harmonicminer

We now have an occupant in the White House who, by rational measure was woefully lacking in the experience necessary to hold the office of the Presidency.  Barak Obama was elected, not on his record, but on a promise, the promise of hope and change.  For many this meant people had hope that Obama would be a change from George Bush.  By the end of 2008, Bush had become so vilified that just about any Democrat could have been elected.  We as a nation are now beginning to understand the hope and change many of us desired was not the same hope and change Obama had in mind.

How did we get here?  How did the desire for hope and change so completely trump experience, expertise and knowledge? Continue reading “How We Got Here – Some Thoughts on Clinton, Bush and Obama”

Here is an article in Huffington Post by what I can only describe as an apologist for Islam who claims that a young lady named Rifqa is in no danger from her father for committing the crime of apostasy. He makes this argument on the ground that “honor killing” is not mentioned in the Koran, and that her father is obviously not a fundamentalist anyway, based on the freedoms he has already allowed his daughter to exercise.

Mohamed Bary allowed his daughter to become a cheerleader and says she can practice any faith she wants — clearly, he is not a fundamentalist.

He is a concerned father who believes his daughter was brainwashed and kidnapped. Let’s see how this story unfolds.

Here is an article that replies to the the one just mentioned, and also refers to a couple of others that do the same. The central point is that the author of the article listed above is deliberately muddying the water.

Is the death penalty for apostasy in the Qur’an? Yes it is, sweet little Rifqa

And of course al-Marayati focuses narrowly on Rifqa’s statement about the Qur’an. He never mentions, although he surely must know, that Muhammad said “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him,” and that this statement in the Hadith (in which it appears several times) became the foundation for the unanimous verdict of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence: the apostate must be killed.

That he does not mention this key point is just one indication that as a witness to Islamic teaching on this (and other) matters, Salam al-Marayati is not to be trusted.

I encourage you to read both posts linked above.  In my judgment, it’s an example of half-truths and distortions on the part of an Islamic apologist, exposed by someone who really knows the texts and their historic interpretation.

In the meantime: even if it isn’t “honor killing” but is instead merely the Koranic penalty for apostasy, Rivqa would be just as dead, whether she was killed by a male relative, or her father himself.  Here is what I would find really convincing: maybe if the writer of the first article above signed a contract saying that if Rivka is murdered by a family member (or anyone else), then he will sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor, and volunteer to go on TV and talk radio to expose Islam’s death penalty for apostasy.

If he really believes Rivqa is safe at “home,” there should be no risk, correct?

The previous post in this series is here.

IN a book review of Heaven’s Touch by James B. Kaler - the reviewer reports this point made in the book:

The real surprise of the past few decades must be the vulnerability of the Earth to truly cosmic events – not only supernovae, whose “killing zones” may extend within 30 light years of us, but also gamma ray bursters whose emissions, beamed like death rays, could scour life from planets 6000 light years away. I have a soft spot for magnetars, ultra-dense neutron stars with the strongest magnetic fields in the universe, and Kaler covers these in detail. In 1998, the eruption of one such star 20,000 light years away generated X-rays so powerful that anyone in Earth orbit would have had the equivalent of a dental X-ray. Six years later, the Earth was irradiated by a magnetar outburst 100 times more powerful.

The reviewer is referring to the fact that cosmologists and astrophysicists have begun wondering, of late, just why we’re still here.  They are beginning to understand that the universe is indeed a very dangerous place, and it seems less and less likely that life can begin on a planet and continue to grow and develop for nearly 4 billion years without simply being destroyed by stellar events in nearby star systems…  “nearby” meaning 6,000 light years or so.  Call it 36,000,000,000,000,000 miles or so.  Within that range certain kinds of supernovae, gamma ray bursts, and more exotic things have the capacity to threaten whatever life may exist.

Even a standard, every day supernova may be dangerous within a hundred light years or so, depending on the size of the supernova.  There may be three to five supernovae per century in Milky Way size galaxies.  Estimates vary, but that’s a typical current guess.  Modern astronomy hasn’t existed long enough to develop a baseline through direct observation of any single galaxy, but by observing 100 comparable galaxies for 10 years, astronomers can develop estimates that might be equivalent to watching one galaxy for 1000 years.  So if in that period, observers see 30 supernovae, they can guess that 3 per century might be a reasonable estimate.  But it’s early times yet.  We’ll know a lot more in the coming decades.

A few minutes with a calculator will suggest that there have been maybe 100 million supernovae in the Milky Way galaxy since there was life on Earth.  The galaxy is “only” about 100,000 light years in diameter.   Supernovae will certainly be more common where stars are more densely packed.  Even so, is it so unlikely that one of those supernovae could easily have exploded near enough to Earth to kill its lifeforms?  Maybe more than once?

