Bustamante a Racist?

FOXNews.com has an article that summarizes the furor surrounding the Lt. Governor's membership as a Fresno State student in MEChA, a campus organization that has been branded by some as racist.

MEChA's motto is "for the race, everything. For those outside the race, nothing." Interesting. I don't remember much about MEChA during my time at school, other than they were extremely liberal in their views.

Great Moral Struggle?

With some dismay I see that James Dobson is in Alabama, protesting the removal of the 10 Commandments momument. There is nothing but respect for Dr. Dobson from me; I continue to believe that the 10 Commandments have value and I am positive that God has something to say about how to govern the state. The sense of dismay comes because the current brouhaha over the momument is not the right fight. One of the things we must know is that there are some hills worth fighting for. . .and some that aren't. A momument in the state judiciary building is not the right hill.

Be very afraid, the Legislature is back in session

Why would this late session be different from any other year? Well look at the article in the San Francisco Chronicle and consider the following:

1. Davis is fighting for his political life and will do anything or sign anything that will give him support in the October election.

2. The budget is still not balanced (a balanced budget does not roll over half of its debt to next year by short term loans).

3. More US citizens/legal residents are leaving California then entering (600,000 net loss over last few years).

4. Business looking to move out of state because of high costs and looking to not expand operations in California because of new proposed laws.

Some of the items being considered by the Legislature this time will include:

Workman Compensation - hopefully they will reform this system so business won't see 30 to 50% rate increases this year.

Universal Health Care - ALL business will have to provide health care to its workers. I don't know too many small businesses that can afford that so if that passes, they fire the workers and get family to work for free, relocate out of state or go bk.

Let illegal aliens receive official drivers licenses. Supposedly this will encourage them to be better drivers and of course they will have to get insurance before they can get a license. News flash, a day laborer is not likely to be able to afford the cost of car insurance so why would they want to get a license???

Sacred sites - Indian tribes would be able to look at sites on and off their reservations and if its determined the site was sacred to them, prohibit the own from building on it.

Civil Unions - This will allow same sex couples to receive the same benefits as married couples except for not being able to file a tax return under married filing jointly.

These are 5 out of 150 bills that will be considered and acted upon in the next few weeks. Little change for debate by the Legislator, let alone by the public. Our tax dollars at work.

Are you afraid to fly yet????

At Tech Central Station, Ralph Kinney Bennett writes an implausible bad made for TV movie script, where the bad guys shoot down an commercial airline with a man portable ground to air missile. Actually, his scenario isn’t with a high tech missile, but rather an RPG. With minor modifications, Bennett argues that an RPG will bring down a plane very well when its taking off or landing.

Just think about it, next time your taking off, not only do we have to worry about some nut with box cutters, but now have to worry about going swimming in jet fuel because of a some nut on the ground. Maybe I’ll see if I can take Amtrak instead. Happy flying.

Baseball Prospectus: The Return of Pete Rose

Baseball Prospectus, a group of statistical baseball analysts that have published an annual for fantasy and baseball nuts like me for the last seven or eight years, is reporting that there has been an agreement to allow Pete Rose back into Major League Baseball.

MLB has has denied the BP report.

The crux of the BP report is that Rose has signed an agreement where he can return to baseball and does not admit to any wrongdoing.

Bud Selig is an absolute moron. How bad is he? He makes Gray Davis look like a genius. I am not even exaggerating. Aside from the fact he's an owner.... I mean, a blind trust in his name is the owner ... of a team, he has not done anything that is in the best interest of the game, to wit:

1. Interleague play - yes, interesting at first and still so with the local rivalries, but who cares if the Tigers play the Astros. I yearn for the days of exclusive intraleague play.
   
2. Claiming new stadiums were the panacea of a small market team's economic woes. Let's see, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati. The new stadiums are not drawing much better than the old ones. Granted, they look nicer but the reason stadiums in markets like Baltimore, Cleveland, Seattle, Houston, and Arizona were successful is because they put good teams on the field. How about that? Winning attracts fans! What a novel concept. Of course, Bud's Brewers wouldn't know much about that.
   
3. Trying to simply break the MLB Players Association under the guise that he is acting in the best interests of the game. Look, the owners, now finally showing some economic restraint, are now doing it right. You don't need to try to bust a union. The players have the right to earn every penny they get if they owners are willing to pay them. The salary cap is not necessary. Revenue sharing - perhaps. But baseball does not need a salary cap.
   
