If this story doesn't make you love Grand Rapids, I don't know what will. Forget the snow, and the road construction, this makes up for all of it. This is the way to make national news.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286847,00.html
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Maybe not the time but...
Sometime's it's hard to tackle a political (moral) issue, when a tragedy happens. I caught myself criticizing a radio host today for crucifying Bush and supporting Saddam Hussein for political reason. However, I have had an interesting dilemma here and I hope you understand my point. Recently there have been multiple cases of men killing and murdering a female companion (not always a spouse) who is pregnant. They are being charged with 2 counts of murder. I find this very interesting that the life of an unborn child is defined as a life in this situation, but not in an abortion situation. To me, the way our laws are written, an unborn child is not a human, but the definition of murder is, "unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice." Can we step back and look at this. If Scott Peterson or Bobby Cutts ( http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286698,00.html ) are going to be tried for murder, then according to this definition, they took another human life. This then defines an unborn child as a human life. Why is it ok then for a mother to choose to take the same life and it is not murder? Is it not a life anymore? Now it's just a possession of the mother, and she has the right to choose if it is a life? The mother gets to "play god" and decide whether the child gets to live, but she has no consequences because it's not murder if she kills it, but if someone else does, then it's murder. This just doesn't add up to me. It's either one or the other. For the record, I strongly believe that they are BOTH murder. Unfortunately, according to our precedence, Cutts and Peterson should only be charged with single counts of murder because the unborn children don't matter. Why is that so hard to swallow? Isn't it interesting how people want it both ways. They want it to be a life when it's convenient and they don't want it to be a life it's not convenient.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Dream on
One of my favorite video's of all time. Just watch it, nothing needs to be said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88zWUKEHx0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88zWUKEHx0w
My views on Iraq
As I sat down to check out the newspaper today, I read stories about Iraq and the terrible casualties that are happening there. It seems as if we could write one story about horror, and then just reprint it on the back page every single day. Some of the low-lights of the story are as follows; “Mortar rounds crashed in the U.S. controlled Green Zone on Tuesday – the second such barrage in a 12-hour span – and gunman ambushed Shiite travelers as part of attacks that killed at least 44 people nationwide.” Another one says, “At least 11 Shiites were killed and three wounded after attackers flagged down their bus near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad. About 45 minutes later, gunmen opened fire on civilian cars about six miles to the north near Latifiyah, killing three people and wounding five.” Yet another says, “At least 23 tortured bodies also were found around Iraq – 15 in Baghdad.” The amount of Iraqi’s killed in March was 1,872, and in April 1,501.
After reading this article I try to relate these numbers to the life that we have here in the United States, and I try to make sense of the critics to our involvement in Iraq. Can you imagine the blood shed of the civilians in Iraq if we weren’t there? I am firmly convinced that Iraq would be run by these terrorists and they would have a full country at their disposal to use as a weapon. How can we become involved with a country and create a sense of hope with sensible, loving Muslims, and then leave them to be overthrown by cold-blooded killers. Are people in our country willing to have the blood of an entire civilization on their hands? Is it not imperative that we win this war and transform Iraq from a country filled with Barbarians to a country filled with entrepreneurs, religious leaders, educators, respected political figures and a governing force that is able to control the few barbarians that are left?
We cringe at the fact that 33 college students could be killed in a cowardly shooting rampage, the worst of its’ kind in the 231 year history of our country. Yet, attacks that kill 44 Iraqi’s is back page news and not enough evidence for certain leaders of our country to maintain our presence in Iraq and stay there with the determination to be victorious over a ruthless enemy? How can it be that we have such broken hearts over 33 of our own, but we are so care free about 23 tortured bodies being found in another country?
To me, it doesn’t add up. To me, it seems as if politics and personal gain have become so important within our country that the actual severity of this conflict has been put on the back burner. The point is no longer what is best for our country; it has become what is best for our “party.”
