Got an answer to this question?

Why? An important question...

Last week’s question in “On Faith,” sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek, [http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/2007/08/clergy_sexuality/all.html], concerned the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s decision to leave gay clergy alone if they are in chaste, committed relationships. This somewhat cautious decision by one Protestant denomination drew a huge and angry response, from both pro- and anti-gay panelists and bloggers.

Why do you think Americans care so much about an “issue” that ignites so little controversy in Europe? Why are we alone in the developed world in our intense distress about the fact that a minority of people are erotically attracted to members of their own their own sex rather than to the opposite sex?

Don't criticize if you don't...?

From Alvin:

Anyone, organization or church that does not do what God mandates use to do as described in Matthew for the least among us because the government is involved is neglecting its duties. Harping about government involvement all the time is just an excuse people use not to do more. Do not criticize what the government has done and claim people should fix disasters like Katrina and you have not been done there yourself. How are you going to ask people to do something you have not done yourself? Makes me think is more about criticizing the government than helping.

So...by extension, you shouldn't criticize pastors unless you have been a pastor, abortion if you haven't been out to an abortion clinic to protest, prisons if you haven't been to a detention center, or criticize the health care industry for the elderly until you minister regularly in an "old folk's home?"

Truth is, I haven't been down to the coast but I haven't because I was busy and continue to be very busy on the foregoing fronts.

Is life as simple as "Don't criticize if you don't directly participate?" How many things does that exclude taxpayers from having a voice on?

Comment?

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest - reminds me of some writing I have done!

The winner for the best bad opening sentences to a novel...but check them all out.

Gerald began--but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them "permanently" meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash--to pee.

Whoa!

(BRANDON, MISS) – Today, Congressman Chip Pickering released the following statement:

Today, I am announcing that I will not seek re-election in 2008. Serving the Third District of Mississippi over the last eleven years has been a great honor. It has been, and continues to be, one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have come to know well the people and communities of our generous state.

I am thankful to all who helped elect me to six terms in the House. First, to my family, Leisha and the boys, who worked hard in my campaigns and every day to make my congressional service possible. My parents inspired my service, set positive examples for me, and provided a good name and start. Our family has been blessed by the many friendships and experiences we have made along the way.

I have the good fortune of a talented, committed congressional and campaign staff who have made lasting contributions to our country and state, fought worthy battles, and run effective campaigns. In the process, we formed committed friendships and a love for one another. They are my extended family for which I am profoundly grateful.

Volunteers, family, and friends contributed their time, toil, and resources to give me the opportunity to earn elections and serve in Congress. I deeply appreciate all their efforts.

I am also fortunate to have been part of significant chapters in our nation's and Mississippi's history. I love public service: creating and shaping legislation, building our institutions and infrastructure, helping communities and individuals.

With the rest of our congressional delegation, past and present, along with state and local leaders, I worked to strengthen Mississippi. In Congress, I focused on, and continue to press forward for, legislation and resources vital to Mississippi priorities in agriculture, our military bases and defense missions, veterans, energy, health care, telecommunications, and economic development. I sought to make our culture more decent and our communities stronger. After Hurricane Katrina, I am proud to have been a part of and witness to a remarkable recovery, rebuilding and a defining moment of our state and people.

As I close this chapter of my life, I see a stronger, more unified and growing Mississippi. Our universities are leading research centers. Our military, national, and homeland security contributions expand every day. We are strategically transforming to a high-tech, high-wage, advanced skill economy.

I look forward to continuing my service in this Congress as I fulfill this term. Much important work remains to be done. We must complete the funding for our state's priorities. We face fundamental decisions regarding Iraq and our efforts to defeat terrorism. Energy, agriculture, health care and environmental legislation await our return this fall and next year. Beyond that, I have no plans, but I am content and confident that I will find new ways to serve and contribute.

Although I will not seek re-election to the next Congress, I will always remain involved in community and political life. After eighteen years in public service, starting in 1989 in the first Bush Administration, then on Senator Lott's staff, and most recently as a Member of the House, it is time for me to gain new experiences in the private arena. I believe these experiences will prepare me to be a better leader in the future. I continue to view public service as a noble calling. I am not saying a final farewell, but hopefully, simply taking a leave of absence.

I have a window of opportunity to maximize my time, influence and participation in the lives of my five sons now ages 8 to 17. Time is the one element I can never recover or regain. Being a father is one of life's greatest callings.

I make this announcement with a full heart and abiding faith in both our country and great state. I look forward to working together to complete our mission and fulfill our promise.

