The Point

What would you do with one extra day each week?...

Click play above to listen.

“Top Hill Democrat Seeks Longer Workday,” Washington Times, 23 September 2008.

What is this?

Sankofa reminds me of Chantale.

At a ballroom in Springfield at Sankofa's fourth, and final, stop along its American tour, 10 beautiful African girls glide down a runway, stunning off-the-shoulder dresses gracing their varying figures. But their faces are long, and the baskets they tout on their heads are like the burdens they used to carry.

"Sankofa" means "Look back--Walk forward" and this is the beginning of the three-fold story it tells: separation to transformation to celebration. The clothing, the music, the facial expressions reflect each of these stages.

Sankofa represents 70 women with a broken past. Many are refugees from war-torn African nations (Uganda, Congo, Burundi). They come to Amani ya Juu with tales of violence, sickness, and abandonment. But through Bible studies, prayer, and an opportunity to learn how to sew beautiful fabrics (available for sale), including the clothes the models are wearing, "Amani" ("peace") begins to peek through.

What is this?

Is there anyone left in the public arena who has true integrity? Sometimes it's tempting to believe there isn't. But Chuck Colson knows better:

Seven months into my prison term, I was facing some family crises that were terrible. Al [Quie] called me and told me about a law that might allow him to serve out the rest of my sentence. Al said he was going to see President Ford the next day and ask him, if he, Al, could serve the rest of my prison sentence. I was speechless.

If a senior Congressman would lay his life down for one of most reviled men in the country, then I knew that Jesus had to be exactly who He says He is. That moment affirmed my faith like no other. Though Al never had to follow through—because a couple of days later I was released from prison—the lesson never left me.

We so desperately need examples like Al Quie. I so hope that you, your friends, and your family will read Riding into the Sunrise and get to know a man who has lived the most consistent life of integrity of anyone I’ve ever met.

(Image © Pogo Press)

What is this?

Daniel James bought a one-way ticket to Switzerland, where he made the decision to not live past his 24th year.

A little more than a year after a rugby accident that dislocated his spine, leaving him paralyzed, James decided to take his life. Not even the coaxing of a fellow rugby paraplegic could change his mind. With the full support of his parents, a physician, and the Swiss government, he was admitted to a clinic on September 12, where it is believed he became the youngest person from the UK to have committed physician-assisted suicide in Switzerland.

He didn't enter the sport unknowingly. Rugby is considered one of the most dangerous sports today. According to the Telegraph, such accidents happen to three or four players each season. It's what they call a "catastrophic injury," which is damage to the brain or spinal cord. And yet many survivors choose to live with it. Players like Roger Addison.

Addison was another promising new face in the rugby world. But in 1966, the then 21-year-old Pontypool player was also paralyzed from a scrum. Forty-two years later, he battles on through life surrounded by a supportive family and hospital staff. An official at his old rugby club, Arthur Crane, told the Times Online, "Roger has this huge belief that he is here for a purpose. He has been an inspiration." (Read more here.)

Matt Hampson is another rugby paraplegic survivor who actually met with James shortly before his death. His story about meeting and trying to convince James to keep his life is riveting. (Occasional profanity.) He is paralyzed from the neck down and requires a ventilator to breathe, while James was paralyzed from the chest down, but could still push himself around.

But Hampson refuses to judge James's decision. Instead, he shared his story of living. He spoke of his first few weeks as the hardest:

Those first nights and weeks and months in hospital are as close as it gets to hell, as you struggle to come to terms with the cruelty of the hand you've been dealt. But soon there's a choice to be made; the same choice that Andy faced in Shawshank: "You get busy living or get busy dying." Me? I choose to live.

What is this?

The polls are making me dizzy. Is Obama up 10 points or are Obama and McCain in a virtual tie?  I've read contradictory results in the past few minutes (not just days), so it's impossible to know what to think.

The Democrats are claiming that Obama is going to win in an electoral landslide -- but I think the election may turn out much closer. Given all the news about voter registration fraud, I'm sure lawyers on both sides are lining up to fight any perceived voter fraud in the battleground states. 

Do you think we'll know who the next president is on November 5?

(Image courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)

What is this?

