http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

Brought to You by…You!

Calvin Freiburger atheism, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, media, tax funding
“The spectacle of September 11 is a forceful reminder of the potentially destructive power of the three great monotheistic religions [Christianity, Judaism and Islam] that have dominated the world one way or another for nearly 2,000 years…You only have to travel a few miles from New York City to find yourself in the middle of a country which is – far from being the secular world which was deplored and attacked by the Islamic fundamentalists – is in fact intensely Christian and therefore in its own way, of course, is just as religious as the Muslim world that attacked it.” So says Jonathan Miller, host of a 2005 pro-atheism documentary by BBC, now coming Stateside courtesy of PBS.
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Yup, that’d be the same PBS that wouldn’t allow an important anti-Islamofascism film to be aired. Why isn’t anybody on Capitol Hill calling for PBS to be defunded?
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(By the way, the folks behind the BBC piece use the term “nontheism” a lot. I’ve noticed this in Sam Harris’s writing, too: What’s up with their dislike of the label “atheist?”)

I’m Ashamed of Myself…NOT!

Calvin Freiburger abortion, blog, blogosphere, Calvin, free speech, fun, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, humor, liberalism, moonbats, pro-life
A milestone in my life as a conservative rabble-rouser: I’ve been banned from a liberal blog! Why? Because I was “obnoxious,” “patronizing,” and I “insulted” people.
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If you want the full context of what went down, check out the debate on this post, then this one, and lastly this one. Under a revised profile I left a parting message for the little darlings, but just in case they decide to delete it, I think I’ll post it here for posterity:
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Hah! I’ll admit, I took a couple potshots at some stunningly bad logic, and described your position in frank terms, but you libs really oughta consider that for the most part, my insults were in RESPONSE to:
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– Aryeh insulting as a “scumbag,” a “nosy and controlling neo-christian,” a “cultist,” and a “bully”
– Emily lying about my very words, mischaracterizing “I understand there will always be some teens who have sex” as “You aren’t willing to admit that sex is something that teenagers have and will continue to have.”
– that twit Things Come Undone likening me to ABORTION CLINIC BOMBERS based on – you guessed it! – ZERO evidence whatsoever.
– Brittainy demagoging me a sexist, an “ideology-driven nutjob,” “crazy anti-sex, anti-woman” (also based on nothing more substantive than her hatred & ideology), & insulting my “reading comprehension skills.”
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It’s also worth noting that Brendon’s idea of an “insult” is more than a little bizzare; I claimed that societal narcissism is a result of liberalism. Right or wrong, it’s a debatable position, not a personal insult.
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Now, do I particularly care that any of you insulted me? Nah – I’m a big boy, and I’ve taken worse from better. I don’t mind a light jab or two – from either side – but I DO mind when self-righteous hypocrites get on their high horses and pretend they’re innocent little angels (remember Angelica from the cartoon “Rugrats”? That’s you guys.)
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Not only that, but you shouldn’t be surprised that your position – that some humans are unworthy of being protected by lethal force – is looked upon unkindly by normal Americans.
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Anyway, thanks for the laughs and the practice; I do so enjoy taking the occasional trip to the ol’ intellectual boxing bags! Catch ya later.
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Calvin
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PS: as always, I’ll be sure to keep you in my prayers to the “invisible man in the sky.”
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UPDATE: Yup, I’ve been deleted. Oh well, their hypocrisy is pretty glaring on their own pages for anybody independent passersby, and as for the rest…well, I can’t even begin to guess how many psych-analysts & all the intensive care you’d need to untangle the years of brainwashing and biases that’ve layered on over the years. Deception is a tangled web, indeed.

Just a Bit of Perspective

Calvin Freiburger Bush, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Iraq, victories, War on Terror, women
I’m among the last guys on Earth to give the Iraq War’s mismanagement a pass, but for what it’s worth, I think this needs to be said: Right now I’m watching Bill O’Reilly interview an ex-Iraqi ambassador – who happens to be a woman. That’s right; a woman in a position of real power in an Arab government, and it wouldn’t have happened if not for George W. Bush. With so much we’ve promised the Iraqi people, and so much hanging in the balance, we cannot abandon this cause.

Maybe Pat Robertson Wasn’t That Far Off…

Calvin Freiburger anti-American, Carter, censorship, Chavez, despots, dictators, evil, free speech, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Sheehan, Venezuela
So what’s Cindy Sheehan’s best buddy up to these days?
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Thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets of Caracas in protest at the president’s decision to close the country’s oldest private TV network. [Hugo] Chavez’s supporters say Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) backed a 2002 coup which briefly ousted him. But the country’s opposition say the decision to close the network is an attempt to silence Mr Chavez’s critics […] The government claims that the channel is breaching the constitution by rallying support for the opposition.
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Don’t worry, though—Jimmy told us Chavez got elected fair & square, remember?
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(Hat tip: Boots & Sabers)

Barack’s Brilliance

Calvin Freiburger 2008, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Obama, school shootings, stupidity
During Barack Obama’s campaign stop in Milwaukee, WI, he used the Virginia Tech massacre as a jumping-off point to address “other kinds” of violence:
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There’s the “verbal violence” of Imus.
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There’s “the violence of men and women who have worked all their lives and suddenly have the rug pulled out from under them because their job is moved to another country.”
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There’s “the violence of children whose voices are not heard in communities that are ignored,”
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And so, Obama says, “there’s a lot of different forms of violence in our society, and so much of it is rooted in our incapacity to recognize ourselves in each other.”
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Many politicians would avoid, I think, suggesting that outsourcing and mass-murder belong in the same category.
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As well they should, to say nothing of a radio jock’s obnoxiousness! Verbal violence?! More like verbal flatulence.
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Listening to Obama’s speech, I had another question: where was the Senator’s famed charisma? I sure didn’t hear it. Maybe Obamamania has to be taken in small doses due to its extreme potency…yeah, that’s it…
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(In comparison, I think my guy—who just received the Ronald Reagan Award from Frontiers of Freedom—has the upper hand on charisma.)

