Ben Stein's Movie

Check out the trailer of a new movie involving Ben Stein. Here's the link. It is called "Expelled," and it has to do with Intelligent Design. I love the scene of Stein writing on the blackboard, "Do not question authority; Do not question Darwinism." Naughty boy!

Good News from Iraq

The never-ending narrative of defeat in Iraq from the Democrats is impervious to reality. Read the recent column from Charles Krauthammer.

Here's how the column ends, with a telling question:

Imagine the transformative effects in the region, and indeed in the entire
Muslim world, of achieving a secure and stable Iraq, friendly to the United
States and victorious over al-Qaeda. Are the Democrats so intent on denying George Bush retroactive vindication for a war they insist is his
that they would deny their own country a now-achievable victory?

This is why a Democrat in the WH is so depressing. They care more about hating GWB than about their own country winning. That is sad.

Obama-Mania!

So, you thought I was a bit out of control in my comments about BO? Read the most recent column from that source of calm sagacity, Charles Krauthammer. Here's the link.

UPDATE:

Now Drudge reports that BO's campaign is suffering from fainting fits! See here.

Which American President are You Like?

Ha! I answered 78% like Theodore Roosevelt (Ronald Reagan was a close second at 72%). I was LEAST like Harry Truman, Thomas Jefferson, and FDR.

Take the quiz here.

Political Comments as of Mid-February

Well, I am surprised by several things. First, I am amazed that Huckabee has lasted as long as he has. I would have listed him as one of the first to go, but he has stayed the course. I am surprised at the level of support he enjoys, despite being a former clergyman. Perhaps this is an indication of how weak the choices are. For so many Repubs to give him their support, they must be trying to say something.

Second, I'm surprised at how tough a time Hillary is having. I thought she would be a shoe-in among the Dems, and in fact, would prefer her to BO (see below). Maybe it was just a matter of time until people wisened up about her.

Third, I am surprised that McCain is our man. I really thought Romney was the best qualified and that he would win the nomination. I am quite lukewarm about Mac; he has stuck his finger in the eye of the Republican party so many times that I am not eager to reward him with a national nomination. He is a departure from the legacy of Reagan, and will take the party to the left, no question.

Fourth, I am surprised at, and a bit concerned about, the level of support for BO. He certainly seems like a nice man, but many of his policies are simply non-starters. His radical pro-abortion position is unthinkable, but his policy to withdraw US troops immediately from Iraq is insane. It would be like Harry Truman deciding the war in Europe "isn't worth American lives" and starting to pull "our boys" out of Europe in the summer of 1945. BO seems to me naive about the conflict in the Middle East. Even if he wins the presidency, I suspect those who know better than he does will have a serious sit-down heart-to-heart with him and he will begin to "see the light." "We can end a war" is perhaps the most naive thing I've heard a politician say in years. I also suspect many will be voting for him BECAUSE he's AfAm, not because they agree with, or even know, his policies.

I'm concerned about the level of hysteria in his supporters. The pictures of his rallies are filled with glassy-eyed, almost mesmerized, young people. I am worried about that, for several reasons: first, people who follow like this are easily manipulated; second, I'm afraid they will be deeply disappointed when he gets into office (and I suspect he will), and they discover he's human, can't deliver on all his promises, and the world continues to be filled with evil.

I suspect anyone who attempts to criticise him will be labeled as a racist, which is sad. This will inhibit any serious discussion of his views. This is not going to be a pleasant election cycle.

I wonder: if it is wrong to vote AGAINST someone because of their race/skin color (and it is, in my opinion), is it OK to vote FOR someone because of their race/skin color?

Evangelical Monastics?

Here's how an article starts in the Boston Globe about the rise of monasticism among evangelicals:

S.G. PRESTON IS a Knight of Prayer. Each morning at his Vancouver, Wash., home, he wakes up and prays one of the 50-odd psalms he has committed to memory, sometimes donning a Kelly green monk's habit. In Durham, N.C., Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and fellow members of Rutba House gather for common meals as well as morning and evening prayer based on the Benedictine divine office. Zach Roberts, founder of the Dogwood Abbey in Winston-Salem, meets regularly with a Trappist monk to talk about how to contemplate God. Roman Catholic monastic traditions loom large in their daily routines - yet all three men are evangelical Protestants.

Read the rest here.

I have to confess, I resonate with some of this. I, too, am sick of the consumer, pop-culture, me-centered religion of so many evangelical protestants. Hence my recent interest in the Book of Common Prayer. I think it is a mistake to downplay the theological differences that will forever separate Evangelicals from Catholics (like papal authority, prayers to, or 'veneration' of, saints, transubstantiation, purgatory, the contents of the Biblical canon, the role of 'good works,' to name just a few); however, there is much that we (Evangelicals) can learn from the passionate devotion to Christ (not Mary!) of Catholic mystics. Most evangelical protestants would do well to learn something about a life of devotion to someone/ something other than their own thinly disguised, middle-class materialism.

I plan to visit a local Trappist monastery in (of all places!) Moncks Corner, SC, in the next few weeks, now that I'm on my sabbatical. (I'll be sure to report on that here at HOTI.) I have no problem admitting that we have much to learn from other branches of Christianity, but we should not lose sight of the fact that, by God's grace, we also have much to teach others.

BO Most Liberal Senator?

National Journal has ranked the most liberal senator: Barak Obama. Read about it here.