4. The All Star Game debacle. You know, I really didn't think last year's ASG was that big of a deal. It's an exhibition. If they tie, so what? But now: "This time it counts." Great. The players want to win. But don't determine home-field advantage from an exhibition.
   
5. The joke of the sale of the Red Sox last year. Bud handpicked owners he likes - not in the best interest of the Yawkey Trust. The current owners (who admittedly are good baseball people) were outbid by $100 million. But the highest bidders were perceived as mavericks that Bud didn't want to deal with.
   
6. And now, the Pete Rose mess. Most fans love Pete Rose. I don't. I think he's a fraud. Great player? Absolutely. Bad person? Even more so. But if he lets Rose back in without any sort of confession, Bud Selig is committing a great atrocity on the greatest game in the world.
   

Of course, this report may not be true. Baseball Prospectus, which is a very highly mathematical and analytical approach to baseball, is in its first foray into journalism and radio this year. This may be just a ploy to get some name recognition. But placing your entire credibility on the line here especially with a scuffling subscriber base ($40 for an online subscription - good stuff, but I'm not paying for it, I'll just buy the book for $16, thank you), this can make or break them.

And besides, I don't believe anything MLB says anymore. Thank goodness the game is so great. It's the only thing that keeps MLB afloat.

Is Arnold too liberal for Evangelicals to vote for??

Of course that statement makes it appear that all Evangelical’s are conservative Republicans. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I know a number of Evangelicals (even at BOL) who are very liberal in their political views.

I need to clarify the above statement so certain blog masters don’t ban me from the web and certain staff at BOL don’t excommunicate me for my statements.

There are several aspects when someone says they are liberal or conservative. The first is fiscal, if one thinks government spending should be high or low and if taxes should be high or low and progressive for flat. The second is social, definition of marriage, gay rights, school choice, abortion, etc. The third is international relations/military force/trade. Now all three areas affect each other, high social programs means taxes must be high for example.

So for Evangelicals the question is, is he conservative enough in the social area for us to vote for him. The governor does not have any responsibilities related to international or trade policies and should taxes be raised or lowered, spending increased or cut, more money borrowed or not is not an Evangelical question. One person can say yes and another no and neither are committing heresy.

Now, on the social issues:
Abortion: Arnold is pro. But does that matter for a governor? Abortion is a federal Right at the moment thanks to Roe v. Wade and no governor can ban it. Even when it is restricted, most federal law suits over turn the law. So while I would rather have a candidate be pro-life, I can live with a pro-abortion for governor because he cannot have much effect on the debate at the federal level.

Gay Rights: Arnold is pro. California currently has it written in its constitution that marriage is between one man and one woman. Unless the governor wants sponsor a new initiative to repeal the current amendment in the constitution, there isn’t much he can do on this issue at the moment. I also while I do not know, I do not think he is pushing the gay agenda, but rather does keep the status quo.

Guns: Arnold is for certain gun restrictions: While the NRA may not like this point, it’s a matter of personal choice as far as Evangelicals are concerned. Again, while I don’t know the specifics in Arnold’s position, I believe he is more status quo on this, partly because there are more pressing issues.

So the question is Arnold too liberal on a social issues, I don’t think so at this time. Of course that could change in the next news conference. As for who Evangelicals should vote for, that’s between you and God.

The Recall Continues

The web site, SFGate (which is part of the San Francisco Chronicle) has an interesting article on Arnold's qualification for being governor and why that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Experience Something New

"Critics charge that Ah-nold hasn't explained what he'd do to balance the state budget.

News flash: Facing a recall, Gov. Gray Davis doesn't have a plan either -- unless you call spending more than you take in a plan."

For those who say a governor must have experience, look at Davis or Bustamante (the Lt. Gov), they have lots of governmental experience, but they have driven us into such a massive hole. Maybe we need someone who doesn't think the tax payers must pay what ever taxes the government decides and they should be happy we are left with something.

Where is My Xanga?

Xanga.com looks like it is dead. Anybody have any ideas what happened? I'm more than a little bummed because there are a few journal entries I would like to have saved. There is also the aspect that I'm missing out on Scott's treatises on Calvinism.

Dang it. Despite the fact that Xanga gets better traffic, I'm going to have to reconsider using blogger for all my blogging needs.

Aloha

I'm on vacation! Woo hoo!

It's Your Fault

It's your fault for the recall. Predictably, the newsies are all over the map on the cirus in Collyvornia, but an unsigned LA Times editorial pins the blame for the recall squarely on the voter:

The root of California's problems is not its governor. It is in large part the voters themselves.

