|
Website of the Week
Another great movie from the BBC.
Local Pump Price of Unleaded Gasoline:
$3.89/gallon
Price Per Barrel of Oil:
$136.04 (previously $125.96)
last modified Jul 8, 2008 at 22:33
I'm sure most of my blog's readers already read Barlowfarms or Annie's blog, but even so, please pray that God will take care of Jon and Ann's baby. The ultrasound showed that there might be a heart problem, so they are going to see a pediatric cardiologist to check it out.
Well, the last few days were strange around here at Hogue Heaven. Apparently, the blog server was down, which is just utter helplessness on my part. Those are usually the days that I'm chomping at the bit to say something with a whole list of interesting topics to discuss.
For those who patiently endured my own personal blog 'blackout', thank you. For those who didn't notice or who were hoping that I would never come back,...well, ahem!
This site shows the potential benefit to the economies of each state that would occur if the US began drilling for oil in ANWR.
In Mississippi,
6,000 jobs
In California,
80,000 jobs
Uh, what are we waiting for?
Feddie has said today, commenting on Alabama SJ Roy Moore's defiance of a federal judge's order to remove the Ten Commandments from the Alabama State Supreme Court Building:
You see folks, Attorney General Pryor understands what it means to uphold the rule of law (even when one doesn't like it). Moore, on the other hand, is nothing but a two bit televangelist in a robe with a messiah complex to boot. And Rev. Fallwell, with all due respect, you need to shut up. You and Pat Robertson have done some good things in the past, but you often harm the cause more than you help it by acting like jackasses on a consistent basis. Yes Moore is right about the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments monument, but that is beside the point. A federal court has ruled otherwise, and until and unless that court's order is overturned it must be obeyed and will be enforced. The rule of law must be respected and honored--especially by the chief justice of a state supreme court.
I hate to do this, Feddie, but I beg to differ on this one. There is a higher appeal, a higher judge, and a higher law here. Roy Moore is taking his stand, not to aggrandize himself (have you seen or heard how the media loves to paint him as an extremist judge?), but he is trying to honor God. In all these things, such as abortion, homosexual marriage, separation of church/state, etc., one ultimately comes to a 'line in the sand' moment such as this.
Christians are always to "subject themselves to the governing authorities" but when that subjection calls for disobedience or dishonor to God, they are to do what Daniel, Meshak, Shadrach, Abednego, Paul, and many other Christians have done... obey God over man. Shadrach and his friends could have easily just gone along and not made a big deal about bowing down to the idol. Daniel could have closed his windows or hid in a closet to pray to God. Paul could have stopped preaching in the streets. They all could have, but they didn't, and God took care of them.
Besides, since when do federal judges make it their business to look into State Supreme Court buildings for violations of the "establishment clause"? I do not know a whole lot about such legal matters, but it seems to me that there are probably a lot better things that a federal judge could be doing for the betterment of our country.
If you watch TV (and I will assume that you do), you will notice that you apparently, as a parent, do not quite know all that you need to teach your children about. Come on, Mom and Dad, you aren't doing your jobs. You should be "making your kids aware" and "letting them know" about these issues and more:
-Safe Sex
-AIDS
-Drug Abuse
-Underage Drinking
-Hate Crimes
-High School Violence
-Teenage Pregnancy
So what exactly are you supposed to teach them? Should you teach them that as Christians they are to live their lives in an honorable way by seeking to obey and glorify God in all they do and think? Ha! Are you kidding?
We're not trying to make them into mind-numbed robots, people! We have to give them choices, options, alternatives, etc. Don't tell them that sex out of marriage is sinful and could carry with it several of the listed "issues". You must let them know that "you care" and make sure that you always "know where they are and what they are doing" when they go to party at night.
In fact, if you are a good parent, your appointment book should be filled with important "meetings" with your child:
Monday --- Birds and the Bees, Drug Abuse
Tuesday --- Television Violence, Xtasy
Wednesday --- Drinking Responsibly, Understanding Alternative Lifestyles
Thursday thru Sunday nights --- No meetings on these nights, kids are out partying. You know, kids have to be kids.
I've decided to take the human language into my own hands and revise a few words. Some words need to change with the times. Yet others just need to be more descriptive and colorful.
Computer- Humdinger.