Barbour family and friends profiting from Katrina?

So says this Bloomberg report which lifts some material from our radio interview with the governor.

The new Eaves ad

RePORK card - see how your reps did

Sigh.

- $2 million for a "Paint Shield for Protecting People from Microbial Threats," requested by Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH-11).

- $1 million to the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, requested by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA). No congressional member could confirm the existence of the alleged Center.

- $2 million to establish the "Rangel Center for Public Service" at City College of New York, requested by none other then Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY). (Oh, Lordy, that one's a hoot!)

- $50,000 for the National Mule and Packers Museum in California, requested by Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA).

- $100,000 for renovation of the Fire Fighters Hall in Columbus, Ohio, requested by Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH).

Etc...

Barbour, Franks receiving substantial dollars from casinos

Imagine that...

• Haley Barbour (R) candidate for Governor

02.12.07 $1,000.00 from Isle of Capri Casinos

03.02.07 $20,000.00 from MS Band of Choctaw Indians (operate casino and want approval for another)

04.27.07 $1,000.00 from Beau Rivage Casino

04.27.07 $1,000.00 from Mirage Casino

04.27.07 $1,000.00 from Gold Strike Casino

05.30.07 $1,000.00 to Beau Rivage Casino

05.30.07 $1,000.00 to Mirage Casino

05.30.07 $1,000.00 to Gold Strike Casino

-------------------

• Jamie Franks (D) candidate for Lt. Governor

03.27.07 $1,000.00 from Isle of Capri Casinos

03.21.07 $1,000.00 from Bobby Moak (D), gaming committee chairman and current candidate for House district 53

Instead of partial birth abortion, this

We always knew that the partial-birth abortion victory would be symbolic at best...doctors will find a way to kill anyway. Gruesome stuff.

Abortion raises crime rate...surprised?

Read it.

Standing outside of Mississippi's lone abortion clinic is turning out to be the most full-orbed thing I do - evangelizing, singing hymns (worship), praying, compassionately helping women to do what is best for them and their babies...and fighting crime. Join us.

For the losers

It is hard to lose.

I have been close enough to a few contests across the years that I know how gut-wrenching it is to weather defeat in an election. Particularly if, like George Dale, you have been in office a while. Man, inside he is weeping. Alone in a room, probably outside, too.

Charlie Ross yesterday mustered, by sheer will, a "We are team!" response to defeat with Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tuck and Gov. Haley Barbour looking on. It may seem a natural thing to do, but as Phil Bryant said yesterday on the radio, that is a very difficult thing to do. Hats off to Charlie for being so graceful in defeat. My favorite line of Ross' was something like "The providence of God has shone through the vote of the people. I accept their wisdom tonight." Nice.

If you enter into politics, you must eventually figure out how to handle defeat. And never say "It is not personal." I heard a bunch of people try with with Ray Mabus when he was thumped by Gov. Fordice. Getting whupped at the voter's booth is the most personal thing of all.

Kudos to all who ran. It is what makes America great. And we weep with you today.

WAPT/16 coverage

WAPT had me and Harvey Johnson (former Jackson mayor) on for "political analysis" Tuesday evening.

A lot is said off-air as one might imagine.

Harvey is licking his chops to run against Melton in the next mayoral election. I said at least three times when asked by the anchors what the election meant for the current Mayor "Frank Melton loses." And I believe that in large measure because Sheriff Malcolm McMillin is still standing.

But in four years, expect to see Tyrone Lewis again and the Sheriff looking for some well-deserved rest.

Also expect DA Fay Peterson to fight hard for her political life in a run-off. Harvey Johnson seemed to intimate that she was probably safe. I am not so sure.

Predictions revisted

For what it is worth...what I predicted and what actually happened...and might yet happen.

"In the GOP primary - Phil Bryant by a sizeable double digit margin in the GOP Lt. Gov. primary. Congrats to Charlie Ross for a formidable State Senate tenure. Sad news that he will now have to go. And PB will defeat Dem Jamie Franks in the general, although not without sweating. Maybe profusely."

I was right. And PB will thump Jamie Franks in the general. Phil Bryant will see to that, and Haley Barbour knows that his next four years are relatively worthless without a lieutenant governor that he can see eye to eye with. The Barbour legacy is at stake, and the governor will find plenty of ways to help his Lt. Gov. nominee win.

"What the heck is Haley Barbour doing (see Neshoba speech) personally insulting John Arthur Eaves, Jr., and then continuing to mention him in his address (the former not scripted although the latter was on the page before him)? Is there some poll somewhere that says...

