Minor Thoughts from me to you

Macon Telegraph | 07/26/2006 | Collector injured when Civil War-era shell explodes

Note the dangers of messing with unexploded ordinances. Note also the subsequent property rights violation by members of the American military.

(tags: civilwar history explosives)

Guardian Ministries: Dr. Jerry Vines' Article on Abstinence

Dr. Jerry Vines says "Physically, socially, domestically, influentially, and yes, biblically, total abstinence is the only way to go for a Christian who takes Bible separation seriously." He issues a call for repentence, to all who believe moderation is o

(tags: alcohol southernbaptist christianity abstinence)

Colossians Three Sixteen » How Does It Feel To Exclude Jesus From Your Denomination?

Pastor Brent Thomas criticizes the Biblical hermeneutics used by the SBC, in prohibiting alcohol use.

(tags: christianity southernbaptist alcohol abstinence)

The Thirsty Theologian: God Gave C2H6OPart 1: Introductory Comments

David Kjos starts an examination of the Biblical position on alcohol.

(tags: alcohol southernbaptist christianity abstinence)

The Thirsty Theologian: God Gave C2H6OPart 2: Sola Scriptura and the SBC

David Kjos conitnues his examination of the Biblical position on alcohol.

(tags: alcohol southernbaptist christianity abstinence)

The Thirsty Theologian: God Gave C2H6OPart 3: What Does Scripture Say?

David Kjos conitnues his examination of the Biblical position on alcohol -- this time, talking about what Scripture does say on the issue of alcohol.

(tags: alcohol southernbaptist christianity abstinence)

The Thirsty Theologian: God Gave C2H6OPart 4: Abstinence in Scripture

David Kjos conitnues his examination of the Biblical position on alcohol, this time looking at when complete abstinence is prescribed in Scripture.

(tags: alcohol southernbaptist christianity abstinence)

Biblical Womanhood Blog: Recapture the nobility of home

In our current culture, home has become so neglected that many people haven't the slightest idea what its purpose is outside of a place to sleep, relax, and sometimes eat. Home has lost its noble place in society so much so that people can't imagine what

(tags: family roles christianhome)

"I am a Stay-at-Home Wife"

"So, what do you do?" The question is posed relentlessly. In other words, "What label have you given yourself to prove to the rest of the world that you are not a drain on society?" ... Too many women jump to some rather unfortunate conclusions when

(tags: family roles christianhome)

Plenty to Do at Home

"What is there to do at home?" If you are a new homemaker, you might receive this question from all sides. This article might be worth printing and distributing to friends and relatives who have questions about the purpose of women staying home and taking

(tags: family roles christianhome)

Confessions of a "Genetic Outlaw"

A mother reminisces about choosing not to abort her Down baby -- and how the medical establishment viewed her choice.

(tags: healthcare morality sanctityoflife)

Catholic World News : Objections, Obstacles, Acceptance

One of America's most respected Evangelical thinkers (J. Budziszewski) retraces the road that brought him into the Catholic Church.

(tags: christianity catholic conversion)

The following is an excerpt from Tony Snow's most recent White House press briefing (held on the 24th):

MR. SNOW: [Saddam Hussein] willingly accepted the feeding tube today. It will be in, at a minimum, until Thursday. It has to be in for reasons that I don't understand for 72 hours.

Q I don't know the specifics, but how does one willingly accept a feeding tube?

MR. SNOW: I guess, you say, do you want a feeding tube? And he says, yes. And they say, okay, we're going to give you one. This apparently was a consensual feeding tubing.

Is anyone else as happy as I am that Scott McClellan has been replaced? Finally we have a White House spokesperson who has good rapport with the press corps., thinks on his feet, refuses to relinquish the dignity of his office and his boss's, keeps his official announcements skimpy on the wordage, and has an honest-to-God sense of humor. I can't believe it; reading a press briefing transcript is no longer headache-inducing. Even if the next president is a Democrat, he/she should keep this guy.

