Iran's election showdown begins; Neo-Conservatives continue to goad our President

It appears that the Iranian Islamic powers that be are beginning to clamp down on the dissent in that Country. The New York Times Reports:

TEHRAN — In his first public response to days of mass protests, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sternly warned opposition supporters on Friday to stay off the streets and raised the prospect of violence if the defiant, vast demonstrations continued.

Opposition leaders, he said, will be “responsible for bloodshed and chaos” if they do not stop further rallies.

He said he would never give in to “illegal pressures” and denied their accusations that last week’s presidential election was rigged, praising the officially declared landslide for the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as an “epic moment that became a historic moment.”

He spoke somberly for more than an hour and a half at Friday Prayer to tens of thousands of people at Tehran University, with Mr. Ahmadinejad in attendance. His sermon was broadcast over loudspeakers to throngs in the adjoining streets, and the crowds erupted repeatedly in roars of support. Opposition supporters had spread the word among themselves not to attend.

“Street challenge is not acceptable,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, according to a rendering by the BBC. “This questions the principles of election and democracy.”

There was no immediate response from opposition leaders.

The article continues on and I personally encourage you to read it. This is all shaping up, just as I thought it would. Iran’s supreme leader is calling the shots; as always. This is why I basically removed the green from my twitter account. Because I knew it was pointless to support the protesters in Iran.  The will of the people is just not respected in that country, the will of the Islamic Government is.

Meanwhile, the Wilsonian, Warmongering, and now highly discredited wing of the Republican Party still continues to goad our President in to entering the fray in Iran.  The recently sold Weekly Standard continues it’s pandering to the Zionists abroad:

Fourth, now, today, is another opporunity for President Obama to speak. Mousavi has been threatened, as have the thousands of protesters. The ayatollah offered no conciliatory language for the protesters or the West. There was no talk of redoing the stolen election, or giving Mousavi a seat at the table. Obama has gone out of his way not to “meddle” in this affair, thinking that America’s “meddling” may compromise efforts to negotiate with the Iranian regime going forward.

What has been the reward for America sidelining itself? More condemnations from the regime that Obama wants to negotiate with. That same regime may be on the verge of an even more violent convulsion.

That quote up there is why the American people voted the Neo-Conservatives out of power and put in a outright socialist President. Because of that nonsense quoted up there. As a I said in my Blog entry/column that I sometimes write, America should stay out of the affairs of Iranian Government:

I have noticed that some of my Neo-Conservative counterparts have been goading the President of the United States for not taking a more vocal stance against the Iranian Government and by proxy, the Islamic leaders of that Country.  In case that sounds a bit familiar, these people are the same people played cheerleader to President Bush’s decision to go into Iraq.  Hence my reasoning for disliking the Neo-Conservative wing of the Republican Party; Not because of some idiotic Hatred of the Jews; but because of the Wilsonian, warmongering stance of those types of Conservatives.

As a Paleo-Conservative, my feelings about Iran are this that the United States of America should stay out of the affairs of the Iranian Government.  If the Iranian people want to overthrow that Government, let them do it.  If the Iranian people want to topple that Islamic regime, let them do it.  The less the United States becomes involved in that situation, the better.  The same kind of meddling with the affairs of other Governments has gotten us into other situations in the past.  The list is quite long — Korea, Vietnam, Both Iraq Wars, World War I, and so on.

After I wrote that entry, I realized that I had not stated well enough as to why we should not get involved with the situation in Iran. The answer simply is this; say the Iranian people do overthrow the Islamic Government in that Country, an anti-Islamic Revolution, if you will; then there is a Democratic or Parliamentary Government established there. If at anytime that Government is overthrown and an Islamic Government is placed back into that Country; guess who will get the blame for overthrowing the previous Islamic Government? The United States will; that’s who!  The Neo-Conservatives, in their blind and quite foolish desire to go to war with every country that rejects their foolish Zionist agenda; have forgotten one thing, Arabs hate us already, and they will really hate us, if the United States is seen to be meddling in their internal affairs.  It is too bad that this Country, and more specifically the Republican Party and it’s Wilsonian, Neo-Conservative wing have not learned that lesson. Had they learned it long ago; those trade center towers would still be standing.

