Five from the Frontline (Must-Read Articles)

In addition to the posts linked to yesterday and today, here are five other articles from recent days you shouldn't miss.

* "The Decline of the Civil-Rights Establishment" (Shelby Steele, Wall Street Journal).

* "The slow erosion of religious freedom in Europe" (Roger Trigg, Mercator)

* "Christine O’Donnell: IRS ‘Set Up A Back Door’ for Political Opponents to Access Tax Records" (Lindsey Grudnicki, National Review).

* "Raising Hell in Texas" (Paul Kengor, American Spectator).

* "The president’s take on race" (Cal Thomas)

Today's Posts

Heroes

Even Labor Union Leaders Are Getting It: ObamaCare Is a Disaster

Transnationalists Have a Wonderful Plan for Your Life (And They Will Make Sure You Follow It!)

Heroes

Even Labor Union Leaders Are Getting It: ObamaCare Is a Disaster

As the reality of Obamacare emerges, a disastrous calamity imposed on the American people, even the most compliant members of the Obama fan club are beginning to panic. Three union presidents have sent Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi a scathing letter decrying Obamacare, showing just how out-of-control this law has become. This astonishing reversal has been underreported so far, except by the ever-vigilant Tom Gara in the Wall Street Journal.

The fact is that the crater of Obamacare is getting deeper, with sharper edges. The unions are first-tier political allies of President Obama and the Democratic Party, and it was surely their last resort to put their grievances with Obamacare in writing in the public sphere. A lot must have happened behind the scenes before they felt sufficiently frustrated with the Obama administration to take this step... (From Ed Rogers, "The Insiders: Obamacare is falling apart," an op/ed published in the Washington Post.)

This is a great article indeed to find in the Washington Post. And it's an article that provides you with several terrific talking points to bring up with your Democrat friends.

Like the admission from HHS that you are not, in fact, guaranteed to keep your own doctor or your own insurance...or the labor unions admitting that ObamaCare will likely destroy the 40-hour work week...or that such formerly lockstep Democrats as the Teamsters' James Hoffa are willing to publish in a public letter such paragraphs as this, "We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care.  We have also been strong supporters of you.  In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.  Now this vision has come back to haunt us."

My, my.

Again, do your Democrat friends (and your country) a big favor. Give them a copy of this article. Let them see how the insiders of their own party are realizing what a grand disaster ObamaCare is. It just might make a difference in the way they vote in 2014.

Transnationalists Have a Wonderful Plan for Your Life (And They Will Make Sure You Follow It!)

If you thought the very idea of a sovereign republic (not to mention, your personal freedom) was under attack by judges, Nanny State bureaucrats, and United Nations busybodies, I hate to tell you this but...you're right. 

Globalism is passionately alive. And aided most willingly by the Obama administration, this transnational movement is growing by leaps and bounds.

Below are several excerpts from an alarming article published in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, "American Sovereignty and Its Enemies." Written by Sohrab Ahmari, the article depends heavily on an interview with former Senator and veteran conservative, John Kyl. It is an article that deserves careful reading.

Proponents call this movement "legal transnationalism," and as Mr. Kyl writes in a recent Foreign Affairs magazine article (co-authored with Douglas Feith and John Fonte of the Hudson Institute), "the idea that a U.N. official can sit in judgment of the U.S." is one of its main innovations. Transnationalists want to rewrite the laws of war, do away with the death penalty, restrict gun rights and much more—all without having to win popular majorities or heed American constitutional limits. And these advocates are making major strides under an Obama administration that is itself a hotbed of transnational legal thinking.

"Transnationalists are a group of people who are convinced they are right about important issues," Mr. Kyl says as we sit down for a chat at the plush Washington office of the law firm Covington & Burling, where the 71-year-old Arizona Republican has served as an adviser since leaving the Senate in January. "But they are in too much of a hurry to mess with the difficulties of representative government to get their agenda adopted into law—or they know they can't win democratically. So they look for a way around representative government."…

Take Cedaw. If the Senate ever ratifies this piece of "1970s feminism preserved in diplomatic amber," as one commentator described the treaty, the U.S. would become subject to oversight by a Geneva-based committee that requires signatory states to, among other things, "achieve a balance between men and women holding publicly elected positions"; "ensure that media respect women and promote respect for women"; and "modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of . . . stereotyped roles for men and women….

To be clear, transnationalism isn't a conspiratorial enterprise. In the legal academy, its advocates have openly stated their aims and means. "International law now seeks to influence political outcomes within sovereign States," Anne-Marie Slaughter, then dean of Princeton's public-affairs school, wrote in an influential 2007 essay. International law, she went on, must expand to include "domestic choices previously left to the determination of national political processes" and be able to "alter domestic politics."

The preferred entry point for importing foreign norms into American law is the U.S. court system. The Yale Law School scholar Howard Koh, a transnationalist advocate, has written that "domestic courts must play a key role in coordinating U.S. domestic constitutional rules with rules of foreign and international law." Over the past two decades, activist judges have increasingly cited "evolving" international standards to overturn state laws, and Mr. Koh has suggested that foreign norms can be "downloaded" into American law in this manner…

…President Obama has given them [transnationalists] an opening to shape U.S. policy. Ms. Slaughter and Mr. Koh held top posts at the State Department during Mr. Obama's first term, and their tenures coincided with an aggressive push to ratify or recognize as customary law Cedaw and a host of other progressive causes.

For proof that the transnationalist threat isn't merely theoretical, look no further than the European Union. Says Mr. Kyl: "What they have now is a situation where their sovereignty has largely been supplanted by others who are not accountable to voters in individual European countries."

It was in Europe where these ideas were first implemented, and it is to the EU that transnationalists look as a model. Today over half of the regulations that affect Europeans' lives are made by administrators in Brussels, not by national legislatures.

These regulations include the EU's ban, announced in May, on restaurants serving olive oil in traditional glass jugs or terracotta bowls (to protect the "image" of olive oil); the prohibition against insurers charging women drivers lower premiums (sexism); and Commission Regulation 2257/94, otherwise known as the "bendy banana" law, which until recently required farmers to discard irregularly shaped bananas (don't ask).