What I’m Reading Right Now

Calvin Freiburger books, Christianity, conservatism, Da Vinci Code, Horowitz, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, liberalism, me, Reagan, religion, Stossel
Currently I’m juggling the following:
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I’ve finally started The Da Vinci Code, and I’ve got to give Dan Brown this much: he knows how to write suspense. The mystery and the distinct characters surrounding it do have quite an allure. Which is why all the falsehoods (Wikipedia’s article on ‘em is surprisingly long, but be careful—it is Wikipedia, after all) within are so inexcusable, especially considering Brown’s “Fact” preface in the front. And occasionally Brown wanders into displays of sheer idiocy like this line: “Langdon was always surprised how few Christians who gazed upon ‘the crucifix’ realized their symbol’s violent history was reflected in its very name: ‘cross’ and ‘crucifix’ came from the Latin word cruciare—to torture.” Uh, note to Dan: the torture Christ endured for our sins isn’t exactly an obscure part of Christianity…Bottom line: if Brown had instead prefaced the book with something along the lines of, “The following story takes creative license with several elements of history, religion and art,” I could probably give The Da Vinci Code a thumbs-up (at least so far; we’ll see how things go when I’m finished).
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Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel—Why Everything You Know Is Wrong by John Stossel and The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Radicals in America by David Horowitz. These gems—the former on various falsehoods in all walks of life, the latter on demented college professors—are nice because they’re broken down into bite-sized passages that can be read & set aside without forgetting some important context that came before. Highly recommended.
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At a thrift shop tonight I found Reagan: The Political Chameleon. It’s a book written before the Gipper’s presidency by ex-California Governor Pat Brown. Once I finish the above, I look forward to reading how spectacularly wrong Brown, in retrospect, is with his assertion that “there is no need to qualify this view in the slightest: Ronald Reagan’s election to the presidency would be a national disaster.” Also, this passage from the jacket got me thinking:
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“What sort of man is Ronald Reagan? His philosophy has ranged the political spectrum—from left-wing Democrat during the McCarthy era, to capitalist spokesman for General Electric, to Goldwater conservative—changing colors as the chameleon does, constantly camouflaging himself to match his environment. Do Reagan’s beliefs truly reflect the man, or are they merely a method of matching the views of his current circle, with no more depth or profundity that the varying hues of the chameleon?”
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Hmm…who does the Left level that charge against these days? (Now, I don’t want to jinx anything, or prematurely make him into another Reagan…but we can hope…)

Score One for the Good Guys!

Calvin Freiburger abortion, Bush, Ginsburg, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, partial-birth, pro-life, US Supreme Court, victories
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court today voted to uphold the 2003 ban on partial-birth abortions. Predictably, in her dissenting opinion Ruth Bader Ginsburg whined that “the ruling ‘refuses to take … seriously’ previous Supreme Court decisions on abortion.” Well…yeah, that’s kinda the point.
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Predictably, the frontrunners of the ‘08 Republican field have embraced the ruling, while all three leading Democrats promptly took the Nazi position on the issue (by the way, Barbara Boxer’s reaction was even more extreme; too bad she’s not running for President!).
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Today was a great day—a great day for America, for human rights, and even for President Bush (both of his appointees delivered today). But this battle isn’t over by a long shot. It won’t be over until the rest of our countrymen remember that “unalienable” really does mean “unalienable,” and every human life, from the moment of conception onward, is recognized & protected by US law.
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(Oh, by the way: if you wanna see a general abortion debate that’s just taken a turn for the stupid, click here.)
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UPDATE: Though I still think pro-lifers are right to celebrate today, Ross over at Sullivan’s blog has a somewhat-more sober reaction that’s worth reading.

Abstinence Education a Failure? Not So Fast

Calvin Freiburger culture, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Medved, morality, public schools, sex, sex ed, studies
Social lefties are giddy that a new study is making the rounds which purports to show precisely that, but dig a little deeper, and that conclusion becomes premature. For one thing, the study only looked at four such programs. For another, the report itself includes this caveat:
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“Targeting youth at young ages may not be sufficient. Most Title V, Section 510 abstinence education programs are implemented in upper elementary and middle schools and most are completed before youth enter high school. The findings from this study provide no evidence that abstinence programs implemented at these grades reduce sexual activity of youth during their high school years. However, the findings provide no information on the effects programs might have if they were implemented in high school or began at earlier ages but continued through high school.
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“Peer support for abstinence erodes during adolescence. Peer support for abstinence is a significant predictor of later sexual activity. Although the four abstinence programs had at most a small impact on this measure in the short term and no impact in the long term, this finding suggests that promoting support for abstinence among peer networks should be an important feature of future abstinence programs.”
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It’s obvious that any meaningful effort would have to be “comprehensive” (to use a word the Left loves so much). I would also add that, for the best effect, abstinence education in schools would have to be part of a broader societal effort to take back the culture: reemphasize parenting, condemning sexual saturation in the media, reaffirming that sex has consequences by fighting abortion & free distribution of birth control, not electing moral degenerates President…Meanwhile, Michael Medved has some good insights on sex education & federal funding here.