ELSEWHERE

Although I am an atheist, I have never wavered from my view that the New Testament is the best guide to living and I still enjoy reading it. Here is what the apostle Paul says about vegetarians: "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eatheth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eatheth not judge him that eateth." (Romans 14: 2.3). What perfect advice! That is real tolerance: Very different from the one-way tolerance of the Left.

German idiocy: "Scene: An elevator in a hotel in a small town in Germany, about a week ago. Dramatis personae: Your humble columnist, your humble columnist's mother, a German gentleman in his 60s. My mother and I exchanged a few words in our native Russian, whereupon the German gentleman inquired amicably, 'Russisch?' I explained that we did, in fact, come from Russia originally, but had lived in the United States for nearly 25 years and were now American. The man's demeanor changed visibly. After a glum silence, he remarked sourly as we were leaving the elevator, 'America is always starting wars everywhere in the world. It's not good for people.' I was so shocked that the most obvious comeback did not occur to me until a couple of minutes later, when he was out of sight: 'You mean, like World War II?'"

Marijuana risky: "Using marijuana in adolescence and early adulthood can cause psychotic symptoms later in life, a new study suggests. The risk of developing these symptoms is "moderate", say researchers, though is higher in people with a pre-disposition to psychosis.... A team led by Jim van Os of the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands followed 2437 people aged between 14 and 24. After four years, 21% of cannabis users had experienced psychotic symptoms compared with 15% of non-users. And the more a participant used cannabis, the more likely they were to develop symptoms". [For the record, I believe that marijuana use should not be legally prohibited but I also believe that people should be fully informed about any hazards involved. There is a longer extract from the article, with comments here]

War can be necessary: "I argue that our main problems are not too much force, but too little. A peaceful world is not a world with no ready forces but one with adequate, responsible, and superior force that is used when necessary. The failure to have or use such forces causes terror and war to grow exponentially. Unused force, when needed at a particular time and place, ceases to be force..... Nor is this an argument for force "for force's sake." It is an argument for force for justice's sake. I am not for "eternal peace," which is a this-worldly myth, but for real peace of actual men in an actual and fallen world. Peace is not a goal, but a consequence of doing what is right and preventing what is wrong and, yes, knowing the difference between the two. Justice and force require one another in the actual world".

An interesting explanation of why Leftists say America is evil: "Those who reject morality in their own lives often project their conscience out onto the periphery of their experience. They take righteous stands on political issues and embrace idealistic ideologies, as a compensation for the moral failures and guilt in their personal lives. They reject personal morality but believe in social morality. Holding the right political beliefs enables them to feel self-righteousness, without the trouble of actually being righteous..... Christians know that self-righteousness of every kind is a spiritual delusion that shuts out the need for Christ's forgiveness". [(If this article is offline, find it here])

"Social justice" defined: "The Left uses the phrase 'social justice' simultaneously to claim moral high ground and to avoid addressing the weaknesses of their catchphrase arguments. By declaring that all of their positions advance 'social justice,' anyone who opposes them must necessarily be a cruel bigoted Neanderthal. After all, what reasonable person could be against 'justice?' As a general rule, the less logic there is behind an argument, the more often the words 'social justice' are uttered in defending it."

I have just put up here an email from an American lady who is very passionate about her country.

Carnival of the Vanities is up again to ensure that you have plenty to read if you are bored at Christmas.

For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here

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That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They put up a man whose policies seemed to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though the Left have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.

Leftists are phonies. For most of them all that they want is to sound good. They don't care about doing good. That's why they do so much harm. They don't really care what the results of their policies are as long as they are seen as having good intentions

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