"Buy American is Un-American?" Huh?

I found this post yesterday, courtesy of Bad Blue, linked by Jonathan Hoenig  over at Capitalist Pig.com. The author is an "Objectivist Philosopher" at the Ayn Rand Institute, Dr. Harry Binswanger.

To say the title surprised me would be an understatement.

Buy American is Un-American.

Really? There are far too many holes in the author's assumptions, which I'll point out.

America's distinction among all the nations of the world is that it enshrined political and economic freedom. Although we have departed greatly from our original laissez-faire principles, to the whole world America still symbolizes capitalism. Americanism means understanding that a free market, domestically and internationally, is the only path to general prosperity.

That may have been true for past generations, but under our current Progressive political leadership, it is no longer so. If I had ten thousand pages, I'd be happy to chronicle the many regulations placed upon American businesses by the Obama administration. Progressives Democrats and Republicans alike have no love for open competition nor a free market. One needs only to remember president Obama's pledge to "punish our enemies and reward our friends" to dispel any myths you may have concerning his allegiances or his opinions on equality.

A generation ago, under the Clinton administration, two pieces of legislation were passed that did much harm to our economy: one was the North American Free Trade Agreement and the other granted Most Favored Nation trade status to Communist China. These two terrible laws resulted in the massive shutdown of American factories and millions of unemployed and sub-employed Americans. At the time, president Clinton said that we were going to move to a service-oriented economy, and away from the manufacture of durable goods. Logic would have approved one goal in addition to the other, but that's not what happened. One replaced the other, thanks to government.

Philosophically, Americanism means individualism. Individualism holds that one's personal identity, moral worth, and inalienable rights belong to one as an individual, not as a member of a particular race, class, nation, or other collective.

But collectivism is the premise of "Buy American." In purchasing goods, we are expected to view ourselves and the sellers not as individuals, but as units of a nation. We are expected to accept lower quality or more expensive goods in the name of alleged benefits to the national collective.

Most "Buy American" advocates are motivated by misplaced patriotism. But for some the motive is a collectivist hostility towards foreigners. This xenophobic attitude is thoroughly un-American; it is plain bigotry.

The author incorrectly assumes that American products  are inferior to foreign-made products. Americans have a dedication to quality. As a former producer of manufactured goods, I can attest to the pursuit of quality: it's there, it's real and there are no excuses for not producing a quality product. I own a Chevy pickup that's 22 years old and has over 224,000 miles as evidence.

It's what  we do.

As to individuality, we are born as units of a nation, and there is nothing we can do about it until we can relocate. Our good fortune is to be born in America, and there's nothing wrong with unity in the promotion of our national values of freedom and individuality, especially where our money is concerned.

I would rather spend my money inside my own country and have that money go towards others who share my values. I'd also prefer the taxes I pay to help my fellow citizens than for that money to go into the pocket of some corrupt official in a foreign land. This is not the "hostility towards foreigners" the author claims, but an exercise of my individual preferences. I choose for my money to stay as close to home as possible.

Throughout history, mankind has always banded together with others of like mind and I can find nothing wrong with that. Unless, of course, you're a cannibal.

Giving preference to American-made products over German or Japanese products is the same injustice as giving preference to products made by whites over those made by blacks. Economic nationalism, like racism, means judging men and their products by the group from which they come, not by merit.

No, it doesn't. There is no injustice in it. It's an individual decision, something the author previously stated he was in favor of. Besides, how does he account for the sales of foreign goods? Ours is a society that allows the market to decide who fails and who succeeds. I know of no group or country that's prohibited from selling here.

The patriotic advocates of buying American would be shocked to learn that the economic theory underlying their viewpoint is Marxism. In describing the influx of Japanese products and investment, they don't use the Marxist terminology of "imperialism" and "exploitation," but the basic idea is the same: capitalistic acts are destructive and free markets will impoverish you. It's the same anti-capitalist nonsense whether it is used by leftists to attack the United States for its commerce with Latin America or by supposed patriots to attack Japan for its commerce with the United States.

Now he's just making stuff up. How is not sending money to help support a nation whose government is openly hostile to American values Marxist?

It is in your interest that other men be smart, ambitious, and productive, not stupid, lazy, or incompetent.

By spending my money here, I am much more likely to be a beneficiary of that smartness, ambition and productivity. Physical proximity counts for something. Also, by spending my money at home, I'm contributing more to the people who live around me, especially when it comes to charity. While I may not be able to contribute directly to charities, many of the companies I support do.

I'm offended at Dr. Binswanger's thinly veiled attempts to divide us further. Capitalism has been the victim of bad publicity despite all evidence to the contrary. The Twentieth Century was American Capitalism's finest era when unimagined wealth and prosperity were brought to the whole world.

You're welcome.

Those who are to blame for fouling capitalism are the first to proclaim it doesn't work. Funny, that.

We would do ourselves a favor to find leaders who would commit to an American Renewal. Such leaders would drastically reduce the amount of regulations and taxes that are currently preventing us from reaching our economic potential. They'd also promote freedom in all its forms, but primarily freedom from unnecessary governmental intrusion into our private life.

The Riddle of the Angel Priest UPDATED! Real Priest Found!

Here's an interesting story: a young accident victim is trapped in her car. She's seriously injured but awake through it all. At one point she asks for the emergency service people to pray out loud  with her. Out of nowhere, a priest appears, anointing oil in hand, and calms both the young woman and her rescuers, then disappears.

This is, as the young'uns say, way cool.

It's possible that the priest was just passing through the area and happened upon the scene. This is the most likely scenario, at least to me. He may be found eventually and we'll learn his name and his parish.

But what if he's never found? His appearance on a road that had been closed for a quarter-mile in both directions was unexpected and his departure from the accident scene went unnoticed.

OK, that's still not unusual. Many good Samaritans don't stick around after they've helped someone. But where this story takes a turn is that the priest doesn't appear in any of  the nearly 70 pictures taken at the scene.

This story just got way cooler...

UPDATE: Here's an interview with one of the police officers at the accident scene who shook hands with the priest.

UPDATED UPDATE!

The priest has been found. Rev. Patrick Dowling. Thank you, Father. What you did at the accident scene was just what was needed for the emergency responders and the victim.



h/t The Drudge Report

A Blast From the Past - America, Love It or Leave It, Said Socrates

Today, I'm going to dust off an old post of mine from a couple of years ago. It's made more relevant by the recent events around the world, particularly in the Middle East.

