by La Shawn on March 31, 2004
in Bloggers
Thanks to Instapundit, who really put me out there, and my own surfing, I’ve found some link-worthy bloggers. Here’s a sample:
Check out D.C. Thornton, who owns guns and refers to himself as an American, not “African-American.” Now this man, I like. He’s a libertarian with a small “l”, but that’s OK. He’ll come around!
I’ve been to King of Fools blog before, but I don’t think I ever mentioned him.
Ryan’s (Head) baby started screaming when he saw a picture of Kerry. Coincidence?
Anthony has some cute pictures of his daughter over at The Useful Arts. I knew about his blog but hadn’t linked to it, either.
I’ll post more good sites later. And as you can guess, many other sites linked to me, but I’d rather not provide a forum via my blog for such views.
Best Google Search of the Week That Led To My Blog: “kerry wolf in sheep’s clothing”
Is the Kerry stuff still going on? Fresh comments!
Update: Imago Veritatis, reformed theologian.
by La Shawn on March 31, 2004
in Faith
Dennis Prager explains what “Judeo-Christian” means and why it makes America unique among all the nations:
The United States of America is the only country in history to have defined itself as Judeo-Christian. While the Western world has consisted of many Christian countries and consists today of many secular countries, only America has called itself Judeo-Christian. America is also unique in that it has always combined secular government with a society based on religious values.
Prager articulates what I tried to when discussing whether the U.S. was called to uphold “Christian” values. His column is a good starting point for those who may want to delve further into the history and meaning of “Judeo-Christian.”
by La Shawn on March 30, 2004
in Faith
That was a wild ride! When I sat down the other day to draft the post on John Kerry’s misuse of James 2, I had no idea it would generate this much attention. The word of God is indeed powerful!
I was surprised — but pleased — by the onslaught of commentors and detractors. Based on the comments I’ve read from people on my own blog and other sites that took issue with my post, I stand accused of using the Bible to support a “conservative” position, when what I actually did was show that Kerry took James 2 out of context to support his opinion that George Bush is not “compassionate,” however one defines the word.
While I could have been clearer and more precise, I suspect some would still take issue with my assertion. Most critics responded with a barrage of philosophical arguments about government’s role in helping the less fortunate. My point, however, was that government social programs are not “fruits” of salvation. That’s it! That is my assertion. But no matter how clear you are, some will always come away with a different interpretation, just as they do with the Bible.
For example, most critics missed my point that James 2:14-17 does not pertain to governments. What Kerry implied in his “sermon” was that because George Bush is a Christian, he should be spending more of your tax money as a display of his “good works,” thereby proving his Christian compassion. That’s flat out unbiblical nonsense.
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by La Shawn on March 29, 2004
in General
I’ve hit the stratosphere of the blogoshere: Instapundit linked to my “Kerry quoting Scripture” post.
HobbsOnline elaborates.
by La Shawn on March 29, 2004
in Faith
Speaking in a black church yesterday (time to rethink that tax-exempt status), John Kerry implied that “our present national leadership” is lacking in compassion because some people don’t have jobs and teenagers are killed in drive-by shootings.
“The scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? When we look at what is happening in America today, where are the works of compassion,” preached Kerry.
What he’s getting at is that faith without works is dead. While I don’t expect Kerry or the liberal media to know what’s in the Bible, I do expect him to have the decency to seek counsel from clergy before he starts using scriptural references on the campaign trail.
The pastor at New North Side Baptist Church probably sat there nodding his head, saying, “Amen” along with the rest of the congregation while Kerry misapplied the word of God in transparent references to President Bush.
The passage Kerry took out of context is James 2:14-17:
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James wrote his epistle to Jewish believers, “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,” exhorting them to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience,” one of my favorite verses.
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by La Shawn on March 28, 2004
in Bloggers
Blog “Discoveries”:
Rae over at A Likely Story is having an interesting time with The Right Christians, a “Christian” site I visited once. Once was enough.
Dissecting Leftism links to and comments on news stories and other bloggers.
Check out Blue Goldfish/Surface. The name alone makes it worth a visit.
When I first appeared on the Watcher of Weasels as “link-worthy”, I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. It is good. I think.
I joined in on a discussion at PoliPundit.com:
“There was this documentary on the Discovery-Times channel about streets named after Martin Luther King. The filmmaker, an African-American, bemoaned the fact that the streets tend to be in poverty-stricken black neighborhoods. Sprinkled between liberal shibboleths on “fighting” for “civil rights” were images of the American flag upside-down.
And that’s when it struck me just how low the “civil rights” movement has sunk.