Does it scare anyone else that these same people who torture their own, would be and have been, celebrated for doing worse to us? Does anyone remember people dancing around in the streets cheering when 3000 of our own died in America? Do other people realize this? Do other people realize that we have soldiers giving their lives on foreign soil because they know they are eliminating an enemy that wants to kill their family on their home soil? Do they get the credit they deserve?
The answer is no. Instead of celebrating the fact that we have heroes fighting for us in a very volatile country, we are debating funding of those same troops because of a deadline for withdrawal.
Can you imagine if we pulled out of WWII because of a deadline to defeat Hitler? How about a deadline to defeat slavery? How many things in our history took a tremendous amount of time and only through persistence, were we able to prevail?
Because of this negativity and lack of support, our troops are viewed as victims of a careless leader who just wants to fight a war for the heck of it. It’s easy to sit back here and say that you want the troops to come home. That’s the popular decision. It’s difficult to see the numbers of American’s dying and making the “unpopular” decision of leaving them in harms way, but you have to, because you know that the future of this country depends on it. Can you imagine this whole conflict with a unified country that is 100% focused on willing this war? If we had 2 parties that had the same goal because of the consequences of failure, I know that our country would be behind our troops 100% and I also know that our troops would feel that support even though they were thousands of miles away.
After reading this article I try to relate these numbers to the life that we have here in the United States, and I try to make sense of the critics to our involvement in Iraq. Can you imagine the blood shed of the civilians in Iraq if we weren’t there? I am firmly convinced that Iraq would be run by these terrorists and they would have a full country at their disposal to use as a weapon. How can we become involved with a country and create a sense of hope with sensible, loving Muslims, and then leave them to be overthrown by cold-blooded killers. Are people in our country willing to have the blood of an entire civilization on their hands? Is it not imperative that we win this war and transform Iraq from a country filled with Barbarians to a country filled with entrepreneurs, religious leaders, educators, respected political figures and a governing force that is able to control the few barbarians that are left?
We cringe at the fact that 33 college students could be killed in a cowardly shooting rampage, the worst of its’ kind in the 231 year history of our country. Yet, attacks that kill 44 Iraqi’s is back page news and not enough evidence for certain leaders of our country to maintain our presence in Iraq and stay there with the determination to be victorious over a ruthless enemy? How can it be that we have such broken hearts over 33 of our own, but we are so care free about 23 tortured bodies being found in another country?
To me, it doesn’t add up. To me, it seems as if politics and personal gain have become so important within our country that the actual severity of this conflict has been put on the back burner. The point is no longer what is best for our country; it has become what is best for our “party.”
Does it scare anyone else that these same people who torture their own, would be and have been, celebrated for doing worse to us? Does anyone remember people dancing around in the streets cheering when 3000 of our own died in America? Do other people realize this? Do other people realize that we have soldiers giving their lives on foreign soil because they know they are eliminating an enemy that wants to kill their family on their home soil? Do they get the credit they deserve?
The answer is no. Instead of celebrating the fact that we have heroes fighting for us in a very volatile country, we are debating funding of those same troops because of a deadline for withdrawal.
Can you imagine if we pulled out of WWII because of a deadline to defeat Hitler? How about a deadline to defeat slavery? How many things in our history took a tremendous amount of time and only through persistence, were we able to prevail?
Because of this negativity and lack of support, our troops are viewed as victims of a careless leader who just wants to fight a war for the heck of it. It’s easy to sit back here and say that you want the troops to come home. That’s the popular decision. It’s difficult to see the numbers of American’s dying and making the “unpopular” decision of leaving them in harms way, but you have to, because you know that the future of this country depends on it. Can you imagine this whole conflict with a unified country that is 100% focused on willing this war? If we had 2 parties that had the same goal because of the consequences of failure, I know that our country would be behind our troops 100% and I also know that our troops would feel that support even though they were thousands of miles away.