Thanks to Mark Steyn for the link to this intriguing little item:

Eighteen month[s] after writing a column about becoming Christine Daniels, veteran sportswriter Mike Penner has quietly returned to work at the Los Angeles Times, according to multiple sources close to the LAT's Sports staff. Penner's column in April 2007 about his sexual transformation became one of the most-viewed  Times' stories of the year and was followed by a story in the LAT from media writer James Rainey and tons of other media attention. Daniels for a time chronicled her transformation in a blog at LATimes.com; the blog entries have been removed and the Times has so far posted nothing about Penner's return. I emailed him and Sports Editor Randy Harvey, who replied, "We're looking forward to Mike's byline appearing in the paper and on the website with increased frequency. He continues to be a valued member of our sports staff."

There isn't much detail there, and it's hard to know what drove Penner's decision. In any event, I hope he finds true peace from the One who created him and loves him.

What is this?

In Genesis 3, Satan presented Adam and Eve with the idea that the limit God placed upon a certain tree was purely an arbitrary limit.

Nothing much has changed since the couple challenged God’s limits. Ken Myers presents some thoughts on the problem of limitlessness along with an introduction to Wendell Berry’s article "Faustian Economics: Hell Hath No Limits."

What is this?

What mysteries are still waiting to be discovered?...

Click play above to listen.

“Hundreds of New Animal Species Found,” MSNBC.com, 19 September 2008.

What is this?

• "There's a God-shaped hole in Westminster"
• "Using Biology, Not Religion, to Argue against Same-Sex Marriage"
• "The Christian Man's Evolution: How Darwinism and Faith Can Coexist"
• "Evangelicals are in the news, but not in newsrooms"
• "San Francisco may become safe for prostitutes"

What is this?

Question just asked on a Fox News commercial: "Why do kids keep texting naked pictures of themselves?"

Because no one ever taught them a good reason not to, would be my guess.

What is this?

Take Michael Moore, add a generous helping of Richard Dawkins, and stir in a little totalitarianism ("religion must die!"), and you have Bill Maher's Religulous. There's not much more to the experience than that -- aside from the general annoyingness of being lectured extensively on science by a guy who doesn't believe in germs.

In yesterday's BreakPoint commentary, though, Chuck Colson focused on an aspect of a film that really hit home for him -- an aspect I don't think has been touched on much in reviews of the film.

. . . Maher—himself a former Catholic who admits that he used to try to “bargain” with God—interviews a group of men at a trucker’s chapel. Like many other scenes in the film, this one is carefully set up to make us marvel at the brilliance of Bill Maher and the inferiority of everyone around him. (It’s hard for a viewer to avoid the conclusion that the only higher power in Maher’s universe is his own ego.)

But Maher at least pretends to flatter the truckers and their chaplain. He reminds them that guys in prisons and foxholes hang on to religion because they have nothing else. And then he says, “But you guys aren’t dumb.” In other words, Maher’s point is that the truckers should know better than to believe in God—unlike all those dumb prisoners and soldiers out there who don’t know any better.

Having been in prison myself, let me speak for those prisoners. Recognizing your need for God isn’t a question of “smart or stupid.” It’s a matter of recognizing who you are; your own insufficiency, the sin in your own heart—and prisoners get that. And then you have to recognize your desperate need for a Savior.

But whether you’re a prisoner or a doctor or a lawyer or a comedian, you don’t have to have a gigantic I.Q. to see that it’s necessary because you cannot rescue yourself from your own mortality or sinfulness—that is, you are not God. In fact, realizing your own spiritual need is probably the wisest thing anyone can do.

(Image © Lionsgate)

What is this?

Today we find ourselves reaping what we’ve sown over the last 70+ years: trillions of dollars in debt, in a major financial crisis, and government still spending. Some call this an earthquake; Larry Burkett would call it a crisis. Larry believed we will see warnings before the earthquake, a depression, actually happens. In his book, he names three cracks that will happen before the earthquake:

1. Banking Crisis

In this crisis, banks will begin to fail. “Once the number of bad loans exceeds the statistical number necessary to repay the depositors’ interest, the bank will fail without government intervention.” Wachovia, IndyBank, WAMU, and others have failed because of the subprime mortgages. Larry goes on to say, “The crack in the economy will be highly publicized because it will swallow up hundreds of banks, large and small, and will require a trillion dollars or more in additional government subsidies.” Subsidies such as the recent $750 billion bailout come to mind.

