Indeed, the whole world has gone crazy!

I'm sitting here by my window, waiting for a pig to fly by.

I won't even be surprised when it happens...It seems only a logical next step in the sequential insanity of events that have occurred with today's testimony of Stephen Colbert before a House committee.

Oh, I know it's not weird for celebs to testify in front of Congress, but usually they do it as citizens, or experts in their fields -- not in character.

Yes, Stephen Colbert testified as the character he portrays on TV with all the outrageous, satirical and sarcastic commentary he is known for.

What?! And this was important because...? And his sarcastic reporting about his stint working in the same fields as illegal immigrants do is valuable because...? Uh...because...uh, it made some people laugh...uh, because...uh, it was good for ratings...? It's going to take quite a bit of spin to get something that sounds even remotely appropriate or valuable about this. I'm anxious to hear this defended..

What a waste of time!! Who cares what a TV character thinks?? Who's next -- Homer Simpson?

The Congress has gone "high school" if you ask me! "Hey! Let's get that funny guy to testify about the issue...That will be AWESOME!"  Have they let go of their last shred of dignity? I would hope that our lawmakers might have more important things to do than spend their time on Stephen Colbert...and with my tax dollars...Please! Has this been entered into the Congressional Record?...Embarassing!

I want to know who set up this visit...and who attended...and what they say for WHY they attended!

As I said, embarassing...

The whole world is getting played...

Much ado about nothing?

I think we're all getting played on the issues of the "Ground Zero" mosque, AND the Florida pastor's threatened burning of the Koran.

Mosque, Shmosque...I hate the thought that a mosque is being built near the place where thousands fell to the evil purposes of terrorists who declare Islam their religion...Probably as much as abortion providers hate it that the law allows protestors to stand across the street from their clinics. The obvious point being that we are free to express ourselves as long as we do not break the law. We are free to have poor taste, be stupid, be confrontational and insensitive, and even be a bully -- along with all the appropriate ways there are to express ourselves.

If the builders of this mosque are trying to express the ultimate "neener, neener" to the United States, how should we respond? Don't bullies grow in power, as their victims grow loud protestations? I think indifference might be the most appropriate response. If their "parishioners" (?) are as moderate as they claim, do you think they will want to be seen attending this particular mosque? This issue may have already died, except that the media blew up the conflict to give it life...And so many have fallen for it, spending much loud energy opposing it...

Then there's a little issue with the owner of the property...I've heard that a buyer with 20 million could come in and make the whole conflict go away...Just buy the property from the mosque builders...What a clever way to increase the value of property...get the whole country angry, upset, incensed, offended...and just a few million sacrificed by someone will make SO many people happy...

Pardon my cynicism, but I think that the Florida pastor may have shown his ulterior motives for the Koran burning stunt as well...First, who would have ever known this guy if he had not proposed this activity? Second, for a little bit, it looked like HE would be the one to make the whole country happy by striking a deal to stop the "Ground Zero" mosque...a hero!

Seriously, Pastor -- you think the Islamic radicals are that upset about 200 Korans being burned? Come on! "Oh, please, please don't burn our Korans! We'll stop plans to build that mosque immediately if you just don't burn our holy book!" Ridiculous that this Pastor even believed that it was possible...I'm sorry, hero will not apply in this case. It's all foolishness...

To me, it was all much ado about nothing until I heard our President make a plea to the Florida pastor to not burn the Koran because of the suffering that would be caused by his action. Mr. Obama implied that our servicemen & women might be harmed...

Neither is this an appropriate response to a bully..."Please don't do anything to make the terrorists mad. We don't want to get hurt..." assumes powerlessness.  We won't stand on our principles. We won't stand against evil done against our people. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to keep from getting hurt...What?

I can't believe that our President would communicate such a weak position to the terrorists and to the world. I'm appalled...angry...embarassed...and I'm sad for our country. 

God help us to be committed more to what is RIGHT than to what is comfortable...

And God help us discern the truth in every situation so we are not deceived into inadvertently aggrandizing the "players" who create situations that hurt our country for their own gain...

I've been too tired to vent...

Sorry for the long absence. I'm getting my head clear after a busy harvest time.

Well, as clear as it is possible to get...

In the meantime, here is a post you will enjoy from an author I particularly enjoy...And I agree with him on this 100%.

http://www.redcounty.com/content/true-conservative-witch-hunt


BLOGGER'S NOTE: A blatant advertisement for my son's writing...but he IS good!

How SHOULD the "Have's" be responsible for the "Have-not's"?

President Obama today chided the GOP saying that the same people who want to give the wealthiest Americans tax cuts refuse to support continued benefits for the unemployed.

I believe they are just demonstrating consistency of principle.

President Obama, tax breaks for the wealthy could create a job for the Tom, Dick & Harriet you say are suffering in their unemployment. That would be a lifeline for them!

Continued unemployment benefits only give them another deadline -- emphasis on the "dead".

Which is the better way to help those who have not?

NASA tasked with creating better relations with the Muslim world...

You read it right...President Obama has tasked the space agency with improving relations with the Muslim world. In fact, he's made it their foremost mission.

Uh....what?

The space agency -- the guys who figured out how to get to the moon, and more importantly, back -- The brilliant scientists who have spent years discovering the stars, learning about the planets,and innovatively creating ways to get our world linked with the immeasurable universe -- is now supposed to reach out to the Muslim world.

