Saturday, August 18, 2012

Please no peace sign. Alzheimer's Association offends this veteran.


Yesterday I attended the Walk to End Alzheimer's kick-off lunch event at the Wild Horse Saloon. The Walk to End Alzheimer's is an annual event that takes place in over 600 communities across America and will take place locally in Centennial Park in early October.  It is the major fund raiser for the Alzheimer's Association, which provides funding for research and advocates for a cure.
  
Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in American and as the baby boomer generation ages, more and more people can expect to be afflicted with it. My wife Louella sufferers from Alzheimer's and has been diagnosed for about seven years but probably has actually had the disease for close to ten years. While it is too late to help Louella, I have a passion for the fight to find a cure for this disease.

Yesterday's event was a real downer.  Not because the disease itself is a downer, which it is of course, but because the theme of the event was hippydom.  This is only the second year I have attended the kick-off event and last year the theme was cowboys. I assume every year they have different theme. I am sure the organizers of this event did not mean to offend, but they did. If I had known the kick-off was a hippy theme, I would have skipped it.

One of the sponsors for the event was radio station called Hippy Radio and a Hippy Radio DJ was the MC.  Many of the organizers of the event were dressed in tie-dye and they wore hippy era clothes and love beads and flowers in their hair and some of the guys had on wigs.  The speeches were all peppered with use of words like "groovy" and "right-on."  Quite a few of the organizers of the event wore sunglasses that had a grill over the lens in the shape of a peace sign and a lot of the women had earrings which  were large peace signs. Posters featuring peace signs and other 60's era themes were posted on the walls.

I never was a hippy.  I know a lot of people born after the era was over think that everyone who was a teen or young adult in the sixties or seventies was a hippy. That is simply not so.  A lot of people of that generation were married and traditional and were raising families and working and lot of them were honorable serving their country in Vietnam. I am of that era, and quite frankly I hated hippies.  More than anything, I hated the peace sign.

I know that many think of the peace as just a "cool" emblem. To many it is just generally associated with the fun of getting stoned and creative music and 'going to San Francisco and wearing a flower in your hair.' Flower Power! Groovy! Peace! Far out! Cool!

Many people have no concept of the context of the Peace sign, and they see it is as nothing more than a fashion statement. To some, it has no more meaning than the 60's era smiley face. To some it is just a nostalgic relic of the past.

To me however, it is a symbol of those who won the Vietnam war on behalf of the Viet Cong. It represents those who gave aid and comfort and encouragement to our enemy. It is the banner that prolonged the war and caused more death and destruction. When I see the Peace sign I think of those who marched and chanted "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh" and burned American flags and spit on returning vets. It is the symbol of those who hated America and allied with our enemies. It represents the very worst of my generation.

The Vietnam war was not won by the Communist in the jungles of Vietnam but was won by the "Peace" activist on the college campuses and the streets of America and the peace sign was the banner under which they marched. Those who marched under that banner can take credit for millions of deaths at the hands of the Communist, for many millions more who were enslaved and for prolonging the cold war for an extra thirty years. The Peace sign represents to me those in the Communist fifth column who stabbed us in the back.

If you want to offend me, the Nazi swastika, the Communist hammer and sickle, "KKK", and the Peace sign are all symbols that will do the trick. While we live in an era that is ruled by political correctness which means, among other things, never offending anyone, it seems the only people it is safe to offend are Christians, patriots, and conservatives.  The peace sign was a divisive symbol at the time, and I am not over it.

I was deeply offended at the theme of the kick-off event and the use of the peace sign emblem to kick off the Alzheimer's event. I am sending this essay to the Alzheimer's Association.  I am still going to participate in the fund raiser, because I care more about the battle to find a cure for this horrible disease more than I do the offense I felt at the cute glorification of hippydom and the peace sign.

I will not buy a product that uses the peace sign in its promotion, not will I shop at a store that uses it in its advertising.  When I can do so without causing a scene, I will let those displaying the emblem, know that I am deeply offended.

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Fewer abortions will be performed in Tennessee

A moving truck was outside the Volunteer Women's Medical Clinic in Knoxville last week.A longtime Knoxville abortion provider closed its doors, blaming a newly enacted Tennessee law that requires doctors performing abortions to hold admitting privileges at local hospitals. (link)

My Comment: click here.