I'd like for y'all to click on this link to The Urban Infidel's coverage of the Muslim Day Parade held recently in New York City. The images there should concern you greatly.

Here's a video from Tom Trento that shows only a small part of what occurred that day.



Aside from these people's refusal to recognize our laws, their open contempt for America and our laws and values should shock you. It certainly did me.

If it seems like we are under attack, it's because we are. Still not convinced?

Welcome to Belgistan...




Not only are our embassies under physical attack abroad, our laws and the principles that govern us are under attack at home as well. Nothing about this is new, as you will soon discover.


In a sane world where everything wasn't backwards, the concept of good citizenship would be honored everywhere. Those who desire to be governed by whatever cultural norms appeal to them would congregate where those values are, essentially, the law

If your desire is to live under a theocracy, that's fine.

If you wish to be free, you can choose a free society in which to live.

But, that's not what we have in today's world.

I certainly hope that you don't think what we're seeing today is anything new. Indeed, the ink was barely dry on our Declaration of Independence when anti-Americanism began. Most of Europe at the time wasn't exactly cheering us on, especially England.

It's a basic human need to seek out and seek to be surrounded by people who agree with each other. Were this not the case, there would be no separate nations and certainly no cultural diversity. As there are people of different abilities, there are also nations of different abilities. Each nation has contributed its part to the world we know today, for better or for worse.

America is unique for many things. We are known as the Melting Pot of the World because, well, we are. What unites us is the desire to live freely according to our own potential, guided by our conscience, in peace. And for a long time, that's what we had.

But others, driven by envy, aware of their cultural failures, greedy, have sought not freedom for themselves, but instead to bring us down to their level. This is the vile reasoning behind today's calls for "fairness."

Their wish is not for peace. Their desire is not respect. Their wish is to control you: what you think, what you do, and how you live. In other words, what they want is the opposite of freedom.

I'm being simplistic in order to make a point.

The reason why we cannot live is peace lies in the darkness of the human heart. Have you ever been robbed? I have. The first thing that crossed my mind upon the discovery that about half of what I had worked for was gone, was, "Why would someone do this to me?" I couldn't understand why someone thought it was better for them to take something that didn't belong to them than to take that same effort and apply it towards themselves. It did, after all, take some doing to take my stuff.

Here lies the basic difference between good people and bad people. Multiply this by the seven billion or so inhabitants of Earth and you have the bloody history of mankind: the peaceful versus the aggressors. Anyone who thinks that all cultures are the same and equally good is, quite frankly, an imbecile.

As I mentioned earlier, none of this is anything new. The Ancients struggled with this, too. Socrates, in his incessant pursuit of goodness, laid out the ideal of citizenship in his work entitled Crito.

In short, Socrates approached the idea of citizenship from a mature, enlightened standpoint. A citizen either agrees with the place where he lives, or he moves on to a place more to his liking. The moralistic and intellectual underpinning of his argument is respect for his fellow man and the culture established by those who preceded him.

For, after having brought you into the world, and nurtured and educated you, and given you and every other citizen a share in every good that we had to give, we further proclaim and give the right to every Athenian, that if he does not like us when he has come of age and has seen the ways of the city, and made our acquaintance, he may go where he pleases and take his goods with him; and none of us laws will forbid him or interfere with him. Any of you who does not like us and the city, and who wants to go to a colony or to any other city, may go where he likes, and take his goods with him. But he who has experience of the manner in which we order justice and administer the State, and still remains, has entered into an implied contract that he will do as we command him. And he who disobeys us is, as we maintain, thrice wrong: first, because in disobeying us he is disobeying his parents; secondly, because we are the authors of his education; thirdly, because he has made an agreement with us that he will duly obey our commands; and he neither obeys them nor convinces us that our commands are wrong; and we do not rudely impose them, but give him the alternative of obeying or convincing us; that is what we offer and he does neither.
 

I would add that there is a fourth wrong. It's God's Desire that we live in peace, which is the reason why civilization was established originally. This is also why our legal foundation embodies the directives of the Ten Commandments.

If you do not wish to live among us as an American in peace, then please leave us in peace. Do not attempt to change us.

You will fail.

What She Said

Pamela Gellar enters the lion's den and emerges with a nice kitteh coat.



(h/t to The Other McCain)

Dems Deny God Thrice

You may have heard that this year's Democrat Platform removed two provisions that had been included in previous ones. One was the one recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the other removed the word God.

After a kerfuffle, the language was restored to the platform this afternoon amidst a chorus of boos.



If I were someone who booed this, I'd be on the lookout for a smiting.

Just sayin'...

Know Thy Enemy - A Brief History of the Muslim Brotherhood

As I mentioned the other day, the Muslim Brotherhood is not our friend. In fact, if they had their way, we'd be an islamic nation, complete with all the non-freedoms that other islamic nations, um, don't have. Anyway, you get the picture.

Doug Ross explains this fact in his short post: A Brief, Illustrated History of the Obama Administration's New Pals, the Muslim Brotherhood.

And that is y'alls reading assignment for this morning. Enjoy.

Rahm - NOI OK, CFA, Not So Much

Hmm. How interesting (and unConstitutional, too).

From the Jawa Report comes this little tidbit: Rahm Emanuel Is Working With The Nation of Islam But is Against Chick-fil-A?

The Ballerina says that Chick-fil-A's values aren't Chicago's values. All this because CFA is a Christian, family operation that promotes Christian, family values. I should note that there's no evidence of any kind of discrimination against anyone here on CFA's part that I'm aware of.

From the second link...

Cathy isn’t allowed to encourage reverence and support for the traditional family, or even worse, put his money where his mouth is. He’s not allowed to say that he finds moral or practical value in the time-honored definition of marriage, without feeling animosity towards gay people. His ideas and principles are automatic thought crimes, no matter how gently and constructively they might be presented.

“The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” the company declared in a statement. “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.” But as thought crime perpetrators, they will be judged incapable of expressing such high-minded sentiments with sincerity.

Great Post by a Fellow Moron - There's Nothing to Learn from the Aurora CO Shooter

Fellow Moron DrewM says what needs to be said.