4 billion years is a LONG time.  Remember when Carl Sagan soothed us with the naturalist fable about “billions and billions of years” and “primordial soup” as an explanation for life’s origin?  Of course, now we know that was just a comforting materialistic bedtime story so children would go to sleep knowing that they really were just statistical accidents in space-time, and dream nice dreams about quarks and DNA.  Now we know there was no “primordial soup.”   We know that life appeared on Earth almost immediately from the moment earth’s temperature dropped below something like the interior of a jet engine.

And now the shoe is on the other foot.  Instead of the huge length of time being an argument for the accidental, spontaneous origin of life in some kind of improbable tango dance of amino acids, that enormous timespan is getting very difficult to explain as even being possible for life to have continued without destruction by nearby stellar events.  Supernovae are rare.  But, as Carl Sagan would say, when you have billions and billions of years, anything can happen… and usually does.  So why hasn’t it happened to Earth?

Here’s a current candidate for the job of terrestrial hitman.  This sort of thing is probably very rare.  But in 4 billion years, how rare does something have to be to happen now and then?

Just as important as the question of how life arose in a geological eyeblink after the end of the Late Heavy Bombardment is this:  why hasn’t life on Earth been wiped out, over and over, in the 3.9 billion years since it began?

Maybe Someone is looking out for us?

Remember to say “thank You” during your bedtime prayers tonight.  I know I will.

The next post in this series is here.

Of guns and racism, who’s the racist now?

You may have heard of the recent contretemps surrounding people carrying weapons openly to townhall meetings, etc., not with the intent to use or threaten, but purely as a statement in favor of the Second Amendment. At the link above, some video about highly slanted news coverage (you won’t believe this if you don’t already know about it), and some interesting history about the racist nature of firearms restrictions in US history. Hint: guess which was the group that first had restrictions on its right to own firearms?

I guess there are some things you just can’t say or show in America anymore.  Maybe the Age of Aquarius has come or something.

Now imagine if this was a white cop telling a black protester that he could not show a caricature of George Bush at a townhall, which is supposed to be the very quintessence of free speech.  Imagine the white cop telling the black protester that “he [the cop] can arrest him [the protester] for anything he wants to.”

I think Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would probably set new speed records getting there and getting on camera.

The ACLU would sue the supervising agency and municipality of the cop.

Barack Obama would call the cop “stupid,” and this time he’d be right.  And he wouldn’t invite the cop for beer.

I think a certain Officer Cheeks needs more training.  A lot more training.  How did the noble constable make it past psychological screening for academy entrance?  Come to think of it…  he doesn’t really look like he could survive academy this year.  But he’ll fit right in as sergeant at arms at your local re-education camp.  He will be the one not carrying a copy of the Constitution in his back pocket.

Look for him and his friends, coming soon to a town near you.

Obama supports a wannabe dicator for Honduras instead of the protections of constitutional law sought by its people. After a very nice summary of the situation to date, JUDE says this:

And here stands our American President, atop what was once the beacon of liberty throughout the world, telling the people of Honduras that they have to suck it up and endure the man who wants to rule them forever, throwing away their own silly little constitution.
Because he just knows better than them? Because he’s a fan of the Leftist tyrants club? Because…?
Because he is wrong.

If Obama is willing to treat the Honduran constitution with such disrespect and to set himself and his own judgement above that of the duly elected officials and the Supreme Court of Honduras, who are, after all, following their own constitution and laws (with considerable restraint, I might add), what makes anyone think that he has any higher a view of the US Constitution?

To no one’s surprise, he doesn’t.

This was shot from the driveway of my kids’ martial arts instructor (a direct student of Bruce Lee’s!), just down the street from my house.

There is no Artist like God.

Where does white skin come from?

THE idea that early humans became fair-skinned as they migrated north out of Africa so they could make enough vitamin D to stay healthy has been questioned again, reopening a debate that many think is settled.

Continue reading “Why are there white people?”

Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota has explained the “cash for clunkers” program this way.

we borrow money from the Chinese to pay money to ourselves under the banner of cash for clunkers, so we can feel better about buying cars from ourselves and companies we own, General Motors, so someday, we might be able to pay ourselves back.

Is this robbing Peter to pay Peter? The problem is the Paul had his hand in the cashbox after the robbery… so there isn’t enough left to pay Peter back for what we just stole from him.

Our problems are only getting started.

In a report that pulls no punches, published in the Christian Science Monitor, a former spy for the CIA tells us that the West cannot ignore Iran any longer, and just hope for the best.

Today the West must make one of the most important decisions of our era. Will we defend what remains of democracy and freedom in Iran, or will we succumb to Tehran’s murderous government?

It’s a question that goes to the heart of our own security. Iran is a thugocracy of Islamic mullahs, and it will soon have nuclear arms. Any misconception about the intentions of fanatics with nuclear bombs will have grave consequences.

I know because I spent years alongside them as a CIA spy working under cover in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards starting in the 1980s.

The Guards Corps was set up as a check on the regular Army and to serve and secure the Islamic revolution. Thirty years of Western appeasement hasn’t stopped them from terrorizing the West – or Iranians. Today, with Tehran’s leaders caught in a power struggle over the June 12 election and the legitimacy of the regime, the Guards, led by zealots, are calling the shots.