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The tea party rally at the Maxwell House Hotel

B.J. Zeagler who attended the tea party rally at the Maxwell House Hotel on Thursday night reports that she had a wonderful time at the event and says, "you missed some good fellowship if you missed it." Phil Valentine kept everyone laughing, she says. She says there were reports about how people in the counties around Nashville are out knocking on doors to support their candidates and some reports of people even going to Ohio and Virginia to help their Tea Party candidates. She reports that over 250 people attended the event and that "our leader Ben Cunningham did a fantastic job."

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Friday, August 17, 2012

Haslam Praises Harwell Amid Hints of Matheny Challenge

Haslam Praises Harwell Amid Hints of Matheny Challenge

wpln.org

A challenge from Matheny risks pitting more conservative House Republicans against the moderate ...

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Southeast Davidson County Conservatives’ Breakfast Meeting

Saturday, August 18th
8:30 am - Breakfast & Social
9:00-10:30 am - Meeting
Shoney’s
Bell Road @ Cane Ridge Rd (I-24E)
($5 minimum food/drink purchase, please)
 
Guest Speaker
Steve Abernathy, Commissioner
Davidson County Election Commission
Steve will give us an update on August Primary & outlook for the “big one” in November
 A special invitation to all our Davidson County Candidates
If you would like to attend, we would be honored to recognize you, along with a couple of minutes to speak!
 Pass this on to your conservative friends

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Ramsey Not Sold on Closed Primaries

Ramsey Not Sold on Closed Primaries | Humphrey on the Hill

blogs.knoxnews.com

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey isn't sold on state Rep. Tony Shipley's call for closed primaries in t...
 
My Comment: I agree with the logic of Ramsey.  Open primaries have served the Party well. 

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Rep. Judd Matheny could challenge Beth Harwell for House Speaker



WKRN, Nashville News
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Republican Representative Judd Matheny sounded more and more Wednesday like he may challenge fellow party member Beth Harwell for House Speaker.....

 He continued, "When core constitutional principles were compromised as I feel they were in the past session, there is a lot of faith that has been lost in the status quo, and I refuse at this point in time to endorse the status quo and be part of its current projectory."

Matheny was referring to the "guns-in-parking lots bill".....

My Comment

Anyone who can so misconstrue the Constitution does not deserve to be Speaker. I am not even sure they deserve to be a Representative.  The Second Amendment is a restriction on government, not your neighbor who does not want you to carry a gun onto his property.

The First Amendment is also a restriction on government. Would Matheny interpret it to require the Tennessean to publish your letter to the editor?

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The Aug. 16, 2012 Sch. Bd meetings: Defying State law on Great Hearts Charter

This is the last meeting of the old School Board and the meeting at which the Board defies state law and fails to approve the Great Hearts charter school application endangering state funding. Check back for notation of highlights and analysis.

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Thursday, August 16, 2012

New Push for Party Registration, Closed Primaries

New Push for Party Registration, Closed Primaries | Humphrey on the Hill

blogs.knoxnews.com

Upset over reports of Democrats voting in GOP primaries earlier this month, some Republicans are rev...
 
State Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, and Mark Winslow, a member of the Republican State Executive Committee, say they met Tuesday with House Speaker Beth Harwell to advocate the idea. Harwell, a former state Republican chairman who has previously opposed closed primaries, said she is now reconsidering the proposal.

But state Republican Chairman Chris Devaney........

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Will Tennessee soon be selling wine in grocery...

Nashville Liberty
Will Tennessee soon be selling wine in grocery stores?

Drop by Mafiaoza's after work and drink some wine and ponder liberty and libations
Judge strikes Ky. ban on stores selling liquor

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165 Million Americans Are Dependents of the State: Is Tyranny Next?

Was Madison's "cure" to a tyranny of the majority and the mischiefs of faction effective?

By Bill Wilson — Is America descending into a dependency state, where the majority uses its voting power to demand government services from taxpayers?

New research from Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee Jeff Sessions (R-AL) reveals that this reality may already be here, with more than 107 million Americans on some form of means-tested government welfare.

Add to that 46 million seniors collecting Medicare (subtracting out about 10 million on.......

Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2012/08/165-million-americans-are-dependents-of-the-state-is-tyranny-next/#ixzz23k9enuW4

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Nashville Tea Party Meeting

From

Profile Picture
Please Join us 



Thurs Aug 16 at 7PM
at the Millennium Maxwell House
Hotel Conference Center: MAP


Parking is FREE and there is no charge for attending. Bring along a friend and lets work together to preserve this GREAT COUNTRY.

Special Guest Speaker: Phil Valentine

Talk with other Tea Party activists about the November Election and how to STOP Obamacare.

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Liberty on the Rocks Back to School Happy Hour

LOTR welcomes back the college students, everyone should join us on the patio for thoughts on issues of the day!

Thursday, August 16 at 5:30pm at MAFIAOZA'S 12th South
I'll drink to that. 

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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Update 2: what happened at the 8/7 Council Meeting: Wynn wins

Brenda Wynn was elected County Court Clerk by the Council to fill the remainder of term of office of John Arriolo who resigned in disgrace creating the vacancy. She was elected by a vote of 28 to 9. Charlie Tygard sought the office also, pledging he would only serve out the remainder of the current term and would not seek reelection to the office and he would donate the salary to charity. Tygard got votes from Bennett, Glover, Stites, Claiborne, Tenpenny, Weiner, Blalock, Dominy, and Duvall. Read more here and here.




Council Member Karen Johnson presents a large version of a framed resolution honoring  Mrs. Rosetta Miller Perry as a "civil rights pioneer."  She takes the opportunity to criticize the Council. (Starts at 2:28)

Congressman Jim Cooper attends the Council meeting and his presence is recognized but he gets no face-time on TV.

The election of the County Court Clerk starts at 22:28. Each candidate is given five minutes. Mr. Eaton withdraws his name from consideration. Charlie Tygard makes a good presentation.  If I would have been serving in the Council, I would have had to vote for Charlie Tygard. He makes a very good case, promising not to seek reelection to the office and offering to donate his salary to the city. (The election is concluded at 37:58)

A discussion of Bill 2012-195, on public hearing, starts at 46:09.  This bill would rezone hundreds of acres in midtown along the corridor of the proposed East-West  bus rapid transit route (BRT). Included in the proposed BRT plan is a new authority to impose new taxes on the properties along this corridor. Several people speak against the bill. There is a lot of unknowns about this proposal. How many riders on the BRT? How will it be funded? What will it cost? In my view, this bill was very premature. The bill is wisely deferred for two meetings. Discussion ends at 56:40.

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"No Refusal" Law goes into effect for Labor Day

"No Refusal" Law goes into effect for Labor Day

www2.wjhl.com

A new law enacted by the Tennessee state legislature this year is making it easier to get drunk driv...
 
 
 As a public service I am repeating a previous essay: 
 

Monday, February 16, 2009

How to Drive Drunk

I have never been arrested for drunk driving but I admit I have been guilty of it. I guess I have been lucky. As a young adult I was more often guilty of it than I have been as an older adult. Nevertheless, from time to time, I still have probably technically met the blood alcohol level for being drunk.

I don’t encourage anyone to drive drunk. Don’t do it. Drunk driving kills people. Getting arrested can be costly and humiliating. It can ruin your life. You can go to jail and loose your license. Have a designated driver. Call a cab. Have a friend drive you. Having said all of that however, there may be times when you will have a sufficient amount of adult beverage that you could register drunk even though you don’t think you are drunk. I am offering this guide to help you improve your drunk driving skills.

Know that you don’t have to be “drunk” to register DUI. You do not have to be sloppy, falling down drunk to register as DUI. If you go out with your friends and spend an evening drinking and partying you very well may end up drunk. If you think you should not drive then by all means don’t. Often you will not know if you are drunk or not, so unless you know exactly how much you have had to drink and weather or not that would constitute drunk driving, then assume you are technically drunk.

This weekend, I had a dinner at my sister’s house where we celebrated the birthday of her two children. We had wine with dinner then had mango-peach flavored brandy with coffee for desert. This was not a wild party but we had a fun evening. I was not drunk. No one was drunk. But, I don’t know how many drinks I had and it is possible that I or someone else at the party had enough alcohol to fail a Blood Alcohol Concentration test. You do not have to appear intoxicated or have any of the symptoms that we think of as “drunk” to have a BAC that legally makes you guilty of Driving Under the Influence. If you drink and you drive you have probably driven “drunk.”