Is it cold? Well, that depends. If you live out here in the Real World, the answer is "No." We've all had bad things happen to us. I started losing friends in high school. I'll bet all fourteen of you have lost someone near and dear to you, too. There's no way to stop these things from happening. They're as much a part of life as your first kiss.

If you're one of those unfortunate people who think that this is all there is to life, then you probably think DrewM's post is "cold" and "heartless" and "unfeeling" and any of a number of other terms these folks use to make us think they're smarter than we are.

As tragic as this is, you can count on certain unscrupulous politicians to attempt to capitalize on this and start pushing for more laws, rules and regulations to restrict our Second Amendment right to bear arms. They'll be able to go back to their districts and say, "Look at me! Look what I did!" while never really doing anything of value to stop this from happening again.

I wish there were a few people in that theater who's had a gun on them. It's been proven that an armed citizen, using a reasonable amount of caution, can prevent many senseless deaths in a situation such as this.

Having lost friends and loved ones along the path of life, I developed a coping method that a lot of other folks use: It's the belief that our soul, the thing that makes us us, lives on after its seed has reached the end of its intended purpose. This means that my religious conviction of spiritual life after earthly death gives me hope that I'll see my friends and loved ones once again, but in a different form. What that form will be, I have no idea. But looking around at this life and the many wonders in it, I'm confident it will be a very unexpected and pleasant surprise.

I have no proof of this. That is the nature of Faith, believing what you cannot see, feel, or prove.

It's what I choose to believe.

Your mileage may vary.

The Dumbest Thing You'll read Today: Iowa Prof - "Jesus was a Muslim"

Hmm, let's see here. Jesus lived from 0 - 33 A.D. Islam was spawned about 600 years later (carry the three, multiply by the square root of dumbass, plus 7...).

Yep, this is bullshit.

Iowa Professor: Jesus Was a Muslim.

(h/t All American Blogger and BadBlue)

Let's Play 20 Questions

Here's an intriguing post that I found over at BadBlue.

20 Questions that Atheists Need to be Able to Answer.

It just so happens that I and the Moron Horde briefly touched on this the other day. As you know, I consider myself a Christian, whether or not The Big Guy does remains to be seen. Fingers are crossed.

I'm drawn to discussion and exploration of the idea, the more analytical, the better. This is easier said than done, because few things arouse the passions more than religion. I try to approach these discussions from a scientific angle, testing the author's assertions against my own experience and what I know to be true. A big part of this comes from my years in manufacturing and my daily dealings with the laws of physics. This experience has given me an appreciation for how things get made, so it's a simple matter to scale up that appreciation to the size of Reality.

I don't think that science and religion are mutually exclusive of each other. The urge and effort to make sense of the universe tends to answer just one question: What is it?

Religion asks: Why is it?

Here is where the difference in the scale of the complexity of the answer approaches infinity. Anything you can possibly imagine has been considered as the basis for what we call Creation. I mean anything, regardless of whether it makes sense or not.

To paraphrase Han Solo, "I can imagine quite a bit."

Rather than waste a lifetime making guesses about things, logic would dictate that you begin at the beginning. Science does this. It's a baseline, or rather The Baseline, for what we see all around us. We call this Reality.

Observe, test, observe some more, test some more, ad infinitum, seeking accuracy at all times. And always trying to ask the right questions.

Which brings us back, oddly enough, to 20 Questions.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear: this is not a dig against atheists. Your personal belief are yours, and because I wouldn't want to be judged for mine, I won't judge you for yours. And I'm certainly not going to try to "convert" you. That's just rude. The whole point of religion is that it originates from inside you, a true introspection. This is intended as a friendly conversation, much as we would discuss sports.

I really mean that.

And just so you know, I was agnostic at one time.

So, this question is pretty important:

And here's my take:

You have so many years to find what you should be looking for, which is a spiritual union with God. This union softens the heart, and allows for the qualities of forgiveness, compassion and empathy. It also imparts great strength of character and enables you to see what is true, and especially what isn't. This is the driving force behind my conservatism.

Only man stands on the edge of two worlds, one spiritual, the other material. We are born into the material, separate from God and Heaven: hence the phrase "born in sin." We must find our way back home in this life, much like the Prodigal Son. It isn't easy, and there are many detours and roadblocks along the way, but if we're grounded in Reality and Truth, we're always shown which way to go thanks to that spiritual union.

,
And here are a few of the 20 Questions:

1. What caused the universe to exist?
3. Why is the universe rational?
9. How is independent thought possible in a world ruled by chance and necessity?
10. How do we account for self-awareness?
11. How is free will possible in a material universe?
12. How do we account for conscience?
13. On what basis can we make moral judgements?
15. Why do human beings matter?
18. How do we know the supernatural does not exist?
19.How can we know if there is conscious existence after death?
20. What accounts for the empty tomb, resurrection appearances and growth of the church?
21. What's a henway?

I may have added that last one.

The author continues, and makes a point that I've been pondering for a few months now: Is it Time to make a decision? To choose sides? Will this question be asked of everyone sooner than we think?

So here’s the deal. It seems to me that there we can either search for and find answers to these questions, and then adjust our behavior to fit even if we will be less happy and fulfilled, or we can make our happiness and personal autonomy in this life the most important thing, and invent answers to these questions that are speculative. Either we live consistently with the evidence we have now, or we live how we want and hope for future evidence that will overturn the evidence we have now.

I think that this is the choice that we are facing as humans. Either we make truth the top priority, and let our lives change in order to respond to the evidence we have right now or we make our happiness the top priority and speculate that the universe is other than the way it is so that we can pursue happiness unencumbered by the obligation to know the Creator and Designer of the universe.

Everyone always talks about “the meaning of life”. I’ll tell you what the meaning of life is. It’s to puzzle about the questions above and get into an intimate, loving, self-sacrificial relationship with the Creator and Designer of the universe – a relationship bounded by facts, not feelings. What is so objectionable with the idea that there might be a Person out there who has a claim on us? So long as his intentions are good, why are we so unwilling to be his friend and to take his character into account when we decide what we will do with our lives?

Very well put indeed.

Michelle Obama Gets All Biblical and Stuff In Praise of Barack

This is disgusting. Not only is it false and wrong, it's blasphemous.

"I am so in," Michelle Obama said toward the end of her remarks. "I am going to be working so hard. We have an amazing story to tell. This president has brought us out of the dark and into the light."  

Bullshit. Barack Obama isn't even the beginning of a pimple on the ass of a scribe, much less anyone else in the Bible.

