Speaking of the problem of evil ...

Obama's alleged non-"natural-born citizen" status is not the big stink pile this election cycle: Al Franken and the DNC stealing an election in MN is the real stink bomb.

You have to ask yourself ...

... why a post-modern liberal feminist radical is the only one who really gets what just happened in the U.S. election.



Is it all really that complicated? Obama was more charismatic, and it turns our that's who he is in person when he's with his wife in private as well as when he stands before throngs. McCain was a mediocre, milquetoast, uninspiring, undistinctive non-conservative.



It wasn't a chapter from Jenkins & LaHaye: it was another election cycle, and the better politician won.Next.

The Good Fight

He's one perspective on race in America.

Here's another:
Politics & Black Americans
Racial hoaxes & the NAACP
Liberal views, black victims

You think about that, because it's going to come up again.

absentee ballot

The election ended two days ago, right? and Sen. Obama is now President-elect Obama, yes?

Now listen: he promised "change", right? I am personally in for "change", but probably not the actual details of change he is going to advance, so let's set that aside for a minute.

read this and ask yourself, "it is really 'change' if the primary attribute of a potential SCOTUS judge is their sex or race? Is that the kind of change we're really after here?"

Maybe it is. Maybe I misunderstood why people hated George Bush. I thought his problem was that people saw him as a person who installed cronies to run the joint. Maybe his problem is that people didn't see themselves has the right kind of cronie ...

How to measure a landslide

This is a map, courtesy of someone at the University of Michigan, of the election results by county, graded on a scale of "Strongly Obama" (bright blue) to "Strongly McCain" (bright red), with variations measured by shades between blue and red.

(FWIW, since when did the politically-left party become the "blue" party? They used to love being the so-called "Reds" ...)

It's an interesting map.

Prayer for the Chief

May God bless him with a love of justice and mercy, and a hunger for wisdom. Let him remember the fatherless and the orphan.

VOTE

Pray, and then vote, and then pray again. Notice that you can rightly prayer more than once today, but you can only vote once today. That should give you some idea as to which is more important in the scheme of things -- but don't neglect one for the other.

If you need a prayer to start you, here's one which is good. As I think about it, this one is even better.

Then resume your life as a disciple of Christ.

UPDATED: That's what I'm talkin' about.

for JT's blog

I dropped this in the meta at JT's blog and I liked it enough to store it here for future reference.

Aside from all the praise here, Justin, I think the point of Dr. Piper's video was exactly to waylay extremism in considering the election.

You know: people have a variety of hopes hanging in the balance in this election. I think it is hard for us white people to really get how publicly liberating it is for our black brothers and sisters to have a credible, eloquent, and in many ways admirable man from their cultural community this close to being president of the United States; I think the same holds true for Governor Palin's candidacy for a different demographic in spite of the backlash against her from some quarters.

But I think Dr. Piper's message was that our hope is not in this election. You know: our hope is not in Dinner tonight, but we will all have dinner. In the same way, our hope is not in this election and we should still have the election. We simply cannot veer into the mad rhetoric of what my wife calls "doggie brains" -- that is, we can't see what is happening right now as the only thing which has happened, or is happening, or will happen.

Let me suggest something here: I want you to imagine whatever it is you think is the worst scenarion for the outcome of tomorrow's election. To me, the worst outcome would be a blindside victory by Nader, but that's another story.

Now, on Wednesday, that's the world we have. You voted your conscience, as did everyone who voted, and now the electoral college has to confirm the voting and we have the worst possible president with the worst possible Legislative branch possible.

How does that change the scope of your life as a disciple of Christ?

Listen: even if FOCA becomes law on Nov 5th, how does that change the mission of the church?

Here's my thing: Freakishly-tall Friel was going over this on 29 October with his sidekick "Brainiac", and listening to him something struck me: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-control; against such things there is no law.

That is to say this: in a country where abortion on-demand is simply the rule, should the church try to overcome the government, or should it seek to overcome sin by the work of the Cross? Should is save by the power of the ballot box, or by the power of the Gospel?