The Guards – and the hardliner clerics they protect – are vulnerable, however. This summer’s grass-roots uprising has put them on the defensive. A strong Western hand now could tip the balance.

We don’t have a moment to lose. If we can’t upend the Guards now, how can we do so once they have nuclear bombs?

The story he tells is not flattering to Europe or the US in past dealings with the mullahs.  It lays bare the selfish acquiesence the West has sometimes practiced regarding Iran, and says the bill is coming due now.  It’s a very powerful piece, and I hope you read it all.

MYTHS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT THE UNINSURED

President Obama misstates one of the key facts in the health care debate by repeatedly claiming “46 million of our fellow citizens are uninsured.” Actually, his own Census Bureau reports only 36 million citizens are uninsured – with 10 million foreign nationals in that category, most of them illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, 14 million uninsured citizens are already eligible for Medicaid but they don’t spend even the minimal amount to join that program. Why not? They prefer to wait until they’re seriously ill and really need the program, since federal law says they must be accepted regardless of condition at no extra cost. Like the more than 25% of uninsured households that earn more than $75,000 a year, these Medicaid dropouts are uninsured by choice. It’s simply not true that the majority of those without insurance are unable to get it.

The man responsible for your death is gone.

I pray his passing will help to ease the pain your family and friends have suffered for so long.

His legacy will forever be connected with the name “Chappaquiddick”… as it should be.

In the coming days I hope the words of tribute to him will be tempered by the memory of your terrible and untimely death.

I have a friend who is a chaplain for the local sheriff’s department.    We’ll call him Fred (not his real name).  He is a former Navy man, and he also served many years as police officer, I think mostly as a Deputy Sheriff, though I’m not entirely certain.  He’s a middle aged guy now, retired after some hard years of service, but on call when there is a need.  As you may expect, these things come in waves.  He may go a few weeks without a particular issue that requires his services..  and then an officer may be severely injured or killed on the job, or some young man commits suicide and the department calls my friend to be with the family, or a toddler falls in a pool and is in a permanent coma, or simply dies, or…..  you get the idea.

There are several aspects of this that come to mind.

It’s fairly common for a certain segment of Christendom to portray Jesus as being sort of an extra-spiritual community organizer who took care of the poor while sharing profound narratives with subtle meanings about the responsibilities of the rich and privileged.  People who are so inclined tend to downplay the aspects of His teaching that involved life after death, salvation of the soul, eternal destination, and so on.  But whether or not Jesus was an ancient socialist just doesn’t enter into the picture when you’re trying to minister to people in extremis.  They are struggling with the single most important issue of life, namely the certain death we all face.

What do you say to someone who is suddenly, shockingly bereaved, or so injured that life will never be the same?  Pastors deal with people dying all the time…  but, thankfully, there is usually some warning, some opportunity, however inadequate, to prepare for the inevitable.  But Fred has to walk into a context where the entire family is stunned, in shock, perhaps blaming God for the entire situation, and somehow he has to bring the peace and love of God with him.  I’m sure that sometimes all he can do is just be there with them, and share in their suffering.  Jesus wept.

And I expect that, sometimes, when people in great pain are asking where God is right now, it may only be later that they realize that He sent an emissary to them, in the form of a chaplain who didn’t have to be there, but felt sent by God.

Consider the task.  Some people in these situations will be believers, and the job is to comfort them, and reinforce their faith that God is God.  Others will be complete agnostics, perhaps only now confronting the bedrock issues of life and death, and this can be an opportunity to show, without preaching directly at them, that there is another reality worthy of their attention.  There may be people who are “nominally” Christian, but haven’t taken it at all seriously…. and oddly, these may be inclined to blame themselves, thinking if they’d been “better Christians” maybe it all wouldn’t have happened.  And on the other side of it, these “nominally Christian” folks may be the ones most likely to blame God for it all.

So what kind of person can DO this work?  To start with, you must be steady as a rock.  You have to be able to confront great pain, and not melt away, which means this work can mostly only be done by those who have suffered plenty already.  You have to be enormously grounded yourself.  And you have to know that no one is really prepared for this work, and so your only recourse is to trust God to speak and show His love through you.

It takes a lot of courage.  I have the feeling that, tough guy that I know him to be, Fred sometimes goes home and simply mourns for the loss and pain that people must endure.

And God prepares him for the next call.

UPDATE:  I happen to be in the hospital at this update, for what will probably not be a major matter, though it has caused some discomfort.   My friend “Fred” just came to visit with another friend from church.  After he left, another friend from church called, and asked how Fred was doing.  I asked what she meant, and she told me that Fred had just spent 30 minutes doing CPR on an accident victim he’d come across on the highway, in a remote area where services were slow to arrive.  The man had probably been dead before Fred started…  but Fred just did what needed to be done until emergency services arrived.  Typically, he didn’t mention it to me when he visited me.