American transnationalists look with admiration on Europe. "Once those laws are passed, EU institutions . . . look over national shoulders to ensure that they actually do what they commit to do," Ms. Slaughter has written. "This European way of law is precisely the role that we postulate for international law generally around the world."

Mr. Kyl is less sanguine. "When your society is regulated to that extent by someone who has no accountability to voters, something is very, very wrong," he says. "The transnationalists should be the last ones lecturing anybody about what ought to be because what is is the U.S. Constitution, which recognizes sovereignty in the American people. That is embedded in everything about our country. It's not outmoded—it's who we are. And if you're not willing to accept that, then you haven't signed on to the most basic notion of what it is to believe about our country."

Today's Posts

"The Only History That Is Worth a Tinker's Damn"

America: The Home of the Retired, the Part Time, and the Unemployed

A Dark Future for Natural Marriage?

The Democrat Disaster That Is Detroit

"The Only History That Is Worth a Tinker's Damn"

"History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history that we make today."

That's Henry Ford as quoted in an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 1916.

Of course, the portion of that quote which has gone down in...uh, history, is the first line. But it is actually the last line that is the most relevant to modern culture.

Indeed, it's pretty obvious that the cultural "powers that be" (politics, academia, Hollywood) are determined to escape what they believe are the shackles of the past. They are progressives through and through who believe that civilization is like detergent or breakfast cereal -- only the "new and improved" brands should be allowed on the shelves. Everything else should go to the trash bin.

Therefore, the virtues of Western culture, no matter how beautiful, ennobling or indispensable for a society's health (think of the U.S. Constitution, religion, marriage, family, etc.) are ignored if not mocked and vilified.

History is made an ally of this bold social transformation; that is, a distinctly progressive version of history, a twisted thing that is much more propaganda than it is precision. It is a thing that is quite willing to drastically distort the actual record, to carefully omit (even conceal) those things that do not fit with the desired political conclusions, to engage in outright invention -- all to create an ideologically favorable product.

"History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history that we make today."

Yes, the words are Henry Ford's. But the sentiment is alive and well in the hearts of today's progressives.

America: The Home of the Retired, the Part Time, and the Unemployed

"Spanish labour laws do not encourage employers to hire full-time permanent workers and many are offering only part-time contracts. Faced with high unemployment, potential employees eagerly accept these conditions. Meanwhile, the high youth unemployment rate makes it virtually impossible for a young Spaniard to even start a professional career. As a result, thousands of young Spaniards have emigrated since the beginning of the year, continuing the trend that started last year when 30,000 of them left for Germany alone, a 45% increase over the previous year."

ObamaCare (and other Nanny State economic disasters) are creating the same conditions right here in the United States.

Except, of course, our young and frustrated unemployed are not emigrating anywhere. For even if they had the motivation to pack up and climb on a plane, their skill sets (or, more honestly stated, their lack thereof) are not of value to anyone, anywhere.

Brother, this can't end good.

A Dark Future for Natural Marriage?

Dr. Greg Gardner, our friend and pro-life colleague from Birmingham, England, sent along an update from Family Education Trust, one of the key defenders of natural marriage in the U.K. Greg said of this letter, "This is about as accurate a summary as you can find about the recent same sex ‘marriage’ travesty." I think he's spot on and I wanted to pass it along.

The letter is written by Norman Wells, the Director of Family Education Trust, but it features several paragraphs from Michael Lord, the Baron of Framlingham. Here is an excerpt from that letter.

As you may have seen in the press, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill completed its parliamentary passage at the beginning of this week and received Royal Assent yesterday.

Having campaigned vigorously for many months in support of the legal definition of marriage as the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, we are extremely disappointed by this outcome.

How did we get here?

Less than a decade ago, when civil partnerships were being introduced for same-sex couples, the minister for constitutional affairs, Lord Filkin, told the House of Lords: “The concept of homosexual marriage is a contradiction in terms, which is why our position is utterly clear: we are against it and do not intend to promote it or allow it to take place.”

Prior to the 2010 General Election, same-sex marriage did not feature in the election manifesto of any of the three major political parties. Yet in spite of a complete lack of any electoral mandate, in March 2012, the government published a flawed consultation document that read more like a declaration of intent. By framing the document in terms of ‘how’ and not ‘whether’ to legislate for same-sex marriage, the government registered its determination to redefine marriage, regardless of what the public thinks.

Both during the consultation period and during the passage of the Bill through Parliament, the government made it clear that it was not interested in a meaningful debate in which all the issues could be thoroughly explored. It ignored over 500,000 members of the general public who had signed the Coalition for Marriage petition and declined to engage with the serious concerns that were raised by parliamentarians in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

In the course of Monday’s Third Reading debate in the House of Lords, Lord Framlingham spoke for us all when he said: “Today has the potential to be deeply sad for this House and for millions of people -- children, parents, families, teachers, clergymen -- indeed, anyone who believes in the traditional family unit and its fundamental role in the life and cohesion of our country…

“The questions that many are asking are: why now and why the haste? The simple truth is that the coalition Government have colluded with equal love campaigners and the European Court of Human Rights in bringing…an appeal against our country’s long-established and settled position on marriage. There was a suggestion -- some would call it a threat -- that if legislation were not brought forward by June this year then changes would be forced on us. The House of Lords Library tells me that as legislation is proceeding the case in the European Court of Human Rights will probably not now be pursued. What outrageous, behind-the-scenes arm twisting.

“The result is that not one meaningful amendment has been accepted, not because none has been worthwhile but for the sake of entirely contrived deadlines, which suit campaigners in a hurry and a Government who want it off their plate well before the next general election. How cynical and how dangerous. Given the huge effect the Bill, if passed, will have on millions of people, what an abuse of the parliamentary system to put speed before truth. So many important issues causing great concern have been left unresolved and hanging in the air, such as the effect on teachers, faith schools, the issue of adultery, consummation, the effect on registrars, which has already been referred to, and the use of premises -- issues touching the lives of thousands every day, not to mention the effect on marriage itself.

