I have pretty much abandoned the word "cult", except to refer to churches and individuals who obviously fit the bill (I think walled compounds and seething hatred at funerals of dead soldiers, for instance, would qualify...but I digress). One of the reasons is that the evangelical community has tossed the word around so much as to make it virtually meaningless. As I think on the individuals, groups and actions, that have shaped my life philosophy, I owe much of it to "cults": It was members o...
I am definitely what is known as an evangelical Christian. Rather fundamentalist, too. But I long ago rejected the proselytization that too often typifies other evangelical, fundamentalist Christians as basically futile. While I have no problem educating someone about the truth, I'm very careful with what I do and do not contest. If you stated, for instance, that the bible said that God was a pink blob of goo that would descend on the earth in 2006 and devour the population, I'd have to conte...
If we want to remedy the various violations of our Constitutional liberties, we must go back and revisit where many of those intrusions began. One of the most glaring examples came about when the government actively persecuted the LDS church in the 1800's. First of all, let me note that I am NOT LDS, nor am I an apologist for their doctrine. In fact, I could hold my own in a debate about the doctrines and practices of the LDS church, but do not wish to do so. They have a right to hold views c...
Link Oh, brother, this is nuts. Now, members of the media are questioning why Vice President Dick Cheney never took hunter's safety courses, implying that that was part of the reason the accident occured. There's one teeny weeny problem there: Texas state law, at least (he was hunting in the state of Texas, remember?) does not reuire hunter's safety for anyone born before 1972. So either the Veep is too young to hold the office (and has a case of progeria) or this law doesn't apply.
As a homeschooler and a Libertarian I am engaged in the school voucher debate quite frequently. While I am not wholly against their use as a temporary measure to break the government monopoly on education (which is, by the way, one of the ten planks of communism...might want to make a note of that for future consideration), I am concerned about the wholesale implementation of such a measure. You see, as a homeschooler, my first concern is that, with government money comes government oversight...
Now, I sat down today and did a rough figure of my taxes. As I played with the numbers, I realized that it would probably take me better than 40 hours to complete my returns, and that I did not have those 40 hours to give (what with First Responder training and Paralegal training, as well as the campaign...I'm simply swamped). There's simply too much to do. So I took it to a tax preparer, and instead, spent 2 hours answering questions (I could have netted a bigger return myself because of how...
I believe very firmly in protecting the rights of a child. Contrary to popular belief, this is not in CONTRADICTION to my virulent opposition of Child Protective Services, but rather, in AFFIRMATION of it. You see, CPS cases are tried in civil court. This is the case because civil court is where PROPERTY disputes are settled. Basically, the philosophy of CPS' actions is that the child is the property of the state, and that the parents, as stewards of the state's property, mismanaged the prope...
OK, pop quiz. True or false: as a United States citizen, the government gives you certain rights, as enumerated in the Bill of Rights? If you've been paying attention here, you would know the answer to that question is: false. While this is a commonly held assumption, it is, in fact, a misunderstanding that has led to our enacting numerous laws that are, in fact, in violation of the United States Constitution. The truth is, the Bill of Rights details rights that we HAVE as US citizens, tha...
Yesterday was the first day of our first responder training for the Volunteer Fire Department. For the uninitiated, First Responders are trained to handle medical emergencies before EMT's and paramedics can arrive on the scene. About two months ago, we pretty much unanimously decided that all of our firefighters should be trained as First Responders, partly because we have a hard time getting enough EMT's, partly because, well, it's a durned good idea. Yesterday was the CPR training. It was a...
Finally, an issue that can unite both the left and the right. My favorite news source ( Link ) has reported the following: Four Generations Of Americans Demand Sitcom Reparations July 25, 2001 | Issue 37•25 WASHINGTON, DC–Pressure is building for the nation's TV networks to offer a formal apology and reparations to the four generations of Americans who lost millions of hours to inane sitcoms. "We, on behalf of this nation's 215 million Telecaust victims, demand extensive repara...
http://fightcps.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3151 Court rules against child caseworkers Lawsuit: A boy, then 12, was removed from his parents; a judge says the workers may be liable By Kirsten Stewart The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune Utah child welfare caseworkers violated state law when they removed a 12-year-old Davis County boy from his home in 1999 - and the workers can be held personally liable, a federal appeals court has said in an unusual ruling. Caseworkers shou...
I was told these words the other day by an individual in regards to our confrontation with CPS. While I understand that fact, I also understand that the fact that I "ticked them off" says FAR more about THEM than it does about ME. You see, if you've followed our encounter, I did one thing and one thing only: asserted my Constitutional rights. The fact that I would be considered some sort of "radical" for doing so explains exactly WHY I must assert my rights, and reaffirms my position.
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I have often made the quite legitimate accusation against certain foreign bloggers that there are dynamics of our American society that they don't understand, and that they write in ignorance of some of those dynamics. Now I have to plead guilty to doing that myself. You see, in the recent uproar over the cartoons published in a Danish newspaper, I applied AMERICAN constitutional standards to my opinion, not those of Europe, or specifically the Danes. While my assessment of the situation w...
I have decided that our family's savings plans needs to go on beyond saving for college, etc. When planning for their future, I have decided it's important to also include a lgeal fund for my children. But it's not just for living wills, etc. The truth is, I realize my children may want to be parents, and that the only way I can assure them that they will be able to do so is to provide them with the money to retain an attorney. As government becomes increasingly intrusive and Com...
It's a day I knew would come. My oldest has decided that she is giving serious consideration to a semi-vegetarian diet (contrary to popular belief, "semi-vegeterian" is a dietary classification recognized by ALL dietitians and is, I believe, and important "first step" for someone who is considering transitioning to vegetarianism because of all the changes that need to be made for that to take place). I knew it would come because she has a deep love for animals. Because she has a smaller build...