Congratulations Atheists!!!

Is it an accomplishment to NOT believe in something? Is anti-faith harder than Christian faith? Do you deserve recognition for thinking it's more likely that circumstance and luck created an entire universe instead of believing in an all powerful God?

Evidently, yes. The Wilson County, Tn fair has decided that their annual God and Country day which previously offered discounts to individuals who brought a bulletin from their church service, now says that discount is offered to atheists as well. So if you believe and go to services, you get a discount. If you don't believe, you get a discount. But if you believe and don't go to services, you pay full price.

As a Christian I am constantly amazed at the hypocrisy of non-believers. Yes, that's what I said. Because atheists will pitch a fit if their child is asked to sit quietly while other children around them pray. Atheists hate to spend money that reads, "In God We Trust." Atheists won't recite a Pledge of Allegiance that includes, "One Nation, Under God..." Yet atheists will stick their stickers on the back of their car proclaiming the ignorance of Christians. Little dinosaurs chewing on an ichthus. A Darwinian ichthus with feet and teeth that reads, "reality bites." Bill Maher on HBO who constantly rails against evangelical Christians and their religious crutch.

Yet Christians are said to be intolerant. Christians are said to be bigots. Christians are said to be arrogant and pushy. Some are these things, that's true. And unfortunately I believe that people like that are not parallelling the life of Christ or His teachings.

In my sincerest effort to be objective, I will still side with the pushy Christian over the pushy atheist because of one simple difference: motivation. The motivation of the pushy Christian is the (hopefully) sincere love of another's soul and concern over where they will spend the eternity in which the Christian believes. Their motivation is love. The motivation of the pushy atheist is the destroy the belief system of another. To reveal their perceived ignorance and enlighten them to a life where death is the ultimate end and hope rests in what you accomplish only in your job or procreation. Their motivation is malicious.

Why does my belief offend you atheists? If I believe in God and Christ and therefore attempt to live a life of mercy, grace, peace and love, how does that negatively affect your life?

Consider two extremes.
If all the world were believers in God and Christ and practicers of a Christian faith, how bad would the world be? Would their still be nuts? Sure. Misdirected zealots who misapply scripture or flat misunderstand it are nothing new. But most people would be trying to serve their fellow man and work with them to achieve a common goal of heaven.

If all the world were atheists how good would the world be? The motivation to serve others would have to be completely altruistic. There would be no goal to achieve other than that of a temporary life that would end in around 70 years. But the prevailing motivation would be Freud's "id" part of the personality. Self-serving, self-pleasuring, animalistic motivations that have very little regard for others except that which is chemically created by brain function controlled completely by chance.

So here's my proposal. If you wish to be an atheist, so be it. As a believer I don't want you to be a non-believer. I want you to serve God and work toward a heaven I believe exists. But I won't force your belief because I know I can't make you believe in anything. So leave me and my beliefs alone. Don't feel like some intellectual police force whose sole mission is to enlighten anyone you believe to be ignorant or unintelligent. Go your way and I'll go mine. I'll remember you in my prayers.

Debunking the Myth of the Evil U.S.A.

The United States is a great country. And I can prove it. The following is a selection of four stories about this country that I pulled off FoxNews.com. I know FNC is a right wing, rah-rah, channel and website. As a Republican, I don't even watch their stuff because it's so right-wing blinded that it borders on silly.

But I know the United States is a good place full of mostly good people. I know that as the world's last remainging superpower we recognize our moral responsibility to help those in around the world.

Example 1:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354677,00.html
The US gives more to the World Food Program than any other country in the world. "Whoopee," you say. Here's what you don't know though: The United States gives five and a half times MORE than the entire European Union. And the EU gives the second most of any group in the world. So yeah, the US gives more than anyone. But the news is that we give overwhelmingly more than anyone. And by the way, OPEC countries are criticized for giving next to nothing.

Example 2:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402708,00.html
We are in a long war of words and sabre rattling with Iran. So when Israel, our Mid-East ally, wants weapons to destroy Iran nuclear facilities, which would benefit us and others. We told Israel no. Do we care about Iran? Maybe we care about their people or maybe we just want to avoid provoking them. Either way, if we were as evil and unfair as the world makes us out to be, we would have equipped them like a bionic Rambo.

Example 3:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402982,00.html
We have begun shipping humanitarian aid to Georgia after Russia's six day invasion. In fact, we started helping before Russia even left. Watch and see how many other countries join us.

