The fact there is disagreement about this in the scientific community leads me to believe that proper scientific methodology for determining facts was not followed. Just as the same people screamed in the ’90s about the effects of acid rain on our health, car paint, the water supply, so also this thing will pass and no will consider it just a few years from now. Have these scientists considered the fact that all the planets in our solar system over the past several years have had average temperature increases along with our planet? Could it be possible that as a fact the sun’s energy output has increased, causing a slight average warming trend in our atmosphere? Could it be this is just a front to push a deeper agenda, namely higher taxes, more government, less freedom, the redistribution of wealth?
Category: Politics Page 16 of 19
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh … iran24.xml
One of the statements in this article particularly hit me as to why we have to take punitive actions against these rogue nations who are working toward or who possess nuclear weapons; these people don’t understand “NO” with talks unfortunately: “The Iranians are reported to have been encouraged by the fact that no punitive action was taken against North Korea, despite the international outcry that greeted the underground firing. This has persuaded the Iranian regime to press ahead with its own nuclear programme with the aim of testing a low-grade device, which would be difficult for international inspectors to detect.”
If this is passed, it could mean the eventual downfall of publicly streamed, “open-source”-type music (streaming sites would be required to employ DRM on their streams to prevent radio audio recordings). Go here and send your Senators a letter telling them to oppose this … https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=221
This is a great answer from John Hendryx to a question posed to him in an interview @ http://www.internetmonk.com/articles/J/ … dryx1.html
10. What is your opinion of the evangelical interest in politics and the identification of many Christians with the Republican party?
While I believe we should be engaged in our civic duty to vote and be engaged, it appears to me that many evangelicals have gone beyond the call of duty and have bought into dominion theology. Some of us seem to hold the false belief that if we just changed the laws and made the US political system based on the Bible then all would be well while not considering the changing of hearts. My response to this is that the problem is not just OUT THERE, it is with us. If we lived like we believed the gospel ourselves, then God would use us to change the culture. While I can agree that civil law can be used to restrain evil, we often bludgeon our secular opponents with it as if they could somehow be saved through obedience to it. I believe the first table of the law cannot be legislated. Persons must be persuaded into the Kingdom by human instruments casting seed with the Spirit germinating it, so to speak, but not by the sword or by coercive legal measures. Contrary to my evangelical and Theonomist brethren, I do not believe that the civil magistrate has the authority to judge heresy. A little known historical fact is that the Presbyterian Church wisely invoked semper reformanda and removed chapter 23(?) on the Civil Magistrate from the Westminster Confession in the early 1700s. A move for which I am thankful. Instead, we are to take up our cross and persuade as Jesus did, through meekness, suffering, joy, helping the poor and loving others above ourselves.
I have no problem with Christians personally identifying themselves with a party, but I will emphasize that politics is not the solution to our problems by any stretch of the imagination. There is entirely too much emphasis placed on it, as if God’s plan could somehow be thwarted. We should vote and do what we can to eradicate injustice, poverty and to actively find ways to be involved in mercy ministries. This might mean entering politics on a local level or just merely spending time with hurting people. But if the Republicans don’t get elected next term it isn’t the end of the world. Maybe a little discomfort will begin to burn off the dross in our churches. We must remember that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass. If God wills that we should live in Babylon, we must serve the it with excellence, influencing it by being good stewards of the calling God has given each one of us. Though some may be tempted when things get real bad, we should never take up arms to further our political agenda.
I have lived in a communist country for 10 years and, I can tell you with certainty, that the gospel is not chained because of a political system. On the contrary, communism has been a key factor in raising interest in Christianity in that country on a massive scale for the first time in their 5000-year history. It seems that Christians have become so addicted to comfort here that there is very little awareness of how people are living in the rest of the world. But we Americans are of very little account in the big scheme of things.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007 … htm?csp=34
“‘I don’t have the slightest doubt that it [socialism] is the only path to the redemption of our peoples, the salvation of our fatherland,’ Chavez told lawmakers to applause. He said he believes that socialism — not capitalism — is the only way to guarantee well-being not only for Venezuela, but the world.”
Yeah, because it worked out so well historically for, I don’t know, the former USSR, Cuba, China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Eastern Europe (which includes the Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Georgia, and many others)? Yeah, socialism is the hope of the world, I agree, and has been proven in economic experiments over and over again since Karl Marx thought it up. Not that Capitalism is the hope of the world either, but one system at least promotes efficient economic development while the other one inefficiently does the same, and ultimately hurts an economy in the long-run and promotes instability of the kind that Russia and all of the Eastern European nations are still trying to recover from.
