This Blog -
Moved To:
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Just thinking…



Can't eat beef .... mad cow disease

Can't eat chicken .... bird flu

Can't eat eggs .... Salmonella

Can't eat pork ..... fears that bird flu will infect piggies

Can't eat fish ...... heavy metals in the waters has poisoned their meat

Can't eat fruits and veggies ...... insecticides and herbicides

Hmmmmmmmmm??????

(Tks: Marie in South Africa)








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There is simply no historic foundation for the position that
the Framers intended to build the 'wall of separation' that was
constitutionalized in Everson. The 'wall of separation be-
tween church and state' is a metaphor based on bad history,
a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging.
It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.
- - - Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, William Rehnquist






===============




Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify
ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit,
perfecting holiness out reverence for God. --2 Corinthians 7:1
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Who's Smarter?


The Hollywood group is at it again. Holding anti-war rallies, screaming
about the Bush Administration, running ads in major newspapers, defaming the
President and his Cabinet every chance they get, to anyone and everyone who
will listen. They publicly defile them and call them names like "stupid" ,
"morons", and "idiots". Jessica Lange went so far as to tell a crowd in
Spain that she hates President Bush and is embarrassed to be an American.

So, just how ignorant are these people who are running the country? Let's
look at the biographies of these "stupid", "ignorant" , "moronic" leaders,
and then at the celebrities who are castigating them:

President George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University
and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Vice President Dick Cheney earned a B.A. in 1965 and a M.A. in 1966, both
in political science.

Secretary of State Colin Powell was educated in the New York City public
schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he
earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at CCNY
and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in
June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business
Administration Degree from George Washington University. Secretary Powell is
the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations.
Secretary Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of
Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the
Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy
Distinguished Service Medal. Several schools and other institutions have
been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and
colleges across the country.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: attended Princeton University on
Scholarship (AB, 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval
aviator ; Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin (R-MI), 1957-59;
U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69; Assistant to the President, Director
of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Director of the Cost of Living
Council, 1969-74; U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1973-74; head of Presidential
Transition Team, 1974; Assistant to the President, Director of White House
Office of Operations, White House Chief of Staff, 1974-77; Secretary of
Defense, 1975-77

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge was raised in a working class
family in veterans' public housing in Erie. He earned a scholarship to
Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice earned her Bachelor's Degree in
Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of
Denver in 1974; her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and
her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the
University of Denver in 1981.


So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their
experience in affairs of State or in National Security? While I will defend
to the death their right to express their opinions, I think that if they are
going to call into question the intelligence of our leaders, we should also
have all the facts on their educations and background:

Barbra Streisand : Completed high school
Career: Singing and acting

Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade.
Career: Singing and acting

Martin Sheen Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton.
Career: Acting

Jessica Lange Dropped out college mid-freshman year.
Career: Acting

Alec Baldwin Dropped out of George Washington U. after scandal
Career: Acting

Julia Roberts Completed high school
Career: Acting

Sean Penn Completed High school
Career: Acting

Susan Sarandon Degree in Drama from Catholic University of America in
Washington, D.C.
Career: Acting

Ed Asner Completed High school
Career: Acting

George Clooney Dropped out of University of Kentucky
Career: Acting

Michael Moore Dropped out first year University of Michigan.
Career: Movie Director

Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School
Career: Acting

Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School
Career: Acting

Mike Farrell Completed High school
Career: Acting

Janeane Garofelo Dropped out of College.
Career: Stand up comedienne

Larry Hagman Attended Bard College for one year.
Career: Acting








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God bless our troops!!!

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/images/Troops_image001.jpg


===============







TRIVIA:


The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was
Rome, Italy in 133 B.C. London, England reached the mark in
1810 and New York City, USA made it in 1875. Today, there are
over 300 cities in the world that boast a population in excess
of 1 million.

***

The moons of Mars are called Phobos and Deimos after two
mythical horses that drew the chariot of Mars, the Roman
god of war.

***


Cockroaches have quite a capacity for survival. If the
head of one is removed carefully, so as to prevent it from
bleeding to death, the cockroach can survive for several
weeks. When it dies, it is from starvation.

???

First Lady

Martha Washington was referred to as "Lady Washington."
Mary Todd Lincoln was the first presidential wife to be
referred to as "The First Lady."

***
Benjamin Franklin invented the rocking chair.

***

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is commonly
believed to be the only English sentence devised to include
all the letters of the alphabet. However, typesetters and
designers have alternatively employed "Pack my box with five
dozen liquor jugs."

