News & Comment - Spring 2008

 For more items with somewhat more extensive comments, visit Kent's Clubhouse.

Iraqis say Marines handed out Christian coins
May 30, 2008

BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military says an American service member has been removed from duty in Iraq after receiving complaints that Marines were handing out coins promoting Christianity.

Sunni officials in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah say the coins were given to Iraqis at an entry checkpoint and had biblical verses written on them in Arabic. A military statement says the service member was removed from his duties Friday "amid concerns from Fallujah's citizens regarding reports of inappropriate conduct."

The statement says U.S. troops are prohibited "from proselytizing any religion, faith or practices" and the military is investigating the reports. The military promises appropriate action if they are substantiated.

Oh, the utter horror, brutality, and inhumanity of it all!  Why worry about "water boarding" when some no good, rotten, stinking service member is giving away coins with "biblical verses written on them in Arabic."  If that is not a capital offense in the military code, it should be.

Chinese Families May Have 2nd Child
By JAKE HOOKER and GRAHAM BOWLEY

Published: May 27, 2008

BEIJING — As the death toll in southwest China rose to more than 65,000, a provincial planning authority on Monday said that families who had lost their only child in the earthquake could apply for a certificate to have another child, in what it said was a clarification of the existing policy.

What is more tragic than a natural disaster of this scope?  Unmitigated tyranny of this scope.

Abortion Provider Seeks 'Mother's Day' Gifts for Itself
By Penny Starr
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
May 09, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - Planned Parenthood, a major abortion provider, is soliciting Mother's Day gifts for itself.  In a May 3 e-mail blast, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's president, Cecile Richards, asked recipients to "Make a Mother's Day Gift" by donating to the organization - a solicitation that some critics say is ironic given that many Planned Parenthood clinics perform abortions.

The e-mail reads:

"Dear Friend, Join us! Make a Mother's Day gift. My daughter, Hannah, recently wrote this for a national magazine:

'I was raised by strong women. My mom, Cecile Richards, fights daily for women's reproductive rights and social justice as president of Planned Parenthood. It's a legacy she got from her mom (my late grandma), Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas. I've learned that the most rewarding battles in life are those waged for something you truly believe in.' ...

"... As Mother's Day approaches, I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference and hope you'll join me. Happy Mother's Day."

Yes, wouldn't it be just lovely, in celebration of Mother's Day no less, to help Planned Parenthood assist in the murder of more unborn babies!  By the way, I'm not using "murder" here as a mud-slinging word.  I simply mean the unjustified, intentional taking of innocent human life.

“The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, ‘To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.’ On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.” - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California)

And here, preaching on her text from the Old Testament found in . . . in . . . First Hezekiah - no wait - that's not a book of the Old Testament.  Oh, that's right - Speaker Pelosi's little "quotation" that she claims is in the Old Testament is not really from the Old Testament.  Here is a bit of something that really is in the Old Testament, which applies to Speaker Pelosi:  "A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin." (Pro 26:28 ESV)  Strangely enough, this seems to be a lie that Nancy is very fond of repeating.  Read this article to see several examples.

Kent comments:

From The Times
March 31, 2008

Clay tablet identified as asteroid that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
Lewis Smith, Science Reporter

A clay tablet that has baffled scientists for 150 years has been identified as a witness’s account of the asteroid suspected of being behind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Researchers who cracked the cuneiform symbols on the Planisphere tablet believe that it recorded an asteroid thought to have been more than half a mile across.  The tablet, found by Henry Layard in the remains of the library in the royal place at Nineveh in the mid-19th century, is thought to be a 700BC copy of notes made by a Sumerian astronomer watching the night sky.  He referred to the asteroid as "white stone bowl approaching" and recorded it as it "vigorously swept along".  Using computers to recreate the night sky thousands of years ago, scientists have pinpointed his sighting to shortly before dawn on June 29 in the year 3123BC.

He said the size and route of the asteroid meant that it was likely to have crashed into the Austrian Alps at Köfels. As it travelled close to the ground it would have left a trail of destruction from supersonic shock waves and then slammed into the Earth with a cataclysmic impact.

Debris consisting of up to two thirds of the asteroid would have been hurled back along its route and a flash reaching temperatures of 400C (752F) would have been created, killing anyone in its path. About one million sq km (386,000 sq miles) would have been devastated and the impact would have been equivalent to more than 1,000 tonnes of TNT exploding.

Dr Hempsall said that at least 20 ancient myths record devastation of the type and on the scale of the asteroid’s impact, including the Old Testament tale of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Ancient Greek myth of how Phaeton, son of Helios, fell into the River Eridanus after losing control of his father’s sun chariot.

In what will probably become the iconic TV ad of the 2008 presidential campaign, a little girl is shown sleeping as the "phone rings at 3:00 a.m. in the White House." The spot, for Hillary Clinton, is meant to convey that she is "ready on day one" to handle crises -- and imply opponent Barack Obama isn't. The little girl featured in the ad is now 17; the footage had been sold to a stock house, and was used by the Clinton campaign without bothering to learn who it was. It was Casey Knowles of Bonney Lake, Wash. She turns 18 well before the election, and she has already been working for a presidential campaign:  Barack Obama's. (Tacoma News Tribune)