“Those of us who have sat through all the stages of the Bill and have watched the Government knock down amendment after amendment have despaired at their intransigence. This House prides itself on being a revising Chamber. On this Bill it has been a bulldozer. We are being used to bulldoze through an ill thought through Bill, the ramifications of which the people have not begun to understand. All great issues are essentially very simple. We make them complicated when we do not want to face them or when we are anxious to hide their true meaning and purpose. This Bill is built entirely on pretence. It pretends that there is no difference between a man and a woman. From this deceit have sprung all the problems we have been wrestling with—problems we have failed to resolve and which will bedevil generations to come. How can we possibly give our blessing to legislation built on pretence?”...

The Democrat Disaster That Is Detroit

Question: What do you get when you add 1) very high taxes, 2) production jobs going overseas because of greedy, intransigent labor unions, 3) production jobs exchanged for counter-productive Nanny State bureaucrats (who also have greedy, intransigent unions behind them), 4) a monstrously high crime rate exacerbated by 5) a collapsed justice system, and 6) complete dominance by the Democrat Party?

Answer: Detroit.

Here are excerpts from the USA Today article, "Detroit: How the Motor City went bust."

Detroit, the once-thriving Midwest metropolis that gave birth to the nation's auto industry, is now the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy...

• The city's unemployment rate has nearly tripled since 2000 and is more than double the national average.

• The homicide rate is at historically high levels, and the city has been named among America's most dangerous for more than 20 years.

• Detroiters wait an average of 58 minutes for police to respond, compared with the national average of 11 minutes.

• An estimated 40% of the city's street lights didn't work in the first quarter of 2013.

• Roughly 78,000 city structures have been abandoned...

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court filing represents perhaps the biggest body blow yet to a faded city that's now home to barely 700,000 — down from a peak of 1.8 million during the auto industry boom years of the 1950s — and struggles to cope with the abandoned buildings and decaying municipal services.

The filing listed more than 100,000 creditors and more than $1 billion in estimated liabilities, but Orr has said Detroit's total financial responsibilities could be as high as $20 billion...

Today's Posts

Why Protest Planned Parenthood?

Playing the Distraction Game

Chatty Cathy, Please Call Your Office.

Why Protest Planned Parenthood?

This morning Claire and I and a few friends stood on the sidewalk in front of a Planned Parenthood facility, a facility in which occurs the barbaric abortion of preborn boys and girls. The killers who ply their grisly trade there use super-sharp knives, high-powered suction machines (25-30 times more powerful than your home vacuum cleaner), and various types of poisonous chemicals to insure "fetal demise."

But, as horrible and blasphemous as are these crimes against humanity, the employees of Planned Parenthood are engaged in even more than this. For instance, they work against any and all restrictions to abortion. They promote a "sex education" campaign which enthusiastically promotes and enables premarital sexual activity (even among the very young). They work zealously for the weakening of parental authority, the marginalization of natural marriage, and the outright elimination of those moral values that are he hallmarks of Judaeo-Christian culture.

To be sure, these pernicious practices of Planned Parenthood are well worth our peaceful, prayerful protest and we will continue our efforts to enlighten others of their dastardly deeds.

Playing the Distraction Game

Why have civil rights organizations and black clergy wagered their reputations on the Zimmerman case? It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the issues that really concern African-Americans simply are too painful to discuss. 

Five years after the ultimate boost to self-esteem — the election of the first black president — things are getting worse faster. If black leaders — from Barack Obama and Eric Holder on down — can’t talk about the real problems, the prospects for the future are frightening indeed.

(David P. Goldman, "What Do You Do When The Oppressed Are Their Own Worst Oppressors?" PJ Media)

This is truly a must-read article.

Chatty Cathy, Please Call Your Office.

Wanna' talk about cultural degradation, particularly how it is creeping into the once protected years of childhood innocence?

I wrote about Monster High dolls a couple of years ago, encouraging you to send along your courteous complaints about this bizarre phenomenon to mega-toymaker Mattel. Well, they obviously didn't care about your opinions because there were way too many Moms who were buying the eerie dolls for their little girls. Indeed, the Monster Dolls have been a billion dollar hit for Mattel.

And where fast money is available, things like morality, innocence, and wholesome social ideals are mere irrelevancies.

Here's what I said in March 2011.

Oh, boy; Mattel Toys is at it again.

I've blogged about these guys before: Mattel Toys: Paranoid, Grubby and Heartless and About That $95 Homeless Doll. But there's a whole new reason I'm warning you this morning to buy your kid's toys from someplace else.

Theresa over at Stories for the Homeschool Heart has the whole sordid story on Mattel's Monster High Girls, little "fashionita dolls" who are the teenage daughters of monsters like Dracula and the Wolfman. The dolls come dressed for the evening in super-short, skin-tight, skin-showing goth outfits.

Chatty Cathy, where have you gone?

Monster High Girls fashion accessories include fishnet stockings, stiletto heels, fangs, and horns. There's also extra stuff that goes along with the little tarts -- items like the Dracula Jewelry Coffin in which they sleep, a Monster Fearbook Journal,  Skull Sensor Door Alarms and a Monster High Tatoo Roller in which the doll's owners can apply to themselves that special touch for a night out -- you know, things like stitches, bite marks and snake skin.

And did I mention the market for these little ghouls? It's little girls -- ages 6 to 12.

But I've barely got started here. Theresa has a lot more over at her blog post...information about the related games and songs and pop-off hands. Sigh. Go on over and check it out.

We've written letters to Mattel (without reply, I might add) asking them to explain their bizarre, anti-child behavior. We will continue to do so. But the company isn't going to change its weird ways until they get an awful lot of letters and an awful lot of parents choosing other, more healthy and life-affirming toys for their children. So after you scoot over and read that post, come back here and use the contact information offered below to call or write Mattel. Let them know you're going to pass the word to other parents and grandparents to avoid Mattel products at all costs.