***

The largest snowflake on record measured 8 inches in width.

???

Fashion

Fashion in the U.S. during the late 1950s had interesting
restrictions. Women's trousers usually had side fastenings,
as front zippers for women were considered "naughty."

***

Paul Newman

Actor Paul Newman was disqualified from the Navy's pilot
training program during World War II because he was color
blind.

***

I'm Lovin It

McDonald's fast-food restaurants have been operating in the
Middle East and Africa since 1992. The success was
especially evident when 15,000 customers lined up on
opening day in 1994 in Kuwait City. The line at the drive-
thru window was seven miles long.
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-- Alfred Hitchcock -

Born August 13, 1899
Film director. His first hit, "The Lodger," was released in
1927, gaining Hitchcock a reputation as an up-and-coming
director. During the 1930s, Hitchcock was the leading
director in Britain and earned international acclaim for
his spy thrillers. His move to America in 1939 was the
turning point in his career. His first American film was an
adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier's classic gothic romance
"Rebecca." Some of his most acclaimed works include "Notor-
ious," "Rear Window," "Vertigo," "North by Northwest," "The
Birds," and "Psycho." Hitchcock gained a greater measure of
celebrity as the host of two popular television series:
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents," which ran from 1955 to 1965,
and "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," which ran from 1962 to
1965. Hitchcock died on April 29, 1980, after suffering from
arthritis and kidney failure for about a year. Since his
death, Alfred Hitchcock has been generally recognized as one
of the greatest directors in the history of film.






===============


"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --John Adams


===============





A musician is hot and tired after the gig, so he pulls
into the 7-11 to get a cold drink. While he's buying
his slurpee, he suddenly realizes that he spaced
out -- the accordion is in the back seat, in full view!

He rushes out of the store... but it's too late. Someone
has already broken the car window.......

and left another accordion.






===============





OFFICE HOURS
by Prof J. Budziszewski

Sarah's professors tell her there's no such thing as absolute
truth. Theophilus says even they don't really believe that.

http://www.boundless.org/2002_2003/regulars/office_hours/a0000692.html


{Double click this link or copy and paste this link into your Web Browser's address
line - address shown is not amalgamated with 'Thought & Humor' but should be}








===============






I was on an airplane flight from Chicago to Newark, and I was busy
working, until suddenly, the pilot put on the brakes. We weren't really near
Newark yet, so I tried to figure out what was going on. It looked as if the
plane was beginning to circle, and our wing was dipped down a little bit.
Pretty soon, I said, "You know what? I believe I've seen that house before.
I think I've seen that field before. I've seen those trees before." I got to see
them again, and again, and another time. We were in that time warp that
is dreaded by every frequent flier: the holding pattern. We weren't standing
still (which was a good thing), we were using up time, we were using up
fuel, we were in constant motion. We weren't going anywhere. We weren't
making any progress.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians 3,
beginning at verse 12. Paul says, "Not that I have already obtained all
this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself
yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind,
and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

If anyone could have been satisfied with where he was spiritually,
it would be the great apostle Paul. He was living one of the most
outstanding Christian lives in history. You can tell from his passage,
though, that he's refusing to stay in spiritual neutral. He's certainly not
going to go in reverse and live on his spiritual memories, by going through
a scrapbook, you know, saying, "Remember the wonderful times the Lord
and I had together?" No, Paul is in high gear. He says, "I am pressing on.
I haven't got it all yet. I want the rest of Jesus."

Paul never flew, but I don't think he would have liked a holding
pattern. Maybe that's what you're in right now spiritually. You started on
your journey in Jesus and you've made some progress, but somewhere
along the way you slowed down, you put on the brakes, and you're circling
ground that you've covered before. You're not standing still, you're just circling
in a holding pattern. You are using up fuel and time in a cycle of sameness.
You're going to the meetings, you're giving, you're serving, you're singing,
but it's meaningless motion - a holding pattern. Churches get in holding
patterns, too. They keep the calendar packed: time for the banquet, time
for this activity, time for the board, time for the committee, but are they
taking any new ground for the Lord?