Others:  BBC, Telegraph, MoJo Blog Posts, Wall Street Journal, The Lede, The Cable, Democracy in America, Maggie’s Farm, Michelle Malkin, New York Magazine, Jihad Watch, Hot Air, democracyarsenal.org, Washington Post, Wonk Room, Outside The Beltway, Wolf Howling, The BLT, A Blog For All, Salon, On Deadline, The Daily Dish, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN, Gateway Pundit, FP Passport, Danger Room and The Huffington Post and more via Memeorandum

Video: The Southern Avenger on "The Extreme Right"

Synopsis: When New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and other liberal pundits tried to lay the blame for the murder of abortion doctor George Tiller and neo-Nazi James von Brunn’s actions on the alleged “extremism” of the broader conservative movement, an examinination was in order of how they couldn’t be more wrong.

From the "can't keep in his pants" dept: Sen. John Ensign has an affair

Man, as if the Republicans did not need any other problems right now… now this:

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign has told colleagues that he plans to admit an extramarital affair, a senior Republican official tells POLITICO.

Political insiders in the Senate and in Nevada told POLITICO that Ensign began an affair with a staffer several months after he separated from his wife. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, the sources said, he gave the aide a severance package and parted ways.

Sometime later, a Nevada source said, Ensign met with the husband of the woman involved and had what this source described as a positive encounter. Sources said that the man subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money – at which point Ensign decided to make the affair public.

Ensign’s office did not return calls for comment, but the senator told the Associated Press Tuesday: “I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions.”

Ensign’s staff said he would be making a statement about a “personal matter” at 3:30 p.m. local time in Las Vegas.

Ensign informed fellow Nevadan Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, about his situation earlier today.

“I don’t know the details. I talked with him today,” Reid told POLITICO. “Of course, he’s my friend. This is a private, family matter. I just hope that Darlene and he work things out.”

Reid said he didn’t offer any advice on how to handle the situation. “I didn’t give him any advice. I just told him he’s my friend. I’m pulling for him. Anything I can do to help, let me know.”

Ensign, a born again Christian, is chairman of the GOP Policy Committee, making him the highest ranking Republican Senator in Nevada’s history. He has three children.

This means the charges of GOP having NO CREDIBILITY on family values should begin, in oh, a 1/2 hour or so.
Which is absolutely true. The Liberal left will come down on this and the chorus of the liberals will say how this points out how hyporcritical Christianity and Social Conservatism is; and to an extent, I agree with that. But on a broader scale I disagree, but you cannot judge a whole movement, by the actions of one.
Carpenter also said:
Wait, didn’t mean to glamorize this. This is bad/sad/dumb. We need more women in Congress. They don’t cheat on wives (har, kidding) spouses.
At which point, I was in the middle of taking a drink from my water bottle and almost spit it all over my laptop’s screen. Hey Amanda; tell that to my now-former youth pastor from the 1980’s, who’s wife of 15 years decided that she did not love him anymore and divorced him. All because of a back injury and he could not “perform” in the sack any longer. It is; as the old saying goes, if she’s not getting it from you, she will get it from someone else. So, nice try. But that is such stupidity and shows that you have not been married long at all. Wait till hubby man there starts having the usual trouble men start having around 40 or so… We’ll see who’s all “Polly Pure Bright” then.
Update: Statement from Ensign and his Wife:

“I came home to Nevada to come forward and explain to the citizens of our state something that I was involved in about a year ago. Last year I had an affair. I violated the vows of my marriage. It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life. If there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it.

“I take full responsibility for my actions.

“I know that I have deeply hurt and disappointed my wife Darlene, my children, my family, my friends, my staff and others who believed in me. To all of them, especially my wife, I am deeply sorry. I am truly blessed to have a wife who has forgiven me. We sought counseling last year and have built a stronger marriage — stronger than ever.

“I will not mention any names but the woman who I was involved with and her husband were close friends and both of them worked for me. Our families were close. That closeness put me into situations which led to my inappropriate behavior. We caused deep pain to both families and for that I am sorry.

“I am committed to my service in the United States Senate and my work on behalf of the people of NV.

“Thank you.”

[…]

His wife, Darlene, is issuing this statement: “Since we found out last year we have worked through the situation and we have come to a reconciliation. This has been difficult on both families. With the help of our family and close friends our marriage has become stronger. I love my husband.”


Video: Something to make you think

This an excellent video: (Via True Conservatives on Facebook)

More G.O.P. Stupidity….

Our asses are going to be kicked harshly in 2010 and 2012 and this is why:

Newscoma posted details of a racist email sent from Sherri Goforth, legislative aid for Sen. Diane Black R-Gallatin. The email depicts the Presidents of the United States with President Barack Obama as a pair of eyes in a black background.