Mailing address: 
Mattel, Inc., 333 Continental Boulevard, El Segundo, CA 90245-5012.
Phone: Customer Relations at 800-524-8697

As I said, Mattel were not dissuaded from stepping up their marketing of these surreal monster dolls. Indeed, this new article from NPR, "Fangs And Fishnets For The Win: 'Goth Barbie' Is Monstrously Successful" details how the company is ratcheting up its efforts to push these sexy villains to little girls and their mothers. The reporter writes,

In the hopping Toy Fair compound run by Mattel, Barbie's pink displays seemed almost dowdy and passe next to Monster High's glamorous dolls, which look like the underfed love children of Tim Burton and Lady Gaga. Mattel's Dana De Celis is showing off a pretty brunette doll with flowing hair and wolfish ears: "She's our werewolf so she's gonna howl for us," De Celis says as the doll issues an electronic wolf howl. "She tosses her head back, she arches her back, she closes her eyes and she is literally howling at the moon."

"The message about the brand is really to celebrate your own freaky flaws, especially as bullying has become such a hot topic," says Cathy Cline. She's in charge of marketing for Mattel's girls' brands — and sales have surged 56 percent this year, thanks to Monster High. "And it's also one of the fastest growing brands within the entire toy industry," Cline adds.

Mattel had no idea Monster High would — in just three years — become a billion dollar brand, says Kiyomi Haverly, vice president of design at Mattel. "Honestly, it was very surprising to us. We just noticed girls were into darker goth fashion." And Twilight and zombies — but Monster High dolls are designed for girls ages 6 to 12, so they're not too terribly dark...

Werewolves? Zombies? Monsters that are, we're assured, "not too terribly dark"? And Moms that feel absolutely fine about giving such gifts to their little girls?

Our culture's devolution is well underway.

Today's Posts

The Final Volume of "When Swing Was King"

The July LifeSharer Letter is Up

Yet Another Story of "Sequester Hypocrisy"

America's Golfer-In-Chief: Plenty of Practice But Still A Duffer

Wendy Davis -- It's Not About Women's Health. It's About Abortion.

The Final Volume of "When Swing Was King"

The present volume of "When Swing Was King" represents (at least, for a long while) the last one I will have to make from scratch. We now have 23 different volumes which means, except for our Christmas edition, we will not repeat a "When Swing Was King" volume for two whole years! That's a really big deal for us.

Why?

Because though I undoubtedly will still tweak programs now and then -- change a few photos, change a few stories, maybe even swap a song -- the long hours required to decide on the 12-13 songs for each new volume, fix each song's volume level, find and edit the 200 plus photos each volume requires, combine everything into a Power Point presentation, and do the necessary research to make the commentary interesting, entertaining and humorous, are pretty much behind us now.

(What will I do with my time now?)

But that's not all. We finally solved the mysteries that had kept us from creating an efficient spreadsheet program to keep this whole deal organized. Therefore, we now have all 23 "When Swing Was King" presentations organized according to volume number, song title, orchestra and vocalist and, when applicable, even the photo theme. That's going to make that "tweaking" process a whole lot easier and it will help us in our promotion packages as well.

So just what ended up in that final volume? Like usual, there were a few favorites that have shown up in previous volumes as well as some delightful new entries. Here's the song list.

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra
"Moonlight Serenade"

2) Chick Webb Orchestra
"Stompin' at the Savoy"

3) Benny Goodman Orchestra (vocals by Helen Ward)
"You Turned the Tables On Me"

4) Xavier Cugat Orchestra
"Perfidia"

5) Eddie Howard Orchestra
"You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby"
(Photo theme: Hollywood celebrity baby pictures)

6) Artie Shaw Orchestra
"Rose Room"

7) Vaughn Monroe Orchestra
"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"

8) Lawrence Welk Orchestra
(featuring Henry Cuesta)
"La Mer"
(Photo theme: Dramatic seascapes)

9) The Ink Spots & Ella Fitzgerald
"I'm Beginning to See the Light"

10) Art Lund
"Mam'selle"

11) Harry James Orchestra
"Strictly Instrumental"

12) Perry Como
"Round and Round"
(Photo theme: The year 1957)

The July LifeSharer Letter is Up

And you can find it via the Vital Signs Ministries front page.

Yet Another Story of "Sequester Hypocrisy"

Different details but always the same story line. Team Obama and the Democrats scream about the sequester cuts while continuing to spend wads of money on luxurious perks for themselves, astounding foreign aid packages that even go to America's enemies, and absurdly wasteful welfare state projects.

Here's another one.

Just two days after the Pentagon began furloughing hundreds of thousands of civilian personnel due to budget cuts, the Army ordered its second batch of televisions for the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, an expense totaling more than $80,000 in the last two months…

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel warned just a day before the second TV purchase that sequestration will cause “serious damage” to the military.

"If the cuts continue, the Department will have to make sharp cuts with far-reaching consequences, including limiting combat power, reducing readiness and undermining the national security interests of the United States," Hagel said in a letter to the Senate Armed Forces Committee on July 10.

Furloughs for the Pentagon began on Monday July 9, when 650,000 civilian workers were forced to take the first of 11 days off without pay, one a week through September.

Guantanamo Bay, however, is not cutting back.  As CNSNews.com previously reported, the detention center also is looking to hire seminar instructors to teach terrorists watercolor painting, Adobe Photoshop and Arabic calligraphy, among other things.

In addition, the Pentagon has asked for $450 million to maintain and “upgrade” the detention facility...

America's Golfer-In-Chief: Plenty of Practice But Still A Duffer

Golf.com asked their readers, "Would you rather play 18 holes with Barack Obama or George W. Bush?"

The results: Don’t care or neither one...4%. Barack Obama...18%. George W. Bush...78%.

Interesting.

Of course, one would have a much better chance of finding Obama out on the links. After all, he's enjoyed 125 days of golf since becoming our President.

For an ironic look at the matter, check out The Obama Golf Counter.

Wendy Davis -- It's Not About Women's Health. It's About Abortion.

Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, takes a look at the latest lionized heroine of abortion zealots.

Wendy Davis is the country’s most prominent defender of late-term abortions. What Rosa Parks was to desegregation, what Eunice Kennedy Shriver was to respect for the disabled, what Elizabeth Cady Stanton was to women’s suffrage, the Texas state senator is to abortion after 20 weeks of fetal development…

A ban after 20 weeks, near the end of the second trimester, represents a minor restriction on abortion by any reasonable standard. Many European countries, which we tend to consider laxer on such matters, ban abortion well before 20 weeks. It’s not just that Wendy Davis is out of step in Texas; she would be out of step in Belgium and France, where abortion is banned after 12 weeks…

Wendy Davis always couches her position, of course, in terms of reproductive “health.” In the very same breath, though, she opposes a provision of the Texas law requiring that abortion clinics meet the same standards as outpatient surgical centers. Since abortion involves outpatient surgery, this would seem an uncontroversial measure, especially given that Democrats favor the strict regulation of practically every other business and activity in America.

