In an effort to maintain even more queen-like control over this blog, comment moderation will be in effect 24-7 until further notice. There will be a brief (hopefully) delay before your comment is posted.
While today’s commenters have been fairly civil, a few trolls have tried to post (a daily occurrence). For your edification, please read my Comment Policy.
{ 33 comments }
La Shawn,
I have a suggestion. Why don’t you just disable all comments permanently? Most of what I have seen on here are people advancing incorrect Bible interpretations and arguing over irrelevancies. Not much value is added by the blog comment process in general, in my opinion.
I’ve thought about that, Tom, but I do enjoy the interaction. Commenting builds a sense of community. I don’t want to close that off because of a few bad apples. If I ever “make it” in writing, ala Michelle Malkin or other well-known writers and bloggers, I’ll probably have no choice but to disable commenting altogether. I’d be too busy to deal with it.
But you are soooo right, especially about the irrelevancies. I suspect one of the commenters is a troll who’s changed identities.
And Tom when you are on YOUR blog, you can choose to eliminate the comment process. I think LaShawn is more than gracious in allowing readers to put in their (sometimes off topic/sometimes irrelevant) own points of view.
The reality is that if LaShawn did not allow comments she would then be accused of not allowing an opposing voice to be shown. She can’t win either way, I guess.
Hey, LaShawn, I just discovered you today – President Bush re-elected, Dr. Rice named SecState & discovering YOU – I MAY have to reconsider October/November’s being bummer months! LOL
Just wanted to put a comment ‘out there’ – it occurred to me, those admonishing Americans {DemocRats} to ’stay & fight’, rather than flee to Canada/New Zealand/etc., DON’T have the same attitude toward all the immigrants, legal & illegal, who come HERE ……………… we lived IN Mexico for 2.5 years …………….. the corruption is systemic & institutionalized …………….. yet WE’RE supposed to throw open OUR borders & provide a ’safety valve’ for Fox & his cohort/coterie? I don’t THINK so!
Take care & keep up the good work!
Semper Fi’
Diamond Mair
{Yes, I may legitimately use “Semper Fi’” – I was the first woman in my field in the USMC – that & $1.00 MAY get me a cup of coffee!! LOL My husband (also a former Marine) & I are BOTH unemployed – him, after taking 2 assignments out of the country to teach U. S./ISO QA/QC aviation engine standards – 2.5 years in Mexico, then HE went to the Czech Republic alone for 2 years ……………… he was promised that there would be a job for him when he finished these assignments ……………… the company lied ………..}
LaShawn……
Dont stop the commenting…..some of us need that creative outlet! On my toolbar, just for you to know….you have a crown very similar to the one in this post! Underneath, it simply states…”LaShawn”…have a great afternoon!
We should all protest the cartoon by Pat Oliphant in the Washington Post today. Totally disgusting
Bummer. Oh well you gotta do what you have to.
Personally, I’m glad that you’ve allowed commenting — sense of community, opportunity to cheer/jeer/rant and sharpen my sword.
If it wasn’t for your blog, I’d like to think that I could start my own, but it’d surely die from irregular maintenance, given my limited time. Your blog is simply the best utilization of my free time to say it all.
Rose – Thanks! I like the queen motif. Some may consider it arrogant or vain, but where else in this world can I be “Queen?”
Andy – I wouldn’t want to discourage you from getting your own blog, but I hope you don’t! I’d miss you. You’ve become a stabilizing influence on me and this blog.
Hi La Shawn,
Would you mind if I toss in a few observations regarding the misplaced belief that New Zealand is ready to take in American liberals who are feeling a bit woeful?
Firstly, we don’t have a liberal government. We have proportional representation – which is a truer form of democracy (I can hear people’s mental wheels spinning – don’t panic!). Our government is a coalition of left+centre-right. Yes, we have evangelical Christians in government! Our Prime Minister is a woman – a liberal ala Tony Blair style. She is very popular. The Centre-Right party in coalition with her party are mostly Christians and they have a great influence on policy.