Example 4:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402403,00.html
European racism. This particular example involves an ill-conceived photo of the Spanish basketball team striking "slant-eyed" poses. Nice fellas, real nice. But I'm not looking at the Spanish basketball team and assuming all of Europe is racist. That would be ridiculous. I also know that FIFA felt the need to make several PSAs regarding racism at soccer matches. That black players are often called awful things like "monkeys" and the dreaded "n-word" in European soccer venues. That speaks to the lowest of the low in European citizens, but the point is that racism is an unfortunate sickness that knows no borders. In the current US presidential elections there's a thought that if Barack Obama doesn't win the election it will be because we unenlightened Americans are racist. For many Americans, that will be their sole motivation for casting a vote against Obama and that is as sad as it is sinful and wrong. But when Europe derides the US for its racism, they might do well to remember the words of Jesus when Christ said, "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove teh speck out of your brother's eye."

The US has political problems, violence problems, and race problems. But rather than be villified by the rest of the Western world, we should be recognized as being like many other countries and often times, much better at being giving, caring, and responsible human beings. So enough with the myth of the big, bad US.

Best Plea Bargain Ever

An Oregon man has arranged the best plea bargain I've ever heard.

So what did he win?

Freedom? No.

A shorter sentance? No.

A cushy view from Plum Island, ala Hannibal Lector? No.

What he won was chicken. Fried chicken. KFC and Popeyes fried chicken with all the fixin's. But before you think the man made a mistake, understand that's just what he got BEFORE the sentencing. After sentencing he got more.

What did he get after the sentencing?

A private room? No.

Conjugal visits from Hugh Heffner's harem? No.

What he got after sentencing was an Italian feast. Pizza, calzones, lasagna. This man is a murderer after my own heart! Fried chicken one day, Italian cuisine the next. Are you kidding? For someone who knows good and well he's guilty and deserving of his sentence to save the good state of Oregon trial cost in order to get a break from jail food for a couple days....that's tearjerking.

Now somebody get this guy a mint.

Reason #423 Not to Go To Cali

LL Cool J may be going back to Cali, Cali, Cali...but I wouldn't. There is no place I know of, especially no place in the United States, that is as riddled by natural disasters than California.

Weekly on the national news California is battling wildfires because it only rains once every three years. When there is rain Californians are dealing with massive mudslides that take out houses. Regardless of whether or not there is a current drought or mudslides, there is always the impending threat of an earthquake. It is on a coast, so I suppose a hurricane would be possible, though I can't remember one every hitting the West Coast.

BUT, now this. A piece of land in Southern California was measured to heat up to 812 degrees Farenheit. To put that in persepective, the surface temperature on the planet Mercury reaches only 800 degrees. And (in case you've forgotten those science projects with the styrofoam and fishing line) is the planet closest to the sun. Yet in Southern California a piece of land was HOTTER THAN MERCURY!

Scientists don't yet know why the land is superheating. Likely something is burning deep underground and making it's way to the surface through cracks (which are abundant in Cali) causing the heat and the smoke.

My thought is that California is geologically our closest state to hell.










No, I don't really mean that.

Female US Soldiers Raped at Alarming Rate

Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow
soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.

This is a very sad quote from the LA Times article I've linked above. But one thought went through my head when I heard this story yesterday, "Duh."

I don't mean to be crude or uncaring, because I'm not in the least. Rape is deplorable. Rapists should be prosecuted and jailed as long as possible because the act shows a complete lack of humanity.

When men are in combat situations, in country, what's something they are deprived of? I'll give you a hint, it's a God-given, basic human desire. That's right, it's sex. And while someone is away from their spouse, girlfriend, or what-have-you for 12-15 months at a time, that is something that they are deprived of.

So our sex-deprived soldiers take extreme measures to satisfy this need. In Vietnam it became common for US soldiers to spend time with local prostitutes or even to father children by Vietnamese women. Some of which they married, some of which stayed behind.

From my understanding, rape was common when soldiers were invading another country that they rape the women. Much of that was simply violence, but that's what a war zone is all about. And now these men have another avenue to quench both their violence and their need for sex.

That's not justification. And it's not a backhanded argument against women in the military. It's just a theory of mine as to why this is common. God willing it will stop.

