Monday Morning Rant 55

Mid-September, life is rushing on and the feel of Fall is breezing through the Ozarks. We missed church yesterday due to the flood caused by over 4” of rain the night before. We are not in the flood plain but once we drive down the hill from our little bit o' Heaven, our only exit road runs adjacent to the Spring River and yesterday the road was the Spring River. It had washed out last spring and I feared repetition. Compared to what others have suffered from hurricane Ike we are thankful to only be inconvenienced instead of inundated.

How Pelosi honed her experience

Given her current attitude about the experience level of the Republican vice-presidential candidate you may be interested in a reprint of a brief interview with the Speaker on the importance of motherhood in honing her skills. This appeared in the Ladies Home Journal shortly after the Democrats regained control of the house in 2006:

“LHJ: You are a mother of five and were a homemaker for many years before entering politics. You say in your book that the skills you honed doing those things were the same ones you needed when you got to Congress. How so?

NP: Absolutely, and this is what I want women to know, so they recognize the value of their own path, their unique experience. I've been in politics a while, over 20 years in the Congress of the United States, and this is a very rough-and-tumble.... I shouldn't say 'rough,' let me say a very challenging arena to be in. But as challenging as it is, nothing is as challenging as raising a family — nothing. That experience forced me to be disciplined, diplomatic, focused, and successful, and I brought that discipline and focus to the Congress. Also, having a family keeps you focused on the future, which is the biggest inspiration in politics. In order to do what it takes to succeed in politics, you have to be inspired by your constituents, the power of your ideas, and the fact that you speak on behalf of children and their future, whether you have children of your own or not. It makes all the difference in the world.”

Apparently, homemaking experience is only applicable for Democrat women and constitutes an impediment for the other party. To her credit she does have five children (4 girls and l boy) with the youngest about 36 at the time of the interview. Since her appointment to the Speaker’s chair the opinion of the American people on the quality of the congress has diminished to an all time low. Depending on the poll, 16% to 23% of the people approve of the job the congress is doing. All you mothers know that every meal you fix is not a booming success—but Ill bet it’s better than one out of four.

Another clueless scientist

Some genius in Southern California has the answer to global warming. Lets all paint our roofs white. By so doing the nasty rays of the sun will reflect back into the troposphere, allowing less heat and therefore our homes will not consume so much electricity during those cruel summer days. He projects a lessening of average mean temperature of around .02º. This is a great idea unless you happen to live in the “anti-freeze” belt—that would be the other 90% of America—and treasure warmth. Leave it to a coastal sophisticate who’s never been out of town to think this up. This guy actually has advanced degrees! To confirm that this is not some perverse joke, you may check the link here.

No press bias here

Interesting “catch” here from Mona Charon at the Corner on National Review:

“John Roberts interviewing Paul Begala on CNN just now slipped and said "we" when asking how Democrats should respond to Republican attacks.”

This reminds me of George Stepanopolis and his correction of Obama when he said something about his Muslim faith. It would appear that the politicians are not the only ones who occasionally slip and the truth comes gushing out.

Also on the “Corner” a reader sent this quote to Jonah Goldberg:

“Wendy Doniger, a feminist academic at the University of Chicago, writes of Palin in Newsweek: “Her greatest hypocrisy is in her pretense that she is a woman.”

Jonah’s comment was simply: “The left’s new position: Being homosexual is genetic. Being a woman is a choice.”

This stuff really gets tiresome after awhile. Even if the mainstream media won’t pick up on this stuff at least the bloggers will. Incidentally, Jonah’s recent book “Liberal Fascism” is a great read.

Present?

There has been much discussion about the use of “present” in the Illinois legislature. It is a legitimate option, just like “yes” and “no.” J.R. Dunn examines it in depth in this piece from the American Thinker.

Although I enjoyed Dunn’s appraisal I found a comment which really provided a fairly tidy synopsis:

“If you never leave a paper trail, there is nothing to follow. If you never make a decision, you can deny responsibility.If you speak in circles or philosophize, people will hear what they want to hear. If you let others speak for you, you can always say, I didn't say that. If you never make a commitment, you don't have to keep your word. If you leave no footprints, no one can see where you've been.If you never go into battle, you will never be tested. Obama has never made a commitment, always lets others speak for him, and has never been tested. With his silver tongue and charisma, he has charmed others into carrying him where he wants to go. Obama wants the title of President, not the responsibility. I question whether he has the courage, inner strength, or the will to take a stand on the overwhelming challenges we face as a nation.”

That was from “Pam, in Florida” who is otherwise unidentified. She does raise some interesting points.

And finally:

I noted yesterday that I thought of Palin’s entry into the campaign as a gift from God. In further thinking I was reminded of a quote from Abraham Lincoln on seeking the Almighty to align with his goals for the nation:

"I am not at all concerned about that, for I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

According to the figures, we have picked up some new readers for Zion Beckons. Let me offer a warm welcome and encourage you to check in often. We occasionally “step on toes” here so I hope you have a tolerance for that sort of thing. Through it all, the blog is dedicated to Jesus Christ and hopefully, our lives and the lives of our readers are dedicated also. It’s good to have you and “y’all come back now—ya hear!”


In His abiding love,


Cecil Moon