Secondly, we don’t have your Constitution. So you can’t come here and say just anything you like (you will get a “What’s the First Amendment?” response). We’re pretty fair and open though. We don’t pledge allegiance to a flag and our national anthem begins with “God of nations at thy feet, in the bonds of love we meet”. It is understand that this is the God of the bible. The general population have nicknamed NZ Godzone.
Thirdly, and this is crucial, we know that rugby is way more important than politics. If you come to NZ you may find this disturbing. Our footballers do not wear crash helmets, shoulder pads or knee pads. They are real men.
Fourthly, we put up with cardboard masquerading as food after MacDonalds invaded, but that doesn’t mean we are waiting with open arms for American liberalism or American conservatism. We are happily pre-occupied with thrashing you all at the Oscars. Watch out for the Narnia movie too.
We like fishing, boating, swimming, and eating as much seafood as possible. Occasionally we vote. A lot of people have only just realised who Condaleeza Rice is and have no already forgotten who John Kerry is.
We’re not perfect, but we’re reasonably happy. We aren’t looking for an influx of unhappy people with agendas. But feel free to visit. You’ll never be the same again.
(All meant in a good-hearted way – if this gets past the Queen and the spam filter. No not our Queen in England – the Queen of the blog.)
I can’t tell you how disappointing it is that people are so uncivilized that you have to do this, La Shawn. (See, there ARE benefits to having a blog no one reads.)
I appreciate the graciousness you show your readers by allowing comments. I really enjoy reading what the more civil among them have to say.
OK. So, the “dummies” depicted in the cartoon referenced are not as “smart” as the author and the audience it is intended to appeal to…hmmmmm…now, let’s see. She’s known as Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State. He’s known as the President of the United States, who just won his third straight election (including Governor of Texas), and has a Masters in Business from Harvard.
The author of the cartoon is known as a…(insert drumroll here)…Cartoonist. Who are the real “dummies” here?
Catez, I loved the LOTR and can’t wait for Narnia. I only hope the director puts as much love and accuracy to it — IOW dispenses with the notion of exclusive artistic liberties.
La Shawn, I’ve been kicking it around for a long, long time, way before the blogosphere. I got concept from slashdot back in the late 90s, went and got my own domain then. But truth be told, I just don’t have the time. If can’t be done right, then it’s best not to even go there. Know what I mean? So my domain just sits there as a glorified email address.
I think that I’d freak out if I couldn’t read and make comments on this blog.
Hey Lashawn,
It seems like this comment moderation thing is going to be pretty time consuming since you get like a gazillion comments every week. But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck.
During the election, the liberals were saying “we support the troops but disagree with Bush.” It appears that the sentiment was short lived.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6514451/
As to whether or not to allow comments: you’ll think, you’ll pray and you’ll make the correct decision for you. In the end, that’s all that counts. As long as you keep sharing your talent with us, whatever you decide to do about the comments is secondary.
I fully support your decision to screen comments, and am glad that you allow them.
All hail Queen La Shawn.
You have my allegiance my liege.
La Shawn,
I happened on your site last week, and I greatly enjoy your blog, your writings, your opinions, and I share your faith. And I too am an independent conservative. I was registered as a Republican for the very first election that I could vote in, the 1972 contest between Nixon and McGovern, but in 1974 I re-registered as an independent with a small “i.”
One thing I’d like to read is your recounting of your journey from a political liberal to a conservative. Have you written about that before? If you have, can you point me to it? if you haven’t written about it before, how about you dashing off a few paragraphs to tell how it happened, when it happened, and what the experience has been like in making that journey? I’m assuming that it’s connected to your walk with Christ, and you have written about that, but I’d be interested in your telling it from a political point of view. Thanks, and keep up the good work,
Jay
I have been thinking a few days about how I can’t be good
because I haven’t accepted your religion.
I may be damned for not accepting your religion but that
does not make my ‘good’ less than yours.
Good is really just being GOOD and doing GOOD.
That you can differentiate between my goodness and yours is a bit troublesome. But not so much that I would negate
your good in favor of mine. Nope, I would say good is a
thing all should strive for without consideration to …
personal creed, color, religion or point of origin. In that,
I would ask you to look for something Jesus might have said
about good men. Maybe that there are good men but they may not be saved but for me and all that. THAT does not make those good men less good … only not saved.