More G.O.P Stupidity

I spoke with Sherri Goforth minutes ago to confirm she sent this email. She confirmed she had sent it and also said she had received a letter of reprimand from her superiors but said she will stay on the job.

When I asked her if she understood the controversial nature of the photo, Goforth would only say she felt very bad about accidentally sending it to the wrong list. When I gave her a second chance to address the controversial nature of the email, she again repeated that she only felt bad about sending it to the wrong list of people.

“I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button,” Goforth told NIT. “I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.”

via Sen Diane Black’s R-Gallatin legislative aid circulates racist email « Nashville Is Talking.

There are people calling for this aid’s firing; and rightly so. This sort of nonsense has no place within the Republican Party. Do I think it is funny? No, I do not. I have had people send me that very e-mail and they’ve gotten a stern warning never to send me that sort of nonsense ever again.

As I said about the other little incident, if the G.O.P. gets it’s tail kicked in the 2010 and 2012 elections; it will because of nonsense like this here. You do not think that the Democrats will try and use this sort stuff against the Republicans in 2012? Do not kid yourselves, they will.

Some people just seriously need to get over the fact that we have a black President. Do not misunderstand me here; I am not a fan of President Obama’s socialism at all, but I find these little incidents to absolutely sickening. Because the Republican Party is, in fact, the party the freed the slaves, in order to preserve the union. But yet, we have idiots within that party that still hold on to the old ideas about the Minorities, including blacks in this Country.

To all African-Americans that might happen to read this Blog. I want you to know; we are not all like that. May this be noted of one time, in my career as a blogger; that I actually side with the Identity Politics crowd, this idiot needs to be fired and right away!

Some idiot thinks we need to change the National Anthem

Seriously, what on earth is wrong with these idiots?

I’m not quoting that b.s. here, you want to read it? You go there.

Some stuff to watch:

Sung by The Cactus Cuties

The TRUE Story of the Star Spangled Banner
By David C. Gibbs
CHRISTIAN LAW ASSOCIATION
http://www.christianlaw.org

I do not know about you. But I will keep my National Anthem just exactly like it is.

Others: Atlantic Correspondents, Neptunus Lex, Hot Air, The Opinionator, Argghhh! and This ain’t Hell …

Stay classy David Letterman

Another little gem being served up by HotAir.com, is this little gem from the most unfunny so-called comedian in America.

As expected the Conservative Blogosphere is absolutely livid about this; and rightly so. Hell, there’s even a Conservative-turned-Liberal Blogger who is a bit pissed about Letterman’s performance as well:

You know, I have no idea what the hell David Letterman is thinking or what he thinks he is accomplishing with crap like this, but this was inexcusable. He should be ashamed of himself.

And I’m not trying to sound like some politically correct scold, and I have no problem with comedians being comedians. There are lots of reasons to dislike Sarah Palin, there are lots of reasons to not be impressed with her leadership, her beliefs, or, well, anything about her, but when you start with the “slutty” crap, or are making jokes about her daughter getting “knocked up,” you’ve crossed a line. I have no problem attacking Palin for her idiotic proposals and all the stupid things she has said, but this just is the kind of nonsense that is no good for anyone.

Maybe I’m over-reacting, and I know I’m not always perfect, but I’m really losing my patience and tolerance for this kind of stuff. There was no place for this kind of stuff with Hillary and Chelsea, there is no room for it with Michelle and their kids, and the same standard should apply for Sarah Palin and her kids. Hell, it should apply to all women. – John Cole @ Balloon Juice

Let me be the first to say that, not only do I wholeheartedly agree with Cole; I also commend him for having the guts to stand up and say, “Wait a Minute!” on this little issue here. Hats off to you John, you’re one hell of a good man for doing this.

Not only was this a classless attack on Palin, everyone is assuming Palin’s oldest daughter went with her to the ballgame. It was not her, it was her 14 year old daughter Willow that went with her to the Ballgame. Not smart David, Not smart at all. When your own fellow Liberal Democrats are calling you on stupid joke; an apology is order. expect to see that here in the next few days.

Jim Treacher also states the obvious:

I realize I’m just an inbred backwoods moron who can’t abide by any criticism of Sarah Palin whatsoever, but is this really the precedent we want to set for our politicians and their families?

After all, Samson Obama, one of the president’s many half-brothers, isn’t allowed in the UK because he tried to assault a 13-year-old girl. Are we to impose the Letterman standard there? Is it okay to make a joke like this?