Voter-approved initiatives over three decades have hamstrung government and assured gridlock. They include term limits that guarantee inexperienced legislative leadership; Proposition 13, which aside from cutting property taxes crushed local governments' ability to pay for services; Proposition 98, which dictated school spending. Schwarzenegger himself helped hobble the schools with an initiative requiring after-school programs. The approval of Indian casino gambling gave the state nothing in return.

The Times wants us to believe that, somehow, we are at fault for the Davis administration budgets that led to a $38 billion deficit. Apparently, the root of the problem lies in Collyvornians mandating how government will spend money; in some cases (as in Prop 13) even limiting the state's ability to take money from us.

Oh, I get it, if we had just shut up and not passed any propositions, we wouldn't be in this mess. Doesn't democracy work the other way around?

Bruin Sports Beat

Well, it appears that UCLA has locked up a key prospect for 2007. Apparently, a ninth grader to be has just committed to UCLA hoops.

Question: What is Howland doing recruiting high school freshman?

Concern: I should hope that Howland didn't meet this recruit at the after school stomp.

What'chu Talkin' 'Bout Davis?

Here is your link to reporting over Gary Coleman's announcement to run for gov. How many B (or C) list actors are we going to hear from?

What a zoo. I can hear the laughter from across the Atlantic.

I'd make a sarcastic comment as to how we got into this mess, but since I preach from a bully pulpit, I will refrain.

Arnold to run for governor

Yes, it's official. Total Recall? True Lies? Or simply the Terminator? Or Predator? Or Kindergarten Cop? Or Collateral Damage? Or Conan the Destroyer? Or Raw Deal? The jokes are too easy.

Speaking of which, the race is shaping up to be a bit of a joke. Gary Coleman, Larry Flynt, and Joe Blow from down the street are reportedly running. This will be interesting, if nothing else. I think I have $3500 petty cash here...

More on Spong

Spong reflects in an article entitled, "Billy Graham: A Man of Integrity for Yesterday's World" comments on Billy Graham's autobiography and comments on Graham's faith in God as a personal, involved being:

[Graham] saw God as intimately involved in human affairs, curing illnesses of faithful Christians in answer to prayer. He seemed not to notice that cures did not happen to others who prayed just as fervently.

. . .

I am confident both that he was sincere in these convictions and that this is the kind of pre-modern, religious conviction that will never carry the day in this world. Modern hearts cannot worship that which modern minds reject and I do not believe it is possible for an educated person to accept the Bible today as the literal word of God.

. . .
[Graham's] day has passed and the familiar religious themes he articulated cannot possibly be the basis for proclaiming Christ in the next century.

These sort of events are an opportunity. Do not feel sorry for ourselves or depressed and neither should we react with non-constructive anger or self-righteousness. This event and the many that are yet to come call us, instead, turn to our God in prayer, meditation and study. Know thy faith. Paul writes in 2 Tim 2:2-5:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (NIV, courtesy Bible Gateway)

Post-Modern Episcopalian

In light of today's acceptance of an openly and practicing homosexual into the Episcopalian leadership, many wonder: "Just how did Christianity come to this?" I would suggest that it has been an ongoing process. It is a process helped along, no doubt by church leaders accepting a post-modern worldview. I point to a 1996 article written by a bishop of the Episcopalian diocese of Newark as an example. In this article, the Rt. Rev. John S. Spong, Bishop of Newark attempts to answer the question, "Can One Be a Christian without Being a Theist?" Key grafs:

On the idea of God as a supernatural, personal being that is intimately involved in human affairs:

"The Supernatural Being that we have traditionally called God has increasingly been rendered impotent by the explosion in human knowledge over the last five hundred years."

"Indeed, the idea of an external supernatural Deity who invades human affairs periodically to impose the divine will upon this world, though still given lip service in worship settings, has nonetheless died culturally. If God is to be identified exclusively with this theistic understanding of God, then it is fair to say that culturally at least God has ceased to live in our world."

On the question of being a Christian theist:

The real question then becomes, "Can Christianity be separated from ancient theistic concepts and still be a living faith?"

The clincher:

"So perhaps the major theological task of our times is to seek a new language of faith or at the very least a new way to translate those pre-modern theistic categories into the post-modern, non- theistic language of tomorrow."

If, perhaps, we understand that church leaders across denominations in America are adapting post-modern mindsets to "interpret" Jesus in the context of today, the acceptance of homosexuality should come as a surprise to none.

