Pushing the Analogy

John McCain has doubled down. And he shouldn't have.

He really shouldn't have fired back. Because if we are hobbits, I think that means he thinks he is an Istari (wizard). I agree with him in that. In terms of American contemporary politics he is in fact a wizard.

He is Saruman.

You're welcome, by the way.

Goverment Insanity (XVII)

Depending upon where you live, you may be able to buy a golf cart for free. That is, the tax credits you get for buying an electric vehicle could be equal to or greater than the cost of the cart.

This is what you get when you ram through giant money bills through Congress without any sort of review. It's great news for golf cart manufacturers, not so great news for those of us who are paying for it all.

Pure Gold

Robb Allen found a 'smoking gun' memo that, as he points out, was not only typed, but faxed which doubles its truthiness right there.

I read it, had a good chuckle and forgot it. Then I came back to it and read the comments. Pure bloggy gold, is what they are. Just about every whack job cliche is to be found in them thar comments.

Rage Against the Machine

At this point the only reason I would ever vote Democrat is if the Republicans do something catastrophically stupid. Which is well within the bounds of likelihood.

I have two hot button issues: The Bill of Rights together with the 13th and 14th Amendments and space exploration. The jackasses have pressed both buttons. They have been jabbing at the first since January and now they've gone for the second.

I'll give them this much, this is the worst federal government we've had since Carter. Sky-rocketing debt, a desire to expand the ever so well managed Medicare and Medicaid programs to cover all Americans (and just how exactly will that control costs?), endless bailouts for the politically well connected, active suppression of free speech, an amoral commitment to the retention of power, a desire to destroy our national economy in the name of pseudo science and a total lack of an optimistic vision for the future.

We have a hollow man for President, a gang of thieves and thugs in Congress, and a love of failed ideologies on the part of our intellectual classes.

And don't try any 'moral equivalency' on this. The Republicans were stupid. The current crop of Democrats are flat out evil.

We're going to be paying for this fat headed exercise in 'Hope and Change' for a very long time. And unfortunately the burden of this folly will fall mostly on those who are silly enough to try to be adults. The overaged children, spawns of the 60's 'me generation' will likely skate as usual.

To put my money where my mouth is, I'll bet anyone who wishes that, if the Democrats retain control of Congress through the next election, that the inflation rate plus the unemployment rate (expressed as percentages) will be as high or higher than they are today in 2012. The stakes are, fittingly enough, two pounds of Nueske's applewood bacon.

My good friend who blogs over at S S Pequod has accepted the challenge. Inflation (2%) plus unemployment (9.4%) = 11.4 as of today.

I like bacon....

This Pretty Much Nails It

I am 48 years old. I can not recall a more disastrous start to a Presidency. Even Carter didn't start off this bad, and that is saying something.

Our Fearless Leader may as well just start wearing size 51 shoes and a red nose.

Going Topless on Youtube

This guy has pointed a webcam at a railroad trestle in Durham NC. An astonishing number of trucks simply ignore the warning sign and warning lights and try to shove on through.

Some people simply will not obey the laws. Of physics.

Check out the guy's Youtube channel.

{H/T Popehat}

The first letter must stand for Fail

FEMA may have sent emergency kits with recalled peanut butter to Kentucky and Arkansas. No one tell Clifford. He has enough FEMA hate already.

Learning History from the Movies

Today is Dec. 7, the day that this government killed over 80,000 Japanese civilians at Hiroshima in 1941, two days before killing an additional 64,000 Japanese civilians at Nagasaki by dropping nuclear bombs on innocent people.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright

{H/T to the Reformed Pastor}

Of course, we all really know what happened back on December 7, 1941:



Of course the important thing is to do as the following video suggests:

Deep Thoughts

Timothy Sandefuhr reflects on thuggery and intellectuals.

{H/T Samizdata}

For Bishop Robert O'Neill, Wherever He May Be

A New Saints Day

We here at Billy Ockham have learned of the existence of a new saint. His martyrdom will be commemorated on July 17th beginning on its one year anniversary in 2009, right before the General Convention of 2009 (I certainly hope I got my tenses right).

We look forward to the development of a new collect and in fact a whole liturgy to memorialize the witness of a simple country bishop. July 17th will forever be known in Episcopal church history as the "Feast of the Snubbing of Saint V. Gene Robinson".

We here at Ockham Manor plan to celebrate his martyrdom by grilling out if the weather is nice, otherwise we'll just crack open a beer and maybe watch Top Gear or some sports.

Why? Just, why?

The cheeseburger in a can meme has been making the rounds in the blogosphere. In the noblest tradition of the internet, one brave soul decided to try it and then post about it.

Just scroll down at the linky.

Still Glad I Am Not Canadian

More on hate speech and Human Rights Commissions from Dr. Mabuse.

Why I am Glad I Am Not Dutch

Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament is set to show an 'anti-Muslim' film. The money quote is "It is difficult to anticipate the content of the film, but freedom of expression doesn't mean the right to offend," said Maxime Verhagen, the Foreign Minister.

I do not like our government especially much. But part of freedom of speech is, and should be, the expectation that you will be offended. The right not to be offended is the right to muzzle those who disagree with you. Ingsoc is alive and well in the Netherlands.

H/T Jammie Wearing Fool

Father Jake Swings, Misses

Terry Martin has written a post about how hard the Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali is making evangelism by being so narrow and homophobic. The concluding sentence is "And we wonder why some of our younger generations consider Christians to be homophobic, judgmental and hypocritical."

Okay.

Let's look at what the Bishop of Rochester has said according to Terry Martin:

1. Couples who are deliberately childless are being self-indulgent.
2. Just war theory may allow a pre-emptive attack.
3. If the TEC bishops who consecrated Gene Robinson get Lambeth invites, he might not attend.
4. Muslims have created no-go areas in certain large British cities.