And from what I read, it seems that the greatest motivation behind this is that the Muslim world has been...well, left out when it comes to historic contributions to science.  "...there is much to be gained by drawing in the contributions that are possible from Muslim {nations}." NASA Administrator, Charles Bolden explained.

You'll note that he said "possible".  I'm sorry but this seems a lot like giving participation ribbons to the all the little soccer players who were on the field, but didn't accomplish any thing beyond that.  I'm sure that there are brilliant Muslim scientists, but I have never heard of any huge scientific discoveries or contributions made by Muslim countries...And probably no fault of the scientists, there either. Muslim nations don't strike me as being big into science, sadly.

It is bad enough that NASA has been hamstrung by budget cuts while Congress spends money on more unemployment benefits, but I'm appalled that now they are being made irrelevant by being tasked with this ridiculous mission.

Dear Honorable, Innovative, Hard-working, Forward-thinking NASA employees, you have my sympathy.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/05/nasa-chief-frontier-better-relations-muslims/

It doesn't seem like a big deal...Until they come for YOUR freedom...

Our state has instituted “sin taxes” on candy, and soda pop. Some states are trying to regulate fat content of foods, and children’s consumption of foods deemed to be “unhealthy”. The list of regulation grows...

I have to admit that it never bothered me that there are plenty of taxes on cigarettes and liquor – mostly because I don’t smoke, and rarely have an alcoholic drink. But when they come for my candy, my pop, my french fries – I find myself thinking, “Back off!”

The premise behind this is that certain items for consumption, and certain activities, are more likely to be harmful to you. Your use or participation will probably result in physical needs that are costly to meet. So – the powers-that-be seek to discourage your participation by making it more costly to you now, as well as mitigate, with your tax dollars, the future cost of your care.

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

Until they come for your french fries...or your motorcycle rides...or your diet Coke...or your favorite restaurant’s menu...or your helicopter skiing excursion...or your daily latte...

Then it seems like they are taking away our freedom, and regulating us all to activities that are manageable for them. I don’t like it...and I’m pretty sure that the addicted-to-risk-taking generations that follow us won’t like it either. I just can’t picture Gen X or Y (what letter are we on now?) giving up snowboarding out-of-bounds (with their transponder, of course!)to maintain good standing with their government provided health-care. I’ve always taken encouragement from the fact that Gen Y’ers won’t put up with it, and it will be the death of the idea.

However, recently, the wise Walter Williams alerted me to the problem with the premise that sounds so reasonable.

He explained that while we look at these taxes and regulations as a failure of liberty, they are not. Instead, they are a failure of socialism. Socialism presumes that the government is responsible for our care, all of it. Whether we need our bank bailed out, our health care paid for, our environment cleaned of oil, our cribs made safe, our crop failures reimbursed (the list is endless) – it is the government’s responsibility.

Of course, the government can’t do it all – unless they manage the risks, unless they curtail our freedoms. The problem is not that we choose to participate in certain behaviors. The problem is that we participate in these behaviors, expecting someone else to cover the consequences if we can’t.

Anymore, I don’t take such comfort in the attitude of the Gen Y’ers risk-taking addiction. I suppose they figure that whatever happens to them, someone else will take care of it. It now seems obvious to me that we are a society that believes we have a right to good results...no matter what we do. From ambulance-chasing lawyers, to Congressional hearings about gas pedals, we expect that anything bad that happens to us should be fixed – by the government (or some big, deep-pocketed corporation the government took to the woodshed)!

We can engage in endless discussion of what should be regulated, and why, and how, and who should receive help, and who should be protected – a morass of moral relativism that threatens to swamp us all. In reality, the issue at its basis is simple: It’s not the government’s job to take care of us, to guarantee positive outcomes for all of our lives.

I wonder how our lives might be changed if we knew that our consequences were our own...that, truly, we would reap what we sowed...that if trouble came, we had to figure it out, not submit a form to the government for aid.

It could only improve the country, in my opinion. It might produce a new generation of innovators, and confident problem-solvers, instead of the whining, self-indulgent, and apathetic society we see too often these days.

It’s been a challenge to me, and I challenge you , to recognize where we have accepted the expectation that others should mitigate the consequences of our choices. It is a sneaky little assumption that creeps into our minds more readily than we realize.

And it needs to go!

Got Rhythm?

A national survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control, who interviewed 2800 15-19 year olds, face to face, between 2006 and 2008 has revealed an interesting statistic.

It was found that 17% of sexually active teenage girls (up from 11% in 2002) rely on the rhythm method for birth control.

I can't believe it.

I just can't picture a teen rendevous in the back seat of the car ending with a counted consideration of the days in her personal calendar...Right...Because, of course, teen boys heading for the back seat of the care are so restrained and responsible with their hormones.
The only scenario in which this might work is with a couple that so rarely restrains themselves that they are sated enough to take a break...A sad and unlikely situation.

Basically, these girls are saying they don't use birth control...A sadder and more likely situation.

Because you know what they call people who use the rhythm method: PARENTS.

And 70% of the girls in the survey believe it is okay for a girl to have a baby on her own, as did 64% of  young men in the same age group...

I wonder if their opinion changes once they've unsuccessfully used the rhythm method...

Thinking of all those little kids caught in the consequences saddens my heart.