Track your consumption and don’t have “one for the road.” At the birthday party at my sister’s this weekend, I don’t think I had too much to drink, but I did not keep track of my intake. That is what often happens. If you are having dinner with friends and you have a pre-dinner cocktail and wine with dinner and after dinner liquore with coffee, you might register drunk. Try to keep your alcohol consumption to a level that falls below the BAC limit.

On occasion I like to go to Lower Broadway to listen to live music and party. If I have 8, 12-ounce beers in a four-hour period I should have a BAC of about .068, however if I have 9 beers in four hours that means I have a BAC of .085 and am legally drunk. “One for the road” could put me over the limit. Actually, I seldom have eight in a four hour period, but it has happened.

My wife and I like to go to the monthly “art crawl,” an event on the first Saturday of every month where several art gallery have openings. A shuttle takes you from gallery to gallery. Most of the galleries serve h’orderves and wine. Five 5-ounce glasses of wine in two hours is under the limit; six glasses in two hours is over the limit. On the normal art crawl event, my consumption would be well below the BAC limit but sometimes it may approach that limit.

A female can drink less than a male and a slender person can drink less than a heavy person. For a 115 pound female, three glasses of wine in two hours is drunk. Don’t try to keep up with the other people in your party. Know your limit. Skip a round. Drink slower. Some people assume that wine is less inebriating than tequila shots. That is not so. A 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits have the same impact on an individual's BAC level.

Here is a calculator that will give you guidance on how much alcohol you can consume and an estimate of BAC. Please be aware that this is only a guide. If you are drinking on an empty stomach, your BAC may be higher than indicated in the calculator.

Plan your trip. Avoid places where the police might see you. When I go to the honkytonk strip on lower Broadway to party, I never park on Broadway. I live on the south side of town, so I park a block or two south of Broadway on one of the one-way streets heading south. The less exposed you are to the police the less chance you have of getting caught.

Be aware that you are impaired. If you didn’t keep track of how much you drank then assume you are may have had enough to register drunk and use your best drunk-driving skills. "Thinking" skills, like perceiving and evaluating risks, or processing information are not easily visible to outside observers, but they are the first skills to be adversely affected by alcohol. Be aware of this.

Stop the Party. You are having a good time. You are joking and singing and laughing. You hate to end the party, but if there is any chance that you are driving with an elevated BAC, then stop the party. Say, “OK folks, we need to straighten up. I need your help in getting us home.” Don’t sing or engage in distracting conversation. Turn off the radio. Don’t talk on the cell phone. Give driving your undivided attention. Don’t let anyone in the car have an open container.

Check the checklist. Have a mental checklist. You don’t want to get stopped because you failed to use your turn signal. I was once stopped by the police on lower Broadway and forced to take a Breathalyzer. I knew I had only had two beers in a two-hour period so I was not concerned. The reason they stopped is that I had not tuned on my headlights as I pulled out into the street. The downtown area is well lit and this was just an oversight. The police are looking for excuses to stop you; don’t give them one. Seat belts? Check. Adjust the mirror? Check. Turn off the radio? Check. Turn on the headlights? Check.

Concentrate; pay attention. Be aware of your driving. Don’t relax. Keep both hands on the wheel. Don’t be distracted. Make sure you do not weave. Are you staying within the lines? Drive just below the speed limit. Don’t tailgate. Pay attention to the car in front of you. If they put on their brakes, notice it. If you are approaching an intersection with a traffic light, pay close attention. Plan that traffic light stop. Don’t run a yellow light.

Use your co-pilot. Ask the person in the passengers seat to help you drive. Ask them to tell you if you weave or tailgate or go too fast.

If you get stopped. Unless you are certain that you have had less than the number of drinks it would take to raise your BAC level to the .08 level, then common wisdom holds that it is a good idea to refuse the breathalyzer test. It generally is more difficult to convict a driver of drunk driving if no chemical tests are taken.

Update: With the new "no refusal law" you cannot really refuse, but if there is any chance you may be over the BAC then refuse anyway and make the police get a search warrant.  The longer you can delay, the greater chances are that your BAC will drop.  Also the new law may be overruled if challenged and there may be technical deficiency in the search warrant.

