More Dispatches from the Culture Wars

* "Belgian Parliament Posed To Approve Child Euthanasia Law" International Business Times)

* "Plan B: Obama allows morning-after pill for under-17s" (Guardian)

* "Audio: IRS agent tells pro-life group, 'Keep your faith to yourself.'" (Hot Air Blog)

* "Rangel Gives Obama Pass on NSA: ‘If It Was a Different President, I Might Take a Different Look at the Legislation'" (NRO)

* "IRS Buying Spying Equipment: Covert Cameras in Coffee Trays, Plants" (CNS News)

* "Elementary School Beginning Toy Gun Turn-In Program" (Breitbart)

That Oh-So-Polarizing Tim Tebow

While reading an ESPN report on Tim Tebow being signed by the New England Patriots, I couldn't help but notice that the reporter referred to him as "one of the NFL's most polarizing players."

Interesting. For remember Tim Tebow hasn't been caught holding orgies, bashing a girlfriend, driving drunk, doing drugs, gambling on games, trashing his teammates, missing practices, shooting anyone, tearing up a bar, outing details of sexual perversion, declaring bankruptcy, holding out for a bigger salary, having an ugly divorce, beating up a photographer, sending intimate pictures over his phone, or staging dog fights.

Indeed, Tim Tebow is an extremely nice guy and a hard-working, modest, decent, patient and loyal athlete.

So just why is he so polarizing?

Oh, yeah. He is a devout Christian.

Such is the state of culture in 21st America.

Secrecy & Subterfuge: Clapper Fits Right In with Team Obama

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is really struggling to explain why he told Congress in March that the National Security Agency does not intentionally collect any kind of data on millions of Americans. His latest take: It's an unfair question, he said, like "When are you going to stop beating your wife?" And it seems to depend on the meaning of "collect."

"I responded in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful, manner by saying 'no,'" Clapper told NBC News on Sunday.

A newly revealed NSA program, however, in which the agency secretly vacuumed up the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers seems to fit the definition of both "data" and "millions of Americans."

Last week, Clapper said his "no" meant that NSA analysts don't read Americans' emails. Some have noted that could explain his earlier answer because "collect" has a precise meaning in intelligence-gathering circles, and it's along those lines.

On Sunday, Clapper elaborated: "This has to do with of course somewhat of a semantic, perhaps some would say too cute by half. But it is—there are honest differences on the semantics of what—when someone says 'collection' to me, that has a specific meaning, which may have a different meaning to him."..

Watching politics in the Obama era is a surreal, maddening...and quite alarming occupation.

Today's Posts

Amid Sorrow and Change, There's Still Work to be Done

See You Soon, Chet.

As Government School System Crumbles, More Are Turning to Home School Options

IRS Plus ObamaCare Equals...Yipes!

"The Global Warming Machine Grinds On"

Amid Sorrow and Change, There's Still Work to be Done

It's going to be a very busy week. There are the regular tasks of blogging, cross-posting, correspondence, lawn work, sermon preparation, and work on the various Vital Signs web sites. Both of our cars need to be fixed. We will be involved in a funeral service.

And we have 6 presentations of "When Swing Was King" scheduled.

And amid all of these things, we are experiencing those diverse emotions that come from having a dear friend and colleague die. That friend was Chet Thomas, a friend of 28 years, a Vital Signs Ministries Board member, a founding member of the Notting Hill Napoleons (our book club), a regular attender of the church where I preach, and a very frequent guest in our home.

I will be doing the sermon at Chet's service this week and I may post those remarks at a later time. But for now, there's the post immediately before this one.

See You Soon, Chet.

A week ago last Thursday, our dear friend and longtime pro-life colleague, Chet Thomas, suffered a massive heart attack. He was 83 but extremely active. Indeed, he still worked every day as a substitute teacher in the Omaha Public School system and his social life was on a pace that would wear most others out.

I got to the VA Hospital and talked with the doctors who were in the process of sending him over to University Hospital. Things didn't look very good for recovery. His arteries were heavily clogged and the right side of the heart was done for. I explained the situation to Chet and he was very calm and cogent, concerned less about his condition as he was me taking care of the Sunday School class he was teaching. We also had prayer together in which his focus was the spiritual well-being of his family.

As the course of the week wore on, Chet's condition worsened. He required a heart pump and a ventilator. His kidneys were failing. And, after a series of convulsions Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, he passed away. We had been at the hospital the night before along with three of his daughters, his personal physician (also a close friend to us all), and a couple of other friends.