“How come the First Family never invites Uncle Samson to visit? Because whenever Sasha and Malia sit on his knee, it takes six Secret Service guys to pry them off!”

Or how about this?

“Joe Biden keeps saying he’s not really sure where all that stimulus money is going. In other news, Ashley Biden’s coke dealer just bought Luxembourg.”

Hey, I didn’t say they were good jokes. But are they really worse than what Letterman just got away with on national TV? If so, why?

Good point, good point indeed.

Memeornadum has the Roundup of other Blogs covering the story.

Update: Thanks to Memeornadum for the pull!

Bleh…. Another Stupid Hot Conservative Women Meme

Why must I blog about such stupid stuff? But eh, what else is there? Besides this and bitching about Obama’s socialism; there isn’t much else.

John “Horndog” Hawkings is again making a list of hot Conservative women. There’s 15 of them, here’s my reaction to them all.

Update – 5/20/14: I feel the need to update these, because I see it’s being brought up a bit here as of late. I know a good deal about them now. All the next update info will be bolded.

1) Dana Loesch

Dana Loesch

Cute, Don’t know her. But she is pretty. I’m not much into short haired women though… She’s a looker. Update: I respect this woman, because she’s in the political game and all; but she is a bit of a pistol and she can be an asshole towards other bloggers. At least she was towards me. She’s also happily married to a guy named Chris, who owns a studio. Don’t know her personally, but the way she acted towards me on twitter and the stuff she said about her real Father, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, really turned me off. Sorry, I don’t disrespect the Military, I don’t care who they are. Just my way. 

2) Ashley Herzog, Townhall

Ashley Herzog

Ugh, That pose tells me all I need to know about her; and believe me it is not good.  But, I don’t know really know her so…

3) Shelly Roche, Bytestyle TV

Shelly Roche

Bleh…. You see one Ann Coulter wanna be, you see ’em all. Pretty, Blonde, Nuff said.

4) Tabitha Hale, Pink Elephant Pundit

Tabitha Hale

I sorta know this one, cute, but quite stuck on herself. As are most Conservative women. Too young for me anyhow. Update: When I originally wrote this, I didn’t know much about this woman, except that she posted many pictures of herself on twitter and facebook. 😀 But, honestly, I got nothing personally against her at all. She’s went on to do some big things in the conservative blogging world. She’s also been looking pretty hot as of late. 😉 😛

5) Moxie

Moxie

See #3 please.

6) Media Lizzy, Media Lizzy & Friends

Media Lizzy

Lizzy is a cutie. I follow her on facebook. Most of her stuff is basic cut and paste Conservative Blogging, not much on original thought. But her looks make her work. She deserves a spot on here.

7) Michelle Oddis, Human Events

Michelle Oddis

See #3 and #5 please.

8.Michelle Malkin

Update: I removed her profile and picture from this blog for some very good reasons; and anyone who reads my new blog or follows me on twitter, knows why.

9) Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs 

Pamela Geller

Overrated Screechy Michelle Malkin wanna-be and married with kids. Also see #3 and #5 Update: When I wrote this, I didn’t know about much Geller at all. I do now; Geller does her thing, okay? Pam Geller is an anti-Jihadi blogger, that’s her thing. I commend her for having the stones to stand up for what she damned believes in. She’s not married, she is divorced. She was married to Michael Geller, a car dealership owner, who was caught up in a huge scandal; and shortly afterward died of a heart attack. Geller is Jewish and stands for her Jewish Heritage and you know what? That’s okay! She’s been attacked by a particular pony-tailed asshole in California and she weathered it and is still trucking. God Bless her for it too. 😀

10) S.E. Cupp, Red S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

Pretty, Red-headed, I follow her on facebook. Well, actually, she followed me first, which was a shocker. She needs to get a wordpress blog though. Deserves face time on Fox News, I think.

11) Bettina Inclan

Bettina Inclan

Don’t really know much about her. She’s a Conservative and a Latino. So, that’s always a plus.

12) Dr. Helen

Dr. Helen Smith

Here we go again…. UGH! This is Glenn Reyonld‘s Wife. Cute, but she’s married. Why pimp out married women on a Hot Conservative women list? I just do not get that, at all.

13) Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter

The queen on Neo-Conservative Screech herself. Pretty, but totally unapproachable and terminally unfuckable. Besides, she’s pushing 50. Egad, Egad indeed.