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Radical Muslim and Sharia Law Seminar



This Truth Media Institute Seminar- Understanding the Enemy Inside 
will cover
• Sharia Law and what it means 
• History of Islam starting from the 6th century 
• Discussion of the intentions of Islam 
• Video representation of how it is effecting America 

Hear from special guest speakers: Political Islam experts Dr. Bill Warner, Nonie Darwish and others 

 Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, 2025 Rosa Parks Blvd Nashville, TN 37228 
 Registration $50, $60 Day of event, August 25th 11am to 4pm... or mail payments by check or money order to: The Truth Media, Inc/Carl Boyd, J, P0 Box 1787, Antioch, TN 37011, For more info: carl@nbttr.com



Disclaimer: From time to time A Disgruntled Republican may post announcements of interest to the conservative, libertarian, or greater community. Such announcements are posted as a public service to spread awareness and do not necessarily constitute an endorsement.

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Gov. Haslam praises Speaker Beth Harwell



 "It is hard for me to look at what Speaker Harwell has accomplished in her first two years as Speaker in very substantive accomplishments, and not say she has been very effective as a Speaker. That's a very difficult role too. I have a new appreciation for it. When you have 99 elected members all of whom have a little different idea it's difficult to do that even if your party has a big majority. I think most people would look at the job Beth has done and be very, very impressed."


Haslam Praises Harwell Amid Hints of Matheny Challenge

Judd Matheny
Tuesday, August 14th, 2012, by Daniel Potter
Governor Bill Haslam is backing current State House Speaker Beth Harwell, amid hints that a fellow Republican could challenge her control of the lower chamber. Tullahoma Rep. Judd Matheny says he might try to unseat Harwell.Rep.

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Ed Commissioner: Metro School Board Violated State Law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/NewsChannel 5) - Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said the Metro Nashville school board's decision to put off approval of a charter school application is a violation of state law.

On Tuesday night, the school board discussed the effort by Great Hearts Academies to open a school on the city's affluent west side. After two hours, the board decided to postpone a vote. (link)

My Comment

Why is the School Board taking such an obstinate course of action? Twice the School Board denied Great Hearts' application and, as State law allows, Great Hearts appealed to the State Board of Education, who then ordered the city to reconsider and approve the charter school. Cities do not have sovereignty. The city must comply. 

The State Board of Education has issued a statement that says, "The State Board of Education urges the MNPS Board to take the actions necessary to comply with the requirements of state law. Needless delays, the unnecessary expenditure of MNPS resources, and posturing relative to this charter school approval do not benefit the students of Nashville."

Check back for updates on who voted how, on this issue. 

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Hitler Finds Out Tennessee Republicans Want Closed Primaries



 I tend to agree with Mark Rodgers' comment about this clip:

This would be hilarious if it were not being touted by people who want to take over the Republican Party by shrinking it to a rump of intolerant extremists. Think 'Lord of the Flies' meets Ayn Rand.

The tragedy is that Republicans came to power in Tennessee partly because open primaries allowed new voters to pick and choose. Over time this worked to the Republicans advantage. Now a minority of ideologues who can't be bothered with the complexities of public policy want to give up what works and undermine our successes.

Also the idea that Democrats can influence Republican primaries is nonsense. They can't even control their own primaries.

Hah!! Still, this is very funny.

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Messengers for Liberty Documentary with a local connection

Messengers for Liberty Documentary Trailer

www.youtube.com

Messengers for Liberty is a six hour documentary series about the grassroots movement growing in Ame...
 
Some of this was filmed in Nashville. One of the people with a speaking roll in this clip is Barry Donnegan, a former member of the executive committee of the Davidson County Republican party. 


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Monday, August 13, 2012

Speaker Harwell on “guns-in-parking-lots”


Business interests and gun rights advocates reached an impasse last session over gun owners leaving their firearms in their cars where property owners prohibit it. House Speaker Beth Harwell told Kiwanians no one group will control the outcome of that issue in 2013.

The gun lobby won a political victory in making an example of Debra Maggart and no doubt some wavering members of the legislature will be more inclined to buckle under the threat of being next on the gun lobby hit list. We can be assured this bill will come back up in the next legislative session.

No matter how many times they say it, this is not a Second Amendment issue. The Second Amendment is a restriction on government, not private property owners. The Second Amendment no more gives you the right to carry a gun on to the property of another than does the First Amendment mandate that a newspaper must print your letter to the editor.