2. Business Failures and Departures

Currently a number of businesses have already failed: Lehman Brothers, AIG (if the government didn’t bail them out), GM is also in danger of failing and again is asking the government for a handout. “The interdependent relationships between banks and businesses tend to feed each other. If one goes, the other is sure to follow.” This current crisis has certainly brought this statement home as many businesses showed how dependent they are on getting short-term loans from banks even to make their payroll. Burkett goes on to say, “As banks fail, the primary source of operating capital dries up for local businesses. Then, as businesses fail, other banks are jeopardized.”

3. The Denial Syndrome

“The one thing you can be certain of is that no one in the power structure of Washington will admit to any problems until the evidence is so overwhelming that it is obvious to all.” That's certainly a self-evident statement concerning the current crisis. As late as July, Rep. Barney Frank was stating that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be fine and then a month later the government bailed them out.

Keeping in mind that Larry Burkett’s book was published in 1991, he was astoundingly right on with his predictions.

What is this?

The Weekly Standard has a very good piece about the decline in boys' reading habits. Unfortunately, it's subscriber-only. It's in the current issue, though, so you can pick up a copy at a bookstore or newsstand. In the meantime, an excerpt:

Boys prefer a definitely un-sensitive Conan the Barbarian, or G.I. Joe, or Huckleberry Finn, and without regard to his Indo-European heritage, to a heroine whose life story involves being a "survivor" after bearing her father's baby at age 12, and then becoming pregnant by him again at age 16. This is the story of Precious Jones in Push, a book recommended on the American Library Association's website for young adult readers as one of the 25 "Outstanding Books for the College Bound." It involves a "dedicated teacher, and classmates who understand" at an alternative school. Another book, My Heartbeat, has this enticing blurb: "Can Ellen get the boy who loves her brother?"

Of the 25 books on this list, 18 are novels or memoirs. The protagonists in 14 of these are female and, overwhelmingly, the accompanying blurbs describe such plots involving conflicts of a personal nature, with emotional resolutions. One of the few books that feature male protagonists, Forgotten Fire, is described as a "touching and heart-wrenching portrait of pain and triumph" during the Armenian Genocide while Postcards from No Man's Land is about 17-year-old Jacob's "self-discovery."

No books on this list offer soldiers, male athletes, or adventurers.

Syllabi of classes in library science, linked on the ALA's web page, reveal what future librarians study. At the University of Iowa, one class, "Trends and Issues in Literature for Young Adults," includes such required reading for librarians-in-training as: Born Confused; Rainbow Boys; how i live now; Stoner & Spaz; Vegan, Virgin, Valentine. And while the course description acknowledges a focus on the challenges of contemporary culture, some of these kinds of books--like the explicitly homoerotic play Angels in America, assigned to students at a high school in Illinois, and Prep, a coming-of-age novel assigned to 12-year-olds in California--have made headlines recently.

(Image courtesy of The Children's Book Consultancy)
   

What is this?

James Dobson interviewed Sarah Palin today on his radio show. You can listen to the broadcast here. (Call me a big old softie, but I'm tickled that an interviewer finally brought up with her one of my favorite moments of the campaign: the hair lick.)

What is this?

Once upon a time, radio was listened to by families for entertainment—you know, before the ever ubiquitous television. 

One popular radio entertainer was Orson Welles, the clever fellow behind the now-notorious radio program War of the Worlds, which was adapted from the fictional work of H. G. Wells.

As the story goes, after the War of the Worlds radio program ended, people panicked on a massive scale. But did they?

According to communication professor Michael Socolow, the program didn’t cause panic, and the resulting sensationalized headlines were really a result of bad scholarship.  Another myth bites the dust.

What is this?

In recent posts concerning the political platforms of the presidential candidates, commenters of a left-leaning persuasion have been agitated over what they see as the skewed evangelical emphasis on abortion, especially when weighed against an unjust war whose mounting casualties of our troops and Iraqi civilians should make it a preeminent concern.

Let me say, right off, that whether or not the Iraq war satisfies just war critieria, the casualties of combatants and civilians alike are tragic. Thus, the question before Christians is not whether this is an important concern but, in the course of civic engagement, does it have primacy over the lives of the unborn. Plainly, when Iraq and Roe are placed on opposite planchettes of the moral balance, where, and how far, does the moral indicator tip?