14) Amanda Carpenter, Hot Button

Amanda Carpenter

Pretty and quite married. She still got the hotness thing going on though. Update: She’s now married with two babies and still HOT! If given the chance, I’d rip her clothes off and stick my….. *&^%^^%^&%** NO CARRIER 😉 

15) Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

See #3 and #5

Okay, they missed one… The douche nozzles:

Mary Katharine Ham

mkh

Mary Katharine Ham writes over at the Weekly Standard, which is decidedly Neo-Conservative in nature. But I still like this woman very much. She’s a southern gal, with a very down to earth personality and pretty face to boot. She’s just pretty enough to make any guy take notice and just tom-boy enough to get away with it. I think her exclusion from this list was a HUGE mistake. If I were about 10 year younger, I’d sweep this beautiful woman off her feet and marry her. 😀 Update: All that and now married with a baby. 😥 er, um, I mean 😀

Mixed feelings on the Blogger outing

I am commenting on this because I think it deserves a comment.  I have very mixed feelings on the outing of a centrist Blogger, who blogged under the name of publius over at Obsidian Wings.

The reason why I have these mixed feelings is this. Because I personally know how frustrating it can be, when you have some anonymous Blogger or even person on the internet harassing you. Believe me when I tell you; I have been there and done that.  However, I also believe in the right to privacy as well. So, I am quite conflicted.

To his credit, publius or John Blevins gives some very valid reasons for his wanting to remain anonymous:

As I told Ed (to no avail), I have blogged under a pseudonym largely for private and professional reasons.  Professionally, I’ve heard that pre-tenure blogging (particularly on politics) can cause problems.  And before that, I was a lawyer with real clients.  I also believe that the classroom should be as nonpolitical as possible – and I don’t want conservative students to feel uncomfortable before they take a single class based on my posts.  So I don’t tell them about this blog.  Also, I write and research on telecom policy – and I consider blogging and academic research separate endeavors.  This, frankly, is a hobby.

Privately, I don’t write under my own name for family reasons.  I’m from a conservative Southern family – and there are certain family members who I’d prefer not to know about this blog (thanks Ed).  Also, I have family members who are well known in my home state who have had political jobs with Republicans, and I don’t want my posts to jeopardize anything for them (thanks again).

All of these things I would have told Ed, if he had asked.  Instead, I told him that I have family and professional reasons for not publishing under my own name, and he wrote back and called me an “idiot” and a “coward.”  (I’ve posted the email exchange below).

So there you have it – I’ve been successfully pseudonymous since the Iowa caucuses in 2004.  During that time, I’ve criticized hundreds of people – and been criticized myself by hundreds more.  But this has never happened.

And yes – I criticized Whelan rather harshly.  But that’s what the blogosphere is about.  Blogging is not for the thin-skinned.  And you would think that someone who spends their days trying to destroy other people’s reputations in dishonest and inflammatory ways wouldn’t be so childish and thin-skinned.

Again, I believe that Ed did have a right to know who it was that was criticizing him. However, I have reviewed the posts in question, and I simply do not believe that a public outing was necessary and quite frankly; it shows a lack of class and a very childish demeanor on the part of Ed Whelan.  I do however disagree with the line of “But that’s what the blogosphere is about.” I feel that if you are going to criticize someone, you should have the guts to give your true identity. Criticizing someone behind the cloak of anonymity is the essence of cowardice, in my humble opinion.

The bottom line is this; if you are going criticize someone and you are going to hide behind an assumed named, you should be prepared to be exposed for the coward that you are. Further, one should not complain that they are being exposed, because a “pen name” is not a guarantee of privacy.

However, in the wake of the shooting of the abortion doctor and many of the other incidents in the last few months, one would think that Ed Whelan would have used a bit more common sense in a situation as this. But then again, we are talking about Neo-Cons. Not that they care about privacy, just ask George W. Bush. 🙄

Update: Ed Morrissey gives his take and quite surprisingly basically somewhat agrees with me. Not to rip off Redd Foxx or anything, but….This is the big one, Elizabeth I’m coming join you honey!  Oh hell, Here’s Mr. Foxx doing it better, than I ever could: (Scroll to the 3:13 mark, if you want to see what I’m referring to…)

Update #2: Ed Whelan posts a follow up, further proving that he’s nothing more than a fucking asshole. But then again, you most likely already knew that. I retract this, click here to see why.

Update #3: Whelan Apologizes and Outed blogger accepts. Case Closed. Well done on both sides.