Moochelle, I see your Biblical reference, and raise you two:

Acts 20:29
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
Acts 20:28-30

Matthew 7:15
[ You Will Know Them by Their Fruits ] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 7:14-16

(h/t BibleGateway.com)

I'm Back, Tanned, Rested, and Ready...

...to take another blog-cation. My birthday was nice, had many well-wishes from friends, played a good gig that evening and it took three whole days to recover.

My liver is glad it's over.

Anywho, my posts will be a bit less frequent, as I have a lot to do around the hacienda cleaning up for the holidays. I know I've said that before, but this time I mean it. Familial duties and all that.

So, here's a few tidbits until I can find my muse once more. I know I put it somewhere...

I was watching the ESPN talking heads yesterday before Tim Tebow's first NFL start as quarterback for the Denver Broncos against the Miami Dolphins and the hostility towards him was palpable for reasons I've yet to fathom. Petty and nitpicking is what it really was. There was even a segue from a commercial that went, "Tim Tebow, love him or hate him..."

That got me thinking: exactly what did Tebow do to cause anyone to hate him? Did he beat up his wife? Did he get in a fight in a bar? Has he shot anyone in a fight in a bar? Caused any dogs to die?

Did I miss something? Or are the sportsheads just a wee bit jealous and maybe scared that Tebow's a better man than they are?

RIP Dan Wheldon. Prayers go out to your wife, children, and family.

The OWSers are getting more and more repugnant as time goes by. Arrests, garbage everywhere, no sanitary facilities, no permits. And they compare themselves to Tea Partiers? I want the GOP to hang these infantile protesters around the neck of every Democrat who embraces them, just to provide a real contrast with the rest of America.

Dumb, stupid and ignorant is no way to go through life. They know less than nothing about how the world works, how capitalism should work, nor how much of anything works. I'm reminded of the scene in Talladega Nights where Texas Ranger points a gushing garden hose inside the neighbors' open window while yelling, "Anarchy, anarchy! I don't know what it means, but I like it!"

Oh, I guess I should put a link to something in here somewhere. This is encouraging, World Power Swings Back to America. They need to give us another year before that happens in earnest, so we can rid ourselves of the Socialists, Marxists and Progressives that have infested the left and Washington. Many politicians have to be defeated in November of 2012, like Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Dianne Fienstein, Olympia Snowe, and their RINO squish enablers like Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell. Even then, we'll need some time to repeal everything that Obama has done. That'll take a while, but do it we much.

I've laid out my plan, albeit in bits and pieces here over the years, but it's imperative that we undo everything that the left has instituted in Washington before we can start to think about leading the world again. And by leading, I mean by example. We should retrench and rebuild our nation, which has been gradually destroyed from within by our enemies, and let the rest of the world do as it pleases. We have enough natural resources to become truly self-sufficient.

We should do it as soon as possible. Our very survival may depend on it,

One Christian Value I’d Like to See in Government

If you frequent political sites on these here Interwebs as I do, you read a lot of comments from others. Some of them make sense, some don’t.

If you try to be an informed voter, you occasionally venture into hostile territory to read what’s going on. If you’re a conservative, this means bravely venturing to sites like Daily Kos and Huffington Post to find out what the extreme left wing pundits have to say about political life in these United States.

It’s also an intellectual exercise to compare your beliefs against others. A testing, if you will, between what you know is right in your heart and the latest in leftist ideology.

I try to be as objective as possible, as I’m sure you do. I like being accurate in any personal assessment of an issue. Truth is what I’m looking for.

That’s why one comment I ran across the other day tends to stick with me. Since I do read quite a bit, I can’t remember where it was that I saw this comment. They all become one big blur after a few hours.

Anyway, that comment went something like this: “Republicans are evil because they want to impose a Christian theocracy on America. They want a preacher or a policeman on permanent duty in your bedroom to make sure you only do sex their way. They want America to become some Puritanical Utopia with them in charge, all the laws would be thrown out and replaced with Biblical law, women would all be barefooted, pregnant slaves of their husbands and children would all be mind-numbed robots lumbering in a trance to the Christian school/gulag where they would receive the latest lesson in how to hate everyone who’s not exactly like them, just like it says in the Bible.”

Really?

It’s a sad day when anyone in America thinks that way about their fellow countrymen and neighbors. I’d like to think that the commenter was merely using high snark, but I’m afraid I know better. I’ve seen far too many comments of this nature to think that’s the case.

The biggest problem with that isn’t the commenter’s apparent lack of knowledge of the Faith. It’s the fact that, like many Americans, they’ve been bamboozled into believing what someone else has told them instead of using their own experience. They’ve bought into a false image that someone else has concocted in order to elicit that exact response.

It’s the same thing that the leftist-controlled media has done with Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney and the Tea Party. We had a name for this tactic of making people believe things that aren’t true back when we had a common, identifiable, very real and present enemy named Russia: propaganda.

Propaganda was something we considered ourselves incapable of here in America. “That can’t happen here,” was the common belief thanks to our sense of national unity. However, that was then, this is now. As the line between opinion and reportage has been blurred over the past twenty years or so, it’s become more difficult to separate fact from fiction.

You really need to examine the validity of anything you read or hear for yourself. This requires an inner foundation of Truth, a standard separate from your emotions, that tells you the difference between bullshit and not-bullshit.

But, I’m digressing. Sorry.

You see where I’m going with this. You’re expected to swallow everything your betters in Washington and their lapdog media tell you without examining the truth of what they say. And if you disbelieve them, well, then there must be something wrong with you. After all, who doesn’t want to fit in with all the really cool people?

So, where was I? Oh yeah, Christian values in government.

There is one Christian tenet I would like to see those in Washington use: The Golden Rule. You know, the one that says to treat others the way you want to be treated.

I’d really like to see our elected officials use this just a bit more than they do, especially when it comes to my tax dollars. I don’t like to see my money wasted on things that have already proven to fail, like “green energy.” Or societal engineering. Or fundamentally transforming the country. Thanks, but I liked it just the way it was, especially when we had a good economy, full employment, cheap energy and groceries, sorta like we had just a few years ago.

I’d like to know how Warren Buffett would feel if I were to take a percentage of his money from him and use it in a way I knew he wouldn’t like, wastefully.

Simply because I could.