This wasn't a prediction but I brought it up when Haley was on the radio Monday evening. I still think it was a classless moment for the governor and told him so. He said that when Eaves mentioned somewhere that his wife Angel would restore honor and dignity to the mansion that was a slap at his First Lady, and so...gloves off. Haley has lived in the South longer than I, but attacking wives seems beneath one of the best governor's in the state and a supposed southern gentleman even if he views it as "and eye for an eye, an insult for an insult."

"GOP awfully excited about Al Hopkins taking on Jim Hood for AG in the general. Long way to go and a short time to get there for Al. But he has raised the money to get the job started."

Hood wins, I suspect. But look for Hopkins to give him a run. This is the closest thing to a sure thing the Dems get and might be there only statewide elected office come January.

"Stacey Pickering (GOP) in a walk for State Auditor all the way through the general. Great guy in his own right, but names help, too."

Pickering in a landslide this November.

"Tate Reeves. Treasurer. Yawn."

Still, yawn. But a state-wide elected official nonetheless.

"'Englebert' Hosemann for Secretary of State on the GOP side. And if he keeps up a substantive campaign and commercials that visually take him outside of NE Jackson...he will win it all."

Hosemann wins in the general. Watch for a few more good ads written by the same guy in Dallas.

"No feel for Insurance Commissioner on the Dem side. I'll predict Gary Anderson for no good reason than he is supposedly a great guy with solid credentials. And expect Mike Chaney to beat him in the general if he wins because of race (a sad but true statewide election disability). And George Dale would beat Chaney if Dale wins."

I surprised even myself with this prediction. As I said on the election coverage of WAPT/16 George Dale must be the most frustrated man in Mississippi tonight given his Katrina woes, Dickie Scruggs belligerence and Democratic party snubs.

And Chaney wins the general because of the "sad but true statewide election disability" Mr. Anderson has.

"Max Phillips for Ag. Commissioner. And wins the general, too."

I was wrong. Thought I might be. Lester Spell looks to be dodging bullets. Can he defeat Rickey Cole? Yes. The GOP is on a roll.

This is what Eric Clarke says...and what I say - concerning voting

Secretary of State Eric Clarke:

"It is my opinion — probably an old fashioned one — if you’re too lazy to go vote on Election Day, you don’t deserve to live in a free country. If you don’t care to go vote (today), you have absolutely no right to complain about anything your government does, state and county, over the next four years."

This is what Friedeman says (an old column): Reasons you shouldn’t vote (and perhaps a couple reasons you should)

There are some really good reasons not to vote this year.

First, if you don’t know what is at stake, the issues, the candidates, the framework of the local, state and national debate and…don’t want to know—please, don’t vote.

Second, if you don’t care and don’t think it matters if you do care. The world will go where it deterministically will go, and as far as you can tell your involvement matters not one whit. Don’t vote.

Third, if you are so partisan that you can’t envision voting anything besides Republican, or Democrat, or Libertarian, or Green…you are a team player and you are willing to ride your team to the depths of hell no matter what positions the member candidates take. Do us a favor…don’t you vote, either.

But.

If you understand the enormous blessing that God has given us, living in a nation that allows “We the people…” to set the direction, then show your appreciation to the Almighty and exercise the most fundamental privilege of our Republic. Vote.

If you recognize that to not vote is to, for instance, give the pro-abortion, hyper-feminist, change-the-traditional-definition-of-family, government-is-the-answer, blame-America-first crowd undiminished and unchallenged sway, please vote.

If you recognize that you have a discerning mind that keeps track of basic legislative concerns, can take a fair view of the issues and persons involved, and have a clue about seeking the mind of God before entering the voting booth, by all means, vote.

Writing in U.S. News & World Report a couple years ago, John Leo defended voting based on religious values. He admitted befuddlement from the “don’t impose your values on me” crowd and quoted UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh: “That’s what most lawmaking is — trying to turn one’s opinions on moral or pragmatic subjects into law.”

Indeed.

But Leo continued.

Those who think Christians should keep their moral views to themselves, it seems to me, are logically bound to deplore many praiseworthy causes, including the abolition movement, which was mostly the work of the evangelical churches courageously applying Christian ideas of equality to the entrenched institution of slavery. The slave owners, by the way, frequently used "don't impose your values" arguments, contending that whether they owned blacks or not was a personal and private decision and therefore nobody else's business. U.S. News & World Report (11-29-04)

The same kind of arguments are made today by those who want the Religious Right to take a long hike off a short political pier — keep your “God” values to yourself. Separation of church and state and all that stuff. Let us have it our way.