We had the responsibility to try and keep friends updated on Chet's condition throughout his time in the hospital. We sent out reports daily. As I said in the post above, I will be doing the sermon at Chet's service this week and I may post those remarks later. Here, however, is the e-mail update I sent out immediately upon hearing about Chet's passing.

Update -- At eight o'clock this morning (Saturday), Chet Thomas passed from this troubled life into the presence of his Savior. After decades of faithful worship and devotion, he received the long-desired embrace of Jesus and heard that most exhilarating of welcomes, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord."

The pain is gone, never to return. Indeed, Chet is enjoying a youthfulness, vitality and keenness of mind unlike anything he ever experienced -- even greater than anything he ever dreamed. Those eyes that so marveled at the beauties of this world are now taking in sights infinitely more beautiful and enchanting and glorious. 

Chet is also beginning the rounds of sweet reunions with loved ones who have gone before. And new friendships will be born. Imagine Chet's delight in meeting C.S. Lewis, D.L. Moody, Roy Rogers, Billy Sunday, and angels!

And amid all the enthrallment, there is the wisdom, righteousness and loving mercy of God for Chet to enjoy throughout eternity.

Chet Thomas will be greatly missed. He has, in our case, enriched our lives in innumerable ways over the last 28 years and it will be a hard adjustment to life without him on the Vital Signs board, the book club, church, and so on. But we will press on, taking his example as a constant "stimulation to love and good deeds" for the Master.

And we will look forward to that wonderful day where Chet will undoubtedly be among those who Jesus invites to be part of our own homecoming party. See you soon, dear brother. See you soon.

(The flower shown above is a white, ruffled iris that bloomed in Jeff and Randy Brown's yard this year. The flower was originally planted in Chet's yard. It didn't bloom last year. But it did this season. Randy sent it along and I was pleased to upload it here. Chet would have loved it.)

As Government School System Crumbles, More Are Turning to Home School Options

The government schools in America certainly have a lot to offer -- the steady dumbing down of students while inflating their grades and egos, heavy amounts of negative peer pressure and bullying, the denial of the student's rights of religion and speech, continual indoctrination in progressive political correctness, unisex bathroom opportunities, free condom distributions, and field trips to the statehouse to protest the wicked policies of Republican governors.

Is it any surprise then to find out that more Americans are choosing to go the home school route? Indeed, Dr. Susan Berry suggests that the number of homeschool kids has increased by 75% in the last 15 years and "the number of children whose parents choose to educate them at home rather than a traditional academic setting is growing seven times faster than the number of children enrolling in grades K-12 every year."

Read the rest of Dr. Susan Berry's very interesting report at Breitbart right here.

Of course, remember too that the government wants very badly to have a monopoly over kids' education. So I fully expect this move towards home schooling to be aggressively opposed by progressives...a lot more so than in the last three decades. That will come through increases in social pressure and regulatory harassment as well as new acts of aggression against homeschooling parents through law.

The meaning of that fact for homeschool kids and parents? Keep the number of the ACLJ on speed dial.

IRS Plus ObamaCare Equals...Yipes!

Let's add up the following four facts and see what we get.

1) The U.S. Supreme Court decreed last summer that Obamacare is a tax. That means the law's enforcement (and, quite possibly, its interpretation) will be the business of the IRS.

2) The IRS has a long and full history of arrogance, delay and inefficiency.

3) Worse still, the IRS of the Obama administration has been revealed to be an egregiously unfair agency, determining policy not according to the U.S. Constitution or any other existing laws but rather by radical partisanship.

4) The IRS has announced that in "implementing" ObamaCare's labyrinth of convoluted and invasive laws and regulations, it will require 16,500 new agents and another $10 billion (that's B as in billion) over the next ten years to take on the job.

So, what do these four items add up to? More than enough motivation to urge your Congressmen and women to cosponsor and actively support H.R. 2009, the Keep The IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013 Act.

Here's a contact information link to help you out.

"The Global Warming Machine Grinds On"

The curtain is coming down rapidly on global warming alarmism, as evidence of the AGW theory’s falsity accumulates on nearly a daily basis. Of course, the global warming machine grinds on, like a dead frog whose legs are still kicking.

My 10th grade daughter had her last day of school yesterday. A teacher gave her a sheet of instructions on how to lead a “green,” low-carbon summer. The sheet included suggestions like “hitchhike.” Great idea for a 16-year-old girl! Also, don’t have a baby over the summer. Um, don’t worry: she wasn’t planning to. But not for reasons of climate control.

Is our world getting stupider all the time, or what?…

Read the rest of John Hinderaker's column ("Global Warming Alarmism In Twilight") over at PowerLine.