I Am America and I Must Speak

I am America.
You are my people. In a way, you are my children.

I’d like to have a talk with you.

I’ve been rather quiet lately, but I’ve noticed that there are a more than a few of you who don’t have a very good opinion of me. Some of you have been misinformed. You don’t seem to be aware of history.

I’d like to set the record straight, if I may.

I’m the world’s oldest standing government. My constitution hasn’t been substantially changed in over two hundred years. I have some authority from which to speak.

Before I was born, governments operated from a simple premise: people needed the permission of their leaders before they were allowed to do anything. There was no standard the people could rely on when it came to conducting their lives. Their monarch was the law. Whatever he or she felt like doing, no matter how outrageous, was the law of the land, usually under the penalty of death.

I was different. The people who built me had a new idea about government. They were the first in the world to wonder if mankind could rule himself. Power, which is what government is all about, would belong to the people. They would gather and agree on the rules they wanted to live by, and hold elections to appoint someone who would guarantee their rules were made into law and that those laws were enforced.

What made me special was that I would be small. Although I had power, I used it sparingly and only with great trepidation. I was made not to interfere with the lives of my people, as all before me had done. I was designed to leave people alone and let them live as they saw fit. I was to be a silent guardian of rights, used only when necessary, and with the approval of all.

My laws were basic. They were drawn from mankind’s observation that there is a way of life that is decent and good, one that leads to peace if those laws of life are followed. My laws were constructed around the Ten Commandments of Judaism, for these were found to be the best yardsticks by which to live. They were administered with the compassion that marks the Christian faith.

Yes, I am a Christian country. The men who built me were men of God. They didn’t try to hide their faith. Instead, the sought to codify the good things they found in it. They wanted their faith in God to be the foundation of a government that would let people be truly free. The men who built me would never live to see their labors come to fruition, but the tree of liberty which they planted would become great with time, and bear much fruit for the whole earth, the fruit of freedom. Sweet if eaten with humility, bitter if eaten to excess. Always to be tended by a Master Gardener and held fast in the belly of Man.

My people had freedom enshrined in their government for the first time in history. And they made the best of it, both for themselves and for others.

This made me unpopular with those who had become accustomed to power. From my birth, I was criticized. They said I could never work. They said that man was far too flawed, that he needed the firm hand of a ruler in order to thrive.

I proved them wrong.

I showed the rest of the world what man could do when he was free to follow his conscience.

I attracted the best and the brightest people from around the world. Many people came to me penniless, and I filled their purse with freedom. Many came to me destitute; I filled their cupboards abundantly, asking nothing in return except that they preserve the foundation upon which I was built.

As time passed, I gave more of myself than anyone who came before me. From me came a new way of life and many blessings.

My scientists gave the world new medicines. Plagues became a thing of the past. Water became clean. Mankind began living longer, better lives.

My engineers gave the world new technology. From me came modernity. I gave you automobiles, airplanes and washing machines, computers, television and radio. I gave you the best products at the lowest cost.

Travel to other lands that once took months can now happen in one day. You are better clothed and fed than anyone in history. You know more than anyone who came before you. I did this to show you the lessons of history, so that you wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.

I gave you more time to spend with the ones you love. I gave you a prosperity that no one on Earth had known before. The world is better off because of me.

Even in war, I was different. Many times, I’ve been called upon to right wrongs and to stop the advance of evil. I could have done what others had done, and remained as a conqueror in those foreign lands, but I did not. Many times, I have rebuilt those whom I have warred against. I always returned to my home and left other countries better than I found them. If I chose, I could claim far more land as my own.

My blood has been spilled all over the world for the cause of freedom. But I value freedom above power.

I thought I had proven myself.

I see I was wrong.

Instead of adopting my ways and imitating my success, others continued on the path of power, not freedom. With a loud voice, they continued to condemn me. They act as if I have done nothing to improve the lot of man.

I’ve had my faults. No country is perfect. But because of the way I was made, I can correct those faults. And I have done so many times.

But that’s not enough for those who claim false things against me. Although I am still a beacon of freedom for the world as evidenced by the many waiting to become Americans, there are those who live within me who say I am not what I have proven myself to be.

They say that I oppress, that I stifle, and that I smother. They say that my foundation is no longer strong. It’s outdated and not modern enough for the times.

The world has changed, they say, and I haven’t kept up with it. I find that somewhat amusing, for it was I who changed the world.

My enemies are determined to transform me into something that I was never intended to become. My enemies want me to become like the rest of the world. They want my people to be far less free than I want them to be.

My enemies are those who seek their power over my people.

They have managed to poison the tree of liberty with lies and deceit. They have twisted the minds of my children and taught them that I am somehow wrong. They call me a thief. They say I stole land from my neighbors. They act as though treaties I signed in good faith were no longer valid.

Not content with that, my enemies have posed as my people and taken up residence within my halls, scheming and planning my demise from the very ground upon which I was born. In the same place where I once was praised, I am now condemned. Where once I was defended, I am now given over to my enemy, tyranny, and its handmaiden, misery.

Those who claim to do my work and continue my legacy are busy making more and more laws every day with which to restrict the freedom of my people. Those who truly loved me would never want to bind my people, for they are their neighbors. They would act with restraint, loathe to enact another law.

To them I ask…

How many laws are enough?

How much tax is enough?

How much power is enough?

I fear. I fear for my liberty. I fear for my life.

I fear that I am no longer loved by my own children to whom I have given so much. They were born in my land, nurtured from my bosom and given opportunities they now take for granted, smug in the belief that those rights of freedom and liberty can never be taken away. They think they are superior to me because they believe what the rest of the world believes.

I was never like the rest of the world. I don’t wish to become like it now, nor ever.

To my enemies, I say leave me, and my people, in peace.

I ask no more than that.

If you are discontent with the blessings I’ve bestowed upon you, you are free to go live in a place more suited to your values. I’ve opened up the world to you. I won’t force you to stay with me as others do.

See how the rest of the world lives and ask yourself who has the better life. Open your eyes to the wonder of the world I’ve done so much to fashion in the mold of freedom.

See for yourself what I have done.

Decide for yourself.

You are free.

Stephen Hawking – “Heaven is a Fairy Story”

You may have read about physicist Stephen Hawking’s statement concerning the existence of Heaven. In an interview with the Guardian, he addresses the idea of Heaven this way, "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,"

So, according to him, half the world is scared of the dark?

