Wednesday, July 18, 2012
News, Views and Reports from the Culture Wars
* "If you live in a battleground state, you undoubtedly have noticed that President Obama is running negative ads against Mitt Romney that outnumber Romney’s ads by three to one, five to one, or eight to one. At the same time, we read that in recent months, Romney has significantly out-raised Obama. So what is going on?" -- The answer to that important question is explained by John Hinderaker (and Byron York) in this illuminating PowerLine post.
* "For the past year, Union members in Connecticut have been putting the lives of Alzheimer’s patients at risk by sabotaging nursing homes over a contract dispute. A little over 17 months ago the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) decided to reject the employment contract being offered by HealthBridge Management, a company that operates a chain of nursing homes. Instead of continuing the negotiations or accepting a contract, the SEIU decided to go on strike. But just walking off the job leaving these poor patients at risk isn’t all they did. These unionistas also sabotaged nursing home facilities." (Read more of "Union Sabotage Puts Nursing Home Residents in Danger" by Warner Todd Huston right here at Liberty News.)
* "At least five of the president’s “bundlers” — in lay terms, people who form groups with their acquaintances and pool funds in order to donate significant sums to campaigns — run firms that keep some of their money in tax havens such as Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands, and Bermuda. This is exactly the same behavior for which the president’s ad condemns Romney." (Read more of Betsy Woodruff's story, "Obama's Offshore Team" at NRO.)
* "A huge national food manufacturing company in the U.S. does more than just deliver great-tasting prepackaged meals - it delivers them with a pro-life flair. JTM Food Group, which boasted $100 million in sales just last year, delivers their meals to schools, restaurants, the military, and government organizations using 20 semitrailers, each displaying a prodigious image of a beautiful smiling baby on the rear panel with the words 'Life, what a beautiful choice.' The bottom reads: 'JTM: A Right to Life Company.'" (From a LifeSiteNews story by Peter Baklinski. Here's more.)
* Did you know that the Chevy Volt, Barack Obama's signature vehicle, is a grand (and very and expensive) bust? Read this article bySeton Motlery over at NewsBusters and learn how the media is covering for the President's outrageous failure.
* "The Obama campaign may be attacking Republican rival Mitt Romney for investing abroad, but it is not shy about raising campaign cash overseas. Last week, the campaign held a fundraiser for American expatriates in Shanghai, raking in large sums from those benefiting from the sort of personal and professional investment overseas that President Barack Obama has cast as unpatriotic in a recent attack ad against Romney...
The overseas contributions are legal, as long as they are made by American citizens. But the Obama campaign had to return a number of overseas contributions from non-citizens in the 2008 cycle, and it has been accused once again of being too lax in preventing such contributions in 2012. Regardless, the hypocrisy of attacking Romney for investment abroad, then raising money from those working and investing abroad, is glaring." (Joel B. Pollack, "Outsourced: Obama Campaign Raises Money in China--Again" published at Breitbart.)
* "Unlike Google, which provides a service via technology that other companies can't match (think: Search or Gmail) Facebook doesn't provide special technology you can't get anywhere else. In fact, at times, its tech pales in comparison to newer innovations. What Facebook has that others don't is popularity. When the people start leaving, or start getting mad enough that they think about leaving a once multi-million (or billion, in Facebook's case) dollar company doesn't have value for users, who come there to connect with friends, or for advertisers, who at this point come to Facebook for its large user base." (From "Uh Oh, Facebook Is Losing Its Popularity" written by Rebecca Greenfield and printed in the Atlantic Wire.)
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
President Obama Meets with Sleaze Master
Good grief.
Abortion zealotry. Disdain for the Constitution and the American people. Princely arrogance. Fast & Furious. Dismantling our national defense. ObamaCare. An economy in the tank.
And now Jerry Springer?
Democrats -- is this what you want to stand for? Really?
To Obama, Real Work Isn't Work...But Enjoying a Manicure Is
No, honey. I'm not kidding.
Here's Ben Shapiro from Breitbart:
In 1996, Republicans forced through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bill, also known as welfare reform. It incentivized states to create welfare-to-work programs, trying to transition Americans from government dependency to financial solvency. But states quickly acted to poke holes in that legislation, calling the following activities “work” for purposes of the statute: bed rest, personal care activities, massage, exercise, journaling, motivational reading, smoking cessation, weight loss promotion, participation in parent-teacher meetings, or helping friends or family with household tasks and errands.
This was idiotic. So in 2005, Congress closed the loophole, over the objections of then-Senator Obama.
Now, Obama has walked back the 2005 legislation, using his Department of Health and Human Services to unilaterally waive those work requirements.