I may have Southern roots, but my speech doesn't show it. I suppose this is the result of growing up surrounded by Navy folks, with a Yankee mother and (now) a Yankee wife. I'd say that, generally speaking, it must be impossible to tell where I'm from just by listening to me talk.

Your Linguistic Profile::

70% General American English

10% Dixie

10% Yankee

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

(Hat tip to Dean.)

Owen passes along pictures of one impressive wedding cake.

"I'm feeling pretty chipper tonight -- I survived the White House shake-up." -- President Bush, at a recent White House Dinner.

Now that's funny.

Joseph Fischer:

Sex is hereditary. If your parents never had it, chances are you won't either.

Expert wary of U.S. economy

Is he worried that it will attack suddenly and without warning?

Go see them. I got quite a chuckle out of it.

According to FOXNEWS.COM, the World Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament (or "RPS" for short) is growing like gangbusters. Check out the website.

It's a fallen world we live in, Folks, yes... but never forget, it's also an entertaining one.

A quote extracted from Jon Stewart's hosting of the latest Oscars:

"I have to say it is a little shocking to see all these big names here, these huge stars. The Oscars is really, I guess, the one night of the year where you can see all your favorite stars without having to donate any money to the Democratic Party."

In no particular order:

• Tibetan monks, who overstayed their immigration visas, were arrested by a SWAT team. A SWAT team? For Tibetan monks? It's not enough that they get visited by paramilitary Chinese troops? They have to get raided by paramilitary Americans as well?

• Frank Miller is writing "Holy Terror, Batman!", a story that chronicles Batman's fight against al-Qaeda. Says Miller:

I'm doing this mainly as an explosion from my own gut in reaction to what's happening now, but also as a reminder to people who've seem to have forgotten that we're up against an utterly ruthless existential foe who is as vile as any we've ever faced. I'm appalled at the equivocations, and I wish that the entertainers of our time had the spine and the focus that the ones who faced down Hitler did. Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for. These are symbols of our people, of our country. These are our folk heroes. It just seemed to be kind of silly to be chasing around the Riddler when you've got al-Qaeda out there.

• Kevin Robke is selling DoubleUps, sheets designed to end the problem of sheet-stealing, forever.

• Rule changes for figure skating have had some unintended consequences: skaters are skating uglier, less artistic programs because falling is more valuable than skating clean.

• Ever wondered about the origins of ethnic slurs? I have. Callimachus has the answers.

• Who is more objective about reporting: the "real" reporters or the bloggers? Take a look at reactions to the Gillette Fusion Razor and see for yourself.

• The New York Times reports favorably on the many ways that capitalists are solving societal needs like poverty, literacy, and the environment.

• David Friedman thinks that police officers should execute search warrants in the nude. He has good reasons too.

• Did you know that your parking spot is worth more than your car?

• Most people talking about the trade deficit are criminally clueless. (I'm looking at you, Lou Dobbs.)

When Does a Fetus Resemble a Baby?:

We left off last night asking: when does a fetus begin to command moral respect, such that we should view it as something other than a mere clump of cells appended to a woman's body?

I have repeatedly noted AMac's comment:

Sometime in the 2 to 4 month time frame, an embryo becomes recognizable as a pre-human, sharing many of the features that a human exhibits as a born baby.

I have argued why many Americans may reasonably decide that the moment of conception is too early to treat an embryo as a full human, and why the moment of viability is too late to treat a fetus as a mere clump of cells. I think most people can understand these arguments.

Patterico then goes on to discuss how most people, viewing pictures of fetuses, can generally determine a specific point at which a fetus begins to resemble a baby. I'd advise you to click through and read the whole entry. He then concludes with:

So let's do it. Let's look at actual pictures of babies in different phases of fetal development. They are in the extended entry. Then answer these questions:

1. When do you think a fetus begins to resemble a baby?
2. Do you think the answer to Question #1 is morally important?

Here are my answers. I looked at the pictures Patterico provided. I think a fetus resembles a baby at the 6-week mark. However, I don't think that answer is morally important. A fetus is a baby, no matter what it resembles. At the time my little sister was born, she looked quite different from my grandmother. Both, however, were human females. Appearance is not important in determining identity. A 1-week fetus contains the same DNA as a 10-year old child or 100-year old adult.