Others:The Anonymous Liberal, Washington Monthly, Outside The Beltway, JustOneMinute, Opinio Juris, The Strata-Sphere, Riehl World View, PointOfLaw Forum, PoliGazette, Sadly, No!, TBogg and Balloon Juice

The reading room: Friday Church News Notes

The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this does not imply an endorsement. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.

HOW THE POP CULTURE HAS DUMBED DOWN SOCIETY (Friday Church News Notes, June 5, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The rock & roll pop culture has been dumbing down society since its inception in the 1950s. The pop culture image of cool is the individual who excels in foolishness, the Elvis Presleys, the James Deans, the John Lennons, the rock & roll playboys, the Hollywood starlets. Influential pop culture movies such as “Blackboard Jungle,” “Rebel without a Cause,” and “The Wild One” emphasized irresponsibility, insubordination, free sex, and scholastic laziness. “The Blackboard Jungle” used a Bill Haley soundtrack to encourage young people to forget their studies and “rock around the clock.” In “Rebel without a Cause” James Dean exuded the essence of pop cool: unisex sensuality, narcissism, and rebellion to authority. “The Wild One,” played by the very cool Marlon Brando, glorified self-centered living and neglect of education. Chuck Berry’s hit “School Days” encouraged young people to exchange their boring studies for the glories of rock & roll partying: “Hail, hail rock and roll/ Deliver me from the days of old/ Long live rock and roll/ The beat of the drums, loud and bold/ Rock, rock, rock and roll/ The feelin’ is there, body and soul.” By the 1960s, the modern teenage culture was well established, with its own me-first attitude, Dionysian philosophy, oft ridiculous fashions (anything to differentiate the teenager from his elders), and particularly its own music. The modern teenager has always been driven by pop music. Rock stars set the tone. A serious education is downplayed for the sake of having “fun, fun, fun.” I was dramatically influenced by the pop culture from the time I arrived in junior high school in 1962. Though I had some God-given intelligence and love for reading, I soon realized that being a diligent student was not cool. I became far too busy being a proper pop culture teenager to give serious attention to my studies and as a result I was a mediocre to poor student. Nothing has changed since then. The term “nerd” comes from the climate of teenage cool. It defines a young person who is serious about scholarship and probably doesn’t fit in too well with the foolish but oh-so-cool crowd. I was reminded of this by a recent Associated Press report entitled “I Love Nerds” about the 2009 National Spelling Bee contestants. It observed that the bright students “stand out as a bit dorkey back home.” Jose Cabal of Miami said, “It’s like back home I’m a nerd. Up there, everyone else is a nerd.” The serious spellers have memorized tens of thousands of words and have sharpened their intellect and perfected their use of the English language, but they aren’t cool. The entire concept of the “nerd” exposes the vanity and foolishness of the pop culture. It is the “nerd” that is using his or her life sensibly, whereas the cool crowd is dedicated to vanity. The pop culture teenage philosophy typically leaves young people ignorant and deeply scarred with sin. But the power of teenage cool is enormous and the average young person is not wise enough to withstand its appeal. Many reports have been written on the decline in education in America. In 1994 the editor of Harper magazine characterized the national test scores as “a coroner’s report …  [that] returned a finding of mortal ignorance.” But most studies on modern American education neglect one of the most powerful influences, which is the pop culture. When the Herman’s Hermits sang in the 1965, “Don’t know much about history/ Don’t know much biology/ Don’t know much about a science book,” they were expressing the philosophy of teenage cool.

BOMBING KILLS TWO AT CHURCH IN NEPAL (Friday Church News Notes, June 5, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – A Hindu organization took credit for a bombing on May 23 that killed two and wounded 15 others at a Catholic mass in Kathmandu, Nepal. An unidentified woman entered the church just before mass began and left the bomb behind in a bag. A second bomb was disarmed by police. The Nepal Defense Army took responsibility for the murders. This is a radical Hindu group with probable ties to extremist Hindus in India that have viciously persecuted Christians. It was formed in 2007 with the objective of reinstating a Hindu state in Nepal (hindujagruti.org, Sept. 13, 2007). The Nepal Defense Army has demanded that all Christians leave Nepal and has stated its intent to “fight against the foreign religious invaders” (telegraphnepal.com, May 30, 2009). The NDA murdered a priest in July 2008. They have also bombed a mosque and another church. Police have quietly visited the churches in Kathmandu and warned them to be on the outlook for suspicious packages.
Continue reading “The reading room: Friday Church News Notes”