“This Administration is unbelievable,” said Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT). “Green-lighting new regulations to change bipartisan welfare reform without consultation from Congress is an outright abuse of the federal government’s system of checks and balances and an insult to American taxpayers.”
How's This For a Senate Candidate?
On the sanctity of life --- I am proud to be pro-life and have a 100% pro-life voting record in my 8 years in the Nebraska Legislature.
I co-sponsored a bill to provide for additional voluntary and informed consents from a woman prior to an abortion in 2009. I also co-sponsored and passed the Adopt the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2010.
I will continue to support a culture of life by supporting pro-life policies in U.S. Senate.
On taxes and the economy --- The federal government doesn’t have a budget problem because it taxes too little; it has a budget problem because it simply spends too much. I’m proud to have balanced our state budget eight times as a member of the Nebraska Legislature by making tough decisions and setting priorities. I also voted for the largest tax relief package in Nebraska history.
I have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge promising not to raise taxes on individuals and businesses. .
In my jobs plan, I have proposed reforming our current tax code to make it simpler for businesses and families to invest and make long-term plans by fostering a climate of certainty.
I have also advocating for lowering the business tax rate from 35% to 24% and closing the loopholes that have allowed some corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
I will take my budget skills to Washington and convince Congress to cut spending, not raise taxes. As Ronald Reagan showed us, reducing taxes spurs economic growth and creates private sector jobs and I will bring that philosophy to the U.S. Senate.
On heath care --- The government takeover of health care supported by President Obama and [my opponent] places enormous costs on individuals and small businesses and fails to lower health care costs. The Supreme Court recently confirmed what we have all long known: Obamacare is one of the biggest tax hikes in our nation’s history. As your U.S. Senator, I will vote to fully repeal Obamacare.
I believe we can reduce costs and increase accessibility to health care, not with big government, but with free-market reforms.
Claire and I believe she's definitely the gal for the job.
Here's more.
Barack Obama Awards More Fed Money to Planned Parenthood
The latest examples? Barack Obama's sending out millions to Planned Parenthood which, among other things, uses your money to pay abortionists' salaries, buy abortifacient drugs for minors, and promote obscene and socially-destructive sexual practices among American teenagers.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the modern Democrat Party's idea of "your tax dollars at work."
Do Christians Just Pick & Choose Which Bible Verses to Follow?
How do you answer that kind of thing? Well, take a lesson from Tim Keller who has some very clear, very wise advice right here.
Still Drinking Starbucks?
So for those of you who subscribe to the biblical definition of marriage as a committed union between one man and one woman, I certainly hope, that if you must buy overpriced, trendy coffee drinks, you will do so at another shop.
And I'm also hopeful that you will join me and 45,000 others (and counting) who have let Starbucks know about your decision by signing the petition at DumpStarbucks.com.
More information can be found by going to this previous post, which also includes links to other Vital Signs posts on the subject going as far back as 2005.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Thinking of Rain, Duties, Music...and Rain Again
The afternoon is full as well with its highlight being a presentation of "When Swing Was King" at Skyline. Joining us for the event will be a dozen teenagers from Hope Church and afterwards, we will be heading back to the church with these young men and women to enjoy some ice cream and Claire's cookies.. and to have a discussion about ministry to seniors.
And then, we'll get the LifeSharer letter printed and start the folding, envelope stuffing, stamping etc. in order to get it ready for the mail.
But before all of that, I've got another mandatory assignment -- I've got to to get out and get the lawn mowed. And the expectation of performing that chore in this heat and extreme dryness is making me yearn for rain.
And thinking about rain reminds me of a couple of posts I put on the blog and Facebook a couple of summers ago. One of them was a compilation of my Top Ten Rain Songs and the other was YouTube clips of three of those selections. I re-post them now for your consideration and, hopefully, your enjoyment.
First the Top Ten Rain Songs:
10) Rhapsody In The Rain -- Lou Christie (Written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert. Melody inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet.")
9) Rainy Days and Mondays -- The Carpenters (Written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams.)
8) Walkin' in the Rain -- Jay and the Americans (Written by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil.)
7) What Have They Done to the Rain -- Marianne Faithfull (Written by Malvina Reynolds.)
6) (I'll Do My) Crying in the Rain -- Everly Brothers (Written by Howard Greenfield and Carole King.)
5) Kentucky Rain -- Elvis Presley (Written by Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard. Featured on piano was Ronnie Milsap.)
4) Summer Rain -- Johnny Rivers (Written by James Hendricks.)
3) Early Mornin' Rain -- Peter, Paul and Mary (Written by Gordon Lightfoot.)
