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Saturday, August 26, 2017

News Weakly - 8/26/2017

Hypocrisy isn't just a Pharisee thing
This is disturbing. While big companies like Apple, Yahoo, Cisco Systems, Amazon, and Microsoft claim outrage against the original American values like faith and country and work to redefine things like marriage and family and human rights, they're kowtowing to enemies of freedom and human rights like China. The hypocrisy is obvious.

As Predicted
All the furor over statues and the Confederacy has led to speculation, verbalized by the president, that statues of Americans like George Washington and the like are next. Turns out, it's true. Can you say "slippery slope"? Well, it's not a slippery slope if it is happening. And it is happening. Christopher Columbus has got to go. Protesters in Columbus, OH (which, by the way, will have to change its name, right?), San Jose, CA, and New York City all call for the removal of various statues of Christopher Columbus ("purging" one lawmaker called it) for his treatment of Native Americans. (Hey, I thought Columbus never actually made it to America. Shows what I know about history.) The NAACP is seeking to remove the Stone Mountain monument, a large stone carving on the side of a cliff depicting three Confederate generals. They want to blow it up. And ESPN decided to remove broadcaster Robert Lee, of Asian descent, from covering the University of Virginia's season opener because of the proximity of his name to the Confederate general. Insanity reigns. I can only hope this writer was only kidding about blowing up Mt. Rushmore.

(Oddly, polls are reporting that a majority of Americans do not favor removing statues. Go figure.)

Also as predicted ... it was more than a year ago that I warned that while Bernie or Hillary had the capacity to do great harm to the country, Trump had the capacity to do great harm to the country and to the party. My concerns haven't changed. As predicted, see his assaults on Republicans in Phoenix and elsewhere this week.

Rising Hate
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), hate is on the rise. They point, of course, mostly to the Charlottesville event, but that's primarily for illustration. "The SPLC estimates that there are currently more than 900 hate groups," the story says, and defines for us what a "hate group" is -- "organizations with beliefs that attack an entire group of people." Well, now, that's interesting. Their list includes the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Traditional Values Coalition, the Conservative Republicans of Texas, the American Family Association, the National Prayer Network, American Vision, and Chick Publications (not all of whom are taking it lying down). Now, it seems to me that they find anyone with biblical Christian values to be a "hate group", and it seems to me that they're attacking the beliefs of an entire group of people. I wonder if they're on their own list? They ought to be, based on their definition.

Girls Just Want ...
... what they want. The Girl Scouts are miffed at the notion that the Boy Scouts are possibly recruiting girls to join the Boy Scouts. Among their complaints was "it is inherently dishonest to claim to be a single gender organization while simultaneously endeavoring upon a co-ed model." True. But it wasn't that long ago that girls were pressuring the Boy Scouts to allow them to join. And females have repeatedly assaulted "boys only" organizations insisting that women should be allowed. Now, which way is it going to be?

Positive Spin
The report is that Iceland has nearly eradicated Down Syndrome. Quite impressive, isn't it? Except that it's not quite accurate. "Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women -- close to 100 percent -- who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy." That is, Down Syndrome has been "eradicated" by killing the victims. Oh, it's not an Iceland thing. Most countries are seeing this. In Denmark, for instance, the rate is 98% of mothers who kill their babies if they are detected with Down Syndrome.

Let's see if anyone will suggest we carry that forward with other maladies. AIDS, cancer, the flu ... any of these can be eradicated if we just execute the victims, right?

"The operation was successful, but the patient died." This, dear reader, is what is known as "positive spin".

13 comments:

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Chick Publications fits the definition of a hate group in my book. Their tracts against cults and Romanism, as well as homosexuality, are downright bigoted. They throw vinegar into the faces of those they are supposedly trying to reach. And they do a lot of misrepresentation of Romanism and the cults -- I always say you don't have to misrepresent or lie about them because they are bad enough as they are.

I've personally communicate with Chick about their approach and basically told that their way is best. Do they have SOME good stuff? Very little.

Stan said...

So ... your agreeing with the SPLC?

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Only about Chick.

Marshal Art said...

The GOP had already been "harmed" long before Trump won the election. Indeed, if the party had been stronger, more courageously conservative, Trump wouldn't have made the first cut in the primaries. Trump represents a rejection of the cowardice of the GOP that had been clear to many for some time. That cowardice was made even more clear after having achieved the hat trick of holding majorities in both houses as well as the presidency, and still we have ACA. Part of that is due to the less than conservative bent of McCain and Flake, and he is right to call them out, as he is for calling out the leaders of the houses of Congress.

Just because the Trump's a goof doesn't mean he's never right. His election victory should have been a wake-up call for the GOP. Instead, they're doubling down by supporting other spineless candidates in the various special elections around the country. Hint: if McConnell supports someone, vote for the other guy.

Stan said...

My brother (who is NOT a Trump fan -- not even really a conservative -- and did NOT vote for him) wanted to know why so many Evangelicals voted for Trump. I told him that they didn't vote for Trump. I told him that I would guess that most of them simply voted against Hillary. Given your zealous defense of the man, I would have to admit that I may have been wrong.

