Memorial Day Message

from the late political philospher John Stuart Mill:

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

To honor this holiday, you might consider browsing through the Faith of Our Fathers Project website.

You may also want to visit the Patriot Post Blog to read their Memorial Day issue.

Let's give tribute where tribute is due.

More Proof that God is Wonderful and Loves Us (Whimsical)

These are also proof that God is the designer extraordinaire and quite the artiste.

10. Chubby baby feet.
9. The smell of roses.
8. Peony blossoms so large and bountiful they fall to the ground.
7. Sunshine pouring through bright green trees, mixed with a slight breeze on a 73 degree day, with not a cloud in the baby blue sky.
6. The sweet smell that a mother finds in the crook of her baby's neck.
5. English setter puppies!
4. The taste and smell of fresh-cut garden-grown basil.
3. Chubby baby thighs!
2. Coffee beans. How would mankind have survived throughout the years without them?
1. Baby babbling! There's nothing on this earth that could bring out such happiness in a grown adult. Nothing.

10 Reasons We are not yet in Paradise

10. Grubs.
9. Slugs.
8. Roaches.
7. Spiders.
6. Fleas.
5. Flies.
4. Gnats.
3. Ticks.
2. Hornets.
and my absolute #1 enemy:
1. Mosquitos!

Getting Back to the Basics

Some advice for Christians from a Christian:

*Spend less time debating with other Christians about doctrinal issues and more time evangelizing. Bickering about predestination isn't all that attractive to bikers and construction workers.

*Pray to God daily for wisdom that you may know His will and learn His ways. Then His Spirit will guide you to the Truth about those theology issues you used to spend so much time debating with other Christians about.

*Spend less time trying to convince America to be a Christian nation and more time trying to make Americans Christians. People need Christ; they don't need a display of the Ten Commandments on government property. Jesus lived under one of the most evil governments of all time, the Roman Empire, yet he spent his time seeking and saving the lost, not suing government officials because they were taking His Father's name off the currency. (God doesn't save nations, he saves individuals!)

*Spend less time worrying about getting Sunday morning worship right and more time fine-tuning the daily worship (Romans 12:1,2) that God desires of you.

*Stop fixating on man-made rules and instead get your heart right first. Your behavior will follow.

*Above all, love each other deeply from the heart. Okay, those last words are Peter's (1 Peter 1:22), not mine.

-Cherry

Cal Thomas' Words of Wisdom for U.S.

From his May 16 article Morale Slippage in Iraq regarding recent documents uncovered in Iraq that should give the U.S. hope for our cause:

Morale is slipping in Iraq. Fighters are growing doubtful of success. A comprehensive strategy for winning the conflict is nonexistent. Is this an assessment of the U.S. military? No, it is an assessment about the insurgents who oppose the elected Iraqi government.

From comments made by al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and others, we know the terrorists believe America will give up as it did in Vietnam, Lebanon and Mogadishu when a majority ceases to support an operation. This is the main strategy of the terrorists. The documents not only underscore that strategy, they reveal the terrorists' frustration in their inability to make it work beyond an occasional car bombing, attack on a police station or civilian gathering. This ought to further encourage Americans and Iraqis about which side is losing and which is winning.

"These documents ought to encourage not only the U.S. government, but also American public opinion, that the virtues of patience and commitment are likely to achieve the stated objectives of freedom and a self-sustaining Iraqi government. "

The Da Vinci Code Myth

For those interested in The Da Vinci Code movie and book, check out the website I've added to the blog roll on the right.

Trust the Harvard Grad in the Oval Office

Carl Little has a daring article out on Hoosier Conservative that questions the conservative stance to back the President's difficult decision to invade Iraq. He makes good points and I agree with his assessments that those in the top making decisions for our military are smarter than they sometimes appear. I disagree with Little's conclusion that attacking Iraq was a mere boyish attempt at playing cowboys and indians. The President and those in the Pentagon did not make the decision to engage our troops in war just because they were itching to fight or because Cheney was hungry for more Halliburton profits. Rather, as I've argued before, employing our troops in Iraq was a brilliant way of distracting terrorists from attacking the United States.

For the past few years, we've heard about the continuous stream of terrorist bombings and assassinations--in Iraq; not the U.S. The Islamo-fascist terrorists of the world were giddy as could be after the September 11th attacks and fully intended to assault America in even worse ways then what they did that day. But rather than watch a nightly newscast report of bombings and assassinations in our own country, we're seeing them take place in the Middle East, the hotbed of terrorism. Before the U.S. invasion, Iraq was not the Islamo-fascist center of the world. Those leaders of that group were spread out in the neighboring countries of that region. But now, Iraq is that center. And our troops are fighting the world's worst aggressors in that center.

It's called containment, folks, and it works. We met the Islamo-fascist terrorists on their own turf and brought the fight to them. That, my friends, is a cause our military can be proud of.

When men from North Korea start flying planes into U.S. buildings, you can bet they'll get a reaction from our military. Until then, let's fight the worst of the bunch. Because, you know--we just can't fight everyone at once.

For more info about W's Harvard background and the consequent brainpower he brings into his position, read this article.

Word from the 12 May 2006 Patriot Post No. 06-19 Digest:

"There is still time between now and November for Republican leaders to make a comeback---but they had better start reversing the trend today if President Bush is to have a shot at fulfilling his most significant domestic-policy legacy---placing one more constructionist judge on the Supreme Court. Democrats know that would do more to restore Constitutional Federalism than any legislation or executive orders in more than a century---and that is why they are pulling out all the stops to regain control of the Senate."

I wish I had been old enough to enjoy the era of Reagan.

Pittsburgh Trip

I got back on Sunday from a trip with our family in which we travelled to Pittsburgh before heading to Summitville, OH to visit with my husband's parents. City life in Pittsburgh is good: all the local people we had dealings with were exceptionally friendly, the shops are plentiful and varied and they had a Dunkin Doughnuts just a few blocks down from our hotel. Woohoo!

We found a neat little authentic Greek restaurant downtown called CrisTo's. It was so neat to find a local place like that that isn't a copy of an eatery you'd find in every city. Chains are nice sometimes, but give me an authentic restaurant on special occasions.

Other random thought: this is the third cold I've had in a month. People, please stop giving me your germs!