2) Smoky Mountain Rain -- Ronnie Milsap (Written by Ronnie Milsap.)
And...drum roll, please. The Number One Rock Era "Rain Song" is:
1) Rainy Night in Georgia -- Brook Benton (Written by Tony Joe White.)
Hey, Binky! Are You Going to the Food Stamp Party?
One of the administration’s prime vehicles for stimulating dependence is the food stamp program, which, as we wrote here and elsewhere, has exploded under Obama. Food stamps now make up 80% of “agriculture” spending, and the Department of Agriculture has come under fire for aggressively building up the numbers of food stamp recipients.
The Department has put out literature explaining how to hold “food stamp parties” in one’s home to get friends and neighbors into the program. It also sponsored a series of Spanish-language radio ads encouraging illegal immigrants and others to get on the dole...
Don't stop now. Read more of John Hinderaker's important PowerLine article, "U.S. Becoming a Nation of Dependents."
Are Brides Giving Obama Their Wedding Gifts?
Of course, the biggest story in this affair is how the mainstream media adamantly refused to report on it because of how it made Barack Obama look goofy, tasteless, and remarkably marrogant.
Oh yes, the MSM is eager to do stories that make conservatives look bad -- even if reporters have to invent those stories themselves. But let a progressive pull some bonehead play like Obama did with the wedding registry and the press will ignore it completely.
Independent sources, however, have had some fun with Obama's foolishness as evidenced by the parodies I show you below:
By the way, I don't know who originated the first parody, but I found it at Doug Ross's blog. The second came from the Bulletproof Patriot.
America's Economy, Prestige and President -- They're All Shrinking.
Here are a few excerpts:
The most telling moment of the campaign this week was not Mitt Romney or Joe Biden’s speech to the NAACP convention, but President Obama’s Tuesday appearance in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nor was it the content of Obama’s message that made his utterances noteworthy. It was the small venue: yet another community college. Now, Kirkwood Community College is no doubt a fine place, but Sports Authority Field at Mile High it is not. And one is unlikely to come across a better indicator of presidential shrinkage.
The White House took desperate pains to note that the president talked to an “overflow crowd.” What it did not mention was that an overflow crowd in a community college gym could not fill the seats in, say, the OSU stadium. There was a time when Obama regaled audiences of 30,000, 75,000, 80,000 people. Now he speaks to true believers at high schools. By the end of the campaign he may well find himself, like Spinal Tap, playing to a threadbare crowd at Themeland Amusement Park in Stockton, California (a city which, fittingly enough, is bankrupt). The sign outside: “PUPPET SHOW AND PRESIDENT OBAMA.”
This is no joke. Our incumbent’s appeal, grandeur, resources, and power have all steadily withered, like slowly deflating balloons…
One is almost touched at the naivety and credulity that mark these fulsome, vaporous, and cloying objectives and ideals. One also wonders what the Obama of Elections Past would say to the Obama of Elections Present. After all, his approval rating has been on a steady downward track since Inauguration Day 2009, and hovers somewhere in that dangerous band in the mid- to upper-40s. A majority of Americans say he has changed the country for the worse. Republicans are lost. Independents are dyspeptic. Only the base remains.
The cool and collected traveler with global popularity has vanished. In his place is a president with nothing to say about Europe’s fiscal crisis, one who seems impotent in the face of Russia’s belligerent support of a murderous Syrian dictator, whose attempt at Middle East peace was a colossal failure, who seems more interested in preventing an Israeli strike than in stopping the Iranian bomb, and who happily cuts away at America’s defense budget. Global confidence in and approval of Obama’s policies has fallen. Only Japan and Russia view the United States more favorably than they did in 2009. The citizens of the world are as disillusioned as the citizens of the United States. “Our moment” and “our time” seem to have passed...
Friday, July 13, 2012
Conservative Rock 'n Roll?
Anyhow, I do have a couple of comments about Mr. Miller's list. For instance, I enthusiastically agree with his choice of "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders. I once described on an old "Vital Signs" radio program how the lyrics of that song had been all-too-true for me back in the 60's and how God used it as a haunting reminder of the emptiness of my life in those years. Other songs from Miller's list that would also have made mine (if I ever tried to come up with one) include the Beatles' "Taxman," the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" and the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up, Little Susie."
Miller also listed a Dylan song from the early 80's that certainly deserves a spot on such a list. But if you open that door, the explicitly Christian lyrics of nearly every song on the albums "Slow Train Coming," "Saved," and "Shot of Love," have to be dropped in too.