A hundred and fifty years ago, this filmmaker could have written a book opposing slavery. Fifty years ago, he could have made a documentary attacking racial segregation. Now all he can “fight” for is renaming a street? The great civil rights battle of the 21st century is changing street signs?”
Although Dean’s World is a liberal site, I think it’s worth noting that the author says the world needs more voices like mine. Considering that my blog is not politically correct, Dean is certainly true to his liberal ideals: Tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
Having my picture taken with Star Parker was the highlight of the forum yesterday at the Cato Institute. I’ll post it as soon as I have it developed (yes, I still have an old-fashioned 35mm). I didn’t realize I had only one exposure left, so I didn’t get to take pictures with John or Debra.
The forum was moderated by Casey Lartigue, formerly of Cato, and the panelists were Star Parker, John McWhorter and Debra Dickerson. Each discussed different ways of addressing the “black problem.”
Star made a distinction between the working poor and the underclass. In all honesty, whenever we’re talking about the poor in the black community, we’re referring to the underclass, a group caught up in the cycle of dependency, poverty, illegitimacy, crime, drug use, underemployment and other pathologies.
Star said the biggest problem in black America is the collapse of the family, through which shared experiences and values are passed down from generation to generation. Sadly, one of the most important things children growing up in broken homes are not exposed to is commitment to marriage.
To go a step further, I say that because children in such homes don’t (or can’t) learn the value of commitment to marriage, their ability to develop commitment in other areas is weakened.
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Once again Thomas Sowell has done good work. In his latest column, Rattling The Chains, he comments on Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons and her “slave trade” committee’s quest to uncover the Ivy League school’s connection to slavery:
Dr. Simmons said that the idea of appointing a committee to look into Brown University’s past came to her because she is a descendant of slaves and the building in which she works was built with the help of slaves. Unfortunately, there are descendants of slaves all over the world, and they are every color of the rainbow.
Slavery was an ugly, dirty business but people of virtually every race, color, and creed engaged in it on every inhabited continent. And the people they enslaved were also of virtually every race, color, and creed.
A recently published book titled “Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters” by Robert Davis shows that a million Europeans were enslaved by North Africans between 1500 and 1800. Nor were they the only Europeans enslaved.
I added my two cents earlier this month, so I’m throwing in a dollar’s worth this time.
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“Teachers Come Up Short In Testing”
In Philadelphia, students aren’t the only ones struggling to pass tests.
Half of the district’s middle school teachers who took tests to become certified as highly qualified under the federal No Child Left Behind law failed, district results show….
Philadelphia teachers failed the test at a far greater rate than those in the rest of the state. Excluding Philadelphia, 77 percent of the 2,905 teachers statewide passed, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. One-third of the teachers statewide who failed work in Philadelphia.
Support school choice!
Moving On?
Blogger has served me well for four months while I attempted this blogging thing, striving to write thoughtful and well-written posts. I’m thinking of moving on to TypePad, a much more versatile web tool.
There are so many things I want to do that I can’t do well with Blogspot. For an example of TypePad’s blogging tool, check out Baldilocks’ blog. Stay tuned!
If you happen to be in D.C. this Thursday, March 25, swing by the Cato Institute to hear Star Parker, John McWhorter and Debra Dickerson discuss Parker’s new book, Uncle Sam’s Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What We Can Do About It?
You can also watch the event live with RealVideo or listen with RealAudio.
This is one of the few great things about living in the nation’s capital. See you there!
Pastors Step Forward
I pray for boldness in standing up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I pray that more pastors stand boldly against those who hate God’s word.
In Black Pastors Rally Against Gay Marriage, the point of the story seems to be that “gay marriage” is not a civil right. I just hope the real message isn’t watered down, which has to do with morality, not “civil rights.”
I have to send a “shout out” to my fellow blogger over at Resurrection Song. Now this is what you want to read about yourself on a Monday morning. Thanks. I needed that. Now on to the post.
Courtland Milloy, a liberal columnist for the Washington Post, finally wrote a piece I can appreciate it, sort of. He writes about a recent discussion given by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to promote his new book, America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans.
In his book, Gates examines black progress 35 years after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., and “expresses the need for black leaders to boldly critique self-destructive behavior among black people and the urgent need for the “talented tenth” — meaning college-educated blacks — to become more a part of the solution.”
There was a time, not long ago, when African Americans were on a march toward freedom, using education, discipline, sacrifice and courage as weapons in a war against racial segregation.
“We were taught that doing well in school was like firing a bullet into the heart of George Wallace and Orval E. Faubus,” said Harvard University scholar Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr., 53, referring to the former segregationist governors of Alabama and Arkansas.
But just as victory appeared to be in sight, something went wrong — something that Gates believes too few black leaders are willing to talk about.