Man on Motorcycle Hits a Bear

I've always thought it would be a horrible thing to hit an animal while on a motorcycle. When thinking that I've been considering typical road kill types of animals: dogs, cats, opossum, raccoons, skunks, etc. I even entertained passing thoughts of how bad it would be to hit a deer.

In my wildest nightmares, I never considered hitting a bear with a motorcycle. For one, bears are big. And big is bad. Two, you're flying off that motorcycle and you may die. Three, the bear may die. BUT, four, you and the bear might live and if you and the bear live after you've just hit that bear with your motorcycle, that bear may be upset. This is just a no-win situation.

Extreme Makeover: Foreclosure Edition

If Ty Pennington and the crew from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to your town and replaced your dilapadated joke of a house with a 4 bedroom, two story half million dollar dream home, what would you do?

If you're smart, you keep your job and go on about your life with an unexpected higher quality of living.

If you're like the family mentioned in the article linked above, you put the house up for collateral for a $450,000 loan to fund your dream construction business. Then you lose all of it. I'm not laughing at these people because it's not funny when someone loses a home. Especially a family with children and probably not enough money to buy another home to replace it.

But you sure do have to question the decision don't you?

Niiiiiice Shootin' Tex!

MORRISTON, Fla. — Authorities say a Levy County, Fla., man accidentally shot his wife while trying to hit a fox that attacked her.

The couple told deputies they spotted an animal in their yard Friday morning and went outside to see what it was.

The fox bit the woman on the left leg and wouldn't let go, so she told her husband to get a gun.

The man fired a .22-caliber rifle seven times, killing the animal but also hitting his wife in the lower right leg.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The dead fox will be tested for rabies, but authorities say the results won't be available until next week.

You've gotta love this story. A man's wife is being bitten by a fox on her left leg. So Buffalo Billy Bob gets his .22 and shoots SEVEN times (a shotgun would have done the job after one shot. But the great (depending on your perspective) thing about this story is while this fox is gnawing off his wife's left leg, Private Pyle shoots his wife's right leg.

Not only does it take the guy seven shots to kill something the size of my cat, he shoots his wife in the opposite leg. He saved his wife, but he lost his hunter's safety card.

Those Nutty New Zealander Names

A judge in New Zealand made a nine year old girl in the middle of a custody battle a ward of the court and changed her name. That seems harsh. What if little Suzy, or Elizabeth didn't want her name changed. Well, taht would be one thing.

But if your name is Telula Does The Hula, then you get it. I hear names here in the US that I think are ridiculous. Some names are just flat made up by syllables that people like together. Others are intentionally unusual spellings. But I'm glad that we've not gotten to the extreme here that they have there.

Because it's not as if Telula DTH is alone. One child is named Violence. One, Sex Fruit. These names are funny if you're naming your gerbil or a puppy even. Not if you're naming your child. I wouldn't even name my son Ephraim Alexander because our last name starts with an "R" and I didn't want his initials to be EAR. Just in case he had big ears.

So good for the judge to change this girl's unfortunate name. As for "Yeah Detroit", "Fish and Chips" or "Keenan Got Lucy", I guess they'll have to wait until they can go to the courthouse and do it themselves.

Record .491 blood alcohol level in R.I.

A man in Rhode Island had the highest ever blood alcohol level for someone in the state who wasn't dead. That line alone makes the story interesting. But this guy was driving his car....DRIVING HIS CAR with a .491 BAL.

Here is a list of BAC and the physical and mental impairments associated with the levels:

• .01-.06 Thought, Judgment, Coordination, Concentration
• .06-.10 Reflexes, Reasoning, Depth Perception, Distance Acuity, Peripheral Vision Glare Recovery
• .11-.20 Reaction Time, Gross Motor Control, Staggering, Slurred Speech
• .21-.29 Severe Motor Impairment, Loss of Consciousness, Memory Blackout
• .30-39 Bladder Function, Breathing, Heart Rate
• .40 & greater Breathing, Heart Rate

This guy was more than twice the level of severe motor impairment and loss of consciousness and he thought he was ok to drive. He probably had peed on himself. His breathing and heart rate had been affected. Wow.

Oh, and yes, I plan a revival of the Incongruent Affect. I will post stories about MMM (that's the Manly Men of Mankind) and freakish incidents like the one above. To be clear, an idiot who drinks himself into a .491 blood alcohol level is NOT in the MMM. He's just a moron.