Not just a day off with no mail...

Take time today to remember Dr. Martin Luther King properly. Read his magnificent "I Have a Dream" speech. Better yet, allow yourself the less than twelve minutes it takes to watch the speech here. (The text is also available there.)
It is one of the most powerful displays of rhetoric in the history of mankind.

Absorb the message.

Ponder on it.

Ask yourself what it is that you are doing to realize this truly American dream for yourself or those around you.

Dr. King deserves at least that much consideration today.

Brad

This is what can happen when you don't watch where you're driving!

And be sure you have an accurate map; the USS San Fransisco hit an uncharted undersea mountain while travelling at high speed about 500 ft below surface, near Guam. Sadly, one sailor died, while 23 were treated by SEAL medics.



Brad

The essence of OUR Military

I write this from a cyber-cafe at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA., the night before my son, Daniel, graduates from Marine Recruit Training. Unfortunately, this morning was the "more important ceremony", according to Dan. And the flight he booked for me was too late to catch both the Motivational Run and the "Eagle, Globe and Anchor Ceremony". Drat! I'll have to relish the Graduation Ceremony tomorrow.

It's inspiring and very encouraging to see so many fine, fit, disciplined, and respectful young men, willing to literally put their lives on the line in the service of this greatest nation on God's green Earth. (HT to Medved)

I'll post more about this later, but for now I'll leave you with this:


"...they stand on a wall, and they say 'nothing is going to harm you tonight- not on my watch' "

This complelling quote from "A Few Good Men" captures the essence of the United States military mission, it's very purpose for being.


Brad

Intelligent Design (and Pat Robertson)

....from Nov. 10...more draft-cleanup....

He put his foot in his mouth again. Pat Robertson went too far in warning the citizens of Dover, PA that God "might not be there" if they ask for His help in a disaster, simply because a majority of citizens voted their school board out of office for allowing Intelligent Design concepts in public school.

This is all that the school board actually did, by the way: The board ordered schools to read students a short statement in biology classes informing them that the theory of evolution is not established fact and that gaps exist in it.
The statement mentioned intelligent design as an alternate theory and recommended students read a book that explained the theory further. That's it. That's all.
A statement, and a book recommendation.

Followed by teaching evolution.

I mean, it's not as if they were handing out condoms and running an in-school health clinic to help pregnant teens get abortions without their folks finding out. Now that would be out of bounds...

Brad

Intelligent Design court ruling observations

.....Cleaning up unfinished drafts...

This story on MSNBC.com reveals how the American Left will continue to erode the historical culture of our society, and will further ensure the aimlessness and hedonism of our youth.

Salient quotes from the article:

"Intelligent design" is "a religious alternative masquerading as a scientific theory ..."

"Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum must include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said. "

“We conclude that the religious nature of ID would be readily apparent to an objective observer, adult or child."

Jones blasted the disclaimer, saying it "singles out the theory of evolution for special treatment, misrepresents its status in the scientific community, causes students to doubt its validity without scientific justification, presents students with a religious alternative masquerading as a scientific theory, directs them to consult a creationist text as though it were a science resource and instructs students to forgo scientific inquiry (??) in the public school classroom and instead to seek out religious instruction elsewhere."

And this is a very interesting presumptive statement about the Dover Board that proposed the Disclaimer: "several members repeatedly lied to cover their motives even while professing religious beliefs." (Emphasis added)
They professed religious beliefs... The editorializing in that statement implies that professing religious beliefs is in conflict with lying. That's not surprising, of course. TRUTH is a hallmark of Christianity. (I didn't use religion because some religions don't give a wit about Truth. In fact, some don't even accept the notion.)
But, isn't it expected of everyone to tell the truth? Not just those who profess religious beliefs. Naively expected, I suppose.

Judge Jones is clearly injecting his over-reactive personal opinion into the court decision when he claims that the Dover school board disclaimer "instructs students to forgo scientific inquiry" in the classroom, or anywhere else. Another idiotic accusation about the intent and effect of including some mention of Intelligent Design in science class. Including it, not replacing evolution theory with it.

Brad

World War Four

(( I started this post May 4, and, in looking over my Drafts, decided to just bang out a conclusion and get it posted, forwhatitsworth.))

The continuing ignorance or obstinance (I don't know which is more troubling) by the Left of not recognizing that the Vietnam war was really just a theater of World War III, the war against Communist expansion, is being repeated now in World War IV, the war against Islamofascist terrorism.
They've been at war with us for decades. We've finally responded, under the leadership of George W. Bush.

Timeline:

1979 Tehran US Embassy seized
1983 Beirut US Embassy bombed 63 killed
1983 Beirut US Marine Hdqtrs bombed 241 killed
1983 Kuwait US Embassy bombed
1984 Beirut US Embassy bombed
1985 Madrid restuarant/soldiers bombed
1985 Rhein-Main US AF bombed 22 killed
1985 Achille Lauro hijacked (Leon Klinghoffer murdered)
1986 TWA flight 840 bombed 4 killed
1988 Pan Am flight 103 Lockerbie bombed 259 killed
1993 Langley VA CIA Hdqtrs shooting 2 CIA agents killed
1993 NY WTC garage bombed 6 killed and over 1000 injured
1995 Riyadh US military complex bombed 7 killed
1996 Dhahran the Khobar Towers destroyed,

........19 killed and over 500 injured
2000 Yemen USS Cole bombed 17 sailors killed

2001 September 11 WTC destroyed, Pentagon attacked.... almost 3000 killed

Over a year ago, Norman Podhoretz published a comprehensive analysis of this battle in the pages of Commentary magazine, comprehensively titled "World War IV: How It Started, What It Means, and Why We Have to Win". It is well worth the investment of time it will take you to read and absorb. (Print it, punch the pages, and bind it) Consider it as an assignment of citizenship.

Brad