Spiritually healthy people are restless people. They are
aggressively pursuing more of God's power in their lives than they've ever
tasted before. They want a more intimate relationship with Jesus than
they've experienced yet. They desire a greater effectiveness in praying than
they've ever had before. They seek to make more of a difference than they've
ever made. Is that you? Is that the group you're in? Does that describe your
church? Let it begin with you breaking out of your holding pattern and
getting moving again. It begins when you say, "Lord, I'm tired of this
plateau. Activity is not obedience. I know that. Business is not power.
I want all You have." Find some others who feel the same way, and pursue
the Lord together in a prayer meeting. Make it a discipline to find new ground
in God's Word every day - new ground that you can give to Him.

Circling the same ground in that airplane, I was restless to get on
toward the goal. It was a great feeling when we finally started moving again
in the right direction. Aren't you tired of being in a spiritual holding
pattern? Ron Hutchcraft




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A Pact With Death? Why the Christian Worldview Matters
Albert Mohler
Jenni Murray has made her pact with death. The popular and controversial presenter of "Woman's Hour," a popular program on the BBC, stated her views on a recent television program called "Don't Get Me Started," broadcast in Great Britain.

Murray, who is a member of the Order of the British Empire, announced on the program that she had entered into a "suicide pact" with two friends who agreed to kill each other if illness or incapacity should leave them unable to commit suicide.

"When my time comes I want to be able to decide about my destiny," Murray stated, offering her own "personal rant" about the issues of euthanasia, assisted suicide, and mercy killing. Murray's two friends, Sally Feldman and Jane Wilton, discussed how they came to this conclusion and then agreed to seal their pact with a formal document of agreement.

As the friends discussed their plans to end each other's lives, Feldman told Murray that she would be willing to help her die only if she were suffering extreme pain or had "lost her marbles." According to The Times [London], Murray, Feldman, and Wilton discussed possible methods of bringing about death such as "injections or smothering one another with a pillow."

In delivering her "personal rant" Murray complained that assisted suicide is illegal in Great Britain only because it is demanded by a "religious minority" who hold to outdated views concerning the value of human life. Furthermore, this "religious minority" also holds to the quaint belief that children have a moral obligation to care for elderly parents.

Murray began her argument by suggesting that she did not want to be a burden to her own two children as she reaches advanced years. Nevertheless, she shocked her television audience by suggesting that she does not want to be "trapped" into caring for her own mother who is currently ill with Parkinson's disease.

In response to controversy, a BBC spokesperson said: "Jenni is angry that, having fought so hard to become liberated and independent, woman are now being trapped into caring for dependent parents."

Without doubt, this dimension of Murray's argument--and the revealing statement released by the BBC--demonstrates the true nature of her pact with death. It is not just about ending her own life, but the obligation of others to die and get out of the way, lest they interfere with her own life plans.

Increasingly, arguments for "assisted suicide" and euthanasia are moving from claims of a supposed "right" to die to an obligation to die. The argument reflects the fact that, according to its proponents, an inordinate percentage of medical costs are directed towards the end stages of terminal diseases and the final years of life. With a rapidly aging population, the escalation of these costs is a fact that must be faced by all advanced societies.

Beyond this, the developing argument for a "duty to die" moves directly toward the concerns of Jenni Murray--concerns related to lifestyle issues and the question of whether there is any obligation to care for dependent parents.

Controversies over assisted suicide and euthanasia are now raging on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, there are plenty of intellectuals and professional bioethicists ready to help make the case for a right or obligation to end one's life.

In Great Britain, the most significant of these advocates is Mary Warnock, one of Britain's most influential philosophers and, since 1985, Baroness Warnock of Weeke.

Warnock first came to international attention when she served as chair of the official British committee that established the basic framework for rules on in vitro fertilization in 1984. Now, after establishing herself as a major secular figure pushing the limits of modern morality, she has turned to the question of euthanasia and suicide.

In an interview published in Philosophy Now, Baroness Warnock declares that "it is high time that people spoke honestly about assisted dying." In her view, the law ought to be changed so that persons can gain legal assistance in committing suicide. "What horrifies me most is that people, mostly old people, who are not competent anymore, are just allowed to wither away," she stated. "Nobody has any policy about this at all; it just happens."

Of course, there is a current policy--a policy that declares assisted suicide to be illegal. Speaking of herself, Baroness Warnock revealed that she would rather commit suicide than die in a "very slow process."

In her own words: "I simply couldn't bear to get into the position where my children began to feel, 'Oh God, I think we better go and see her.' I couldn't bear it. And I see no point in living if one were ga-ga. I wouldn't want to. One way or another I'd much rather die."