Today's Posts

NFL Star Protests Planned Parenthood, Declines White House Visit

 NYT: "The Administration Has Now Lost All Credibility."

Gosnell's "House of Horrors" Is Just the Opening Chapter

Ignition Interlock Devices Are Keeping Drunks Off the Road

ABC Family Channel Is Anything But

Is the Obama Administration Melting? Here's 10 Reasons to Say "Yes."

NFL Star Protests Planned Parenthood, Declines White House Visit

Had a National Football League star skipped a chance for a White House
visit and made public his opposition to Barack Obama on a hot topic like Benghazi, same-sex unions, or the bizarre Big Brother nature of the administration, it would have been front page news.

But because Matt Birk, the center for the world champion Baltimore Ravens, decided to skip the event because of President Obama's zealous support of the mega-abortion corporation, Planned Parenthood, most news organizations ignored the story.

How come? The media (even the sportswriting fraternity) frequently loves to criticize Christians and other conservatives when they speak out on public issues...or even when they quietly live out their lives in a decent, God-fearing way. Just ask Tim Tebow.

But the way Birk presented his protest makes it very tricky for a liberal to squawk because any objecting reporter would have to present his reason for not going to the White House. And Birk's protest was wisely succinct and precisely targeted.

"Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year," Birk stated."I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement and I just felt like I couldn't deal with that. I couldn't endorse that in any way...I have great respect for the office of the presidency but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood. I’m very confused by that statement. For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year? I just chose not to attend.”

I applaud Birk's decision and admire the very effective way in which he defended the sanctity of human life.  Thanks, Matt.

NYT: "The Administration Has Now Lost All Credibility."

Most of the mainstream media is still hopelessly liberal, irresponsible, unfair…and deep in the tank for Barack Obama. Remember, they have openly promoted him and his programs. They have shamelessly attacked his opponents. They have covered for him, excused him, changed the subject for him, and created a chorus of blaming all others for him. Thus, the piling up of scandals emanating from Barak Obama's administration (almost every one of which they tried to ignore or distort before the alternative media forced their begrudging coverage) has really got them rattled.

But real journalists (like the British newspapers who broke the story about a massive confiscation of the phone records of American citizens) continue to trumpet just how arrogant, power-hungry and dangerous Team Obama is to good government and individual freedom.

Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, conservative bloggers and columnists -- and those Brits who haven't forgotten what they learned in Journalism 101 -- have built up an impressive audience and the traditional powers in the news business simply cannot have its own way anymore. They are forced to deal with the scandals even when it goes against their progressive prejudices.

And, oh my, with the inefficiency, the secrecy, the lies, the arrogance, and the ongoing disdain towards the Constitution that has been displayed by the Barack Obama administration, that means an awful lot of scandal is there to be covered.

So much so that even a New York Times editorial is published that includes these damning paragraphs:

Within hours of the disclosure that the federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Those reassurances have never been persuasive — whether on secret warrants to scoop up a news agency’s phone records or secret orders to kill an American suspected of terrorism — especially coming from a president who once promised transparency and accountability. The administration has now lost all credibility. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it…

Again, I have no doubt the Times editors and others from the old guard media would like nothing better than to jump back into the President's lap and play "good dog." For instance, just hours after the Times published this editorial online, the Democrat loyalists reconsidered the damage it would do to the President and they altered the operative sentence from  “the administration has now lost all credibility" to read "the administration has now lost all credibility on this issue.”

No, the traditional press wants desperately to help Barack Obama out -- in whatever jam he's in or whatever mess he's made -- but Barack Obama is making it very hard for them to do so.

Gosnell's "House of Horrors" Is Just the Opening Chapter

"Gosnell is an extreme outlier when it comes to medical practice or abiding by the law," said National Abortion Federation president Vicki Saporta in late April. The day after Saporta’s comment, the prosecution rested its case against Gosnell after spending weeks detailing the gruesome practices in his “house of horrors.” We learned that he had killed at least one woman and probably hundreds of viable babies — not to mention thousands of legally aborted children — over several decades.

Since then, many have argued that Gosnell is not an “extreme outlier.” Thanks to investigations sparked by the Gosnell case, evidence for that claim — much of it painstakingly collected by pro-life organizations, whose complaints have long been ignored by government authorities — is beginning to mount.

Much has been made of the spectacle of Gosnell’s operation, and rightly so. He operated a slaughterhouse, and he is not alone. But the investigations are beginning to show that even when an abortion clinic is not an abattoir, its personnel tend to engage in illegal or unsafe practices that endanger women, not to mention their babies. This article will attempt a partial chronicle of both degrees of malpractice…

Please read on. Ian Tuttle's column from NRO's The Corner makes for very important reading.