It seems to me that all of us here know abortion is wrong. It's not advanced moral calculus: killing babies is wrong. But how many of us who are frankly very worried about the law regarding abortion have given the Gospel in both word and deed to a woman who perceived her need was abortion and not Christ?

I am sure there is one or two out there. What if we sacrificed ourselves for the sake of ending this horror? What if we each took one woman who was going to have an abortion into our home and blessed her with grace at a high cost to ourselves, and sought to either reconcile her to the babiy's father or find her a godly husband to redeem her from her worldly, secular trap?

It will only take a million households, and there is no law against that kind of voting -- against such things there is no law.

What if we lived as if we believed in sacrifice rather than earthly authoritarianism? Would any candidate matter?

This is where we really get after the sovereignty of God: when we live the way He has said to live, not out of some stupid attempt to earn from Him the kind of country we want to live in, but because He has already done so much. This is where we fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, people [Col 1:24]. Not in the voting booth, but in the lives of those who are seeking salvation by killing their babies.

Now go vote. Thank you.

My last comment/link before the election

Consider the inplications of voting based on a crisis-aversion mentality, and encourage the guy next to you to do the same.

a what?

I want to know what that means. I thought that we already had police -- does this mean we need a different kind of police? Does it mean we need to give the police a different set of rules to do their job by?

What does that mean?

Election eve jitters

Read this, and then remember: for the record, if Obama wins, and things get worse, all of these people will have the problem of explaining why they got worse.

morning human interest story

Video of Sarah Palin has surfaced in which a Kenyan bishop blesses her with a protection from Witchcraft.

Now, here's why I bring it up:

[1] I wonder why a blessing of this sort is such an issue? Does the Obama campaign have something against the religion of witchcraft, or does it endorse the idea that witchcraft is a legitimate religious practice which, often, stands opposed to some Christian beliefs?

[2] I wonder if there is any footage of Joe Biden at the Catholic Easter service renouncing "Satan" and "All his evil works", thereafter to be sprinkled by the priest at-hand? And would this public renunciation cause a stir among the secularists? Prolly no video there as pulling out a camera during the mass is a frowned upon, but it's a question that people who hate religionists should ask.

[3] I wonder if any of the so-called "God-bloggers" (Malkin, Hewitt, their ilk) have an ability to respond to the charge that this video is somehow incriminating toward Governor Palin? Check back on this post, and as necessary I'll link back to their responses.

New Rumors have emerged

Guns don't kill people. [Chuck? or Sarah?] kills people.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] created the Bermuda Triangle.

When [Chuck? or Sarah?] does division, there are no remainders.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] can count to infinity, twice.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] can sneeze with her eyes open.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] invades Freddy Kruger's nightmares.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] is ten feet tall, weighs two tons, breathes fire, and could eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast standing.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] doesn't read books. She stares at them until she gets the information that she wants.

There are no bunnies in Alaska because [Chuck? or Sarah?] boiled them

[Chuck? or Sarah?] is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] can slam a revolving door.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself... and [Chuck? or Sarah?]

Crop circles are [Chuck? or Sarah?]'s way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.

The leading causes of death in the United States are: 1. Heart Disease 2. [Chuck? or Sarah?] 3. Cancer.

The Great Wall of China was originally built to keep out [Chuck? or Sarah?] .

Someone once videotaped [Chuck? or Sarah?] getting angry. It was called Alaska Chainsaw Massacre.

The quickest way to a man's heart is with [Chuck? or Sarah?]'s fist.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] uses pepper spray to spice up her steaks.

The wheelchair parking sign does not signify that the spot is for handicapped people. It warns you that the spot belongs to [Chuck? or Sarah?] and that you will be handicapped if you park there.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] has two speeds. Walk, and Kill.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.

Time waits for no man. Unless that man is [Chuck? or Sarah?].

[Chuck? or Sarah?] doesn't shower; she only takes blood baths.

Contrary to popular belief, [Chuck? or Sarah?], not the box jellyfish of northern Australia, is the most venomous creature on earth.

Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes. [Chuck? or Sarah?] has 72... all poisonous.

Every April 15th, [Chuck? or Sarah?] sends the IRS a picture of herself, crouched and ready to attack. She has not had to pay taxes, ever.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] invented KFC's eleven herbs and spices, but nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear.

What was going through the minds of all of [Chuck? or Sarah?]'s victims before they died? Her shoe.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] is the only person to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.

Police label anyone attacking [Chuck? or Sarah?] as a Code 45-11: a suicide.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] doesn't churn butter. She roundhouse kicks the cows and the butter comes straight out.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] doesn’t wash her clothes; she disembowels them.

The opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan" is loosely based on a game of dodgeball [Chuck? or Sarah?] played in second grade.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] once shot down a German fighter plane with her finger, yelling, "Bang!"

Wikipedia now defines the "Trail of Tears" as anywhere that [Chuck? or Sarah?] walks.

When [Chuck? or Sarah?] donate bloods, she declines the syringe and requests a hand gun and a bucket.

There are no steroids in baseball, just players [Chuck? or Sarah?] has breathed on.

[Chuck? or Sarah?] sheds her skin twice a year.

There is no "ctrl" button on [Chuck? or Sarah?]' computer. [Chuck? or Sarah?] is always in control.

When the Bogeyman goes to sleep at night he always checks the closet for [Chuck? or Sarah?].

HT: Chris Stamper, via the almighty Facebook.

Honest: my last post on this subject

It's just been that kind of week, so this is my last post until after October 31 on the Republican nominees.

I just wanted to point out that, two decades ago, I was an atheist who drank too much and did much worse. I was 24, just like Todd Palin was. Stupid kids.

If that's the worst the DNC and MSM can do against the Palins, Obama's campaign is doomed.

---

UPDATED: From the National Review --

We can only hope those involved have begun to come to their senses, and that they recognize the magnitude of their failure this week. That doesn’t mean they should go easy on Palin: it makes sense to look into her past (as it would make sense to look into Obama’s past at some point before November too), and she certainly needs to prove herself tonight and beyond, as any vice presidential candidate has to. But the treatment she has received is not what just any VP candidate would get, and the attitude and assumptions underlying this week’s amazing assault raise very troubling questions about the cream of the crop of political reporters. They have shown themselves to be too insulated and too solipsistic to help the public better understand our politics, and too self-important to report on events as they happen. This is far more than media bias. Let us hope it is a passing episode.

---

UPDATE: There is a vernacular phrase for the summary of this speech, but we don't talk like that here.

---

UPDATED: Dan Phillips -- you may have heard of him -- has a few things to say to and about Governor Palin.

---

Overheard on MSN LiveMessenger:

Frank says:
> Controversial world view: God is sovereign.
Frank says:
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html
Frank says:
> As opposed to Obama's pastor's view about race relations.
[Yukon_Jack] says:
> if i find out that palin plays fantasy ball i may just break down and cry
[Yukon_Jack] says:
> this is all too much

---

And this is how we know we're beyond the pale: "If only he had taken in Hillary as his VP!" Newsflash for the mad masses: Hillary doesn't want to be VP as it would be beneath her to top out in the second-to-last seat.

---

Krauthammer hammers Charlie Gibson.

I'm wondering

I read this op-ed in the Baltimore Sun and was trying to figure out why a this columnist would have so much venom toward Sarah Palin.

Susan Reimer

Sarah Palin

You can find Ms. Reimer's bio here, courtesy of the Baltimore Sun. You can find Gov. Palin's bio here, courtesy of Wikipedia.



Ms. Reimer doesn't have a wikipedia entry.

Any thoughts as to why Ms. Reimer would make a beauty pagent joke about Gov. Palin?

bigger than yours

I was reading this link, and I thought to myself, "dude: you're on the top of your ticket. I hope to whatever is right and just that you're right. The question is if you have more experience than the other presidential candidate."