Remember Me
A good friend sent me this video, and I, being a sucker for a well done video edit, absolutely loved it. I think it sent a great message and one that we all need to remember. No matter what the issue is and no matter if we agree with the mission of not, we have to support the people that are fighting our fight. I highly recommend this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0
Abortion, what is the debate?
This whole abortion issue is becoming ridiculous. I think the overall theme that you will read on this blog is my desire for man to take responsibility for their actions. On many topics, personal responsibility is a simple solution. However, we live in a society with selfish, lazy people and it is hard for people to take responsibility for their actions. It is hard to come up with a "system" that is flawless because people will always abuse it for their own personal gain.
Never is that more true than with the abortion issue. A man and a woman make a choice to have sex before, during or outside of their marriage. They don't want to take the responsibility that was blessed to them because of their selfishness and lack of self control, so they decide to kill a baby. Yes, I said baby. Let me ask you this...Is having an abortion as easy as having your tonsils taken out? Or, let's say a sist, or a tooth? Is it emotionally the same? NO, the answer is no. Why? Let me answer that one for you too. Because EVERYONE, especially the mother carrying the child, knows that they have destroyed a life. Need proof? Here you go.
http://www.prolife.com/ABRTWM2.html
I think you would be hard pressed to find a woman that had an abortion and never once second guessed it. Even in the case of rape, I bet, a woman ALWAYS second guesses their choice at some point, and probably many points, of the lives.
I know people that have made this decision, but it won't cause me to change my opinion of this horrible act. There are probably people that I know reading this that have had an abortion or have been part of the process and I don't even know about it. I sympathize with the struggles that I am sure you have, and I pray that you have asked for God's forgiveness and his mercy on you and your emotional stress.
Anyone who tries to justify this as a reasonable act and a woman's choice is selfish and lazy. There are many people out there who would desperately choose to have a child but for some reason they can't. They crave a child and yet people out there are killing their own children. It just doesn't make sense to me.
As a Christian, my argument is, "God never game women the right to choose who lives and who dies." As an American, my argument is, "The Constitution never game women the right to choose who lives and who dies."
It is not a choice, it is a life.
Never is that more true than with the abortion issue. A man and a woman make a choice to have sex before, during or outside of their marriage. They don't want to take the responsibility that was blessed to them because of their selfishness and lack of self control, so they decide to kill a baby. Yes, I said baby. Let me ask you this...Is having an abortion as easy as having your tonsils taken out? Or, let's say a sist, or a tooth? Is it emotionally the same? NO, the answer is no. Why? Let me answer that one for you too. Because EVERYONE, especially the mother carrying the child, knows that they have destroyed a life. Need proof? Here you go.
http://www.prolife.com/ABRTWM2.html
I think you would be hard pressed to find a woman that had an abortion and never once second guessed it. Even in the case of rape, I bet, a woman ALWAYS second guesses their choice at some point, and probably many points, of the lives.
I know people that have made this decision, but it won't cause me to change my opinion of this horrible act. There are probably people that I know reading this that have had an abortion or have been part of the process and I don't even know about it. I sympathize with the struggles that I am sure you have, and I pray that you have asked for God's forgiveness and his mercy on you and your emotional stress.
Anyone who tries to justify this as a reasonable act and a woman's choice is selfish and lazy. There are many people out there who would desperately choose to have a child but for some reason they can't. They crave a child and yet people out there are killing their own children. It just doesn't make sense to me.
As a Christian, my argument is, "God never game women the right to choose who lives and who dies." As an American, my argument is, "The Constitution never game women the right to choose who lives and who dies."
It is not a choice, it is a life.
Welcome
Welcome to my blog. If anyone happens to stumble upon this consider yourself lucky. I don't plan on inviting anyone until I have a blog full of somewhat worthwhile content. I plan on giving my opinion, for what it's worth (usually not much) on many topics, including religion, politics, sports and society in general.
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