Hardly.

My first reaction to his statement, as a Christian, is sadness. I can understand his outlook, though. His remarks sound bitter. I feel certain that he didn’t ask to be stricken with ALS in his youth. Similarly, children with cancer didn’t ask for it, nor has anyone else who has experienced a debilitating illness.

Life isn’t fair. That phrase should be tattooed on your forehead in reverse at age 3 so you can see it in the mirror every morning. I can think of few people who have a charmed life, where everything always goes their way, their spouse is exceptionally attractive and all their children are above average.

As a famous scientist, Hawking’s words carry weight. There are many in the scientific community who agree with him, and I don’t have a problem with their personal beliefs. All of us are free to believe anything we choose to believe and also to look at life any way we wish.

Hawking is free to express his faith, as he has done. He is convinced there is nothing beyond this physical life. We are nothing more than computers that wear out and are then discarded.

I don’t happen to agree with him, but that’s just me.

I understand that scientists live in a world of measurement. They live and die, in a professional sense, by how they measure the world. Accuracy is their Holy Grail, and if something cannot be quantified, they don’t concern themselves with it. There’s nothing wrong with that attitude, that’s why they make the big bucks.

Humans are the most inquisitive organisms on Earth. That curiosity has led us to discover things that, not so long ago, would’ve been considered magic. Great strides were made in the previous century due to it: we now live longer, better, and more productive lives than at any time before. We seem to be doing a good job of subduing this Earth and using it to better ourselves, just as we’re supposed to.

But it seems as though Dr. Hawking’s curiosity stops at a certain point. He seems willing to go where no mind has gone before, only to coast to a stop intellectually. Maybe that’s all the fuel he has left. Perhaps the toll his disease has taken on him is too great for him to continue any further. That’s perfectly understandable.

However, his blanket statement that there is no Heaven and that those who believe there is are childlike, sounds to me like someone who has closed his mind. I always thought the thing that separated brilliance from averageness was an open mind. That quality that was willing to consider possibilities that no one else has considered.

Now, the notion or idea of life beyond this corporeal one isn’t new by any means; it’s been around for thousands of years and is inextricably woven into the fabric of humanity. There’s just no getting away from it. It’s so firmly fixed in every society that it cannot be ignored.

It’s like growing up in Alabama. You simply cannot ignore the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn – you have to take one side or the other.

The afterlife is like that too. Either you believe in it or you don’t.

Going back to scientists and measurement for a moment, there is no physical proof of life after death. This reality is all there is to most scientists because there’s nothing to measure, no physicality to spirit, nothing to quantify, there’s no “there” there.

How do you measure you?

Surely, you exist. Of that, there is no doubt. But what part of you is you? Where do you stop and your body begin? Are you nothing more than neural firings inside a mass of tissue? What is it that animates your body? What is your spirit?

These are the questions that scientists have no answer to, as far as I can tell. That doesn’t bother me in the least.

Could it be that we’re not meant to know certain things? Is there a line beyond which we cannot go? It seems that way to me.

And that’s where faith enters. Christianity teaches that faith is believing in what you can’t see, feel, or touch. Heaven would fall into that category.

Personally, I can’t find anything wrong with believing in Heaven. Or goodness. Or mercy, or forgiveness. Nor any of the other things that Jesus instructed us to seek in this life. And I don’t have any problem with anyone that doesn’t believe in them, or Him.

You are free.

I choose to Believe, with a capital “B.” Not because of what I’ve been taught, but because of what I’ve experienced, which has led me to question virtually everything, kinda like a scientist. That’s what faith is all about.

Your free choice.

Someone I didn’t know made an interesting comment to me several days ago. He pointed to my crucifix and asked if that meant anything to me. Being the good-natured dude that I am, I answered him that yes, it did indeed mean something to me. For a long time, I had resisted calling myself a Christian. But after years of searching, I had come to the conclusion that I was, indeed, a follower of Christ. (Whether He agrees or not remains to be seen, but I prefer to do little things, like always trying to follow the Golden Rule and be as patient as I can with my fellow man and hope for The Best, IYKWIMAITTYD.) I also told him that I didn’t care what others believed as long as they weren’t trying to kill me.

I also told him that I thought it was the right time to make a choice, at which time he walked away, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

I should note that this happened in a bar.

But I digress.

Dr. Hawking is allowed his opinion on matters of faith. I’ll listen to what he has to say and measure his words against my experience and make my own decision as to the accuracy of his view, as I hope he would do with me.

Maybe he’ll open his mind just a bit farther. Who know what he might discover?

What Easter Means to Me

President Obama made this bizarre comment at the Easter prayer breakfast the other day, “…during this season we are reminded that there's something about the Resurrection, something about the Resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ, that puts everything else in perspective.”

Spoken like a true believer.

My regular readers, all five of you, know that I’m a Christian. While I don’t harp upon that fact, it’s the foundation of my political beliefs. I call myself a Christian. Whether or not The Big Guy agrees, well, I’ll just do my best and hope that He does. As Ann Barnhardt said,  "I reckon He looks at me and just shakes His head."
My spiritual journey started around the age of ten. Mom never attended church, which was rather unusual in Alabama, being as it’s the buckle of the Bible Belt. One of my classmates invited me to his church. During Sunday school, we were assigned passages to read for the next week’s discussion. A curious thing happened: I started to notice that what I gleaned from our reading assignments was not the same thing that our teacher spoke about in class. Every week, I’d dutifully read the verses, and without fail, our teacher would discuss the same verse, but in a totally different way than I interpreted it.

Not only did this happen in Sunday school, when we attended regular service and the preacher gave his sermon, the same thing happened. He’d speak about a particular verse and get something else entirely from it than I did.

Being the stubborn little bastard that I was, I figured out that organized religion was not where I was going to find the answers about God that I was looking for. I thanked my friend for taking me to church, and set about on a personal quest to try to understand this religion thingy.

There seemed to be something inside of me that pointed me in my own direction.

Whatever it is, I’m glad it’s there.

It can get lonely traveling by yourself. My great-grandfather was one of five brothers who were all preachers. As a result, many of their progeny, my cousins, were also called to preach. It didn’t take too many family reunions before I was considered the black sheep of the gathering. I drank, I smoked, and I played music in bars, hardly their vision of a fine, upright Christian.