From a moral point of view, it is not permissible to abort a fetus simply because it does not look like a baby. Frankly, that argument is one of the more morally reprehensible I have ever heard. Genetically, a fetus is a baby. The fetus requires only the passage of time to look like a baby. Killing the fetus before it can begin to look like a baby is a cheap way of assuaging one's conscience.

Patterico has posted part three of his continuing series. Again, I follow suit with my answers.

Position #1 "” Life begins at conception: Yesterday I asked these people questions designed to see how firm their stance is, such whether they would oppose abortion even for rape, and whether they support birth control. As to rape, Dana responded:

Abortion after rape is no different from abortion following consensual intercourse: a human life is destroyed. Yes, rape is a terrible thing, but it is less than murder; we ought not to murder a living human being because someone else is suffering.

As to contraception, Dana responded:

Oral contraceptives normally prevent the ovaries from releasing an unfertilized egg, which is unobjectionable. But oral contraceptives also prevent implantation of a human zygote if an egg was released and fertilized; that I do find objectionable. Thus, were I emperor, they would be outlawed.

Do other "life begins at conception" people agree with these statements? And if you do, do you recognize that most Americans don't? Would you be in a favor of a compromise that recognized most Americans' belief that women should not be forced to have a baby if raped? Can you live with the fact that most Americans believe women should have access to the morning after pill?

I agree with the statement about abortion after rape. As I mentioned yesterday, 75-85% of women who are raped opt not to have an abortion. Now, the national rape rate is not that high: an average of .56 rapes per 100,000 people over the past five years (from the DOJ). Out of that group of people, only 32,000 women per year actually end up pregnant (from the CDC). If we assume that the study holds true, there is possibly only 8,000 rape related abortions per year.

Given the low number of rape related abortions, I would be willing to compromise and leave abortion legal for victims of rape and incest. However, my previous opinion from yesterday stands as well. I would want to see rape victims get counseling that counsels against an immediate abortion. I would want rape victims to hear and understand that having an abortion may make them feel worse not better. It is my opinion that giving such counseling would reduce rape-related abortions even further.

Now, on to the subject of contraceptives. Here I am definitely willing to compromise. If leaving oral contraceptives legal is the price of restricting the availability of abortions, I am willing to do so. I am not entirely convinced that oral contraceptives are true abortifacients. Until, and unless, I am convinced of that, I would not support banning them.

Patterico has posted A Discussion of Abortion "” Part Two: Follow-Up Questions. I'll follow suit by posting more answers. While the question was asked as one paragraph, I think it makes sense to break it down into three questions:

1. How do you define "conception"? As the union of sperm and egg? As implantation of the zygote in the uterine wall? I define conception as the union of the sperm and the egg. Here is my reasoning. The instant that sperm meets egg, the egg undergoes a biochemical change so that no other sperm can penetrate it. The chromosomes of the sperm and egg combine to form completely unique DNA for that new organism. The cells immediately begin to grow and divide. This "collection of cells" is a new organism that reacts to outside stimuli. While the new cells need to attach to the uterine wall in order to finish their development, this is a matter of nutrition not of fundamental nature.
2. Do you oppose the birth control pill? Which one? Plan B causes the uterine wall to be shed, thus depriving the new cells of nutrition. I would consider this to be equivalent to an abortion, albeit one at a very early stage of pregnancy. Oral contraceptives, on the other hand, prevent the hormonal spikes that lead to eggs being released in the first place. Because egg and sperm never meet, no new life is created and no abortion takes place. (It is possible that an egg could be released while using oral contraceptives. These contraceptives also serve to thin the lining of the uterus. Thus, it is possible that an egg could be fertilized and subsequently fail to implant itself in the uterus. On the other hand, this can also occur naturally, without the involvement of oral contraceptives. Thus, I wouldn't consider it to be a true abortifacient.)
3. How do you feel about abortion after a rape? I don't like it. I think it's a deceptively easy choice. Victims of major trauma are often not in the best position to make important decisions. I think there is a great danger that the mother will, in the end, feel great guilt over ending a life -- especially one conceived in violence. Indeed, according to an older study, Dr. Sandra Mahkorn found that 75-85% of rape victims chose not to have an abortion. For this reason, I think it would be wise to counsel against abortions in these situations, especially if the decision comes quickly on the heels of the rape itself. While I do not have citations close at hand, I have also heard many stories indicating that the children conceived in rape later became a great comfort and source of healing to the women involved.