Finally, I said to no one in particular, a prominent black person willing to speak about self-destruction in the black community.
Then my smile faded as I read this: “Too many of our leaders won’t stand up because they are afraid of being appropriated by the right, or afraid they are going to sound like Clarence….For me not to defend affirmative action, as someone who has benefited so much from it, would make me as big a hypocrite as Mr. Justice Clarence Thomas, and I just couldn’t live with myself,” Gates said.
Too bad. Gates completely misses the point about why some blacks who benefited from race preferences speak out against it, as I tried to explain in “Counterfeit Equality.” I think the “hot stove” analogy is especially appropriate.
I’ve been around long enough to remember when “working your way through college” meant something. A college education is now a right in our culture of entitlement.
No College, No Middle-Class Ticket” is a nicely slanted article about how difficult it is to pay for a college education these days. The article opens with a sympathetic anecdote about a young woman who dreamed of being a doctor but who’s struggling because of high tuition:
Now a sophomore, Holmes works eight hours a week on campus and another 21 hours a week off campus at a local bank. She’s had to scale back her class load to keep up. She also could take out more loans in order to cut back on work, but that would saddle her with as much as $20,000 in debt by graduation, with years of medical school education yet to finance.
While reading about someone working and trying to go to school evokes empathy, the primary purpose of the article is to evoke class envy and false guilt.
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We all want to be the “best.” It’s our nature. If we can’t be the best in the world, we’ll take the best within a group. The best American short story of 2004. The best lawyer in the firm. The best performer of the year. As long as it’s an honor, we don’t mind being the best. When it comes to performances, writing, litigation skills, etc., it’s an honor to be called the best. But when the word “best” is followed by “minority” or “black”, the insidiousness of skin color preferences has tainted the process.
I’ve written a few columns about the double standard of race preferences, so my opinion is on record.
The American Advertising Federation sponsors an annual “Most Promising Minority Students Program”, where black and Hispanic students are called accomplished, talented, the best and the brightest…for blacks and Hispanics.
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In “The Insult of Flattering Minorities” Jeff Jacoby writes:
Once upon time it was racists who insisted that “nonwhite” was a synonym for “intellectually deficient.” Today that attitude is promoted most emphatically by the defenders of affirmative action, a system rooted in the belief that blacks and certain other minorities can’t hope to win if they have to compete on a level playing field. And so racial preferences are used to tilt the field in their favor: lower admissions standards at colleges and graduate schools, minority set-asides for government contracts, unofficial racial quotas to benefit those applying for jobs.
I’ve been saying the same thing for years. In “The Height of Disrespect”, Thulani Davis writes:
Professor Beth Richie of the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the study’s scholars, said, “Young people today in lower-income black communities are facing a…whole set of stereotypical images of themselves — hypersexual, sexually irresponsible, not concerned with ongoing intimate relationships. [They] can’t help but be influenced by those images.” When several young women were talking about their reluctance to use condoms, one said that no one on TV or in films is ever shown using them.
I’ve been saying the same thing for years.
by La Shawn on March 18, 2004
in Lunacy
Someone ought to write about the Democrats’ reliance on foreign opinion (me?). George Neumayr does a good job in “The Treason Temptation.” What’s alarming about this is that Americans aren’t alarmed about this.
Democrats bristle at the suggestion that they are out of touch with mainstream America. But their rhetorical reliance on opinion from outside the country — whether it is John Kerry citing support from foreign leaders or Democratic activists citing Scandinavian jurisprudence as they try to topple marriage — proves it. The more they alienate themselves from mainstream America, the more they rely on foreign cultural currents to push their agenda.
Modern Democrats are peculiar in American political history in that they actually brag about non-American support. This is a political boast the Founding Fathers and early Federalists would find puzzling if not shocking. Independence from foreign opinion and influence is one of the founding marks of America. The Federalist Papers contain chapters entitled “Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence.” John Kerry’s foreign-leaders-are-pulling-for-me talk would sound to the American founders like the beginnings of treason.
Most Americans seem unaware that when U.S. Supreme Court justices cite precedents from other countries in their rulings (which the Court did in the Texas sodomy case), that’s a bad thing.
The sovereignty and uniqueness of the United States is worth preserving, but liberals have duped their constituents and created diversions. Liberals’ pure hatred of George W. Bush is their reason for being. With no compelling arguments to offer about why they should be in the White House, they merely react to Bush’s policies.
Liberals use scare tactics to get votes rather than offering a positive, uplifting agenda. It’s all about the anti-choice, bigoted, intolerant, war-mongering, stealing-your-social-security, Big Oil Bush. That’s it. That’s their agenda.
Am I wrong? Tell me something positive and decent Democrats stand for. I’ll take just one example.