I suggest that by comparing the scale, intent and end of these two issues, one can gain a fairly good idea. 

On one planchette, thousands of persons per year are being killed unintentionally as a consequence of a conflict waged against a genocidal tyrant and enemies whose military strategy is to target innocent civilians in an effort to annihilate Israel, overthrow Western civilization, and impose an oppressive, theocratic world government. On the other, thousands of persons per day are being intentionally murdered in a Holocaust waged against individuals deemed inconvenient by society.

On one planchette, casualties will decline and, eventually, cease once the country is stabilized. On the other, the carnage is ongoing and, if advocates have their way, controls against it will be eliminated such that it becomes the solution of choice for the problems of poverty, environmental degradation, crime, and every other social ill.

In the end, the moral comparison of pro-abortion and pro-Iraq war policies is like that of an unrestricted, ongoing ethnic cleansing, against the inadvertent deaths caused by medical interventions, despite the best intentions and state-of-the-art care of physicians.

What is this?

If the tigers don't get us first.

Note to LeeQuod: It's not personal, I swear. Roberto and CLH just keep finding these things and sending them out.

The good news is, I'm working on some Fun Friday ideas, so at least we can all go out cheerfully.

What is this?

Your favorite TV shows anytime and anywhere....

Click play above to listen.

“Online TV Grows in Popularity,” The Conference Board, 4 September 2008.

What is this?

• "Redeemed from Limbo"
• "CBS to Turn Dying Wishes into Reality TV"
• "John McCain's last chance"

What is this?

Ben Stein's documentary on intelligent design, Expelled, is being released on DVD today. Get your copy here (and read previous Point posts on the provocative film here, here, here, here, and here).

What is this?

Many of you know that I'm a great fan of Dr. David Jeremiah, since I post on him fairly frequently. His most recent lesson series is called "Ten Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore." His sermon last Sunday, specifically, was on America in prophecy.

I know that his eschatology will not please many of you (and I'm not trying to start an argument here).  But I would urge everyone to listen to this lesson since he offers some sobering thoughts on why America is in trouble -- and he shares the hope that Christians can possess even in the most troubled times. 

What is this?

For those who were interested in John Fischer's column on Christian slogans yesterday, he has a follow-up today (and this time he definitely understands the meaning of "Smoking or Non-smoking?").

What is this?

I have no idea who Hansell B. Duckett is or was, but his words made me laugh this morning:

"What this country needs is more free speech worth listening to."

Amen, Hansell, amen!

What is this?

If you missed the most recent Saturday Night Live, you can catch Sarah Palin's appearance here. Frankly, I admire her courage for doing the show given its left-leaning cast and writers, and I think she showed a great sense of self-deprecating humor. How about you? 

(Image © NBC)

What is this?

Maybe we'd already be out of Iraq if this hometown girl headed our military.

(Image © Steven G. Smith for Reader's Digest)

What is this?

What do you want to be known for?....

Click play above to listen.

“Wisconsin Man Eats 23,000 Big Macs,” United Press International, 9 September 2008.

What is this?

• "The Abortion Question and the Future" (via The Line)
• "Freedom, Justice, and Rock'n'Roll"
• "Faith-based groups man the front lines" (via Acton Institute PowerBlog)
• "Babies Perfect and Imperfect"
• "Sec. of State takes up challenged voter issue"
• "Fellow Xers, we need a new niche"

What is this?

Jim Tonkowich has a thoughtful article on the BreakPoint site about Brideshead Revisited and its relevance to baby boomers:

Last summer, on vacation in Maine, my wife and I stopped at the original L.L. Bean store in Freeport. There I purchased what may be the emblematic baby boomer product: “Polarized Performance Bifocals.” We baby boomers need our reading glasses these days and now we can have them built into our “performance” sunglasses. We apparently will not purchase “bifocal sunglasses” since that sounds like something old people wear. We must have “Polarized Performance Bifocals” as, presumably, worn by Olympic athletes who are also over 50.

Nonetheless, these are a useful item. As the product description says, “These innovative polarized sunglasses have a built-in bifocal magnifier to help you read maps, GPS units, cell phones or change a fly on the stream.” I have attempted to change a fly without my reading glasses and it is not a pretty sight.

They also help if you read novels on vacation. And wearing my performance bifocals took on an additional irony as I read Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

Read more.

