Some time ago Zion Beckons offered some comments about the situation in Waco, Texas, where members of a polygamous cult were raided, many children seized, families broken, and babies separated from their mothers. The result has come in a firm rebuke of the Texas Department of Family Services by the Texas Appellate Court. Excerpts from the opinion rendered by the court may be seen here on the Volokh Conspiracy Blog.
It should be noted that the original complaint was made by a person in Colorado—not Texas—and, for lack of a better word, was bogus. The eagerness of the state agency to do harm to this religious group at whatever cost has been apparent from the beginning. Most Christians, and other faiths for that matter, abhor the thought of polygamy and the abuse of underage children. That should not be an excuse to circumvent the law and common sense.
It should be noted that of the 400 children seized, about 20 were pregnant. This is a figure comparable to any high school and much lower than most inner city schools. This is not presented in defense of the polygamists but rather to point out that the rate is in no way exceptional. The principal difference lies in the beliefs of the FLDS which call for carrying every pregnancy to full term as opposed to the more popular abortions in public schools.
To find the actual reason for the seizure of the youngsters we need look no further than the result of having them in governmental custody. As wards of the state, they involuntarily surrendered DNA samples which could later be used as evidence against the fathers. This reprehensible invasive procedure should not be allowed involuntarily by any governmental body in the United States of America. As of this date, no male member of the FLDS has been charged with any crime. Their removal was justified by imminent danger to the children but not so imminent that any of the men have been sequestered from society at large. If they are that dangerous surely they should be in custody on some charge or other.
Why law enforcement agencies choose to mount militarized “raids” on religious compounds remains a mystery. Do they fear an attack with flaming Bibles? We have thousands of laws. Enforce Them! Here, I repeat what I said in the previous post, “fight them in the courts and not in the nursery.”
Whatever your faith, it is needful that you be aware of any assault on our religious freedom. Just because it’s not your church under fire does not mean you should not object. Yours could well be the next one if you stand idly by and watch.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sensitive Areas
In recent years, a combination of valid English words has crept into our conversation which I am sure you will recognize: “I don’t want to go there.” It is offered in polite conversation as avoidance of discussing matters which are deemed to be sensitive to some parties present. Others in the discussion nod their heads in their best sage like manner to agree that we probably shouldn’t “go there.” Thus a consensus is reached and we mutually decide that “there” is definitely a place we don’t want to “go.”
In the groups I hang with, we avoid jokes with a sexual nature and bathroom humor all together. Other topics which we avoid are politics, economics, problems which involve an easily identified “other” race, physical handicaps, mental lapses and just about anything which has the least challenge or controversy. In so doing, we avoid the possibility of conflict. We also avoid the possibility of discussion of matters which are in the forefront of our minds and involve problems which really require a solution.
I talk to younger people – that includes just about everybody—and constantly hear them complain that their families never talk about; fill in the blank. They don’t discuss finance, sex, care and keeping of crazy uncles, politics, religion, or dozens of other things which parents have an obligation to prepare their kids for to face in the world. When these topics come up they are greeted with, “I don’t want to go there.”
I remember an adult Sunday school class and a question was broached about the Old Testament.. “It seems that the Bible, especially the Old Testament, only describes women in two categories, wives and harlots. Why is there no just plain woman without a husband or a profession?” I thought the question fair and so did the teacher. As we entered the discussion, one of the class requested, “that we not go there.” She became insistent and it was obvious the subject distressed her. We did move on in our studies but I regret she chose to stifle a subject that I have sought answers to also.
I encounter youngsters who don’t understand the credit card trap, believe everything which comes from the mouth of a charismatic politico, who see sex as recreation, not re-creation and believe the often offered TV sitcom concept of a father in the family as a stumbling, bumbling fool. These are matters worthy of intense discussion and possibly disagreement. It is even possible that an airing in the relative safety of a family setting might stimulate them to do some independent research and investigation and broaden their knowledge.
By not stating a firm position, well reasoned and properly presented, we imply a lack of condemnation when it may be called for. We are also implying that they don’t have the intellectual ability to understand or think for themselves. Most important, if there is a moral factor involved – and when isn’t there—should we as parents run from a confrontation?