Car- Helldemon
Wine- Grapejuice
Democrat- Nonrepublican
Newspaper- Paperwaste
Millenialism- Wheelbarrowism
Anyone care to join in the fun? Imagine. You can think of yourself as a nonrepublican who wakes up in the morning to read his paperwaste and then hops in his sporty helldemon on his way to work. You get a lot of work done on the humdinger during the day and head on home to sip a vintage grapejuice while reading up on the theological magnificence of postwheelbarrowism. Adds a little spice (or should I say 'hooha') to your day, eh?
I have to say that my hat is off to Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and his stand against a federal judge who ruled that he must remove a Ten Commandments monument from the State Courthouse.
I think that Judge Moore should challenge the Federal judge to a duel over the issue to settle it like true gentlemen. Leave the Supreme Court out of it. It would certainly establish a clear winner. The same thing should have been done for the Bush v. Gore election debacle. No more whiny losers.
In the constant pursuit of uncounterfeitable money, the US Treasury will be releasing some colorful 20 dollar bills. To me, some of the additions look like the manic doodling of a blind man, but if the US government says they'll reduce counterfeiting, well by Andrew Jackson, that's what we need to do!
I have to admit, there are times when I would like to put my minivan out of its misery, but burning a Dodge Caravan with myriads of "issues" in a fiery blaze would be a merciful act not vengeance.
We hope to get a new car soon for our growing family (yes, Ann, we are emulating the Barlows once again) and are pondering acquiring a used vehicle that will not have us eating rice and water for five years but will still reliably get us to where we need to go without incident and in a somewhat aesthetically pleasing fashion. Any sage words of wisdom from our vehicle savvy friends?
The Corner is asking for the most creative e-mail spam one can contrive, the Ultimate Spam. Here is my humble attempt:
Imprisoned Kenyan President Exchanges Sexual Enhancement Surgeries for Freedom
--My American friend, a close associate of mine who lives in the US, gave me your name as a trustworthy confidant and respected citizen. I know little about Internet, but what I know come from Online Class at University of Phoenix (for more information, click here). Things were going great a few months ago for my family, the royal Hoodoos. I had recently met my wife, Princess Nairobi, at NetPersonals (click here) and, listen close my friend, the pills for her breast enlargement (click here to learn about how Breastopia can change your life) worked magnificently. We even refinanced our palace at the lowest interest rate possible with Loanhouse.com. Ah, I digress a bit. With a new Mercedes Benz from AutoNet (click here for the largest online selection of new and used vehicles), times were good.
My father, King Voo Hoodoo, was imprisoned by the evil rebel known as Bushtoo. Even with the $10,584 that I discovered in my name on FoundMoney.com, I did not have the desire to negotiate with this evil terrorist (To join President Bush's call to service, volunteer at FreedomCorp.com).
That is why, my friend, I must ask special favor of you. We have hundreds of millions of US dollars that we must wire to an American bank account to protect it from confiscation by the Bustooean rebels. So, I beg, plead of you. I am humble man. Please provide me with your account information and we will use your account to harbor our funds. We will give you $20 million for your kindness. In addition, we help you get your, how do you say, manliness enlarged by getting you big discount at BSD Medical Enhancements, Inc. Also, please give, I humbly speak, a credit card number for the cost of wiring. We cannot risk the chance of getting discovered by Bushtoo. (Don't have a credit card, you are now eligible for 0.0% APR for 6 months if you apply for the EasyWay Visa card. For more details, click here.)
Your faithful servant,
Prince Moo Hoodoo
Kenyan Royal Family
It appears to me that the Anti-Defamation League's concerns related to Mel Gibson's The Passion are off-base and overhyped. It is just historical accuracy to portray that the Jesus' crucifixion was instigated by the religious leaders of Israel who just happen to be Jews.
Now, if Gibson is historically accurate, he will no doubt implicate the Gentiles as well in Jesus' death since he was crucified by Roman soldiers (Gentiles) who were acting on Pontius Pilate's (Gentile) orders. Even Herod (another Gentile) had an opportunity to protect Jesus.
I think that the purpose of The Passion is not to incite hatred towards the Jews, but to present a moving account of Jesus' crucifixion and prod us toward godly sorrow over his suffering on our behalf. How a Christian can derive an Anti-Semitic attitude from this is beyond me, especially considering the fact that Jesus is a Jew and most of His early followers were Jews.
How many of you recognize the artist and song for the AT&T Go-Phones commercial?
I have really enjoyed watching The Restaurant on Sunday nights. The show follows Rocco Dispirito, restuaranteer and entrepreneur, as he opens his new restaurant Rocco's in downtown NYC.