What is this?

Does Joe Biden even listen to himself?

What is this?

The West prides itself on a foundation of freedom. Since medieval times, the West, led by the Christian Church, has recognized and fought for the freedom of mankind (check out Gina's blog post from last week on the Acton Institute documentary The Birth of Freedom). Though at times the West has failed to recognize the equality of all men (and women), she still shines for much of the world as an example of freedom -- recognizing each person as someone, not just something, and each individual's right to freedom of speech. However, the growing strength of Islam in the West threatens to overthrow those foundational principles and ideals.

Less than a month ago, three Muslims were arrested in London for firebombing the home offices of the publisher of the soon-to-be released novel The Jewel of Medina. The sensationalized novel depicts the marriage of Muhammad to the child Aisha (Muhammad was in his fifties, while his child-bride was only nine, when the union was consummated).

While the novel itself portrays the marriage in a "favorable" light, some Muslims, particularly the three arrested, still found the novel offensive, and many publishing houses have moved in a direction seeking to appease such cultural preferences.

However, restricting freedom of speech to suit the whims of any group, defies the principles of freedom. The tenets of free speech must allow for free discussion and debate. We can not allow political correctness to undermine the values we hold most dear. The book's publisher, Martin Rynja, argued:

In an open society there has to be open access to literary works, regardless of fear. As an independent publishing company, we feel strongly that we should not be afraid of the consequences of debate.

What is this?

Or in this case, license plate holders. John Fischer, who ran a provocative series on Christian bumper stickers several months ago, has some more reflections today on the little sayings that we often think are so clever and cute.

Today I drove behind a message on the back of a car that made me want to stop the driver and ask him what on earth he was thinking. It wasn't a bumper sticker, but a license plate cover – a much more permanent application that seemed to give the statement more weight. Often these covers carry the name and location of the car dealership where the car was sold, or it might be a college or university someone is associated with in some way. Mine says "Laguna Beach" on the top and "Frank's Motorcars" on the bottom. This one said "Eternity" and "Smoking or Non-smoking?"

Now what is that supposed to mean? Is this person really wondering whether or not there will be smoking in heaven? Or are they trying to point out that the idea of smoking in heaven is so repulsive, it is supposed to make the answer obvious (at least to them)? Being somewhat familiar with the mentality that would create this kind of message, I am sure it is the latter, but I'm not so sure the meaning [is] that obvious.

Read more. I thought at first John knew what the saying really meant and was just kidding around, but his remarks in the comments seem to indicate otherwise. But I think the commentary works, whether he knew or not. See what you think.

What is this?

Politicians love to talk about how they are going to bring people together: this mantra has been at the heart of Barack Obama's message all along. It sounds nice; it's something we all wish for; but it's not likely to happen no matter who wins on November 4. Dennis Prager tells us why a unified America is a pipe dream in his recent column "There Are Two Irreconcilable Americas."

Quite simply, "Right and left do not want the same America." According to Prager, the Left wants an America that looks like Western Europe: pacifistic, socialistic, secular, and ruled by the United Nations. The Right does not. 

Prager lists other differences worth noting, but it's his conclusion that gives me chills given the specter of the Left taking over Congress, the Presidency, and (given enough time to appoint even more liberal judges), the Supreme Court:

"For these and other reasons, calls for a unity among Americans that transcends left and right are either naive or disingenuous. America will be united only when one of them prevails over the other. The left knows this. Most on the right do not."

(Image © U.S. News & World Report)

What is this?

Feeling like the world's gone haywire?...

Click play above to listen.

What is this?

• "Son of Pastor Bike Zhang in Critical Condition after Severe Beating from PSB officials" (via The Corner)
• "Can Catholics Back Pro-Choice Obama" (via EPPC)
• "Capitalism at bay"
• "Meet Lisa and Kelly"
• "The Wobbly Political Theology of Sarah Palin"
• "Supervolcanoes? Pfft."

What is this?

More thought-provoking full-length articles from our bloggers:

• "A Crime So Monstrous" by Zoe Sandvig
• "What Cancer Taught Me about God" by Regis Nicoll
• "Priorities of Affection" by Kim Moreland
• "Our Weaknesses, God's Glory" by Stephen Reed
• "The Sin of the Lawyers" by T. M. Moore

What is this?

The Great Depression ended with America’s entry into World War II. In retrospect, the New Deal did nothing to end the Great Depression. After WWII was won, the debt that America accrued because of the war could have been paid off with surpluses. Instead, the now stronger central government went on a spending spree and created a “government-backed expansion.” The GI Bill became law, America was helping other countries rebuild their economies through the Marshall Plan, FHA provided low-cost financing for housing, and several government agencies expanded. We had “an unprecedented postwar boom.” With surpluses throughout the Eisenhower administration, little thought was given to the national debt.

During this period in time I believe that since America was observing Judeo-Christian principles, God continued to bless this country. We were victorious in battle, helping other countries restore their economies, there was a population explosion (baby boomers), a flourishing economy, and we became a world superpower. God had promised all of these things in Deuteronomy 28:1-13, and He delivered.

However, we didn’t read or heed the rest of the chapter. The '60s came and we decided we didn’t need God or His principles. We started following other gods: materialism, greed, selfishness, and laziness. We decided God would always bless us no matter what and started to take things into our own hands. Several things happened:

What is this?

According to the Wall Street Journal, this is what we have to look forward to if the liberals take the Presidency and increase their numbers in Congress. 

What is this?

In Newsweek, George Weigel of the Ethics and Public Policy Center poses twenty "moral questions" on matters of both foreign and domestic policy. Take a look and see if you agree that these are the right questions to ask -- or if there are any that you would add or subtract.

(Image © Newsweek)

What is this?

It surprises me how long it can take a secularist to recognize that faith works. I just watched Demographic Winter, a documentary on population decrease and the decline of the family. In June, Chuck delivered a series of critiques of the film here, here, and here.

Here's the reality, folks: contrary to hype, we're not overcrowding, but de-crowding. If things continue as they are, we could be facing a depopulation of extreme and disastrous proportions. The birthrate in Europe is only 1.38 children per woman (2.1 is needed to sustain the population). Since 1989, the population in eastern Europe has decreased by 13 percent. And, in the U.S., younger generations are looking at going broke to pay for older generations' Social Security.

Here are a few of the proposed causes:

• Selfishness--we want to keep more of our money for ourselves and not share it with children.
• Sexual perversion--we want lots of sex, but without the "consequences" of children and the responsibility they bring.
• Promiscuousness--we cohabitate, but don't want the commitment that marriage brings. This leads to higher divorce rates, and tons of wasted energy and resources to fund all the duplicate households.

So, what are scientists scratching their heads about? One commentator on the documentary said that what's happening on the demographic plain doesn't match up with his Darwinist upbringing that says that humans always strive to reproduce to their fullest potential. So, why aren't we having more children, if we're evolving?

From this perspective, maybe only people of faith are evolving.

What is this?

In the children's stories, love makes velveteen rabbits come to life. But that's just make believe, right?....

Click play above to listen.

Want to find out more?

What is this?

• "Re: Complaint against Steyn dismissed"
• "Youthful Voice Stirs Challenge to Secular Turks"
• "The Sum of Your Facial Parts"
• "Frank Marshall Davis, alleged Communist, was early influence on Barack Obama" (via Some Have Hats)

What is this?

Several years ago, I was privileged to go on four mission trips to Belarus. Today, I learned that one of my old students there has just become an American citizen.

Check out this news story from Tulsa, Oklahoma, about new citizens being sworn in and hear Ruslan talk about what his new citizenship means to him. It's a good reminder, in this bitter political season, of the great honor we have to be citizens of this nation.

(Image © News Channel 8)

What is this?

Some Point readers have suggested I read articles by evangelicals who support Barack Obama because they believe he, more than John McCain, will "reduce" abortions in America.

I did read them--and I'm appalled. 

Rather than comment on them, I think the most sensible thing to do is to refer readers to an article by Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee, which recently appeared in National Review Online, and reveals the truth about claims by the Obama campaign (and their evangelical and Catholic surrogates) that their candidate would reduce abortion in America.

NRLC has, for decades, been deeply committed to protecting the lives of the unborn. Its leaders probably know more than anyone else about what will, and what will not, reduce abortion in America. They are not tools of either Republicans or Democrats; they are not employed by either Obama or McCain. Thus, we can trust what they say about presidential candidates and how their policies will affect the abortion rate. And what they are saying is that the Obama campaign has initiated a strategy designed to hide the fact that he is the most radically pro-abortion candidate ever to run for president--and that under his presidency, Americans can expect the abortion rate to explode.