If we flee from confronting issues it may well be time for some introspection to identify the demons in our own psyche.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
In the groups I hang with, we avoid jokes with a sexual nature and bathroom humor all together. Other topics which we avoid are politics, economics, problems which involve an easily identified “other” race, physical handicaps, mental lapses and just about anything which has the least challenge or controversy. In so doing, we avoid the possibility of conflict. We also avoid the possibility of discussion of matters which are in the forefront of our minds and involve problems which really require a solution.
I talk to younger people – that includes just about everybody—and constantly hear them complain that their families never talk about; fill in the blank. They don’t discuss finance, sex, care and keeping of crazy uncles, politics, religion, or dozens of other things which parents have an obligation to prepare their kids for to face in the world. When these topics come up they are greeted with, “I don’t want to go there.”
I remember an adult Sunday school class and a question was broached about the Old Testament.. “It seems that the Bible, especially the Old Testament, only describes women in two categories, wives and harlots. Why is there no just plain woman without a husband or a profession?” I thought the question fair and so did the teacher. As we entered the discussion, one of the class requested, “that we not go there.” She became insistent and it was obvious the subject distressed her. We did move on in our studies but I regret she chose to stifle a subject that I have sought answers to also.
I encounter youngsters who don’t understand the credit card trap, believe everything which comes from the mouth of a charismatic politico, who see sex as recreation, not re-creation and believe the often offered TV sitcom concept of a father in the family as a stumbling, bumbling fool. These are matters worthy of intense discussion and possibly disagreement. It is even possible that an airing in the relative safety of a family setting might stimulate them to do some independent research and investigation and broaden their knowledge.
By not stating a firm position, well reasoned and properly presented, we imply a lack of condemnation when it may be called for. We are also implying that they don’t have the intellectual ability to understand or think for themselves. Most important, if there is a moral factor involved – and when isn’t there—should we as parents run from a confrontation?
If we flee from confronting issues it may well be time for some introspection to identify the demons in our own psyche.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Tulagi
The Solomon Islands were unknown to most Americans in December 1941. It is unlikely that one in 10,000 could find Tulagi or Guadalcanal on a globe. Even with its momentous history and singular significance it is still unlikely today. And what exactly is its importance that makes it momentous?
Tulagi on August 7, 1942, marks where the first ground forces saw action in World War II. We had naval and air battles aplenty but no actual boots on the ground engaging in mortal combat until that time. It was the start of a years long campaign to acquire islands in the south Pacific inching ever closer to the Japanese homeland.
Tulagi is about 2/3 mile at the widest and less than 3 in length with the highest point about 250’. The Japanese had occupied it earlier (May 3, 42) for observation and to establish a seaplane base. The struggle for Tulagi lasted two days at a cost of 35 US marines and the near entirety of the defending Japanese force: 350 dead and 3 prisoners. It was the beginning of the end of Japanese plans to interrupt the shipping lanes to Australia and to move the vital oil supplies in Indonesia.
The neighboring island, Guadalcanal was quite another matter. It had a new airfield, an established military infrastructure and by comparison, a huge number of entrenched troops. The 1st Marine Division-- with newly formed Ranger battalions—were the initial assault troops who, despite a relatively easy landing, found the going extremely difficult as they attempted to liberate the island. It was nearly six months to the day when the Imperial Army finally abandoned the defense.
The eight mile waters between the two islands with tiny Savo Island at one end became the scene of endless battles and skirmishes between the naval forces so that the strait was eventually renamed Iron Bottom Sound to acknowledge the many vessels consigned to the deep. With hostilities finished on Tulagi, it was used as a supply base, regrouping area, rest and recreation facility and finally a cemetery for our slain troops.
Among the men assigned to plying the “Sound” to transport men and supplies was a fine, gentle man, Jappie Roberson from Miami, Oklahoma. Today this lively octogenarian is an elder in the Restored Church there. We spoke and he seemed surprised to find someone who knew of Tulagi and the struggle for Guadalcanal. He revealed he had some remembrance of the fields of white crosses on Tulagi and offered to share a verse he had written:
“THE GUYS THAT WERE HERE YESTERDAY”
It was on the 43rd Thanksgiving Day,
When we sailed in to that silent bay,
And as we looked out over the water so still
We saw the white crosses lined upon the hill.
Just like in Flanders they stand in rows,
While quietly through them, the south wind blows.
Many a warrior, his own life he gave,
Fought and died, our liberty to save.