http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/2006trends.pdf
May take a minute to pull up; it’s a PDF of a declassified document published recently called 2006 Technology Collection Trends published by the Defense Security Service. It speaks about the upswing in certain information collection trends (such as direct contact by foreign contractors and government entities to US government contracted firms, such as Lockheed) to obtain information about US defense weapons systems, aeronautic systems, and information systems. The only reason I thought it was notable was because the major increase in technology information obtainment came from Asian government entities. And the upswing from 2005 to 2006 was apparently fairly large, indicating a probable increase in arms development and research in the region. In one particular instance they cited (where all info concerning the situation remains anonymous), two foreign contractors contacted a US gov contractor to look at repair plans on a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) under production at a classified facility. The US contractor declined, but the two foreign contractors showed up anyway within a week requesting access to the classified facility where the UAV resides. He repeatedly denied them access and just kept them updated at their hotel as to the status of what was going on. So it appears that instead of covertly attempting to obtain information through illegal means (though that is still used of course), foreign entities are increasingly just asking the contractors directly for access to a facility or for specific information that the contractor may not be aware is classified. And it’s working apparently in many instances. I just thought it was fairly interesting thing to flip through since some of this stuff never gets reported, though this did apparently … http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070 … -9819r.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,229311,00.html
Are we this naive, that we would take the bait? Recently in the news we find out that a Chinese submarine was following a fleet of U.S. ships, going undetected for a time. In addition, Iran released a video clip of one of their drones viewing a U.S. aircraft carrier over in the Middle East. Could it be these countries are testing the waters to see where they stand in relation to us technologically? If they ever attacked us, would we have the guts and even the might to contain them? I’m just not so sure anymore. China has a massive military. If these and other countries have the same technology we do, who are we to think we couldn’t be taken over? Do we have the fighting spirit it would take to stop an attack here by these countries?
Well, this could make you fearful, but praise God that as believers in Christ, our status here or in the next world is not dependent upon any nation standing or falling but is dependent on Christ alone and His work on our behalf. Nations rise and nations fall, but the Lord Christ remains the same now and forever. This is our hope and in Him we should not fear. People will ultimately fail us, governments and nations will as well. But Christ will never fail us. In Him, we are “more than conquerors”! And His graces, purchased through His perfect obedience in His submission to the cross, sealed in His resurrection, is what makes us right before God. Even if America were attacked (and eventually I do not believe we will stand), we have perfect acceptance with God for all eternity because of Christ’s work for us. What could be better than that? God is for us in Christ! So if we live in peace, or go through tumultuous times and die, we have all we will ever need in Christ. This is our one perfect hope, that we get God Himself for all eternity. O Father, send your Spirit to change my heart that I may see Jesus Christ clearer. Your love to me is not defined by whether nations rise or fall, but on Christ’s work alone. Give me and others reading this a love for Jesus, Father, the only thing that matters, that surpasses all our circumstances.
Update (11:48 a.m.): Other Important Articles Related to This:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,229360,00.html
http://www.westerfunk.net/archives/poli … ompletion/
I have to say … we Republicans have brought this on ourselves. And here’s why … those touting the name Republican aren’t really conservative. A house divided against itself will not stand – and so it has indeed fallen in this campaign. Many within our party, for quite a while now, have not been truly conservative, but have used the label Republican simply as a way to get votes and maintain political control and power, all the while possessing blue-blood in many instances (as Rush put it). A majority of Republicans have become so political that they have lost what true conservativism was all about to begin with, taking “conservative” stances on abortion, the economy, of which I agree with them on, and yet really not accomplishing much in these areas. Bush has been full steam ahead concerning the war on terror, making bullheaded decisions that have not worked out. And yet while being so gung-ho about the war on terror (which I am also gung-ho for), he’s left the back door wide opened and now we have a massive illegal immigration problem. And on top of that he is more liberal on immigration reform than many liberals, promoting amnesty even! It makes no sense. Are you conservative or not? Are you actually concerned about the war on terror or just your legacy with this war? And yet this type of thought is what has characterized our party as a whole, now bringing about its demise, at least for now. And with this type of duplicity, it is no wonder we have now lost both the house and senate. Republicans really need to return to true conservativism and abandon what our party has become: fake, political, and dishonorable. Many Republican politicians have used “conservative values” as a smokescreen and I think people are tired of it.
Republicans must now regroup and go back to the drawing board. And ultimately, conservatives, particularly us Gospel-believing, Christ-loving conservatives need to apply the Gospel to politics once again and actually live the Gospel out. I think this win for the Democrats will be a good thing for the humbling of the religious-right and our Pharisaism. We need it, all of us. When we see people that we think are more sinful than us, take heed lest we fall too. We are not better than anyone else, we are all in a state of depravity that we in and of ourselves can do nothing about and we are all desperately in need of God’s grace in the granting of repentance and faith to turn from our own wickedness and instead turn to Christ, the author and founder of our faith. He and He alone, through the preaching of the Word and living out of the Gospel, is the only one who can bring about change in the hearts of people. Just attempting to make people moral by changing policies will not change people’s hearts. Only Christ can do this. The disciples asked Christ after the rich man ran away from Christ, “Who then can be saved?” And Christ’s response was, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” The Holy Spirit alone is the only agent that can produce change in any of us. We must preach the Gospel in both word and deed. This is what the Republican party needs more than anything else: the Gospel.
… Apparently this is how some of our soldiers responded to Kerry’s address from the other day.
http://www.westerfunk.net/archives/Poli … abortions/
Incredible. And we’re supposed to be the smart, sophisticated one’s; and a nation ravaged by all kinds of issues over the past several decades can figure this one out before we do … hmm.