I hope Point readers will take the time to read the entire article, but if not, here is a quote from it from Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia and chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-life Activities. The U.S. Catholic bishops can hardly be accused of not caring about the poor--or about pregnant mothers in need--so perhaps his comments will be taken seriously by those who also claim to care about poor mothers and their unborn children.

When it comes to lowering the abortion rate, Rigali explains, "There is one thing absolutely everyone should be able to agree on: We can’t reduce abortions by promoting abortion. . . . We cannot reduce abortions by insisting that every program supporting women in childbirth and child care must also support abortion. No one who sponsors or supports legislation like [the Freedom of Choice Act] can credibly claim to be part of a good-faith discussion on how to reduce abortions.”

What is this?

Well, maybe not your backyard, but maybe your neighborhood. Don’t believe me, check this out.

If you’re like me -- and some of you are -- it infuriates you just as much to hear about it and do nothing as to hear about it in the first place. In that Q & A with Catherina Hurlburt at Good News that we linked to recently, Justin Dillon, producer of Call + Reponse, said:

We are very clear with our messaging. You cannot have a call without a response. You cannot have awareness without activism. Awareness is not enough. And we are working extremely hard with this film and this music not only to inform and inspire, but also to give viewers and listeners a way to get involved.

So, wanna stop hearing about slavery and do something about it? Me too! Here is a list of 33 practical things (put together by Call + Response) that you and I can do to fight slavery around the world, and in our backyards.

What is this?

For anyone who still thinks Senator Obama has warm, cuddly feelings towards unborn babies (or those who have already been born, but whose mothers still want them dead), I wanted to make sure you saw this. (The article was also in yesterday's daily roundup, but this version allows comments, if you feel so inclined.)

(Image © AFP)

What is this?

James Williams is agitated that “Joe Public” doesn’t know "what makes science 'science,'" allowing those global warming skeptics and Darwin contrarians to “hijack science for their own ends.”

Williams, a science educator at the University of Sussex, believes he has identified the culprit: a lack of understanding, in the general public, of key scientific terms--the most important being “the difference between a fully fledged scientific theory that is backed by evidence and accepted by the scientific community and a speculative guess.”

Williams is right. Requiring “acceptance by the scientific community” will ensure that any unwelcome evidence contrary to the pontifications of Darwin and Gore will be dismissed as pseudoscience, thus protecting the status quo of “consensus science.” It will also ensure that the age of scientific breakthroughs has come to an end.

(Image © Alexander Federov for The Scientist)

What is this?

Inspired by Andrew Ferguson's article "Twits on Parade" in the new Weekly Standard, I've begun a limerick (in the spirit of the immortal "A tooter who tooted a flute)":

A twitter who twitted a tweet
Heard his tweet had been deemed indiscreet.

. . . And I'm stuck. Someone want to help out?

(It's interesting, by the way, that articles about Twitter keep bringing up bathroom-related examples of tweets.)

What is this?

‘Tis the season -- flu season that is....

Click play above to listen.

Wally Kennedy,“Most People, Including Children Need Flu Shots,” Joplin Globe, 1 October 2008.

What is this?

• "Court's Ruling on Marriage Crossed the Line"
• "Obama's Abortion Extremism" (via The Corner)
• "A Problem of Persuasion"
• "First Time FBI Calls Case an 'Honor Killing'" (via The Corner)
• "Google settlement in abortion ad case" (sent by reader Mike Judge)
• "Wright 101"
• "On being tired"
• "Not So Wonderful Now"
• "Howard Stern: The King Has Fallen"

What is this?

Last year I blogged a couple of times about the Miller-Jenkins custody case, in which Janet Jenkins was petitioning for custody of the daughter of her former partner, Lisa Miller. Miller had left the lesbian lifestyle after she became a Christian, and wanted to raise her daughter in accordance with her religion and its values.

In a hearing on October 27, a Vermont judge will decide whether to take 6-year-old Isabella from her mother and turn her over to Ms. Jenkins. More information is available here and here. If you have a Facebook account, you can join the group "Only One Mommy" to get updates and to join with others in praying that Isabella will be able to stay with her mother.

What is this?