More VeggieTales

Another article reporting the recent loss of an $11 million dollar judgment in favor of Lyrick Studios. This piece focuses more on the reasons why Big Idea Productions, Inc. walked from Lyrick.

"They weren't suing to get the rights back, they simply wanted money," Vischer said.

Vischer said he let Lyrick — which also distributes kid favorites "Barney" and "Wishbone" (ed: and Austalian group, The Wiggles)— distribute "VeggieTales" in the late 1990s for one reason: "The owner of the company was Dick Leech, who was a wonderful man, a very strong Christian."

But when Leech sold the company and retired, Vischer found a new distributor.

"We knew that we had language in the draft agreements that would have let us walk away if Dick Leech either sold the company or ceased to be in his leadership role, both of which happened," Vischer said.

Further, Vischer and Big Idea had never signed a contract with Lyrick. But the new owners sued anyway. To Vischer's amazement, the jury ordered him to pay $11 million.

Big Idea is looking for investors and finding some, apparently. According to the article: "Christians with very healthy portfolios are showing interest."

On other issues, there appears to have been troubling times with the production and release of Jonah. Phil Vischer's reponse is here.

Big Idea has been a generally bright spot of Christian entertainment. I stockpiled the videos long before I even dreamed of having children, because I knew that it was, and continues to be, quality programming. Here's to hoping Bob and Larry are able to work out their issues and continue to appear on the video shelves for a long time.

Jack Clark fired as Dodgers hitting coach

On Sunday evening, Jack Clark was fired as the Dodgers hitting coach after 2 1/2 seasons in charge of the Dodger offense. Dodger fans hated Clark. How do they hate thee? Let me count the ways: (1) he played many years for the Giants, (2) he was cocky beyond belief, (3) he knocked the Dodgers out of the 1985 NLCS with his game-winning three-run homer in the top of the 9th in Game 6 off the immortal Tom Niedenfuer, and (4) he was very good. But of course, who can forget old Pedro Guerrero slamming his glove to the ground as Clark's homer sailed into the left field pavilion at Dodger Stadium.

But I remember that there were a lot of bitter Dodger fans when Clark was hired by new manager Jim Tracy. I mean, that's like hiring your mortal enemy, isn't it? The next thing you know, Karl Malone will come to the Lakers. How preposterous is that? What? He WHAT?? Oh well... he's still good, right?. I must have conked my head or something. That's why you don't root against players because you never know. And for those ardent Kobe Bryant fans out there, don' t be heartbroken (well, setting aside his legal troubles) if he leaves for the Grizzlies after 2004.

But back to the Dodgers. Obviously, all would be forgiven if the Dodgers offense produced. And really, they haven't been bad. They were 8th in the NL in 2001 and 9th in the NL in 2002 while playing in a ballpark that suppressed run production by 10%. If you augment the Dodgers run totals in 2001 and 2002 by 5% (if they played in a neutral offensive environment), their offense would be in the top 5 of the NL. To me, that's pretty good when you combine it with the usually solid Dodgers pitching staff.

But now, the Dodgers are dead Dodger-fans-know-what last in the NL in runs scored and folks, it ain't close. The Padres are second-to-last and they are a tick over four runs per game. The Dodgers are scoring at the not-so-prodigious rate of 3.4 runs per game. This has offset the beast pitching staff in baseball. But for as much as "pitching wins championships," you can't win unless you score.

So is it Clark's fault this year? If so, you have to give him credit for solid 2001-02 performances by his hitters. What happened to Shawn Green after fabulous 2001-02 seasons? And Gary Sheffield had a tremendous 2001 with Clark at the helm. But Green is doing his best Dale Murphy imitation. And other Dodgers have stunk out loud.

I don't blame Clark. I can't explain Green's struggles this year. I've noticed that his swing is a lot longer and slower but I know Clark has spent a ton of time with Green to try to correct it. The other offensive players are just inherently awful. So if there's anyone to blame, it has be placed at the feet of Dodgers GM Dan Evans who is under fire in today's LA Times. Sure, he inherited a terrible situation from now Masters College VP of Development Kevin Malone (it brings back the old joke - WWJD if Jesus were a Dodgers fan? He would've fired Kevin Malone for burying his one talent into the ground). Does Evans deserve to be canned? I don't think so. But this will be an important offseason for him. He made the Sheffield trade when the Dodgers had no offense to spare and while acquiring Odalis Perez was nice, the Dodgers' had enough pitching to win. If he expected Brian Jordan to replace Sheffield, he would've been (and has turned out to be) sorely mistaken.

