-12

The Civil Rights Legacy of George Romney – See below
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’ll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years.”

~ Lyndon B. Johnson to two governors on Air Force One (according Ronald Kessler’s Book, “Inside The White House”)

 
 

Some truths are so compelling that, once discovered, can dramatically shift one’s entire world view. Such was the case when Rev. Wayne Perryman, a black American and life-long Democrat, learned which political party really deserved the epithet “racist.”
 
Shortly after Bill Clinton was reelected in 1996, Perryman, a former newspaper publisher, radio talk-show host, and corporate employment relations consultant, accepted a challenge from some younger members of his church to explore the historical relationship between blacks and the Democrat Party.
 
What he discovered undermined everything he’d previously believed about race and politics. For example:
 
• In 1844 the Democrat Party platform defended slavery. Founded in 1854, the Republican Party was formed primarily to oppose slavery;
 
• It was Republicans who sponsored and ratified the 15th Amendment (1870) which gave blacks the right to vote; further legislation was required – and passed by Republicans – to guarantee that that right would be protected (Enforcement Act of 1870 and Force Act of 1871) from Democratic voter intimidation;
 
• After the Civil War, as a reparation for slavery, Sherman’s Bill, giving “40 acres and a mule” to every black family, was introduced and passed by a Republican Congress. It was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson – a Democrat;
 
• The Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1866 by… Democrats, who were threatened by the freedoms that blacks were finally being given; the KKK terrorized, beat and murdered blacks to intimidate them into not voting, or voting only for Democrats;
 
• The Democrat Party was the one that wanted the Arkansas National Guard to enforce segregation; President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, sent the 101st Airborne to integrate the schools;
 
• Democrats enthusiastically support Abortion and Planned Parenthood – A black child has a 50-percent chance of being aborted and, if born, a 70-percent chance of living in a single parent home ~

Planned Parenthood, who provides a third of our nation’s abortions, gets $300 million annually from the federal government that they use to set up in black neighborhoods to perpetuate this dismal reality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
After realizing the truth about the Democrat Party past and present, Perryman had this to say about them in his book “Unfounded Loyalty:”

From 1878 to 1930, the party used fraud, whippings, lynching, murder, intimidation, and mutilation to get their vote. In the 1930s and 1960s they switched from violence and intimidation to manipulation and voter’s registration.

 
During the 20th century Democrats shifted from overt racism to a more subtle version.
Today they’re the party of malcontents and empty promises; passing out ever more free stuff (healthcare, foodstamps, condoms, cell phones…) but never offering any hope of individual prosperity. Promoting dependence – not independence.
 
Once openly pro-slavery, Democrats continue to assure blacks and other minorities that they really aren’t capable of supporting themselves without government assistance…
They’re like bad parents who actually discourage their children from growing up and becoming responsible, productive citizens. In reality, their version of “HOPE” is pretty darn hopeLESS.
 
Spend some time at Star Parker’s website CURE to learn how blacks can and should escape the mindset of Uncle Sam’s Plantation.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“These laws [segregation] are still constitutional and I promise you that until they are removed from the ordinance books of Birmingham and the statute books of Alabama, they will be enforced in Birmingham to the utmost of my ability and by all lawful means.”

~ Democrat Bull Connor (1957),
Commissioner of Public Safety for Birmingham, Alabama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: 10-26-12

Obama’s father was a philandering, drunken Marxist. Mitt Romney’s, well, wasn’t: The Civil Rights Legacy of George Romney.
 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reference: Unsung Davids by Ben Barrack. Very interesting, informative book; includes a chapter on Wayne Perryman.
 
Related:
A Rant on Supposed Racism ~ Historical truths
Life of a Black Julia ~ at Star Parker’s site. Funny – if it weren’t so darn sad. Tragically, large segments of our population – black and white – are conditioned to make bad lifestyle choices, and then to believe that they can’t survive without government assisting them through every phase of life.
 

Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Unvarnished | 2 Comments

Ready to Rumble – Final Round

 

Final presidential debate tonight at 9:00 p.m.EST – live from Boca Raton, FL.
 
As with the previous events, it’s two against one again. Moderator Bob Schieffer, of course, is in Obama’s corner. Here’s Michelle Malkin with a reminder of his biased background: Top 7 moments.
 
Tonight’s focus is on foreign policy.
Thanks to Joel Pollack at Breitbart and his handy guide, you can conduct your own insta-fact-check as you watch: The Obama Doctrine, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

 
Drinking game word: “Bin Laden” [Per Rush :D]

 

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Endeavour’s Last Journey

Time-lapse presentation of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s last trip – to the California Space Center (3 days in 3 minutes) ~
 

Video via NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

Bittersweet…
 

Posted in Comfort & Joy, Everything Else | Leave a comment

Defending DOMA

Here’s a reminder of just one of the Obama administration’s extra-Constitutional actions: failure to defend DOMA ~
 

 
Apparently, when it comes to marriage, “we the people” don’t count. The autocrat in the White House believes “the law runs counter to the Constitution.”
Guess what, Mr. Audacious? That determination is the responsibility of the Supreme Court. It’s your job to enforce the law. Period.
Our government has three branches, with separate, enumerated powers. It’s not a dictatorship. Or didn’t used to be…
 
Thankfully, Alliance Defending Freedom is fighting back against this arrogant abuse of authority – and the misguided attempt to redefine marriage.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We must aim at the abolition of the family”, which was founded upon
the “archaic and irrational teachings” of Christianity.

~ Gay Liberation Front Manifesto, 1979 ~

 

Posted in Timeless Principles, Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Saturday Shorts – 10-20-12

Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Obama Campaign Co-Chair Eva Longoria Gets Schooled ~ Thanks to Twitter, it’s not so easy for Hollywood Leftists to get away with being annoying, foul-mouthed know-it-alls anymore.
 
President Obama’s Misleading Account of Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Case ~ His mischaracterization of Romney’s intentions, and his desperate pandering to liberal women, are built on a pack of lies.
And then there’s this falsehood: Debate fallout: The mammogram lie ~ Truth: Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms.
“No one should prop up an abortion business by claiming it is helping women in ways that it does not.” ~ ADF attorney Casey Mattox.
 
Classical education enlivens Denver Catholic school ~ Would love to see this idea spread. Kids desperately need the three R’s (actually, in this case, the trivium, which is made up of grammar, logic, and rhetoric) – not more social engineering.
 
“He Said Allahu Akbar” – The Attack On Fort Hood ~ Video from “Fort Hood Heros.” Survivors speak out three years after the tragedy: this was terrorism – not “workplace violence!”

Why has the man who murdered 13 of his fellow soldiers not been tried yet? Why is he being allowed to flaunt US Army grooming regulations? Hasan needs to be speedly tried and punished as appropriate.

 
Welfare Spending Shattering All-Time Highs ~ Unbelievable: If converted to cash, means-tested welfare spending is more than five times the amount needed to eliminate all poverty in the United States! 😯
 
10,000 Young People Gather In Desert To Worship God ~ Amid increasing persecution in Egypt (courtesy of the Muslim Brotherhood), thousands of young Christians rallied earlier this month to worship and seek God’s blessing for their country.

We can learn so much from our fellow Christians who face persecution and an uncertain future. Pray to the Lord that He will continue to strengthen Christians in Egypt and give them boldness and courage.

 

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment