Send your kiddies (and the Bush twins) to Iraq!

Whenever I read the blogs from my brethren on the Left (which is often, because I try to stay balanced), I will inevitably see some comment from someone about how the president should sign up the twins for the military. The thinking goes like this: if Bush is willing to send troops to Iraq that he doesn't personally know, he and every other chicken-hawk Republican and DINO (all true Democrats oppose the war, just like Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi) should sign up their children to go. I recently saw it on an open thread by Left Coaster.

I don't know where to start with this. It's such a ridiculous statement that adds nothing to any argument against the war in Iraq. I pointed this out in the comments section of the above-mentioned open thread, and of course I got blasted from someone who said, "Don't take everything so literally. Of course we know it is a volunteer military, at least as of today." What does it mean about taking it literally? Is there another way to take it that I missed? And if "we know" it's a volunteer military, why do so many people say stuff like that, including the "documentary filmmaker" Michael Moore? You can't just sign up your child to go in the military - it's a volunteer military (yes, I know I should add the words "for now"), so the individual must decide to sign up.

Christopher Hitchens writes a nice article about this.

Why aren't people going to the movies this year?

Maybe it's because we've seen all these movies - and the characters in them - before. Patrick Goldstein talks about it here.

Consider how many remakes, sequels, and movies made from old TV shows are out now: Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith, Batman Begins, Herbie: Fully Loaded, The Longest Yard, Land of the Dead, and Bewitched. Still to come: War of the Worlds, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bad News Bears, Dukes of Hazzard, Deuce Bigalow, Transporter 2, and Pride and Prejudice.

Happy Birthday, Pac-man!

pPac-Man turns 25 this year.

One of my greatest childhood pleasures was going to the arcade. A friend from church would spend the afternoon at my house on Sundays, and we'd usually go to the local Putt-Putt golf course - not to play golf, but to spend our shiny quarters in its game room. Yeah, sure, we were geeks, but boy was it fun! I'd take him on trips with my family to Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains every August, right before school started up again. During the 1980s, Gatlinburg was filled with arcades - now there are t-shirt stands where the arcades once proudly stood.

Pac-Man was a great game. I remember getting it for my Atari, and how dissappointed I was that it wasn't exactly like the arcade version. I remember having to go to bed on school nights while my parents stayed awake and played it. I remember when Ms. Pac-Man came out, and how much an improvement it was on the old Man.

Jesus loves porn stars

Don't believe me, you say? Jesus loves them indeed.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (KJV)

John Danforth, former U.S. Senator for Missouri as well as a former Ambassador to the United Nations, has written an editorial in Friday's (6/17) New York Times about Christians on the "Right" and "In The Middle." Danforth shows that there is disagreement among Christians about what is happening in our society and how it should be responded to. Danforth makes some interesting points, but he seems to oversimplify some issues.

Danforth writes, "But for us, the only absolute standard of behavior is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we find that the Love Commandment takes precedence when it conflicts with laws." Yes, Jesus said that loving our neighbor is of utmost importance, but before saying that he talked of loving God with our hearts, souls, and minds. If you were to truly love God, wouldn't you then love the same things that God does, like righteousness, holiness, and justice? What does it mean it to love your neighbor? Does loving your neighbor mean that you just accept whatever he/she says and/or does? If you were to truly love your neighbor, would you point out sin in his/her life, or would you say nothing for fear of being called judgmental?

Danforth writes, "When we see an opportunity to save our neighbors' lives through stem cell research, we believe that it is our duty to pursue that research, and to oppose legislation that would impede us from doing so." What if we believe that a person's life begins at conception, or when a sperm and an egg become one? Is it right to destroy one person's life in order to (possibly) save another's life?

Danforth writes, "For us, living the Love Commandment may be at odds with efforts to encapsulate Christianity in a political agenda. We strongly support the separation of church and state, both because that principle is essential to holding together a diverse country, and because the policies of the state always fall short of the demands of faith." Does this mean that a Christian's politics should be wholly secular? Dr. Martin L. King frequently cited the Bible in his discussions on civil rights; should he have kept the Bible out of it?