Ignition Interlock Devices Are Keeping Drunks Off the Road

The average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before a first arrest.  While suspending the license of these individuals makes sense, in reality, three out of four people with a suspended license continue to drive, threatening the safety of you and your loved ones.  That’s why MADD supports requiring ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers, in order to prove they are sober before the car will start.

Requiring all convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks to prove they are sober before they can start their vehicles has been shown to save lives and stop drunk driving. Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico and Louisiana have all seen a reduction in DUI deaths by 33 to 46 percent, largely due to these comprehensive laws requiring all drunk drivers to receive an interlock.

(The above comes from a recent Mothers Against Drunk Driving update.)

As regular visitors to Vital Signs Blog know, I am very interested and supportive of any and all actions that would reduce the tragic anguish and death caused by drunk drivers. I support these life-saving, cost-saving, common-sense measures for several reasons...but the primary ones are that I am a pro-life activist and I lost my father at age 68 when his car was hit by a drunk driver.

Here are just a few of the related posts from Vital Signs Blog on this critical matter:

How's This for an Idea? Stopping the Drunk Driver BEFORE He Kills Someone.

Every 50 Minutes, Someone Is Killed By a Drunk Driver

Drunk Driving Hurts Us All -- And Kills Some Of Us Stone Dead

Saving Lives Through Simple Technology

For the War Against Drunk Driving, Specialized DWI Courts Needed Now.

ABC Family Channel Is Anything But

Sorry, Pat Robertson, but you should never have made that sale.

Below are excerpts from an illuminating (and alarming) editorial from the Washington Times, "The old abnormal."

The ABC Family cable channel’s slogan is “A different kind of family.” The programs it offers are different, sure enough, different from a family almost any other American family would recognize, and certainly different from the channel’s programming when it was founded in an earlier century by the Rev. Pat Robertson. Now owned by Disney, the network’s newest series, “The Fosters,” takes the concept of “different” to an entirely new level.

The prime-time Monday show is about an interracial, married lesbian couple and their brood of adopted, biological and foster children. The program joins an ABC Family lineup that includes “Pretty Little Liars,” another drama featuring lesbian characters, which premieres its fourth season next week. “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” which ended a five-year run on Monday, had an abstinent homosexual male character, along with lots of straight teens sleeping around and creating out-of-wedlock pregnancies. The channel’s “Make It or Break It,” which ended a three-season run in May 2012, showcased a male character who “came out” as bisexual.

The network seeks to reshape society by portraying characters that tick every politically correct box…

Advertisers obviously like such “family” programming. More than 30 commercials aired during the program, shilling for big-name brands such as Gatorade, Kellogg’s, Toyota, Tyson’s chicken and Wendy’s.

ABC Family was first part of Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network. The once-squeaky clean Walt Disney Co. acquired the cable network for ABC in 2001, and is required under terms of the sale to continue to telecast Mr. Robertson’s “700 Club” program, which airs with a disclaimer: “The following CBN telecast does not reflect the views of ABC Family.” CBN should be glad that disclaimer works both ways...

Is the Obama Administration Melting? Here's 10 Reasons to Say "Yes."

There may be nothing particularly new in Nile Gardiner's article in today's Telegraph ("The stunning decline of Barack Obama: 2013. Ten key reasons why the Obama presidency is in meltdown") but that doesn't mean you should skip it. After all, Gardiner is an insightful political commentator with character, wit and superb writing skill. He's always worth the read.

Here are a few highlights of the piece:

1) The American public is losing trust in Obama.

2) The Obama presidency is imperial in style and outlook.

Leading conservative talk radio host Mark Levin was absolutely right when he blasted Barack Obama on Fox News back in January as “an imperial president.” It would be hard to find a US president in recent times who has behaved in a more arrogant fashion than President Obama, and that includes Richard Nixon. The Obama White House is routinely disdainful of criticism, sneeringly dismissive of Congressional opposition, nasty and brutish towards dissenting voices in the media, and completely lacking in humility. Even veteran reporters such as Bob Woodward, one of two journalists who broke the Watergate scandal, have found themselves on the sharp end of the White House’s boot after publishing unflattering stories. Woodward was warned earlier this year by a senior White House official that he would “regret” his remarks about the president’s handling of the sequester issue. At the same time the Obama presidency exudes a shameless “let them eat cake” mentality, abundantly on display with the president’s lavish vacations and golfing expeditions while millions of American families have struggled to pay their mortgage and stay afloat against the backdrop in recent years of the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression.