The provision is drawn from the recommendations of the Gosnell grand-jury report that wanted tighter controls to prevent the kind of butchery that it had investigated from happening again. The requirements, like wider hallways, aren’t frivolous. One of Kermit Gosnell’s “patients” bled to death because his clinic couldn’t properly accommodate a hospital gurney. Whistleblowers from an abortion clinic in Houston have told horror stories reminiscent of Gosnell’s unspeakable practices.

If the balance of the Democratic party weren’t invested in protecting abortion as a kind of secular sacrament — “sacred ground,” as Nancy Pelosi calls it — it would recoil from Wendy Davis in embarrassment. Instead, it lionizes her. And why not? She exemplifies its moral and political bankruptcy on this issue.

Today's Posts

A Grand Sunday

The Violent Persecution of Christians Isn't Just in the Middle East

The Collectibles Game Can Hurt You

Judging Zimmerman (Do Facts Matter At All Anymore?)

Chet Thomas: Making a Difference

And from the weekend, The Terribly Failed Promise

A Grand Sunday

What a grand day we had yesterday.

We started things off with a leisurely drive up to Herman (about 10 miles north of Blair) where I had been asked by Pastor Doug Russell to preach the Sunday morning sermon. It turns out that Doug had been a student at Grace Bible college back in the 80s and had joined us in pro-life witness at an abortion mill in south Omaha then. We had a good time reconnecting and the church family was also very gracious, hospitable and encouraging.

Herman Community Church is one of the very few churches that support Vital Signs Ministries and so we were particularly honored to be a part of their service. Also, it was great to touch base with several other friends that we've known over the years.

Thank you so much, Herman Community Church, for your wonderful reception yesterday and your generous support of our work.

We had to take a "rain check" on a lunch invitation from Pastor Russell and his family because we had to get back to Omaha to pick up our repaired Oldsmobile (thanks to Jeff Bledsoe from Christian Car Care) and to finish preparations for a special performance of "When Swing Was King" at Word of Hope Lutheran Church in Ashland.

I managed to finish the "WSWK" program in time for the evening event but a wrong turn (my bad) and then incorrect directions from Google Maps (their bad) threatened to make us late for the party. But we made it. Long time friends Wilson and Sandy Metz welcomed us and showed us around (Wilson, a veteran leader in the Omaha area of Christian men's ministries is now the pastor of the church.)

With a "WSWK" poster and the lure of dessert treats, the church had used the local paper and word of mouth to promote a fun evening for seniors throughout the area. But this was the first such event the young church had sponsored and so no one knew what to expect. It was a very pleasant surprise then when the guests began to arrive -- in a steady stream. By the time we were scheduled to start, the church was full!

Wilson gave us a very kind introduction. And with just a quick word of introduction, we were off. The set up was fantastic -- two large screen, overhead TVs on each side of the sanctuary and two large speakers. It really helped the crowd get into the swing of things (pun quite deliberate). They loved the music, the photos, the commentary. And, though only a few of the audience was from the church, the whole bunch stayed afterward for the desserts, drinks and conversation. The people were very gracious and Claire and I found ourselves in a sea of complements, expressions of appreciation, and invitations to return. They weren't even above bribing us by sending us home with peach pie!

It was a swell evening and it certainly appeared to be a very effective "community attraction" event for the church. Maybe your church should consider it too. After all, we're willing. And we're cheap -- a peach pie will do the trick.

Could anything else have made the day more delightful? Actually, yes. Phil Mickelson won the Scottish Open; Kenny Perry completed an amazing comeback to win the Senior Open in Omaha; and a teenager (Jordan Spieth) won the John Deere Classic.

A great day indeed.

The Violent Persecution of Christians Isn't Just in the Middle East

From Fuerza Latina Cristiana and reprinted by Voice of the Martyrs website:

Eight pastors have been murdered in Honduras in 2013 alone. In the most recent attack, which took place on June 19th, Pastor Eduardo Mejia was stabbed to death. Pastor Mejia led a church called "God Is Love." The other seven pastors killed over the first half of this year have all died from gunshot wounds.

An estimated 600,000 illegal weapons circulate in Honduras, and most are owned by criminals. According to data released by human rights organizations, Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world...about 85 per every 100,000 people. To date, none of the cases involving the murdered pastors has been solved.

While we know these servants of the Living God will be the recipients of His promised eternal reward for their faithfulness in ministry service, let us pray that this truth and the reassuring presence of Jesus will greatly comfort the hearts of their grieving loved ones and congregation members. According to Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted."

We are also mindful of our need to pray for the salvation of the perpetrators who are serving the enemy as 'workers of iniquity' by taking these pastors' lives. May they one day be able to personally experience God's mercy, forgiveness of sin, and His greatest gift of grace which is salvation.

The Collectibles Game Can Hurt You

Having some interest in collectibles, I found myself reading an article last night entitled "9 Completely Worthless Collectibles" by Jason Notte. The article spoke of products that are highly promoted to be valued collector items but, alas, are anything but. The list included (some of you better brace yourself) Hummel figurines, Beanie Babies, Franklin Mint items, Hess toy trucks, Thomas Kinkade paintings, Norman Rockwell plates, Lladro statues, Cabbage Patch dolls, and Precious Moments figurines.

The article (one of those maddening ones that requires you to advance the page for each bit) is nevertheless informative and entertaining. Well, entertaining unless you've been counting on any of these things to bolster your retirement.

Here, for instance, is the section on Precious Moments.

Few collectibles milk their rabid followers with such impunity that they almost insure fans will lose money with each passing year. Wide-eyed, innocence-embodying Precious Moments porcelain figurines have no such qualms about their greed.