At one reunion, one of my preacher cousins engaged me in a conversation. He attempted to show me the error of my ways. I didn’t begrudge his effort; he sincerely was trying to help me. It wasn’t as if I’d ever had any run-ins with the law or was in any kind of trouble. He just wanted me to “join the crowd.” I politely declined.

I never heard from him again.

By that time, I’d met far too many hypocrites. People who loudly and proudly proclaimed their Christianity, attended church every Sunday, and were the meanest, most spiteful and despicable people who would gladly stab you in the back at the first opportunity. I was not going to associate with them or be identified with them in any way. Hence my silence.

After many years of searching, reading, and much trial and error, I’m at a point where I can speak with a bit of authority. As you know, I’ve called out some prominent “religious” figures in America today as false Christians: Jesse Jackson, Father Pfleger, Al Sharpton, Jeremiah Wright, the idiots at Westbrook Baptist Church (the military funeral protesters), none of them are true Christians. They are more like anti-Christians, the wolves in sheep’s clothing we were warned about. As such, they give the public the wrong impression of Christianity, like it hasn’t had an image problem since its very beginning.

This is a great disservice to the rest of us who are also searching for God. The uninitiated look at them and dismiss the whole religion outright instead of rejecting someone who deserves to be rejected. If there is anything I can do with this forum to point out blatant hypocrisy and dishonesty, I’ll do it, especially if someone claims to be religious.

And don't get me started on Islam, the polar opposite of Christianity.


But I digress.

Easter, to me, is the most sacred of Christian holidays. In a scant three days, all of Christianity is displayed on a grand stage. Persecution, betrayal, hypocrisy, forgiveness, love, death and mourning, followed by the Miracle of Christ’s Resurrection construct the Passion Play in a condensation of One Life.

Of particular note is the victory of eternal spiritual life over earthly death. Jesus’ reappearance to his friends in spiritual form is the lesson of Easter: this life isn’t all there is to life. What is hidden from you is hidden for a purpose. You’re supposed to question this life and all its shallowness, and listen to that little something inside of you that tells you there is something missing here, and then find out what that something is. You’re meant to discover the joy of the truth that sets you free.

That “something” is a spiritual union with your Creator. This takes the form of an inner knowing, an intuition (it’s not just for women anymore), whatever it is that tells you when something isn’t quite right. Kind of like a Vulcan mind meld, if you’ll pardon the analogy.

Mental stillness helps a lot. Learn how to meditate, to calm your mind and gain a measure of self-control. Cling to what you know is right within your heart.

Rediscover this ancient saying, “Your thoughts are not your own.” That’s not you doing the thinking. If it was, then you could change your thoughts.

Understand that sin isn’t a specific act, it’s the state of being spiritually separated from God. It’s how you were born. Observe what happens in a garden: seeds grow to maturity. In the Garden of Eden, your intellect grows to maturity in preparation for the Eternal Life you are meant to live.

Jesus left us with only two instructions: to love God and seek him within ourselves, and also to love your fellow man. Use the Golden Rule whenever and wherever you can. And if you manage to screw it up and become angry with someone, let your conscience be your guide so that the next time, you’ll succeed. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

It really is that simple. Just believe.

So this Easter, be glad. Open your heart and mind to the possibility of eternal life in a spiritual form. Your soul cannot die. It’s the part of you that animates your body. Your mind can be part of God, and receive Instruction from Him on how to live a better and more fulfilling life while you’re here. It’s the Light that guides you along the path of this life.

It's not unpossible that we're in the End Times. I know that's been said before, but how many things that you see in the news today cause you to think, "I've never seen that before." Armageddon, the final battle between good and evil, just might be televised. It could very well be time to make a decision as if your life depended on it.

If you’ve found what you seek in a traditional church, I applaud you. I, however, just couldn’t find it there. Wherever and however you find it, seek it with all that is within you. Ultimately, it’s between you and God anyway.

That’s why you’re here.

To all of you, have a Joyous and Happy Easter.

Burn a Koran, Find an Anti-Constitutionalist

In case you haven’t yet heard, a Florida pastor finally followed through with his plan to burn a Koran last week. Had this event happened, say, twenty years ago, I doubt it would’ve made the evening news. But since we cannot escape the relentless 24/7 news cycle and the fact that everyone with electricity can tune in to our news broadcasts, events are pretty much reported instantly around the world.
Thanks to this worldwide dissemination of “news” (I put that in quotes because so much of what passes for news these days is opinion, not raw information), pastor Terry Jones’ action led to riots and murders in Afghanistan, among other reactions.

I’m not here to condone his action in burning a book. Would I have done it? No, I have better things to do, like wash Fido, my imaginary dog. I’m also not an attention-whore. I would, however, like to point out that he merely exercised his Constitutional First Amendment right to express himself, and in so doing, he pointed out several things.

1. He is well within his rights to burn a Koran.

2. Barbarians half a world away didn’t like it.

3. Said barbarians felt the need to demonstrate their displeasure by killing a few innocent people.

4. One of our own generals highlighted that it placed our fighting forces in greater danger, as if somehow they were safe to begin with.

5. Last but not least, he managed to discover anti-Constitutionalists within the halls of Congress.

In a most graceless, unChristian way, Pastor Jones did the nation a favor by pointing out hypocrisy and double standards, both abroad and, sadly, here at home.

Several bloggers noted them also this weekend. Ace posed this question to the Moron Horde, Should Terry Jones Have Burned That Koran? Be sure and click on over to read the comments.

Dr. Sanity had a great post that probed the question further with her post, The Last Roundup. Also a good read, enjoy.

Terry Jones managed to raise our awareness of the difference in cultures, poking even more holes in the misguided theory of multiculturalism, whereby all cultures are even, except for Western culture, as a result of the codified insanity of postmodern “thought.”

Christians have had to endure the desecration of religious icons for years without complaint. Piss Christ, a sculpture of Mary made out of elephant dung, and many other alleged works of “art” have insulted the sensibilities of Christians. Noticeably absent from these displays is any violent protests or murders of innocents on the part of the offended. Naturally, this doesn’t make the news.