3) Most Americans are still worried about the economy.

4) America’s level of debt is frightening.

America’s economic problems are compounded by its huge debt problem. Barack Obama continues to lead the United States down the path of European Union-style decline, with incredible levels of public debt, currently standing at $16.85 trillion, a per person debt of $53,000. President Obama has done nothing to confront the vast entitlement programmes that are a yoke around the necks of future generations of American taxpayers, while taking an axe to defense spending, resulting in politically driven cuts that undermine America’s national security while doing nothing to reduce the country’s debt burden. As he made clear in his Inauguration address in January, President Obama remains committed to a big spending, big government vision, and one that will force the United States down the road to economic ruin unless it is reversed.

5) Obamacare is hugely expensive and increasingly unpopular.

6) Independents are rapidly withdrawing support for Obama.

7) The liberal media is less deferential to Obama in his second term

8) The Benghazi scandal has been extremely damaging.

9) Obama’s national security strategy is weak and confusing.

President Obama’s recent address to the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington has to go down as one of the most weak-kneed speeches by a US Commander-in-Chief in modern times. His call for a winding down of the global war against Islamist terror was naïve in the extreme, and sent completely the wrong signal to America’s enemies at a time when al-Qaeda is strengthening its presence in parts of the Middle East as well as North, West and East Africa…

10) Obama is “leading from behind” on the world stage.

Again, the article is titled, "The stunning decline of Barack Obama: 2013. Ten key reasons why the Obama presidency is in meltdown" and it's right here.

Today's Posts

How about Putting a Little "Swing" Into Your Summer?

Daniel Webster: The Critical Importance of Religious Knowledge

Democrats Are "The Party of Disappointment"

Bob Woodward Compares Nixon & Obama Administrations (To Obama's Detraction)

The Christmas Tree Tax Is Back

How about Putting a Little "Swing" Into Your Summer?

Claire has already posted the June and July schedule for "When Swing Was King" over on the Vital Signs Ministries website but I thought you might want a preview of just what's up in this month's songlist.

I've been working on it for a few days now (in between such other tasks as blogging, lawn work, avoiding shingles sliding off the roof, getting our new roof on, sermon preparation, hospital visits, car troubles, and so on) and here's how it turned out.

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra
"Caribbean Clipper"

2) Harry James Orchestra (Dick Haymes, vocals)
"Mister Meadowlark"

3) Chick Webb  Orchestra (Ella Fitzgerald, vocals)
"I Can't Stop Loving You"
(Trust me, it's not the song you're thinking of.)

4) Gene Krupa Orchestra
"Indiana"
(Photo Theme: Celebrated Sons & Daughters of the state)

5) Benny Goodman Orchestra (Al Hendrickson, vocals)
"Slow Boat To China"

6) Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra
"Strictly Instrumental"

7) Columbia Pictures studio orchestra (Rita Hayworth, vocals)
"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
(Photo Theme: Rita Hayworth's Career)

8) Artie Shaw Orchestra
"I Can't Get Started"

9) Louis Prima Orchestra (Louis Prima & Keely Smith, vocals)
"That Old Black Magic"

10) Guy Lombardo Orchestra
"Dardanella"

11) Les Brown Orchestra
"Shine on Harvest Moon"

12) John Scott Trotter Orchestra (Bing Crosby, vocals)
"Swingin' On a Star"

It's going to make for a fun month of presentations, any one of which would be all the richer for your presence to help us visit with the residents of these senior living facilities. "When Swing Was King" generally swings into action in the early afternoon but we also have a few evening presentations. And with 13 shows each month, there should be a time or two convenient for your schedule. See you there!

Daniel Webster: The Critical Importance of Religious Knowledge

"If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. 

If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy.

If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will." 

Daniel Webster

Democrats Are "The Party of Disappointment"

Louisiana state senator Elbert Guillory switched parties on May 31, becoming the first black Republican in the Louisiana legislature since Reconstruction.

At a conference hosted by @large, an organization that aims “to inspire, motivate, and encourage black conservatives to get involved in politics and build a constituency within their communities,” Guillory called the Democrats the “party of disappointment,” citing its support for social and economic policies that have hurt black communities. He also noted his increasing distaste for the party’s positions on abortion and immigration and its handling of the Benghazi scandal.

When it comes to precedents for his decision, Guillory noted one particularly well-known black right-winger: “I am as of this day joining Frederick Douglass as a Republican.”

That’s pretty good company.

(Ian Tuttle, NRO's The Corner)