It's bad enough that Precious Moments collectors have to watch as figurines they paid $45 for at retail sell on eBay for 99 cents to $5 apiece, but Precious Moments Incorporated (PMI -- yes, it's a corporate entity based on figurines) has no problem making fans bank accounts depreciate as quickly as their collectibles. For $36 to $39 a year, PMI offers collectors access to its "Collectors Club," with benefits including the opportunity to buy "collectors only" statuettes, a "member's kit" and a free figurine thrown in for good measure. PMI also partners with Bank of America on a Precious Moments MasterCard for the cutest debt imaginable and Precious Moments checking and savings accounts, so account holders always remember where their expendable income is going.

Also, through a link on the PMI Web site, Collectibles Database Online will "value" collections for $30 in the first year and $19 each additional year. Collectors Club members are spared such indignities by getting a $10 discount in the first year. Most antiques dealers will tell collectors these statues are worth next to nothing for much less than that.

PMI's former business partner Enesco discovered as much the hard way in 2004, when it severed the relationship due to faltering sales. Even PMI hasn't been immune, as it was forced to scale back its Precious Moments Chapel theme park in Carthage, Mo., three years ago after "increases in gas prices and the general decline in tour bus activity" and a "reduction in paid admissions to the park." Kahn places the pricing of Beanie Babies and their ilk on par with the resale value of collectible plates containing Norman Rockwell illustrations, but that's still more than the return on the pastel, pink-and-purple Precious Moments figurines.

"Precious Moments are worth precious nothing -- they have no value," Kahn says, noting he refused to consign a woman's collection of 7,000 such statuettes that she'd insured for $110,000. "I gave her some advice: Leave your door open, your lights on and your back windows open."

Judging Zimmerman (Do Facts Matter At All Anymore?)

Has there ever been a clearer case of race baiting, irresponsible journalism, and a calculated strategy for social division than what we have seen with the news and commentary on the George Zimmerman trial?

Well, the trial is finally over and despite outlandish behavior by the prosecuting attorneys, enabling help to the prosecution by the judge, and the surrounding media circus that deliberately ignored the facts of the case in their zeal to have George Zimmerman burned, the defendant was cleared of all charges.

Following the verdict, there have been violent and destructive riots, arson, preachers "honoring" Trayvon Martin by preaching in hoodies, and death threats to Zimmerman, members of the jury and policemen. President Obama, as usual, has ignored the facts of the case and delivered comments which further divide the nation, encourage the protests, and push one of his pet projects, the counter-productive fiasco of government gun control.

Is there no shame left in America? No desire for a rational, unbiased examination of facts before making sweeping judgments -- judgments that are so bold as to include another's mind and motivations?

Say goodnight, Gracie.

But, before you do, you might want to check out these illuminating articles on the matter:

* "State never proved its case, legal analysts say" (David Ovalle, Miami Herald)

* "Guilty Until Proven Innocent: How the Press Prosecuted Zimmerman While Stoking Racial Tensions" (John Nolte, Breitbart)

* "A Dagger at the Heart of Justice" (Mark Steyn, National Review)

* "FBI records: agents found no evidence that Zimmerman was racist" (Frances Robles and Scott Hiaason, Miami Herald)

* "The Zimmerman Verdict" (Wall Street Journal editorial)

* "Answering 7 Key Questions About The George Zimmerman Trial" (John Hawkins, Town Hall)

* "Injudicious Criminal Justice in Florida" (John Fund, National Review)

Chet Thomas: Making a Difference

A friend from church who receives The Leavenworth Exchange (a neighborhood association newsletter) sent me a copy this weekend because it had a moving memorial about Chet Thomas, our dear colleague whose funeral I conducted last month.

I thought I'd print that article here not only for those of you who knew Chet (and that's a lot of you), but also as a general encouragement that living for Christ in the active, principled, and winsome ways that Chet did makes a big impact on the people around you.

The memorial is written by the editor of the newsletter, Jim Thompson.

In Memoriam: Chet Thomas (1930 - 2013)

When it came to politics and religion, one would have to be careful when opening a conversation with Chet. If you were a Republican, you got Chet's vote. And when he would proclaim "God bless you" at least once, if not more, during the conversation, he truly meant it.

Unfortunately I learned more about Chester Thomas, Jr. at his memorial service than all the years when we would talk and visit about the neighborhood. And that sums up the value this man had - it was not about him. He would, without fail, always ask about the family, or how I was doing. He always brought a cheerful note to the talk, even when it was about some negative aspect of the neighborhood that needed fixing. Like most of the neighbors, he had a busy schedule and we would only see him attend an occasional meeting. But he cared and always sent in his dues.

Having learned he went to Hollywood High School, the same time Carol Burnett attended, and having learned he spent time in Alaska working at a cannery, and having learned he was in the Navy, a veteran of the Korean War, I wish I had injected more "tell me about...." in our conversations. And I learned he traveled the world, just because he wanted to. I wish I would have asked him more. But I believe he would have re-directed the topic, steering the attention to someone else.

Along with the Audubon Society, Fontanelle Forest, Vital Signs Ministries and, in 1964, a delegate for Barry Goldwater, I feel good that he took the time to be part of the LNA. Right now, he's probably saying, "Stop writing about me." Dear Chet: you, your sense of humor, your concern for mankind, will be missed. May you rest in peace.

The Terribly Failed Promise

With the evidence piling up that the administration has been systematically and comprehensively spying on so many other nations, why does Team Obama seem to know nothing about what's going on? Why are they continually caught unprepared?

The President who arrogantly promised to make America beloved and respected throughout the world has done the very opposite. On his watch, America has lost wars, deeply offended her allies, bungled a dozen major crises, and generally been dissed, decried and despised around the globe. Even the Muslim nations who Barack Obama has (literally) bowed to find him weak, duplicitous and untrustworthy.

And we have 3 and a 1/2 years more of this?

Look for the nations of the world to be drawn to other powers (read Communist China, rogue Russia, and the radical Muslim potentates) as they watch the slide into irrelevancy of America's economy, military capability, and resolve.

Today's Posts

"I Knew Every One of Those Songs!"

Charmingly Bad Analogies

Yes, Honey. The Government Prefers Ugly.

As Goes Obama's Tiny Chicken Croissant, So Goes His Whole Transformational Program

America No Longer Has the Stomach for War

"I Knew Every One of Those Songs!"