They stared at death with never a flinch,
And fought for this island, inch by inch.
Creeping and preying in the jungle path,
Against the enemy’s ever savage wrath.
Now they’re calling their ranks in heaven above,
Looking down at this island that they love.
They tell us to carry on what they had in their hearts,
To pick up from here, and all do our parts.
They say to us guys, who are here today,
Don’t gripe about mail or when you don’t get pay.
Just think, and try to settle the score,
For those guys that were here long before.
Jappie “Robby” Roberson
We thank you Jappie for your service and thank you for your memories.
To know Jappie is to see God’s influence in and on the lives of men. His constant smile and gentle nature belie the horrors he has witnessed. He has salvaged the absolute best from his experiences and eagerly shares them with others to the glory of his God. I rejoice that God chose to save him from the depths of Iron Bottom Sound.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
Tulagi on August 7, 1942, marks where the first ground forces saw action in World War II. We had naval and air battles aplenty but no actual boots on the ground engaging in mortal combat until that time. It was the start of a years long campaign to acquire islands in the south Pacific inching ever closer to the Japanese homeland.
Tulagi is about 2/3 mile at the widest and less than 3 in length with the highest point about 250’. The Japanese had occupied it earlier (May 3, 42) for observation and to establish a seaplane base. The struggle for Tulagi lasted two days at a cost of 35 US marines and the near entirety of the defending Japanese force: 350 dead and 3 prisoners. It was the beginning of the end of Japanese plans to interrupt the shipping lanes to Australia and to move the vital oil supplies in Indonesia.
The neighboring island, Guadalcanal was quite another matter. It had a new airfield, an established military infrastructure and by comparison, a huge number of entrenched troops. The 1st Marine Division-- with newly formed Ranger battalions—were the initial assault troops who, despite a relatively easy landing, found the going extremely difficult as they attempted to liberate the island. It was nearly six months to the day when the Imperial Army finally abandoned the defense.
The eight mile waters between the two islands with tiny Savo Island at one end became the scene of endless battles and skirmishes between the naval forces so that the strait was eventually renamed Iron Bottom Sound to acknowledge the many vessels consigned to the deep. With hostilities finished on Tulagi, it was used as a supply base, regrouping area, rest and recreation facility and finally a cemetery for our slain troops.
Among the men assigned to plying the “Sound” to transport men and supplies was a fine, gentle man, Jappie Roberson from Miami, Oklahoma. Today this lively octogenarian is an elder in the Restored Church there. We spoke and he seemed surprised to find someone who knew of Tulagi and the struggle for Guadalcanal. He revealed he had some remembrance of the fields of white crosses on Tulagi and offered to share a verse he had written:
“THE GUYS THAT WERE HERE YESTERDAY”
It was on the 43rd Thanksgiving Day,
When we sailed in to that silent bay,
And as we looked out over the water so still
We saw the white crosses lined upon the hill.
Just like in Flanders they stand in rows,
While quietly through them, the south wind blows.
Many a warrior, his own life he gave,
Fought and died, our liberty to save.
They stared at death with never a flinch,
And fought for this island, inch by inch.
Creeping and preying in the jungle path,
Against the enemy’s ever savage wrath.
Now they’re calling their ranks in heaven above,
Looking down at this island that they love.
They tell us to carry on what they had in their hearts,
To pick up from here, and all do our parts.
They say to us guys, who are here today,
Don’t gripe about mail or when you don’t get pay.
Just think, and try to settle the score,
For those guys that were here long before.
Jappie “Robby” Roberson
We thank you Jappie for your service and thank you for your memories.
To know Jappie is to see God’s influence in and on the lives of men. His constant smile and gentle nature belie the horrors he has witnessed. He has salvaged the absolute best from his experiences and eagerly shares them with others to the glory of his God. I rejoice that God chose to save him from the depths of Iron Bottom Sound.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday Morning Rant 38
Do you Believe This?
“GENEVA (Reuters) - A special U.N. human rights investigator will visit the United States this month to probe racism, an issue that has forced its way into the race to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
The United Nations said Doudou Diene would meet federal and local officials, as well as lawmakers and judicial authorities during the May 19-June 6 visit.
"The special rapporteur will gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," a U.N. statement said on Friday.