Also, if one simply considers record sales and ratings on the pop charts (instead of insisting on one's own tastes of what constitutes rock 'n roll), then songs like Barry Sadler's "Green Beret" or Neil Diamond's "America" should be near the top of such an enterprise. And, given the plot of the film in which a teacher's dedication to intelligence, courtesy and a hard work ethic overcomes the amoral attitudes of London street toughs, Lulu's "To Sir With Love" is more than qualified.
Others for the list? How about James Brown's "Living in America," The Silhouettes' "Get A Job," Steppenwolf's "Renegade (describing John Kay's flight from Communist East Germany), and The Supremes' "Love Child."
Finally, when morality is considered an essential "conservative" value (as Miller rightly does), there's a whole gang of records extolling marriage, fidelity and a basic sense of decency that could make the list. Paul Davis' "Sweet Life," The Grassroots' "Midnight Confessions," the 4 Seasons' "Bye Bye Baby," Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" and so many others underscore the commitment, even under severe temptation, to be faithful to one's spouse.
So, of course, there are always going to be additions, omissions and other differences of opinion when one encounters a list like Miller's but that's a whole lot of the fun, isn't it? He's therefore provided an admirable service and I urge you to go over and have fun with it yourself.
(This post is an edited, updated version of one from back in...gulp...2006. Have I been blogging that long!)
The Inspiration Soars On
This compelling song by Nick Cannon and the video clip he created deserves another look and listen.
Putting Our Heroes In Prison?
During the return of Mansur, Lt. Behenna again questioned the Al Qaeda member for information about other members of the terrorist cell, and financial supporters. During this interrogation, Mansur attacked Lt. Behenna, who killed the terrorist in self-defense. The government subsequently prosecuted Lt. Behenna for premeditated murder.
Not only is this a miscarriage of justice on the behalf of Lt. Behenna, who was acting to prevent further loss of life in his platoon, it is demoralizing to the U.S. troops who continue to fight on behalf of the freedom and security of our nation. Whether it is U.S. border patrol agents, members of the armed forces, or FBI agents, no individual who is serving on the frontlines in the War on Terror should be so blatantly mistreated...
This quick description of the outrageous actions perpetrated against Lieutenant Behenna comes from the website created in his behalf, DefendMichael.com.http://www.defendmichael.com/ There's a lot more there to help you in your response towards this sad miscarriage of justice including an electronic petition, details of how to write your Congressman and others, and a lot of other information.
Cruising Along with "When Swing Was King"
Tuesday's presentation was at Heritage Pointe where we had our second showing in their theater room. We love it there and so do the residents. We're very pleased that the activities director has scheduled us for that room from now on. Setting up is a little easier (they have their own screen) but, most important, the atmosphere of the darkened room makes the drama of the photos and the sound quality of the music really terrific. You really get into the feel of the thing. People were singing, swaying and reminiscing to their hearts content. And, as always, there was time for some pleasant visiting too.
On Wednesday we were at Lindenwood, a rather atypical place for us in that many of the residents are younger and physically mobile. Yet they continue to be one of the most enthusiastic audiences for "When Swing Was King." They ask a lot of questions, do a lot of talking, and applaud every song. We laugh as much at Lindenwood as anywhere else and we've made a lot of good friends: Pat, Mavis, Lyle, Carolyn, Christiano, Betty, Sy and more.
Thursday afternoon found us out at Life Care Center in Elkhorn for a packed house. One of the nearby nursing homes had been invited in to participate (they're coming more frequently, that's really cool) and we were really crammed in. But a good time was had by all -- about 30 in all. There was a lot of emotion yesterday; a lot of singing along on the Ella, Dick Haymes, Tommy Dorsey and Fred Astaire numbers; and a lot of sparkling memories. The only problem was when the power cord came out of the projector. That it takes a few minutes before everything can warm up again. But I filled the time by telling them stories about items they had just seen on the screen (Listerine Shaving Cream and Kool-Aid) and nobody missed a beat. In fact, the residents responded so well to the impromptu anecdotes that Claire suggested that we should perhaps plan on a power failure every showing. Cute girl.
This afternoon we will be at one of the best of the 11 (sometimes 12) places we do every month -- Immanuel Courtyard. Our audience consists of both the independent living apartments and the assisted living wing and these folks really dig the program. Also, the AD there is a great gal with whom we share a lot of spiritual convictions. We're especially excited about today's program because it contains two songs expressly requested by one of the residents. We know she's going to get a big kick out of the fact that we found them for her. And one of them ("Sugar Blues" by Clyde McCoy is proving to be a fan favorite.)
So, we're planning on a great time...even if it means that mowing the lawn will have to wait. And, of course, anytime you'd like to join us, you'd be more than welcome. The monthly schedule is right here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)