Nevertheless, it may be within the purview of government to mandate that your employer cannot prohibit you from carrying a gun onto the parking lot of your employer and leaving it in your locked car. None of our rights are absolute. We already accept many restrictions on private property owners. An example is that a business may not refuse to serve someone because of race. We long ago accepted this. In your restaurant, you cannot serve whites only. We also accept zoning restrictions and codes restrictions and property taxes.

What I do not understand, is how this issue ever became an issue. If you carry a gun onto your employers property and don't tell anyone, how will the employer ever know?  I doubt any employer is going to go to the expense of having inspectors search every car that pulls into his parking lot to determine if there is gun in the car.

Does your employer now have the right to search your car? I don't know. Could your employer prohibit you from bringing certain reading material on to his property and leaving it in your locked car?  I don't know. If someone can explain this controversy in more detail, I would welcome the explanation. Maybe the legislature can mandate some version of don't-ask-don't-tell as it relates to carrying a gun onto the parking lot of one's employer.

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Speaker Harwell on wine-in-grocery stores


We can't buy wine in grocery stores. Maybe we really are under Sharia law and I didn't know it.

I wish the wine lobby was as powerful as the gun lobby. I would like to make an example out of someone.

It is past time that we stopped being a rural backwater and it is time we joined the civilized world and let people buy their wine where they buy their steak or fish.

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Not only Bill Haslam is accused of promoting Islamo-Fascism

Governor Bill Haslam is not the only Republican governor the anti-Sharia contingent of the "conservative" movement is accusing of embracing Islamo-Fascist.  Look what they are saying about New Jersey Governor Chis Christie: Christie’s Embrace of Islamo-Fascists.

Chris Christie is fighting back:

 Christie complained about a “gaze of intolerance that’s going around our country that is disturbing,” and referred dismissively to concerns that he has gotten too close to Islamic supremacists: “These are the kind of red herrings that people put up who are bigots, who want to judge people based upon their religious beliefs, want to judge people with a broad brush.”

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Civil society needs real marriage

I don't think anyone could argue that the institution of marriage has not been weakened in recent decades. This essay from the Witherspoon Institute reviews the argument for and against same-sex marriage in a new book, Debating Same-Sex Marriage, and makes the case that  civil society needs real marriage, as it has always existed, to preserve itself.

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Sunday, August 12, 2012

Nashville rates high in growth of population with a college education

Perhaps the myth most devastated by the study, which looked at the change in the number of people with bachelor’s degrees in the 51 largest metropolitan statistical areas from 2000-2010, is that there is, as the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson has insisted, a “bipolar population shift” in which the educated go to the expensive blue regions while families and dummies (often conflated as the same thing) flock to the brain-dead reaches of the Sunbelt. In fact, during the first decade of the 21st century, the number of college graduates in Las Vegas increased by a remarkable 78%, the biggest jump in the nation over the period, while in second place Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., the college-educated population expanded by 60%. Other surprise cities in the top 10 — Charlotte, N.C. , (No. 5) ; San Antonio (No. 6); Jacksonville, Fla. (No. 7); Orlando (eighth); and Nashville, Tenn. (ninth) — all saw 40% to 50% increases in their college-educated population. (link)

Comment:  I just found this interesting and thought my  readers may also. I am bullish on Nashville.  I chose to live here and I love this city. Any time Nashville rates high on some metric, and it often does, it makes me proud.

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Not from the Qur'an but from the Bible

In his article in the Tennessean yesterday (Muslims look on Shariah in many ways), Mr. Alexander starts his essay with this:

On the wedding night, the groom suspects that his young bride is not the virgin he presumed her to be. He brings his case before the judges, and the girl’s parents are asked to prove her innocence. The parents fail; the young girl is given over to the mob and she is stoned to death. The community is satisfied that justice is done; the parents live with a stain on the family’s reputation; the groom begins anew his search for an unblemished bride.
He then ask if we really believe something like this could happen in Tennessee because Muslims build a Mosque in Murfressboro and because the Haslam administration hires a Muslim. Then, however, he reveals that the law code calling for the execution of the bride comes, not from the Qur'an but from the Bible, Deuteronomy 22:13-21.

I bet most of the anti-Sharia activist were fooled.