Here are the most common things Claire and I hear from the audience members after our "When Swing Was King" shows:

"Thank you so much. I loved it."

"That brought back so many memories. Thank you."

"Oh, that was such wonderful music. And the pictures were delightful too. I always enjoy myself so much at your show."

"The things you tell us about the songs and the musicians are so interesting. Thank you for taking all that time just for us."

See the threads that run through these comments? Gratitude. Kindness. Courtesy. Respect. Indeed, it is such a delight for us to enjoy the fellowship of such a classy group of people who so charmingly practice the social graces of an age almost gone.

And we get to experience that 13 times every month. Neat, huh?

There are a lot of other things we hear too. We are told stories of their adventurous lives, stories about families, careers, dancing and romancing, war, travels, changes, triumphs and loss, happiness and sorrow.

And then there's this line, one we hear from an audience member or two almost every time we present a "When Swing Was King" program -- "I knew every one of those songs!" The line is usually delivered with a big grin but sometimes with a pensive gaze back into their lives. It is a heartwarming thing to hear. For we know it stands for something besides pride, something even beyond the comfort of familiarity.

Indeed, it stands as a positive testimony to the significance of the life they have lived. The world has passed them by. It doesn't remember (let alone honor) the times they lived, the achievements they made, or the culture they enjoyed. But suddenly, Helen Forrest begins to sing or Harry James begins to blow, and they remember, "Yes, we were there. Life wasn't always easy and we worked hard but there were good times too. And we appreciated them. And, even if no one else is around with whom I enjoyed those days, these songs help me to remember and cherish them."

No wonder they're grateful to people who are trying to keep the music and memories of earlier times vibrant, fun and available to them. No wonder they so quickly become our friends, knowing that our efforts in bringing them "When Swing Was King" reflect not just our respect for the art of that era but for them as important, valuable persons.

"I knew every one of those songs" thus becomes the highest compliment they could bestow, a warm acknowledgement that each song we had selected was relevant and appreciated.

And yet, there is one other element to this particular phrase that I think makes it so common and so meaningful.  It's not a surprise to anyone that many of the residents of senior living facilities struggle with memory loss. It's both a part of physical aging (little can be done about that) and an inevitable product of lifestyle changes which have reduced mental stimulation. But something can be done about that...even something as simple as "When Swing Was King." For the music, the visuals, the stories, and the direct conversation which make up the ministry give these seniors a variety of memory stimulants.

Everyone finds satisfaction in remembering. Everyone likes to scratch the itch, to fill the hole, to put back in their mind that elusive item that's just past their reach. But for seniors, those who live daily with various levels of the frustration of forgetfulness, how terrific it is to discover that, by golly, "I knew every one of those songs!" It's a vindication, a proof that not everything has slid into the mist. It's a nice scratch to the itch.

Wanna' join in this pleasant process of stimulating, reminding, befriending? The monthly schedule for "When Swing Was King" is always up at the Vital Signs website. We (and they!) would love to have you. Plus, there's a special event coming up this Sunday evening in Ashland to which you are cordially invited. It will be a great time. Check out the mini-poster below and consider coming to join us.

Charmingly Bad Analogies

Claire and I, former teachers that we are, got a kick out of this collection of really bad analogies picked out of stories written by high school students.

I think you will as well.

Some of these are so cleverly, exquisitely bad that the writer just had to have done it on purpose.  But then again, remembering papers I graded back in the day, I'm afraid that more than a few are probably quite "innocently bad."

I'm dropping in just a few of our favorites but I encourage you to go on over and check out the whole 56.

* Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.

* He was as tall as a 6′3″ tree.

* He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

* The lamp just sat there, like an inanimate object.

* John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

* He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

* The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

* The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red Crayola crayon.

* Fishing is like waiting for something that does not happen very often.

* It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.

Yes, Honey. The Government Prefers Ugly.

The Phantom Planter was philosophical about his setback. “The fact is, not all performance pieces end in comedy. The flowers have been uprooted, but the memory of the gift remains in our brain, and that’s something that no bureaucrat can ever take away.”

Memories indeed. If government keeps getting its way, I'm afraid that only memories will be what any of us have of culture, beauty and freedom.

Here's a Washington Post story about a tyrannical D.C. bureaucracy that quite unashamedly prefers ugliness over beauty. It's a tale of our sad, demented era, a tale that shows how far afield from common sense and decency government will go to retain full control over the lives of its citizens.

As Goes Obama's Tiny Chicken Croissant, So Goes His Whole Transformational Program

New York's Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district has become the latest casualty in first lady Michelle Obama’s preferred lunch plan, dropping the menu after too many students complained of hunger.

“[Food service manager Nicky] Boehm and her staff worked hard to implement the new regulations, but there were just too many problems and too many foods that students did not like and would not purchase,” said Assistant Superintendent Chris Abdoo about the National School Lunch Program in a statement reported by EAGNews.org. “Students complained of being hungry with these lunches and the district lost money.”

The school system decided to instead create its own lunch menu for next year.

The district lost about $100,000 trying out the federal menu, which offered such meals as “part” of a chicken patty on a minicroissant, EAGNews.org reported.

Students felt they weren’t getting good value for their money,” Ms. Boehm said in EAGNews.org. “The high schoolers especially complained the portion sizes were too small and many more students brought in lunch from home.”

This isn’t the first school to drop the federal lunch menu plan. Catlin, Ill., schools did the same, calling the guidelines too “restrictive,” EAGNews.org reported.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in charge of managing the lunch program and estimates Mrs. Obama’s new wish list for student meals would cost about $3.2 billion to bring to fruition around the nation.

Note the hallmarks of Nanny State tyranny from this Washington Times story. 1) Mandates are forced upon citizens from an out-of-touch, ideologically zealous government. 2) Mandates prove to be highly problematic, expensive, and unpopular. 3) Mandates eventually prove to be unworkable.

And yes, as alarming and tragic as it is, the rest of Barack Obama's and the Democrats' "fundamental transformation" of America will go the very same way..

Of course, after the sad collapse of the American economy, the infrastructure, the military capabilities for national defense, and the rule of Constitutional law, the Republic isn't going to get the easy do-over that this school cafeteria managed to get.