You see? The McCain camp has put the DNC in the unenviable position of having to make the wrong comparison in order avert the "experience" question. For the DNC candidate to say, "I'm better than the RNC vice president, with more experience," is to say, "I am trying not to compare myself to the RNC presidential candidate."

Honestly: I hate it that I'm going to vote for McCain in about 60 days, but if he shows half the savvy in runnning this country as he did in the last 7 days in trumping the DNC convention, he'll make a passible president.

Wow.

Somehow, John McCain has the ticket which, superficially, looks like the greater change from the status quo. Will Hillary voters choose a woman Veep -- which is its own kind of historical first -- over Barack Obama?

Personally, I am looking forward to the Veep debates. It's on baby. I hate that these are the choices we have left, but it is on, and it's all going to be fought in the battle for the center.

Really

After coming back from vacation, Doug Wilson said:

It would be far better to say that Jesus came to solve all our worldly problems. The difference is that He does not do it the same way we do, which is to say, ineffectively. He really will save the world, and all our tinpot messiahs won't. Salvation is only through Jesus, but it really is salvation that will be manifested in this world. Related to this, salvation from our worldly problems won't come from conservative armies or from liberal nannies.

Which, of course, is exactly right.

Vote or Die

Y'know, I post the "best of" posts to try to keep the blog from going belly-up and to keep my time commitment to blogging minimized in the system tray, if you get what I'm saying: open, running, but not really doing anything.

Last night, my family went camping without me because, well, I'm the Dad, and I work for a living and the rest of them have a lovely summer vacation to take. And I hate sleeping on the ground. But in that, I got to eat pizza (the kind I like), play TeamFortress 2 until I unlocked the second level achievements for the Pyro, and in an act of utter irresponsibility, I slept in and didn't go work out this morning.

But that lead to reading blogs. Particularly, this one which I hate to link to because it's the yellow journalism of alleged "God Blogging", worse by far than any so-called watch-blog.

So I was reading Malkin, and she had the above-linked link to a photoshopped P.Diddy wearing a t-shirt that says "OBAMA OR DIE". Now, he didn't actually wear that shirt -- it's a prank, see? Very clever. The problem is that he did actually start a chant to that effect at the BET awards, so wear the t-shirt or not, he's in.

Now, before you go checking the Pawn Shop, let me suggest something to you: what kind of message is "Obama or Die"? Is that a political message? Should we be running people for office in whom we want to invest the power of life or death -- particularly our life or our death, pesonally?

That sounds like something othe than a political message to me, along the lines of "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" And you have to ask yourself: is that how much confidence I have in our political system, or does my confidence really lie someplace else and I have been somehow misled into saying things about a man that I would (or at least "should") only say about God?

the other thing today

I know some of you think I have drunk the Obamaniac Kool-Aid because I keep pointing out why Senator Obama is a better candidate than Senator Clinton. Yeah, listen: if you're excited about a McCain presidency, I think that you're probably a little stupid and a little naive. Senator McCain is a war hero, a veteran senator, he obviously married well. McCain is a republican (small "r", and only in the sense that he's been nominated by the party), and in that he at least has an active and vocal constituancy on the Right to Life movement, and as far as I'm concerned that's all he's got going for him: he's associated with (even if he does not agree with) the right wing of the Republican party.

So I'm not going to vote for Obama in November. Relax.

Whew.

Now, that said, even though Obama has married himself to negotiating with evil men like Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez and Robert Mugabe (but apparently not evil men like George Bush with whom he has much more in common), I read this analysis of the DNC process this election cycle, and it speaks to something that is important for those of you who are voting Democrat this year.

Here's what I think about this: I think that the data in that article indicates that Senator Obama will be a far more gifted politician than Senator Clinton because he knows how to get people who will actually do the work necessary to get things done. In that, he's your better choice for the DNC nomination.

And for those who are curious, here's what that has to do with the Gospel: Christ died for our sins, but he didn't die to make any person the inevitable candidate for any political office. Those who think that he did, or wish that he did, need to take a decade off to get his priorities straight.