His three-week visit, at U.S. government invitation, will cover eight cities—Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Race has become a central issue in the U.S. election cycle because Sen. Barack Obama, the frontrunner in the battle for the Democratic nomination battle, stands to become the country's first African American president..
His campaign has increased turnout among black voters but has also turned off some white voters in a country with a history of slavery and racial segregation.
Diene, a Senegalese lawyer who has served in the independent post since 2002, will report his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council next year.
However, the United Nations has almost no clout when it comes to U.S. domestic affairs and is widely perceived by many as interfering. The United States is not among the 47 member states of the Geneva-based forum, but has observer status.
In a report last year he said Islamophobia had grown worldwide since the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States, carried out by al-Qaeda militants.”
The whole thing is just too bizarre to even consider. An organization peopled by some of the worst human rights violators in the history of the world coming here to report on abuse in the land of the free. Give me a break!
Power Politics
If you have been in a super market recently, you have a good idea of how the cost of bio fuels has affected your life whether you drive or not. Due to high demand placed on foodstuffs for use in ethanol, prices are going through the roof. You might also get a clue from your annual tax statement. Through tax breaks, loan guarantees and outright subsidies, the total cost to the American taxpayer totaled $16.6 billion last year. Did anyone bother to ask the citizen if they got their money’s worth?
In the area of generation of electrical power, all prices are pegged to the mega watt hour base. The top subsidized of these are: solar power - $24.34, wind power $23.37 and “so called,” clean coal at $29.81. Compare that to normal coal at 44¢, natural gas 25¢, hydroelectric 67¢ and nuclear power at $1.59 and then start scratching your head. Are the most expensive innovators taking over the power industry? It’s not likely to happen. Wind and solar combined only generate about 1% of the power on the grid. In spite of excessive regulation and ridiculous controls, our aging nuclear plants still manage to deliver nearly 20% of power nationwide.
When the numbers are crunched to an acceptable unit of energy the comparisons are available to compare apples to oranges. Bio fuels cost $5.72, Solar $2.82, refined coal $1.25 and natural gas 3¢! Since natural gas carries little or no subsidy, it appears higher priced. Since bio fuel is heavily subsidized it appears normal at the pump. The costs you don’t see are the taxable results of these subsidies. Unseen or not, we all need to be aware that the cost is still there. Ultimately, every tax is passed to the consumer in a higher retail price. In the case of bio fuels, it also reflected as a consequence in the pricing of other consumer goods; vegetables, meat, dairy, leather, etc.
If you understand this, you are light years ahead of the congress.
Malaria in a Snowball Fight
Part of the not-so-veiled threats made by the Global Warmers is that continued warming will threaten our resistance to infectious diseases such as malaria. Balderdash and poppycock! Due to the lack of public health facilities and subsequent disease control in poor countries close to equator an increased presence of malaria is reported. Therefore the casual observer has come to believe that malaria is the property of hot steamy climates and as a result, global warming will increase the incidence of the disease.
This is a fiction perpetrated upon those who have no real knowledge of history. The “ague” referred to in at least eight of Shakespeare’s plays was in reality, malaria. He wrote at the beginning of the cold spell which came to be called the “Little Ice Age.” The disease was common in Europe and America until advances in agriculture and sanitation coupled with the discovery of quinine as a cure finally wiped it out. The disease also was nearly eradicated by the chemical DDT until the chemical itself was eradicated first by know-nothing do-gooders. The presence of malaria today in sub-Saharan Africa is a result of poverty and political ignorance, not steamy hot days.
The last country in Europe to be declared malaria free was Holland in 1970. A country far more noted for silver skates on frozen ponds than sweltering mosquito-laden nights. Keep in mind that the warming movement is fueled by profit and ideology. Not much room left to accommodate the truth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lies, half truths and outrage continue. We are under a constant assault and need to be especially on the alert. If you are in the market for a trusted source; I have a recommendation. It’s called prayer and when used in concert with the Holy Bible, it will lead you to truths you can use. For example you might ask for discernment to sort the chaff from the news reports to get a kernel of truth. If you do not seek it for your own enlightenment you will become the complicit victim of their twisted offerings.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
“GENEVA (Reuters) - A special U.N. human rights investigator will visit the United States this month to probe racism, an issue that has forced its way into the race to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
The United Nations said Doudou Diene would meet federal and local officials, as well as lawmakers and judicial authorities during the May 19-June 6 visit.