Everyone has bad years. If the Dodgers fired Clark because of his motorcycle accident and that bad vibes he brings to the clubhouse, fine. But the Dodgers can exhume and revive the frozen remains of Ted Williams and they still wouldn't be able to hit water if they fell out of a boat.

James Woods: Just Don't Lump Him With Arnie

Hilarious read, there actually are some thinking people in Hollyweird. James Woods opens himself up for attack to pump up Northfork by taking on an A&E reporter from Salon.com. (You have to pass through Salon.com's advertising before accessing the article, but it's pretty painless.) WARNING: Woods is pretty explicit as well as profane, so peruse at your own risk.

The card carrying member of the Democratic party comments on the WMD questions raised against the CIA and the administration:

It's like playing golf. Even Tiger Woods gets a triple bogey but still goes on to win the U.S. Open. . .the more relevant question is when millions of people are suffering and millions are being murdered, do we as a nation have a moral obligation?

On the Dixie Chicks:

I find it unfortunate that celebrities have a bully pulpit by virtue of their celebrity and I would caution people to check the credentials of those who speak and make sure that they have the education, the knowledge, the experience and the intelligence to say what they say, given that it's said in the context of a bully pulpit of celebrity.

On middle America:

You'd be surprised how smart Americans are when they're not quacking the party line like little ducks. It's really amazing ...

Pretty much sums up what a lot of people think.

The Walter Martin and CRI Connection

There is a website run by Kevin and Jill Rische. Jill is the daughter of Dr. Walter Martin, author of The Kingdom of Cults and founder of CRI who passed away in 1989. It appears that several different people have had issue with CRI and Hank Hannegraaf as far back as 1990. This is not a pretty read.

Charges of plagiarism, lying and employee mistreatment are outlined as far back as 1990. It strikes me that there is an abundance of accusations in the form of "he said, she said" and letters from lawyers. Because of time limitations, I've yet to see anything in CRI's defense, so it isn't time to form an opinion. Sadly, this has occurred in the public eye, including an article in the LA Times.

Couldn't differences in ministry or philosophy be resolved with far less acrimony and divisiveness?

Eine Neue Theologie

Will wonders never cease? Scott and Soraya have given birth to their new son, Calvin. Jump on over and give the little theologian a hearty welcome.

The Sports Page as a Liberal Whipping Post

Well, not even the sports page is safe nowdays. Between scandals, charges of crime and really bad trades, we now have to suffer Bush bashing amongst our daily box scores. Volkh Conspiracy points us to an SI.com op-ed piece on football's popularity that starts thinking thus:

"So apart from the obvious, that we violent Americans just plain like smashmouth. . ."

And concludes with this beaut:

"Finally, maybe these times are most in tune with football. At a time when the United States is arrogant, unilateral and insular, baseball can have all its Latins and Asians, and basketball can have all its Croats and Lithuanians, but football is still ours, 100% pure 'Mercan. It's ironic. Although George W. Bush is of baseball, he operates with none of the patient rhythms of the sport but simply charges ahead. He is perhaps the most un-baseball president since the unrepentant Teddy Roosevelt, who declared: 'In life, as in a football game ... hit the line hard.' Bring it on. "

What? We like football because we're violent xeno-phobes looking for war played out in miniture every Sunday? Give me a break.

More on the Anti-Abortion Majority

Good article over at the Weekly Standard summarizing the report, "Progress and Perils: A New Agenda for Women", a study on abortion attitudes in America among women.

After a discussion of the demographics for the study, the article moves on to pop some common myths. Gist of the article is that middle American women are set more against abortion in its current form than initally believed. 51 percent want abortion banned except for the usual exemptions (rape, incest, life) and another 17 percent want a tightening on restrictions.

At a time when pro-choice feminists repeatedly invoke the magical three-word phrase "right-wing extremist" to describe President Bush's judicial nominees, the study's results are alarming indeed.

In addition, it would seem that women actually are more concerned about quality of life than the abortion debate. <SARCASM>Funny that.</SARCASM> Current events have dictated what is important not only to women, but to all.

"Goodbye, Soccer Mom. Hello, Security Mom," Time magazine said on June 2, in an influential cover story that's been echoed in many other campaign stories. One California woman who "used to choose the candidates who were most liberal on abortion and welfare" told the magazine: "Since 9/11, all I want in a president is a person who is strong."

Fascinating. The liberals are trying to fight familar old battles, but it's the conservatives who are fighting the real war. I think that America gets that.