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The Impoverishment of America October 10, 2008

Posted by Tim in Morality, Politics.
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Below is from a comment to the Washington Post. I don’t agree with the tone, but this comment struck a chord with me that needed to be struck.

Amazingly, Christians have supported the behavior described below, and called it “conservative.” I’ve been guilty of supporting some of these behaviors myself. Now, I’m not naive enough to think that the Democratic Party is better–I’m just tired of giving the Republican Party a blank moral check, and trusting them to behave in a manner that pleases God. Being pro-life on abortion legislation doesn’t mean that the GOP values life the way God intends. One could argue that, based upon the demonstrated behavior of the last eight years, the opposite is true.

I’m more and more convinced that God will hold me accountable for not speaking out long ago… for not saying to the GOP “You will no longer be allowed to associate yourselves with people of faith. You’ve demonstrated that you’re not morally better, and in countless ways morally worse, than the liberal Democrats you so willingly demonize.”

I may not vote for a Democrat in November, but I’m feeling quite certain that I won’t be voting for the Republican ticket. They just don’t deserve another chance.

Link to the article: (more…)

What Happened to the Palin Post? September 28, 2008

Posted by Tim in Blogging.
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At 7:15 PM EST, I noted an article on Google News, originally published on Fox News:

Fox News Story on Google

Fox News Story on Google

Unfortunately, if you click the link on Google, Fox News tells you that no such story exists. Is this yet another example of Fox News being “Fair and Balanced”? Did someone at the top see the link, and bury the story?

We’ll never know. If you search Fox News’ election site, you’ll find no such story exists anymore.

Interesting.

Has Your Preacher Jumped the Shark? September 26, 2008

Posted by Tim in Religion.
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First, Fonzie jumped over a shark in that fateful episode of Happy Days, and the show lost it’s following and whatever credibility it might have had with its audience as something worth watching. Since then, the digerati have begun referring to the phenomenon of fading into irrelevance as “Jumping the Shark.” Here’s a way to tell if this has happened to your preacher. From today’s New York Times:

“I would say endorsement is a strong word,” he said. “I’m planning to make a recommendation. I’m going to evaluate each candidate’s positions in light of Scripture and make a recommendation to my congregation as to which candidate aligns more so.”

Let me be clear. I have no problem with anyone publicly endorsing a candidate for any office, and doing everything in their power to influence others to support that candidate.

Pat Robertson Jumping the Shark

Jumping the Shark from the Pulpit

My first problem is someone wanting all the benefits that come with being a 501(3)(c), but also wanting to be a political entity. The purpose of the existing law was to ensure that political influence didn’t make its way through the financial channels of a charitable organization. Granted, you can argue that even with the existing law, a huge number of organizations, both on the left and the right, have successfully circumvented this law. That hardly suggests that preachers should take advantage of that fact. (more…)

It’s that time of year again… September 18, 2008

Posted by Tim in Fun, Talk Like a Pirate Day.
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Are you ready to talk like a pirate?

Are you ready to talk like a pirate?

Digging Through the Mud September 13, 2008

Posted by Tim in Politics.
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For anyone interested in figuring out what facts really are behind the various ads and speeches, check out the Annenberg Political Fact Check.  It’s a non-partisan publication funded through a foundation, with the intent of performing research and analysis on the various claims of political candidates.

Then again, if you’d prefer to continue believing everything your preferred candidate or party says, just keep reading the partisan stuff from each side. It makes it so much easier to believe falsehoods about the “other” candidate and ignore the truths about your own.

As for me, it’s not caused me to suddenly like one side more than the other, but it’s helped me sort through some of the misinformation about Governor Palin and Senator Obama. (Senator McCain and Senator Biden are more well-known, so it’s easier for me to spot blatant falsehoods.) Where I sit now is a position of having less respect for both candidates, and for their campaigns.

It should be an interesting November.

What Happens in the Bathroom… Ends Up in the Blog September 11, 2008

Posted by Tim in Parenting/Children.
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This morning, after letting the dog out for his morning ritual, I decided to go to the bathroom myself. This is not really something earth-shaking or momentus, because it’s not that unusual for a middle-aged man to make an early morning trip like this, but it caused me to do  something that I rarely do, and something I’m unlikely to do in the near future.

I went into a bathroom used almost exclusively by a teenage boy. (more…)

The Political Blog Non-Entry September 7, 2008

Posted by Tim in Politics.
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Recently, I sat down and wrote out a series of questions that I, a registered Republican, have for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates. It was long, and expressed my frustration with the candidates and their recent decisions.

Then I thought, “Why bother?”

Not-So-Great Moments in Spa… Direct Email Marketing August 18, 2008

Posted by Tim in Stupidity.
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The other day, I received the following spam unwanted email in my Yahoo account (I knew it was spam unwanted email, but I couldn’t resist previewing it using Yahoo’s image/virus-blocking preview):

AWARD DEPARTMENT.
P O Box 1010,L70 1NL Liverpool,
UNITED KINGDOM(Customer Services)
Ref: FER/4690/6103/24Batch:245-379-482
Winning No:701/RMD123

NOTIFICATION  Attn:WINNER

We happily announce to you the draw of the Bono Lottery International Program held on the 17th of August 2008. Your name “email address” was attached to ticket number; 12324277 serial number 6663817262 This batch draws the lucky numbers as follows 2-9-22-23-24-30 bonus number5,

which

Note: I didn’t chop off the end of the message. I also didn’t eliminate my email address from the section that reads ‘Your name “email address”.’

I used to think that no matter how pitiful my life had become, I could at least find solace in the fact that my life had more meaning than the poor souls who find themselves in the live audience of “American Gladiator.” (That’s probably less true now that Hulk Hogan is hosting the show, because there’s something charming about a man that powerful hiding his male pattern baldness and skullet hair with a bandana.)

Now, I find solace in knowing that no matter how poorly I perform at work, I’m performing better than the people who can’t figure out how to compose a coherent spam message. My God have mercy on their slimy souls, but not much, as I’d be perfectly happy if I discovered that God changed the rules to deny grace to them all.

Mike Arvin: “Used Car” August 4, 2008

Posted by Tim in Blogging.
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Here’s our third video, from the people who brought you “On Patrol” and “Post-It: I Love You.”

more about “Mike Arvin: Used Car Video“, posted with vodpod

By the way, I have no idea why there’s a full minute of black at the end of this. If you sat around waiting for some kind of surprise at the end, I’m sorry for the disappointment. – Tim

Camping in the Smokies with George and Clem (Guest Post) August 3, 2008

Posted by Tim in Blogging, Friends.
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[Ed Note: This is a guest post by a childhood best-friend of Clem. Any resemblance between Clem and the author of this blog is unavoidable.]

For a former Wyoming mountain and back-country guide, this is a story I wish I could forget.  It does, however, demonstrate that in the absence of technical expertise, passion and desire will press on…along with a few good memorable laughs.

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