For a woman whose academic work is marked by specificity and careful argument, this is particularly slippery. What is the medical definition of "ga-ga?"

Apparently, Baroness Warnock is, at least for now, ready to let individuals decide if they are burdens or not. But, she concedes that some elderly persons may feel the need to end their own lives, feeling, rightly or wrongly, that they have become a burden to their families.

When asked about the possibility that an elderly person might wrongly believe they are considered to be a burden by their families, Baroness Warnock responded: "This is one of those 'slippery slope' arguments. One can't rule it out that they might feel they ought to. But then, I don't know if that's such a terribly bad outcome, because their family if they're nice will say 'you're not a burden' even if they are really. I don't see why people should particularly want to stay alive if they're not enjoying themselves. But if they are enjoying themselves, put up with it. I think that's the criterion I'd use."

In Baroness Warnock's view, "I don't think people any longer ought to suppose they should go on living the whole of their possible natural lives, because we all live so much longer these days."

In Baroness Mary Warnock, we meet the face of the modern secular worldview. She is undoubtedly intelligent and clever, having served in a variety of illustrious and respected positions in academia and public life. There are few issues of public policy and debate in Great Britain which are not marked by her influence or leadership.

Interestingly, on the issue of assisted suicide Baroness Warnock is uncomfortable with the idea of a "right" to die. In her view, rights do not exist unless they are written into the positive law.

In other words, she rejects the entire structure of natural law argument, suggesting that there are virtually no natural rights. Of course, given the fact that she denies any divine or natural law, she is put in a position of great difficulty when she suggests that there is any basic "ought" to a moral question. In the end, the Baroness seems to suggest that euthanasia should not be a debate over either religion or rights. Instead, persons should simply be allowed this option, perhaps in light of the larger social obligation.

"I believe that people who are competent and suffering and who say they want to die should be able to do so, but I don't think I base that belief on their autonomy, or not in any very general sense," she insists. "I think that the decision should be theirs because they are the people who are suffering." Finally, "I'm not particularly keen on a morality of rights anyway: given the many conflicting rights, one doesn't quite know what one can claim as a right."

In her view, objections to euthanasia or assisted suicide must be rooted in some form of religious argument. "I know a lot of people have religious objections to it, and of course they're entitled to them; but I don't see any reason why the religious view should be imposed on the people who aren't religious." In other words, a secular view should simply be imposed upon public policy. Yet, the most basic question remains: how can one construct a workable policy on a matter as significant as human dignity from an entirely secular worldview?

Moving beyond these questions, Baroness Warnock even suggests that the medical profession has "had too much input into the whole discussion." As she sees it, the crucial issues are not medical, but social. In an article published in The Guardian [London], Baroness Warnock complained that many medical doctors seemed to be squeamish about the issue of assisted suicide. Indeed, the vast majority of British doctors are publicly opposed to current efforts to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide.

As Baroness Warnock recalled, "One imminent physician to whom I spoke said: 'I would not be able to do it. I am programmed not to kill.'" Responding with the case of an elderly person who wished to have her ventilator turned off, Baroness Warnock stated this: "We should be grateful to the medical profession that, on the whole, we can trust them to try to keep us alive rather than kill us. Yet there is something chilling about a doctor 'programmed' to disregard the serious desire of an intelligent and far-sighted woman, even though compliance with her wish has been deemed lawful."

These arguments reveal the great divide that separates the modern secular mind and the Christian worldview. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a more unbridgeable gulf than that which stands between the belief that human beings, made in the image of God, possess both an inherent right to natural life and an obligation to care for others and, on the other hand, the view that some lives are simply not worth living or keeping alive.

Jenni Murray and Baroness Mary Warnock know exactly what they mean to argue. Murray's suicide pact and Warnock's public argument may indicate a shift in public opinion in both Great Britain and the United States. Will individuals understand what is at stake when Baroness Warnock declares, "In other contexts sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance . . . . I am not ashamed to say some lives are more worth living than others?" Will the viewers of Jenni Murray's television program rise up in indignation when she declares that she does not want to be "trapped" into caring for her mother? Will the BBC face outrage when its spokesperson defends this statement by suggesting that the care of elderly parents threatens to limit the lifestyles and professional careers of "liberated and independent" women?

All that remains to be seen, though this debate seems to be taking an ominous turn on both sides of the Atlantic. In the meantime, these arguments should demand the attention of all persons who believe in the inherent dignity of human life. We are witnessing the embrace of a pact with death.
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