Every time I post something suggesting that not all Muslim are terrorist or that the First Amendment also applies to followers of the Muslim faith or that there really are some secular Muslims, people send me numerous verses from the Qur'an and suggest I read the Qur'an.

I have never read the Qur'an. I have attended seminar where it was quoted and I have read in it, but I have never read the whole book. I have read parts of it and skimmed it but it was too boring to read it all. So, I don't know the Qur'an very well. However, I am pretty familiar with the Bible. I have read or had read to me the Bible from cover to cover twice and have read the Bible at random for many many years.

I am often surprised at how little most people know about the Bible. They may have been attending church their whole life and still not know much Bible. There are some passages in the Bible that are almost never read from the pulpit.

One of the things I noticed about the verses people send me from the Qur'an is that a lot of them sound very familiar to Bible verses.

I thought it might be fun to see if people can pick from a collection of verses those that are from the Qur'an and which are from the Bible. If this was a game show we could call it, "Know Your Bible; Know Your Qur'an."

Some of the verses are a give-away, because they use the term "Allah" or have other obvious clues but many of them are hard to determine. Take the following quiz and see how many you can get correct. The Answers are at the end.

Know your Bible; Know your Qur'an

Charging interest/usury

(A) Those who charge usury are in the same position as those controlled by the devil's influence. This is because they claim that usury is the same as commerce. However, God permits commerce, and prohibits usury. Thus, whoever heeds this commandment from his Lord, and refrains from usury, he may keep his past earnings, and his judgment rests with God. As for those who persist in usury, they incur Hell, wherein they abide forever.

(B) If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.

Murder, rape, and pillage

(C) So they sent twelve thousand warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children. "This is what you are to do," they said. "Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin." Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the little remnant of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the four hundred women of Jabesh-gilead who were spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them. The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had left this gap in the tribes of Israel. So the Israelite leaders asked, "How can we find wives for the few who remain, since all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead? There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever. But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God's curse."
Then they thought of the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards. When the women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to be your wife! And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, 'Please be understanding. Let them have your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not give your daughters in marriage to them.'"

So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. They kidnapped the women who took part in the celebration and carried them off to the land of their own inheritance. Then they rebuilt their towns and lived in them. So the assembly of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

(D) As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.

Rape

(E) If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.

(F) And forbidden to you are wedded wives of other people except those who have fallen in your hands as prisoners of war . . .

Parents

(G) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

(H) Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.

(I) Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,

Kill your enemies

(J) But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

(K) Remember Thy Lord inspired the angels with the message: "I am with you: give firmness to the believers, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips of them."

Stone to death

(L) If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19 his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. 20 They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." 21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death."

(M) "If any man takes a wife, and goes in on her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin..."
"But if ... evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones..."

Homosexuality

(N) If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

(O) Lot said to his people, "You commit such an abomination; no one
in the world has done it before! "You practice sex with the men,
instead of the women. Indeed, you are a transgressing people."

(P) "Do you have sex with the males, of all the people? "You forsake
the wives that your Lord has created for you! Indeed, you are
transgressing people."

Women and modesty

(Q) Do not be soft in your speech in a way that may excite men to feel an eager desire for you or lust after you, lest in whose heart is malice and is devoid of soundness and rectitude should be excited to feel a desire for you or lust after you.
Do not show or display fineries or ornaments or beauties of your form or countenance that may excite a man’s lust

(R) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

Women to be submissive to men

(S) Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Sex Slaves

(T) When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.

Genocide

(U) "Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod. Yes, march against Babylon, the land of rebels, a land that I will judge! Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them, as I have commanded you," says the LORD. "Let the battle cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction".

(V) When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are all more powerful than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them, and don't let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters. They will lead your young people away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will destroy you.

Alcohol

(W) “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die,

(X) Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

(Y) "O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan's handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper."

Love

(Z) And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in peace and tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect"

(AA) However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Acts of compassion

(BB) "And what will explain to you what the steep path is? It is the freeing of a slave from bondage; or the giving of food in a day of famine to an orphan relative, or to a needy in distress. Then will he be of those who believe, enjoin fortitude and encourage kindness and compassion."
`
Bible: B, C, D, E, G, I, J, L, M, N, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, AA,
Qur'an: A, F, H, K, O, P, Q, Y, Z, BB
How many did you get right?

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