I believe our American political structure is broken ... seriously and irrevocably. The only hope is a spiritual revival. A nation governed as ours is without a moral backing to support it is doomed to fail -- Dems and GOP alike. Hiring an openly immoral man like Trump as our GOP representative doesn't go far to make that better; it only makes the party that was supposed to be hanging on to earlier moral underpinnings worse. The other party jettisoned them long ago. That's what I believe.

Marshal Art said...

Sorry, Stan. But like a certain "progressive Christian" we both know, you misread my position. I do not defend the man (though I am more than willing to defend anything he does that I consider to be good moves---would have done the same for Hillary---glad I don't have to). I defend against the inanity that his becoming president has drawn out from both sides of the political AND religious aisles. I didn't want him to be president... I just didn't want him less than I didn't want Hillary.

His flaws do not mean that he'll never do anything right or beneficial for the nation. His nomination of Gorsuch should have proven that to his most ardent opponents on the right, political OR religious.

I agree that hiring Trump was a bad move on the part of those who claim to want a more moral nation (which I believe translates to a more prosperous, unified and powerful nation---it can't help but be so if moral first). But I say again, because it is absolutely true, once he got past the primaries, there was no choice that gets us to where you claim you want us to go. He's a stop-gap in my mind and nothing more.

And here's the thing, and it goes to your decision to not vote for him when he was the only way to prevent Clinton, who without question would have been far worse for the nation: There's no spiritual awakening coming that doesn't involve the few who hold fast to God's will being involved. If you think you can sit back and wait for God to flip on the light bulbs in the heads and hearts of our fellow citizens, you're goofy. I don't think He's ever operated that way. He's always worked through people. And our political structure, as damaged as it is, won't be repaired without the work of people. Be part of the solution or you're part of the problem. That's how it works. That's how it was always meant to work.

Stan said...

The anti-Trump side has clearly shown that whatever Trump says or does they will complain about. "He didn't say what we wanted him to about Charlottesville." "Oh, now he did, but it's too late." "We hate that he's talking." "We hate that he's breathing." I think it's nonsense. I do not think I've done that. Nor did I fail to get involved. I voted. I just didn't believe that I could stand before God and say, "Yes, Lord, I know that he stands in opposition to You." (Trump claimed he had no need to repent from sin.) "I know that he is a philanderer and selfish and childish. I know that he does not have the moral character to lead this nation. But I had to make sure that what most consider a 'worse choice' didn't get in and I had no reason at all to believe that You could do anything better with it, so I voted for him." I just couldn't do it. I voted -- just not for him or her. And if you're saying that a vote that is not where you think it should be is a vote that doesn't count, then I think you're making the point of so many others that simply say, "My vote doesn't count."

And I'm hoping that, in some small way, raising my voice against the kind of immorality and foolishness represented both in the Dems and the GOP is being involved, is being a part of the solution. I'm hoping that praying for and calling for and asking other Christians to pray and seek for a revival from God in our country is actually being a part of the solution. If not, I have no place to stand. I don't put my trust in princes.

Craig said...

I think it's interesting that many on the Christian Conservative side of things responded to the Obama presidency by saying, "God is on His throne and no matter what we think He has a plan for all things." Yet the progressive christian side of things is not satisfied with God's sovereignty, they fell the need to take things into their own hands.

I'm not suggesting that God's sovereignty absolves is of participation, just that there is comfort in knowing that's it's not all about our efforts.

While I agree with supporting good policies, no matter who implements them, this recent wave of hatred almost seems designed to prevent any policy movement by keeping focus on other things.

Marshal Art said...

"And if you're saying that a vote that is not where you think it should be is a vote that doesn't count, then I think you're making the point of so many others that simply say, "My vote doesn't count."

Except that I don't in any way believe that's what people mean who say that. In this case, however, one's vote does NOT count when purposely cast for someone who has no possibility of winning, just to make a statement.

Your last paragraph now sounds like what I'm saying, which unfortunately sometimes includes voting for "lessers" of two (or more) evils. I have confidence that when I stand before God, should this issue come up, that He will not begrudge me making the hard choice on behalf of my fellow Americans. I happen to truly believe that God judges the heart.

Stan said...

"... one's vote does NOT count when purposely cast for someone who has no possibility of winning, just to make a statement."

That's what I said. There is no substantive difference between "If you don't vote for someone who can win, your voted doesn't count" and "You either vote for my candidate or the other candidate, or your vote doesn't count."

All human elections are, without exception, "the lesser of two evils". That's a given. Until Jesus Christ runs for office, that will never change. This particular election, however, I could not identify the "lesser". I still cannot.

Stan said...

Craig, you sound "conspiratorial". You think it's a conspiracy? (Note: I do ... but not likely on the part of the Left.)

Craig said...

I don't think it's a conspiracy necessarily, just a tactic to achieve a desired result.

Stan said...

Sorry. I wasn't clear. It IS a conspiracy of the father of lies.