Let's discuss them one by one. Number one, the selfishness of not having children is in agreement with the theology of the Catholic church. Protestant theologians can and do disagree with that position, but it is a legitimate position. It all boils down to what you believe marriage is for. Unfortunately for Terry Martin, the historical Anglican position on marriage is found in the 1928 BCP enumeration for the reasons to get married, one of which is children.

But more to the point, such a view is not homophobic, and I'm not sure that calling it hypocritical is fair. So that leaves judgmental. Well it could be, but what was the context of the remark? Terry+ links to this BBC article. Here's the money quote: "Writing in a diocesan newspaper, Rochester Link, the bishop advised priests to look kindly on those whose marriages broke down because of the refusal of one partner to have a child. He said that such people should be treated with the same sympathy as victims of 'infidelity, desertion or cruelty'." So he was calling for compassion when couples divorce over the issue. I'm sorry, but how is that judgmental?

The second idea is about attacking Iraq. A lot of people were against the idea. I'm quite convinced that going in was a mistake. The money quote for the article Terry links to is "If the Government's promised intelligence dossier on Saddam's weapons stockpile proved convincing, then military action would be legitimate self-defence." Note the use of "If...then". What the Bishop states is a version of the 'Just War Theory'. Just War Theory attempts to answer the question "When may Christians go to war?". I'm not a fan of Just War Theory, but there you are. Again, I'm not seeing homophobia, hypocrisy or judgmentalism here.

What about the third point? Here's the quote: "The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, said he would find it difficult to attend a Church council alongside those who consecrated or approved the appointment of Anglicanism's first openly gay bishop." Well, the consecration of Bishop Robinson was characterized by the Archbishop of Canterbury as straining the fabric of the Anglican Communion. It was in deliberate violation of commitments made by the Episcopal Church. It went against millennia of Church teaching and practice. Further, an absolute majority of the Anglican Communion is no longer in communion with the Episcopal Church as a result of that act.

And I think this is what has gotten Terry's goat. It isn't the couples without children or Just War Theory. It's that Terry Martin thinks that the Episcopal Church is right and the rest of the world, except maybe Canada, is wrong.

But let's get to cases. I think Terry Martin would say that here we see homophobia and judgmentalism and probably hypocrisy. Perhaps someone can explain how it's hypocritical, because I'm not seeing it. Apparently following Church tradition is homophobic, and judgmental. Can someone explain that one to me as well?

Now to point four, Terry Martin objects to the Bishop of Rochester's statement about 'no go areas'. Unfortunately for Father Martin, the Bishop appears to be right.

What is really going on here? Terry Martin doesn't like Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. And instead of saying so and then explaining why, he resorts to the epithets of the Left, terming him homophobic, judgmental and a hypocrite. He would have called the Right Reverend a racist, but for the happy chance that the good bishop is a person of colour. I am startled that Terry Martin left off a reference to the patriarchy. The sad thing is not that it is invective, but that it is invective poorly done.

What is the Bishop of Rochester's sin? He dares to disagree with a priest on another continent. He dares to express concern about issues that Terry Martin doesn't think are important. He has forgotten that he is a second class Christian from a third world country. He needs reminding that the liberal white elite know best, and he should keep his mouth shut, unless it is to express agreement with his betters. I've seen this sort of reaction before. It's what also happens to Thomas Sowell and Clarence Thomas, among others.

Instead of explaining why the good Bishop is in error, Father Terry simply resorts to a few epithets. He mis-uses some news articles to provide support for a predetermined and poorly thought out conclusion.

This is why the country and the Episcopal Church are divided. Pompous pusillanimous prating priests such as Terry Martin attack their opponents without ever using the Divinely given gift of Reason. He doesn't just attack, he smears, he labels and he doesn't think. Not ever. His conduct in that one post is reprehensible. Unfortunately, his entire website is replete of examples of how narrow minded, bigoted and self-righteous he really is. If just once he would justify his use of the hackneyed labels of the whitebread Left, I could respect him, maybe.

Conclusion: Father Jake is a jerk.

How to Sell Newspapers

......Not. The AJC, to no one's surprise has managed yet again to indulge in scare-mongering and illiteracy. I write illiteracy because they misunderstand or mis-state some of the provisions of the bill in question. Either they're illiterate or lying, and because I try to be charitable, I'm assuming ignorance in lieu of evil.

This is a fairly normal editorial for this crew, so of course the high level of thought and writing skill continues to pay off for them in the form of record circulation growth.

{H/T to Rob}

Mailing List Watch

The major topic of discussion on the House of Bishops and Deputies mailing list is currently....... oil spills. Every time I read the spam that accumulates in my designated mail box from that list, I'm struck by how intemperate the leaders of the Episcopal Church are.

I know that any and all of my friends and acquaintances can discuss local issues such as oil spills without dire hints about Bush Administration malfeasance or incompetence. On a side note, I also know that we would never indulge ourselves in environmental cliches such as fragile and pristine. Every time I hear or read those words I want to throw Silent Spring at the utterer. And the hard back edition too, not the weeny paperback.

Our Leaders are actively looking for objects of their hatred. Much as I despise Spiro Agnew (and I do), the phrase "nattering nabobs of negativism" rings true when applied to these folks. The only way I can keep reading the bilge they spew is to invent nick names for the more egregious of the lot.

Which I will concede is not very Christ like of me.

I earlier asked the question How do you bring a sociopath to Christ? That question continues to haunt me.

Of Course, That's When I'm Most Dangerous

Police in Kansas tasered a naked, deaf man in his bathtub.

Because They Have Nothing Better To Do Dept.

Nurses in the UK are being told to turn their Muslim patients' beds towards Mecca five times a day.