Bill, Hillary & rape

In what will surely be one of the most controversial books of the year, Ed Klein has alleged in his forthcoming book, The Truth about Hillary: What She Knew, when She Knew It, and how Far She'll Go to Become President, that Bill Clinton raped his wife Hillary the night that daughter Chelsea was conceived. Klein uses unnamed sources to make this claim.

Come on! Unnamed sources? To write something this shocking/outrageous/explosive and use unnamed sources?? I can't say that I am a fan of the Clintons, but I am a fan of fairness. They have taken the heat (both deserved and undeserved) for many years now, but this is a disgusting bit of "news." If someone wants to tell Ed Klein about how he heard Bill talk of "raping the wife," that person needs to proclaim loud and clear who they are, not slink in the shadows. There is no way to "prove" unnamed sources are lying if they don't identify themselves or give proof of their claims (does anyone have the former president on audiotape saying this? I seriously doubt it), except to say that it didn't happen.

If #42 did indeed say this to someone, I am sure he has a different definition of "rape" than most of us do. After all, he told us there were several definitions of "is."

Althouse writes about it here. Bulldogpundit also has something to write. Ezra Klein gives his thoughts.

Carol Memmott sizes up the impending books on the New York senator.

UPDATE: Dick Morris has something to say.

50 worst hairstyles

Do you have any of these? I must admit, I had #45 sophomore year in college.

WARNING: There is some strong language in this link.

New study about prevelancy of mental illness

The Gray Lady has reported about a new study: "More than half of Americans will develop a mental illness at some point in their lives, often beginning in childhood or adolescence, researchers have found in a survey that experts say will have wide-ranging implications for the practice of psychiatry. The survey is the most comprehensive in a series of censuslike mental health studies undertaken by the government. The findings of those studies are frequently cited by researchers, advocacy groups, policy makers and drug manufacturers to emphasize the importance of diagnosing and treating mental illness."

As I've mentioned before, I work as a crisis counselor for a hospital in Indianapolis. My main job is to evaluate and determine if someone needs psychiatric inpatient treatment. Of course I don't do this on my own, I have to consult with a psychiatrist about admission. I see quite a few people, and many of them have been hospitalized before.

Some psychiatrists are doubtful of the study. "On the other side are psychiatrists who say they believe that the estimates are inflated. 'Fifty percent of Americans mentally impaired - are you kidding me?' said Dr. Paul McHugh, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University. While the new survey was carefully done, Dr. McHugh said, 'the problem is that the diagnostic manual we are using in psychiatry is like a field guide and it just keeps expanding and expanding'."

Perhaps La Shawn Barber is onto something about the high numbers of mental disorders. But I think she stole her money line ("liberalism is a mental disorder") from Michael Savage.

Stealing "Harry"

You know a book is going to be huge when people try to sell stolen copies. I'm not talking about someone selling hot stereos or cars or video copies of just-released movies - I'm talking about stolen books. More specifically, I mean the highly anticipated (and that's putting it mildly) book by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The sixth installment of the Harry Potter series is due to hit bookstores on July 16. No doubt many stores will be selling copies at 12:01 AM, for those who haven't already pre-ordered. Some people may be asking, why is someone who purports to be an evangelical Christian posting about the Harry Potter books without condemning them? Doesn't he know they are evil? Well, I must confess that I own four of the five already-available books (I don't have Goblet of Fire), so obviously I don't think that they are inherently evil, but I would never tell anyone to read them unquestioningly. I believe that any book should be examined with a discerning eye - there's always a need to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Lisa Jackson has written a good article about the books. This link will give you access to numerous articles written by fine folks at Christianity Today.

Bloggin' is borin'?

Roland S. Martin has gotten all riled up about the increasing popularity of blogging. Seems to me he's just upset about people taking over his "journalism turf." Thanks, La Shawn, for pointing this guy out.

This person has written a loooonnggg article about why he hates blogs. If he hates blogs so much, why does he spend time writing about them?