Woo-hoo! Ding, dong, the ban-witch is dead!
I’m happy to announce that today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns is unconstitutional. (Source) Individuals have a right to bear arms, so says the court, and this DC resident is about to start bearing, baby! 
Background
In 1976, the Council of the District of Columbia passed gun control laws in a misguided and fruitless attempt to curb the violent crime rate. Residents who owned handguns before 1976 could keep them, but only in the home. While the laws banned handgun ownership, residents were permitted to own and keep registered rifles and shotguns inside the home – unloaded and disassembled or trigger-locked.
[click to continue…]
Tuesday, July 1: Good riddance.
——————————————————————-
A little over a year ago, I wrote a Townhall column about a child rapist named Patrick Kennedy. He brutally raped his wife’s eight-year-old daughter. If you’re squeamish, don’t read about the physical damage he caused.
In Louisiana, the rape of a child under 12 is (or was) a capital crime. Kennedy was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to death. His appeal reached the Louisiana Supreme Court, which upheld his death sentence.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that imposing the death penalty for child rape violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. (Source)
[click to continue…]
*Scroll down for updates – links to Dobson’s broadcast and Obama’s speech*
Readers have hinted or outright begged me to start blogging politics again. I fill a void and provide a much-needed voice, they tell me. Do I really?
I listened, and here I am again. I knew once I started blogging about Barack Obama, there’d be no turning back. Every day there’s something new. Like a ball of snow rolling downhill, growing larger with each tumble, so is the momentum of political blogging. I don’t know how long it will last. This post is a mixture of politics and faith, so let’s dig in.
[click to continue…]
One of the better residual effects of being a formerly popular political blogger is books. I like getting advance and review copies, but I don’t have time to write reviews for all of them. Besides, book reviews don’t pay very well. 
The best I can do is let my 1,500 or so readers know what’s hot off the publishing house presses. These are the books I received in the past few weeks:
Reminder: Reading is fundamental. And stay in school, kids! No matter how lousy it is.
by La Shawn on June 23, 2008
in Liberals
Here we go again.
Race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race.
Can’t get away from it.
Barack Obama warns supporters to watch out for race-based “attacks” from Republicans. (Also see this story) The timid might be tempted to soft-pedal or avoid legitimate criticism against this half-black candidate.
And that’s what he’s counting on.
[click to continue…]
Monday, June 23: Such thoughtful readers! Thanks for the “speedy recovery” well wishes. The procedure was minor, and I was back to my old self within a couple of days.
—————————————————-
For the past three weeks, I’ve been in muggy SC. En route back to muggy DC. I came down to have and recover from minor surgery (first time under the knife!) and spend time with the family. My mother’s a surgical assistant, as I’ve mentioned before, and knows a lot about these things. I wanted to be near an “expert” as I recovered. The truth is…well…I just wanted my Mommy.
In the same post I talk about surgery and my Mommy, I seek new business! (I dig the blogosphere. Don’t you?) I blog for businesses that don’t have the expertise or time or desire to update their company blogs inhouse. If you need a content provider, let’s talk. Contact me for a free consultation, resume, and work samples: lashawn [at] lashawnbarber.com. I don’t blog or “ghostblog” for politicians.
[click to continue…]
by La Shawn on June 19, 2008
in Faith
The way my mind works…
Last week I issued a call to fans of contemporary Christian music (CCM). (If you’re not familiar with the genre, check out Christ Community Music and Christian Music Today.)
I got a lot of great responses, but now I want to drill down. I have quite a few music fan-related ideas bouncing around in my head, but the one I’m focusing on right now is the overzealous CCM fan. Being Christ followers doesn’t make us immune to obsessive fan behavior or any other bad behavior. Man, I should know!
Someone referred me to a fellow Christian and writer named Joanne Brokaw, who blogs at Gospel Soundcheck at Beliefnet. The subject piqued her interest, and she’s asking readers to answer the following questions:
What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done to meet your favorite Christian music artist? And what happened after you met them?
Where is the line between supportive fan and crazy stalker?
There is a point to all this, I promise. You may comment here or there. You also may respond privately at lashawn [at] lashawnbarber.com. Help a sister out!
PS: Bands, Christian or otherwise, I’m collecting musical friends (and backstage passes!), so hit me up on MySpace.
Later…That’s helping a sister out. 
by La Shawn on June 17, 2008
in Faith
Apologetics: the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity; from the Greek word "apologia," which means a "verbal defense."
