Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
Hanoi officially recognises Baptists and Mennonites
| Baptists and Mennonites received yesterday a certificate authorising them to practice their religion in a ceremony in which the Deputy Chief of the Committee for Religious Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Xuan, praised the government’s religious policy, the unofficial Vietnam News reported. |
As a Mennonite, that’s interesting news to me.
But please pardon my suspicions: What compromises did they have to make with the Communists to get this certificate?
Maybe a better post title would be something along the lines of “I Want to Be Fooled Again”. 😐
North Korea agrees to disable reactor by year-end:
| North Korea has agreed to disable its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and provide a complete declaration of all nuclear programs by the end of the year, in a deal that won praise from U.S. President George W. Bush.
[snip] North Korea also reaffirmed its commitment not to transfer nuclear materials, technology or know-how, the statement added. |
Whatever the post title, I think I put it in the right category.
So this afternoon I listened to Michael Savage for a while.
And caught on he was on tear (rhymes with air) after being attacked by the San Fransisco Board of Supervisors (or whatever they’re called).
Then I thought, “Rush Limbaugh was on a tear this morning about being attacked by the Congress.”
And, “Wasn’t it last week Bill O’Reily was also under attack for something he said?”
That all seems too coincidental to me.
How soon will it be Sean Hannity and/or Mark Levin and/or Dennis Prager and/or Lars Larson and/or Larry Elder and/or Laura Ingraham?
A year ago today. Wow!
Among the Amish, a grace that endures
| This time last year, many of those children were learning their lessons in a different one-room schoolhouse. Across the road and not far away, four trees are clustered oddly in a verdant meadow. They seem to be standing sentinel for something that no longer exists. Last October, the schoolhouse they once sheltered was demolished, banished like a bad memory. No trace survives of the West Nickel Mines Amish School. Lush grass covers the scars.
Other scars have not been so easy to erase. A year ago Tuesday, Charles Carl Roberts IV, a local milk-truck driver, calmly entered that schoolhouse and bound and shot 10 girls before killing himself. Five of the girls survived. In suicide notes and last calls to his wife, Roberts, 32, said he was tormented by memories of molesting two young relatives 20 years ago, and that he had never recovered from the death of his first-born child, Elise. Within hours of this terrible moment, an event that could have fostered despair became marbled with hope as the Amish relied on their traditions and faith to teach lessons of forgiveness, gratitude, resilience and grace. Four of the five injured girls have been able to resume normal life. The fifth, Rosanna King, who was 6 when she was shot, suffered a severe head injury and is unable to talk. She uses a wheelchair and is dependent on others for basic functions. |
Be sure to read the whole article!
And here are a couple of books on the subject:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Christianity:
| Following the discovery of an ad for a sadomasochistic street parade in San Francisco which mocked the Last Supper replacing Christ and His Apostles with leather-clad (and unclad) homosexuals, Concerned Women for America (CWA) and other groups called on California legislators to denounce the anti-Christianity. Rather than denounce the ad, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has derisively dismissed any concerns.
Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s press secretary, responded to media questions on the offensive ad saying, “As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed.” |
If an ad damages Christianity, then maybe it’s time to ditch that belief system in favor of something else. Say, Islam. Or Mormonism. Or Buddhism.
I do not believe genuine Christianity can be damaged this way.
I do believe an individual Christian can be damaged.
I’ve been at this place!
| A Molalla Internet cafe operator signed an agreement with the Oregon Attorney General’s Office that prohibits him from practicing medicine without a license.
Ralph D. “Dan” Mitchell treated clients at his clinic, Greenhouse Health & Wellness Center, using unproven therapies such as ion foot baths and a galvanic skin response device, the Attorney General’s Office said. The clinic shares space with a coffeehouse and Internet cafe. |
I used to go there for WiFi access.
I’ve drunk their coffee and their smoothies.
And eaten their pastries.
Nice place. Nice people.
On this day in 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T automobile to the market.
$825 each!