"The special rapporteur will gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," a U.N. statement said on Friday.
His three-week visit, at U.S. government invitation, will cover eight cities—Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Race has become a central issue in the U.S. election cycle because Sen. Barack Obama, the frontrunner in the battle for the Democratic nomination battle, stands to become the country's first African American president..
His campaign has increased turnout among black voters but has also turned off some white voters in a country with a history of slavery and racial segregation.
Diene, a Senegalese lawyer who has served in the independent post since 2002, will report his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council next year.
However, the United Nations has almost no clout when it comes to U.S. domestic affairs and is widely perceived by many as interfering. The United States is not among the 47 member states of the Geneva-based forum, but has observer status.
In a report last year he said Islamophobia had grown worldwide since the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States, carried out by al-Qaeda militants.”
The whole thing is just too bizarre to even consider. An organization peopled by some of the worst human rights violators in the history of the world coming here to report on abuse in the land of the free. Give me a break!
Power Politics
If you have been in a super market recently, you have a good idea of how the cost of bio fuels has affected your life whether you drive or not. Due to high demand placed on foodstuffs for use in ethanol, prices are going through the roof. You might also get a clue from your annual tax statement. Through tax breaks, loan guarantees and outright subsidies, the total cost to the American taxpayer totaled $16.6 billion last year. Did anyone bother to ask the citizen if they got their money’s worth?
In the area of generation of electrical power, all prices are pegged to the mega watt hour base. The top subsidized of these are: solar power - $24.34, wind power $23.37 and “so called,” clean coal at $29.81. Compare that to normal coal at 44¢, natural gas 25¢, hydroelectric 67¢ and nuclear power at $1.59 and then start scratching your head. Are the most expensive innovators taking over the power industry? It’s not likely to happen. Wind and solar combined only generate about 1% of the power on the grid. In spite of excessive regulation and ridiculous controls, our aging nuclear plants still manage to deliver nearly 20% of power nationwide.
When the numbers are crunched to an acceptable unit of energy the comparisons are available to compare apples to oranges. Bio fuels cost $5.72, Solar $2.82, refined coal $1.25 and natural gas 3¢! Since natural gas carries little or no subsidy, it appears higher priced. Since bio fuel is heavily subsidized it appears normal at the pump. The costs you don’t see are the taxable results of these subsidies. Unseen or not, we all need to be aware that the cost is still there. Ultimately, every tax is passed to the consumer in a higher retail price. In the case of bio fuels, it also reflected as a consequence in the pricing of other consumer goods; vegetables, meat, dairy, leather, etc.
If you understand this, you are light years ahead of the congress.
Malaria in a Snowball Fight
Part of the not-so-veiled threats made by the Global Warmers is that continued warming will threaten our resistance to infectious diseases such as malaria. Balderdash and poppycock! Due to the lack of public health facilities and subsequent disease control in poor countries close to equator an increased presence of malaria is reported. Therefore the casual observer has come to believe that malaria is the property of hot steamy climates and as a result, global warming will increase the incidence of the disease.
This is a fiction perpetrated upon those who have no real knowledge of history. The “ague” referred to in at least eight of Shakespeare’s plays was in reality, malaria. He wrote at the beginning of the cold spell which came to be called the “Little Ice Age.” The disease was common in Europe and America until advances in agriculture and sanitation coupled with the discovery of quinine as a cure finally wiped it out. The disease also was nearly eradicated by the chemical DDT until the chemical itself was eradicated first by know-nothing do-gooders. The presence of malaria today in sub-Saharan Africa is a result of poverty and political ignorance, not steamy hot days.
The last country in Europe to be declared malaria free was Holland in 1970. A country far more noted for silver skates on frozen ponds than sweltering mosquito-laden nights. Keep in mind that the warming movement is fueled by profit and ideology. Not much room left to accommodate the truth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lies, half truths and outrage continue. We are under a constant assault and need to be especially on the alert. If you are in the market for a trusted source; I have a recommendation. It’s called prayer and when used in concert with the Holy Bible, it will lead you to truths you can use. For example you might ask for discernment to sort the chaff from the news reports to get a kernel of truth. If you do not seek it for your own enlightenment you will become the complicit victim of their twisted offerings.
In His abiding love,
Cecil Moon
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