Christianity has faced an onslaught of criticism and slander since its inception some 2,000 years ago. Despite centuries of persecution, upheaval, and corruption, historic Christianity survives. No plans of man can thwart the advancement of God’s kingdom. Day by day, he is renewing minds and changing hearts of the seemingly “unsavable” through the person of his son, Jesus Christ.
Blessed I am to be a member of the body of Christ! Every day I’m amazed that he saw fit to gather me up and rescue me from the shackles of my own degradation.
Feeling God’s grace in your life is one thing; trying to explain that grace to unbelievers is another. Sharing our testimonies with the world probably is the easiest part of being a Christian. Testimonies are often filled with emotive, relatable language. Some stories are dramatic. Others are less so. I suppose my testimony is dramatic, although I see my coming to Christ as a slow evolution. After I stopped drinking and fornicating, I patted myself on the back and told people how moral I was. I was unsaved at the time, and did not understand the depth of my sin sickness.
[click to continue…]
by La Shawn on June 15, 2008
in Faith
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ… (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
I love this country. I really do. Love it. From a biblical perspective, I shouldn’t love it as much as I do.
You know why I love it? One of the reasons is because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive, and this country gives me the right to “preach Christ crucified.”
Yes, the Gospel is offensive. I mean, telling people they’re straight up sinners with unclean hearts, giving them a “heads up” about being under God’s wrath, and claiming the only way to God is through Jesus Christ? He even said so himself. Talk about bold. What audacity.
The Gospel offends people who don’t believe these things. It’s funny, though, that some who claim not to believe in hell are offended when told they’re going to hell. Never figured that out. Anyway, in America, we have the freedom to offend. There is no freedom to not be offended. Suck it up, as they say.
Christian apologist, debater, pastor, author, blogger, and webcaster James White, a man whose faithful witness and defense of the faith has helped me grow in faith and understanding (he commented on LBC the other day – down, fangirl!), frequently blogs about the suppression of the Gospel in Canada. See Canada Joins those Nations that Prohibit Free Speech and Gospel Preaching.
[click to continue…]
***Scroll down for clarification update. I jumped back into the frying pan!***
Race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race. Are you as tired of talking, hearing, and reading about it as I am?
This post is about race. Sorry.
Mainstream media are obsessed with it. Once our future biracial president moves into the White House, they’ll be even more obsessed. It’s going to get sickeningly worse.
[click to continue…]
by La Shawn on June 11, 2008
in Playlist
*Scroll down for updates*
Pardon this brief interlude of “political blogging,” this foray into frustration, this petulant toe-in-the-water post in which I attempt to alleviate the growing pressure inside my head.
Barack Hussein Obama is an “articulate” infanticide-supporting liberal who doesn’t like being called a liberal.
And he’s going to be our next president.
[click to continue…]
Are you a fan of contemporary Christian music? I mean the kind of fan who goes to Christian music festivals and rocks out at concerts. If this describes you or anyone you know, I’d like to hear from you. Please contact me at lashawn [at] lashawnbarber.com, and/or forward this post far and wide.
And smile. It’s only Monday.
Update (6/10) : Thanks very much for responding! Keep ‘em coming. I’ll explain why I’m looking for Christian music fans in my response to your e-mails.
Sort-of-related articles:
Update: A few months ago, I mentioned a song called “Beautiful Life” by Annie Barker. It’s beautiful. I bought it on iTunes even before it finished playing on a music podcast I listen to. Want to hear it? Listen to the full track on my MySpace page music player. I asked her to add it to her music player so I could upload it to mine and share it with you. I hope other artists listen and respond to their fans!
————————————————————————————————————–
In an ideal world, bands could focus solely on the craft of creating, composing, and recording music while earning a decent living, almost passively, through the sale of that recorded music. Making a lot of money performing that same music would be—pardon the tired cliché—icing on the cake.
But unless you’re signed to a label with star-making machinery churning in the background for you, that ideal world is just that. Today, artists have to do a lot more than sell recorded music to support themselves.
By now we know all about the ground-shifting little MP3 file. Digital downloading, legal or otherwise, has cut deeply into the sale of physical media like CDs. Even if users choose to pay for digital music, they have the option of buying only one or two songs from an album. An entire album: $12. Two songs: $2. Somebody’s earning less money, wouldn’t you say?
[click to continue…]