Which brings us to a last good reason to vote your evangelical convictions based on Scripture: to rebuff those who are trying to intimidate, embarrass, and dismiss the voting population that still believes ardently in God, Bible, noble American values, and a future that doesn’t belong to the shrill, the ethics of Hollywood, and the unrighteous indignation of the cultural elite.

Voting — it is one of the things you can do while blessing and annoying at the same time. Election day is just around the corner. Let’s get ready to roll.

As we get out into the humidity to vote, let us pay homage to a great man

This, in response to our wondering out loud on the radio who was one of the greatest men to ever live (the inventor of the air conditioner!).

Matt,

Willis Carrier is credited as the inventor of air conditioning in 1902. It was to provide a stable environment for color printing and allowed four color printing to be possible....

Elliott

Thanks, Elliott. And here is an informative link. May God bless the legacy of the man called "Carrier." Now, go out in that hot and humid air and vote!

Negative overreach?

Just went out with a friend for lunch. He told me that he had about decided on the Lt. Gov. race but then changed his mind over the Ross negativity. Too much. Way too much.

Have to wonder how many others are thinking that thought.

White boys rap and dance for Lee Yancey.

Apparently couldn't get Lee Yancey to play the part of...Lee Yancey. Senate District 20 to take Charlie Ross' place. Watch it if you can. Good, cute. Rapping is better than the, uh, dancing...

Billy McCoy has competition, and does he ever need it...

Go, Jeff! And if somehow Mr. Smith could win what an incredible change of direction legislative politics in this state could take. More, here.

Rep. Jeff Smith has announced his intention to seek the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives for the upcoming term beginning in 2008, according to a news release received by The Daily Star.

"For some time several of my fellow members in the House of Representatives have expressed concern with the current leadership in the House of Representatives," said Smith.

"A majority of members have asked me to run for the position of Speaker of the House and have expressed their desire to vote for me for that position. I, and many other House members, feel that the current House leadership does not represent the priorities for government that a majority of Mississippians desire," he said.

Governor Barbour on The Matt Friedeman Show this eve

5-6 on your AFR station - 92.5 in the Jackson area. Or click here to hear it on line.

BTW, the state wide elected office candidates that called in (and all were invited on-air to do so, these were the ones that called and were thus interviewed):

Governor: John Arthur Eaves, Jr.

Lt. Gov race: Phil Bryant, Charlie Ross

State Auditor: Stacy Pickering

Secretary of State: Mike Lott, Delbert Hosemann

Agriculture Commissioner: Max Phillips, Leslie Riley

So says Southern Political Report on the Ross/Bryant race

Check it out. Looks like Charlie's negative advertising is working...it used to be a 20-25 point lead.

(8/3/07) State auditor Phil Bryant holds a 10-point lead over state Sen. Charlie Ross in the Mississippi Republican lieutenant governor’s primary race, according to an InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion survey.

Southwick still on his way

I suspect that Trent Lott was the major player in getting Feinstein to change her mind. And it is a wonderful, albeit brief, moment in time when the Bennie Thompson's of the world foam at the mouth in anger.

One can only hope that the day soon comes when racism in all its forms - not the least the Thompson brand - is history in Mississippi.

Headline: Gulf Coast casinos hit revenue jackpot

I have to wonder about the human devastation left in the wake of this "flourishing" news. And this quote from the article:

"I want (the region) to be the Las Vegas of the south," says Rick Carter, whose Copa Casino barge was destroyed by the storm. "The better the casinos, the better the economy."

How about the moral economy? Cha-ching!

More Lt. Gov. salvos...ouch!

Please and pretty please...won't you come/stay Ms. Teacher?

This story from the wire:

Jackson Public Schools will receive a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to enhance and promote the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers in high need subject areas such as math, science and special education.

What some politician running for office today needs to say is this: "I hereby support a Declaration of Independence for teachers across our poorly educated state. None of these teachers should ever have to see or be tempted to work in our underperforming government school system again. Let us put up former public schools for rent to to private entities and vouchers given to parents to choose the best place for our children's schooling."

Nobody running with that kind of guts, I'm afraid.

Meanwhile, teachers, kids and their parents are trapped inside a system that can't work no matter how well funded it is.

Toughest political ad out there

Ouch. And good luck, Mr. Robertson.