Even more insanity is shown by those who blame Jones’ action for the deaths of others instead of those who actually did the killing. It’s almost as if those murderous Afghans were mind-numbed robots, or something. There's also this little unreported item,

Tonight, the governor of Balkh province (of which Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital) is telling the international media that the men who sacked the UN compound were Taliban infiltrators. That’s rubbish. Local clerics drove around the city with megaphones yesterday, calling residents to protest the actions of a small group of attention-seeking, bigoted Americans. Then, during today’s protest, someone announced that not just one, but hundreds of Korans had been burned in America. A throng of enraged men rushed the gates of the UN compound, determined to draw blood. Had the attackers been gunmen, they would likely have been killed before they could breach the compound.

What struck me was the eagerness of Harry Reid and Lindsey Graham to condemn Jones. His actions were not reprehensible by any means: what he did was perfectly legal. What is reprehensible is the outright refusal of some of our elected officials to recognize that Jones is protected by our Constitution. The fact that they would consider any form of Congressional action, be it an official condemnation, as Graham suggests, or holding hearings, as Reid suggests, should strike each and every American as the affront to our nation that it is. It should also cause us to wonder if these two lawyers know anything about American law and the founding principles upon which it rests.

Even worse is the idea that we’ve somehow managed to elect people into high office who took a sacred oath to protect and defend our Constitution, and are failing to do so.

What we should have heard out of these two on the Sunday talk shows is a full-throated defense of American law and a sound rejection of any efforts to condemn Jones. The fact that we didn’t is far more offensive than a barbecued book.

False Christians - The Westboro Baptist Church

Fox News.com has this headline “Supreme Court Sides with Westboro Baptist Church on Marine Funeral Protest.”

I can understand the Court’s ruling. I wholeheartedly support the effort to protect everyone’s right to free speech and assembly. But protesting at military funerals because you don’t agree with government policy is misguided at best. At worst, and this is what we’re seeing and hearing from this group, it amounts to harassment of innocent families of the fallen. Common sense should tell the people that directing their ire at a soldier’s funeral instead of the government is the wrong thing to do. If it’s Pentagon policies you disagree with, why not protest there? Somebody needs to tell these folk a thing or two about the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.

They are wrong.

They maintain they don’t like homosexuality or homosexuals. That’s fine. You’re free to believe anything you wish. But heckling, shouting, and carrying signs at what should be a somber event just shows how depraved these people really are.

They are not Christians

What’s even worse, their actions are giving Christianity a bad name, and leading the uninformed to think that all Christians think as they do. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Yet, the media is more than happy to give them publicity in order to smear the faith by association with this fringe group. And make no mistake, this group is about as far out on the edges of religion as you can get. I can call myself a brain surgeon, but that doesn’t make me one.

As a short review of history will confirm, Christianity, like America, has always had an image problem. Those on the outside tend to view it through a distorted lens. Those on the inside know differently, but often find it difficult to project the proper understanding of it due to the preconceived notions that all Christians are alike, which this “church” seems more than happy to promote.

Thankfully, the Bible gives us a yardstick with which to measure folks: Matthew 7:16 “By their fruit, you will recognize them.” Note a subtle distinction: it’s the actions, not the words, you should watch. You can also apply this to politics. I sure do. All the flowery prose in the world can’t disguise a corrupt soul.

So, using God’s Gage, these despicable acts show us who these people really are. They could just as easily show compassion for the families of these fallen soldiers and attend the funerals quietly in a silent show of support for their sacrifice. The fact that they don’t should tell you all you need to know about them. They are in no way Christian. Their protests make a mockery of a solemn ceremony. There is no love in their hearts, nor forgiveness, nor compassion. In fact, everything I’ve seen and heard from them tells me that they worship themselves and their ego, not God or Jesus.

And this Christian denounces them.

Pat Robertson's Disgraceful Distortion of Christianity

In the aftermath of the strongest earthquake to strike the island of Haiti in over 200 years, Pat Robertson had this to say about it:

They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know Napoleon the 3rd and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil.

It's tough to find a place to begin addressing this idiocy. I could just let this quote float, buoyed by its own insensitivity, but I'm a little more inclined to request that Dr. Robertson please refrain from ever saying anything again. He just lost what little credibility he had as a spokesman.

I'm not alone in my criticism. Peter Wehner over at NRO's The Corner denounces his words, as does Founding Bloggers. Ace and my fellow morons chime in here.

The most disturbing aspect of this assault on Christianity is that he is considered by many on the left to be the voice of American Christians, mostly due to his presidential run. I can assure them, he does not speak for me, nor anyone else I know. His words will be repeated in order to further distort the image of Christians as knuckle-dragging, gun-toting inbreds. Thus, a false image will be reinforced, ironically, by a preacher.

Pat Robertson may have his own TV outlet, many followers and lots of money, but his unthinking criticism of innocent victims reveals that he's only interested in hearing his own words.

He is an embarassment to the Christian faith.

Brit Hume Criticized for Offering Friendly Advice to Tiger Woods

We Americans are a friendly bunch. We love to offer advice to our friends. When we find a good restaurant, a reliable mechanic, or a good book, we usually can't wait to tell others about it. Some of us even feel the need to tell the whole world about it, hence the popularity of sites like Facebook and Twitter. A few of us will even go as old-school as to *ahem* blog about things we like or think others could benefit from knowing.

This is especially so when when someone is in trouble. That's how a lot of lawyers get work.

But, if you happen to advise someone about something that could truly change their life for the better, that you have some experience with, and that something is Christianity, look out. You can suggest any other religion except Christianity, such as Bhuddism, Zoroastroism, Scientology, or Islam and no one will bat an eye in opposition. But, recommend that someone explore the teachings of Jesus, why, you're some sort of wild-eyed fundamentalist hypocrite.

How can you look at the travails of Tiger and not think that his belief system has failed him? His standing atop the sports world as the worlds' first billionaire athlete and role model for many children is in serious jeopardy. Something is wrong between his ears.

This is where having a foundation in something greater than yourself comes into play. Just think, if you could have a connection with something ethereal that shows you right from wrong, warns you when you're about to make a mistake and generally guides you in life, wouldn't you want to take advantage of it? Many of us would jump at the chance, yet this simple but powerful thing is roundly misunderstood and grossly mischaracterized, leading many folk away from the One Thing that could truly help them decode this often-confusing life. The parable of the blind men and the elephant describes this perfectly, where all are examining the same object, but different parts of it, leading to different conclusions.

Here's hoping, along with Brit, that Tiger can call upon God to help him get his life sorted out.

UPDATE! In her usual biting style, Ann Coulter weighs in on the Big Guy.