Patterico published A Discussion of Abortion "” Part One: Setting the Stage yesterday evening. He invited his readers to answer two questions, as part of a multiple day discussion of abortion. I chose to answer his questions here rather than just answering in a comment on his blog. Here goes.

1. For you, is abortion in any sense a moral question, or is it purely a question of individual rights? I believe abortion is a moral question. The decision to abort leads directly to the loss of a human life. In that context, property rights (over a woman's own body) must take a back seat to life itself.
2. What, for you, defines when a fetus is entitled to moral respect? A fetus is entitled to moral respect at the moment that the sperm unites with the egg. I have heard the argument that all living cells (regardless of type or function) should be treated with respect because cloning will one day allow us to create life from any cells. I don't think that argument is germane here, however. Even at the earliest moments, a fetus is a collection of cells that is on a direct collision course to becoming a recognizable homo sapien. That is the natural result of the development of those cells, unless the process is interfered with in some way. I don't think it's possible to look at the development of those cells and mark one specific point when it ceases to be a collection of cells and begins to be a human being. In my opinion those cells are always a human being -- just one at various stages of development.

Most of the time, the Midwest is a peaceable place to live. Every so often, however, the wheels come off. When a Midwesterner (or worse, a Wisconsinite) goes on the warpath, things can get ugly very quickly. Observe the Seething Midwest:

Like a pot of bratwurst left unattended at a Lambeau Field pregame party, simmering tensions in the strife-torn Midwest boiled over once again today as rioting mobs of green-and-gold clad youth and plump farm wives rampaged through Wisconsin Denny's and IHOPs, burning Texas toast and demanding apologies and extra half-and-half.

The spark igniting the latest tailgate hibachi of unrest: a Texas newsletter's publication of caricatures of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi.

Protestors demonstrated against the images throughout the Badger State yesterday, with violent egging and cow-tipping incidents reported in Oconomowac, Pewaukee, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Antigo, Oshkosh, Waubeno, Wauwautosa, Waunewoc, Wyocena, Waubeka, and Washawonamowackapeepee.

Kudos to Ken Pierce for posting this essay on Morally Outraged Atheists:

Now, I tell that story (which, I should say, I made up) because it goes to the heart of one of atheism's major problems. An atheist is eager to tell you that there ain't no transcendent moral laws -- and then he'll just as eagerly jump all over your butt when you do something he thinks is "wrong." But if atheism is true, then an atheist telling you that, say, people ought not to be "racist" (by whatever definition he's attached to that extremely fluid loaded word) is like Sherriff L. C. sayin' he don't like red cars. If the atheist can hurt you (because, e. g., he's running the government) then maybe you say to yourself, "That's total b.s.," but you still lower your head and play along so you won't get hurt. Otherwise, when the atheist tells you that he finds your "racism" outrageous and it honks him off, you just cheerfully and rationally respond, "Well, homie, I guess it sucks to be you, huh?"

If you're wondering what's up with Sherriff L.C. not liking red cars, well, go read the full essay.