What makes this different than most reality shows is that it gives you a glimpse into the inner workings of a business, showing how his managerial style affects his staff and the success of the restaurant. I have actually applied leadership theory (like a true MBA nerd) while watching the day-to-day situations play out in a living and breathing case story.
Something about the show is refreshing and novel too. Maybe it is that this is a scenario that is actually beneficial to watch in a reality show format.
Some religious bumper stickers that I have seen:
"Elect Jesus Lord of your life"
"Looking for Jesus? Look for his mother!"
"No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, know peace." (I actually like that one.)
Some interesting reflections from Dr. Laura pulled from WorldNetDaily. She indicates that she is becoming somewhat disenchanted with Judaism, especially its rituals. Very interesting article, here's a sample:
Where is she now spiritually?
''Nowhere exactly,'' she chuckled. ''Suspended animation. I still see myself as a Jew. But the spiritual journey in that direction – as hard-core as I was at it – just didn't fulfill something in me that I needed.''
........
''I have envied all my Christian friends who really, universally, deeply, feel loved by God,'' she told her listeners last Tuesday. ''They use the name Jesus, in referring to God. My Christian friends generally talk about Jesus when referring to God. That was a mystery, feeling connected to God. To me that was a mystery, and I was very sad about that and very envious of my friends.''
Derbyshire on homosexuality:
I don't want to bang on about this too much, but I am in a state of black despair about this whole miserable business. Look: I'm an Anglican. I know the hymns and liturgy, I know the history. I grew up with it all. I go into an Episcopalian church as one going to a refuge from noise and money and the damn fool Zeitgeist. I go looking for eternal truth, and expecting to find it. If this church that I grew up with is going to be a club for homosexuals, turning its teachings upside down to accommodate every passing social fad, "celebrating" the "gay" ethos, what is there in it for normal people like me? But now where shall I go? The Roman Catholic church is headed the same way--half the priests are queer already, people tell me. I get e-mails--a surprising number--from people who have left the western Catholic churches and found a spiritual home among the Orthodox. Well, I'm open to the suggestion; but why, in my fifties, should I have to give up the devotional habits of a lifetime? Just losing the hymns would break my heart. And in any case, the Orthodox priesthood, with all those bright vestments and ministrational hierarchies, is going to be just as appealing to homosexuals as the Catholic churches have proved, and will sooner or later go the same way. We have let something loose in our society, and it won't rest until it has occupied the commanding heights and forcibly shut the mouths of all who object--bigots! homophobes! haters! I have never liked homosexuality, nor tried to hide that fact; but all my life I have supported tolerance towards homosexuals as a harmless minority who are just as entitled to pursue their private inclinations as the rest of us. I have always thought that the criminalization of homosexual acts was both foolish, and inhumane, and un-Christian. I am no longer so sure. Perhaps our grandfathers were wiser than us. Perhaps there are some things that we, the normal majority, SHOULD, deliberately and consciously, disapprove and marginalize. But what hope of that now? The toothpaste is out of the tube. To the catacombs!
Yesterday, we had our Mississippi primaries for statewide and local offices. One of our church members is running for the Mississippi Senate and looks like he may have eked out a narrow victory. Haley Barbour, a political veteran of the Reagan and Bush administrations, won the Republican nomination.
In the Mississippi primary, you get a party ballot. In other words, if you want to vote for a Republican for governor but a certain Democrat for Senate, then you are out of luck. One has to choose one party and vote for candidates within that party.
This makes our results a little misleading. If you were looking at the results, you would think that most people in the state are democrat, but since it is a local election, people are voting for friends or local sons regardless of party.
If you are interested in viewing the election results, click here for our local television station's breakdown.
From IWon.com:
The House of Deputies, a legislative body composed of clergy and lay people from dioceses nationwide, voted Sunday to approve the Rev. V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. The House of Bishops now takes up the matter.
After the deputies' endorsement, Robinson said, "I rejoice with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and all those working for full inclusion" of homosexuals in the church. He appealed to opponents not to leave the denomination, but said he would not be responsible if they did.
"What binds us together is our faith," said Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two. "We should not hold any one issue above or higher than our commitment to Jesus Christ."
Translation: It would be a shame if you narrow-minded Episcopalian literalists got upset because your new bishop is gay and engaged in a lifestyle that Scripture forbids. If you want to leave the church, then the matter is on your own heads and not the gay bishop's fault in the least.
The Hogue family had a very interesting weekend. Sparing the gory details, suffice it to say, we have to buy a new washing machine and new brakes for the minivan.
|