Get ready to go hungry, baby.

America No Longer Has the Stomach for War

Afghanistan: President Obama's new strategy for what he once called "a war that we have to win" is a "zero option" of irrevocable defeat. The world's strongest military power can no longer win wars.

The most iconic image of U.S. humiliation in Vietnam is the photo of hundreds of Vietnamese in Saigon in 1975 scrambling to the roof to reach an American helicopter and be saved from death or slavery at the hands of the victorious communists. "Yankees Go Home" it might have been captioned.

There are no such memorable images symbolizing America's failure to finish the jobs in Iraq, and now Afghanistan. But the message to friends and enemies alike is actually stronger than that resulting from our Vietnam failure.

It is this: We no longer have the stomach for war...

Read the rest of "Obama's Promise To Win Afghanistan Now Total Pullout," an editorial from Investor's Business Daily.

An Independence Day Check In

Even setting aside a pre-birthday dinner tonight with the Nelsons, two 4th of July family parties in Lincoln tomorrow, and a birthday soiree back here in Omaha on the 5th, this is a pretty hectic week for  us.

The primary reasons for this are working on the LifeSharer letter, quite a few lawn projects, creating the latest "When Swing Was King" presentation, and overhauling and updating the spreadsheet which organizes the various "When Swing Was King" volumes. (And that last task was a bear. After all, "When Swing Was King" now involves 23 volumes in all, almost 300 songs, and a few thousand photos.)

Anyhow, there's not much room this week for blogging and, I strongly suspect, not a whole lot of blog visitors. For I'm sure most of you have a similarly busy Fourth of July week to get through. Have a great holiday.

However, for those who do manage to get over for a quick visit, here are a few suggested reading items.

* Could Michelle Obama's shameless lack of propriety, empathy and class dip any lower? I guess it could. This photo shows our First Lady arriving with her family in Senegal, an extremely impoverished country which rates 166 out of 182 countries on the Human Development Index. It's a country where almost half of the people are unemployed and where shortages of water, food, power, medicine, and so on are horrible. Yet Michelle Obama chose to get off the plane in a designer dress that costs $1,295.  You know, you'd be awfully hard pressed to make this kind of stuff up. 

* Texas abortion battle heats up as activists ‘Hail Satan!’ (Washington Times)

* "Pro-Abortion Wendy Davis Backers Tell Legislator “I Hope Your Daughter’s Raped" (LifeNews.com) 

 * "Stand with . . . Death: No, Wendy Davis is not a hero." (Charles C. W. Cooke, NRO)

* "Seven reasons Obamacare’s employer mandate delay is a huge deal" (Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post) An excellent pass-around article.

* "Could we use some good old fashioned Hate?" (John Malek, In Pursuit of Reason)

* "White House Violates Law with Obamacare Delay" (Ken Klukowski, Breitbart)

 * "Clapper: I gave 'erroneous' answer because I forgot about Patriot Act" (Guardian)

* "This Is Why California Can’t Have Nice Things" (Kevin Williamson, NRO)

* And finally...

Forget the Obamas and their ultra-expensive, ineffective, and ultimately embarrassing campaign. There was another famous American couple in Africa this week. And, like usual, this "other" couple did some real good and, in the process, did America proud. Check it out.

Facing a Fiery Furnace

In my sermon yesterday at Faith Bible Church, I began by reviewing some of the alarming dispatches from the culture wars, especially last week's Supreme Court decision against marriage, morality and the Constitution. It was a grim beginning.

But then I moved into an exposition of Chapter 3 of Daniel, the passage that describes the confident faith of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (aka Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego) when they were pressed to the extreme by a pagan culture.

It was a good and timely lesson. And I encourage you to read through the account and ponder its significance in your own life.

For those of you who are interested, that sermon will be up on the Vital Signs Ministries website soon. But you can enjoy right now the two songs that served as bookends to the sermon. The first is from the Larry Clinton Orchestra (a group that frequently shows up at our "When Swing Was King" presentations) and the second comes from Johnny Cash and the Carter family.

Speaking to the Shallow

Our culture has become celebrity-obsessed. Too often, what’s cool is more important than what is right.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where our President calls Sandra Fluke on the phone, but ignores the families of Benghazi. Where he immediately comments on a basketball player coming out as gay, but has to read in the paper about his IRS targeting conservatives. Where the office of the President of the United States puts out memes to promote policy positions, but doesn’t meet with members of Congress or the media to discuss those proposals.

To some in an older generation who are used to seeing the presidency treated with respect, this is jarring. To a generation more used to seeing Obama yukking it up on a late night talk show or on Comedy Central than working in the Oval Office, it’s perfectly normal…

Kristan Hawkins goes on in this provocative Town Hall column to suggest a few ways for pro-life activists to bring truth and light into this generation's shallow, Twitter-happy world. Very interesting stuff.

Barack Obama's Audacious Climate Change Scheme

Even those who believe that emissions of carbon dioxide are causing unacceptable warming of the earth — and frankly the evidence for that is thus far less than convincing — should be ashamed of President Obama’s demagogic arguments for action.

The fact sheet on the president’s speech this week said carbon “pollution” is “contributing to higher rates of asthma attacks and more frequent and severe floods and heat waves.” His measures would “protect the health of our children.”

“For the children” usually means the orator has run out of good arguments.

It’s the first assertion we’ve seen that carbon dioxide produces or worsens asthma. The Environmental Protection Agency has never asserted that. The only way a child could be hurt by carbon dioxide, essential for plant life and produced in human breath, would be by being hit in the head with a block of dry ice — frozen carbon dioxide.

In a second badly misnamed “fact sheet” — this one specifically for Massachusetts — the White House seeks to blame “climate change” for tropical storm Irene, emergency room visits due to heat stress in 2009 (it did not include “facts” on whether that was up or down from previous years or even since 2009) and 2,380 cases of Lyme disease.

Yes to hear the Obama administration tell it, we are indeed simply doomed.

However, most international and national agencies have found no increase in storm activity. Warming? The alarmist British Meteorological Office finds no warming since 1998 while the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased by 7.4 percent...

(From the Boston Herald editorial, "A Climate Demagogue")