There is always an inclination to try and brand something
in black and white, never more than in something as …
a religion. Right or wrong. Good or evil. Okay. But if I
were living the life of a ‘good man’ and did not espouse
your religion … how would you know I was not a believer?
How?
Is it incumbent upon my goodness to allay it to the feet
of your Christ at every turn, or to just be good?
Do I have to go to a place and share my goodness with
like thinking humans and praise to be … good?
Would that not take a very large piece of goodness out
of the world?
And what would be the result? More evil? And what purpose
does THAT serve in your realm? That I ‘believe’ and quote
scripture make my good more good? C’mon, surely, you can’t
hold that.
The good that I do, is the good that you do. We have …
different reasons or justifications for doing so. Simple.
I have been up against this argument before. I have always
found that religionists always go to some ‘faith and you
MUST believe as I’ thing. Sorry, I ain’t buying it. I may
be damned by your beliefs but I can still live a good life.
Goodness is a state of mind and heart. I’ll leave the …
soul searching aspects of it to you.
Hello Steel Turman,
Well said! You appear to be a good person to me.
La Shawn,
As one of your faithful followers, I would be sorely disappointed to lose the ability to interact with you and your other readers, that the comments feature provides. There are only three blogs of the many I try to check out each day that I regularly comment on (yours, Dean Esmay’s, and Rosemary Esmay’s).
In addition, without comments, where would I get my daily dose of Beau? No matter how much some of the things your liberal commenters makes my blood boil, Beau can usually make me laugh about it.
Of course I could always resort to email, but then that leaves everyone else out of the discussion (at least during those times when I WANT everyone else in on the discussion)
Lashawn, have you ever thought of having a message board? Just a suggestion.
Sounds interesting, Rikki. Since I don’t frequent the boards, I don’t know a lot about them or how to implement. I’d welcome your guidance.
how good is good enough?
how bad is bad enough?
who draws this line?
Is that relativism?
Christ was perfect, we are not. Jesus died that all may live eternally.
For that I thank Him, I accept Him, I honor Him with my life, and I thank Him for all that He has done and continues to do in my life.
Steel, this is just off the cuff, since I don’t have access to references. Basically, only Jesus was perfect and that perfection and subsequent sacrifice is what atones us from the curse of eternal damnation.
Good is as good gets considering that there are none that are righteous, no not one. Our best are but filthy rags fit to be burned by an absolute God who created us.
So in this sphere of existence, yes you can be an exceedingly good man but if you’re not saved from God’s wrath, your goodness is moot in the hereafter.
The sticking point for you is not your goodness, but our raison d’etre. As long as you cannot reconcile yourself to a ubercreator or God, your goodness only counts for your eulogy – “Here lies Steel Turman, he was a good Mensch.” If that’s your position and you’re sticking to it, so be it.
On the other hand, having been a long-time cornerite, when was the last time you tested our claims against our Source?
It’s good to be the Queen, no?
Andy,
….your goodness is moot in the hereafter….
Precisely. For me, the hereafter is moot. Goodness
is to be measured in the here and now. That would be
a fine eulogy BTW.
Steel, well, Scripturally speaking, if you ever get a twinge in your heart about the possiblity of a hereafter, better pay close attention, it might be God speaking to you in a soft voice, as he is wont to do.
Ignore it long enough and God will leave you alone. In which case Satan may or may not care about subverting your goodness, since either way you’re his.
Andy,
If it comes to a confrontation with Satan … I will grab
him by the throat and kill him.
God willing.
But… but… but La Shawn, weren’t you upset when I called you ‘Queen La Shawn’? Have you grown into the title? It does have a pleasant ring to it.
Steel, shades of the movie Spawn, eh? Seeing how Jacob wrestled with an angel and refused to let him go, and that Satan is an ex-angel, it ’sounds’ plausible. However, God gave Satan dominion over earth, and since Satan is immortal and operates both in the spirit & physical realm, I just don’t see it.
I like the crown! Mary
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