Inflammatory Question of the Day:

If the hue and cry of the Protestant Reformation was "Sola scriptura", and of the Restoration Movement "Speak where the Bible speaks; be silent where it is silent",
then why do we have such elaborate mausoleums for the writings and opinions of our leaders?

Over at Vox's today, various and sundry have brought up Churchy things including:

Aren't Christians commanded to go to church? (I can't remember the verse--I realize this seems "convenient," but I really can't remember where the verse is located.)--Anonymous

It might be just be, but I doubt that a 503(c) LICENSED "non-profit" Chrianist Club is the "church" the Bible is referring to.--Josh

Let's look at some things God's Word says about Things Churchy.

In Acts 2, we find that when people believed and responded to Peter's proclamation of Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and Son of God, the Brash Apostle said

Act 2:36-47 (MKJV)
(36) Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God made this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
(37) And hearing this, they were stabbed in the heart, and said to Peter and to the other apostles, Men, brothers, what shall we do?
(38) Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(39) For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.
(40) And with many other words he earnestly testified and exhorted, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.
(41) Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day there were added about three thousand souls.
(42) And they were continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and in fellowship and in the breaking of the loaves, and in prayers.
(43) And fear came on every soul. And many wonders and miracles took place through the apostles.
(44) And all who believed were together and had all things common.
(45) And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
(46) And continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
(47) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

The Jews asked what to do. Peter told them what to do. They did it. God added them to the church.

God added them to the church.

They did not "join". Their letter was not moved. The Membership Committee did not vote.
God added them to the church.

Then, AS the church, they met together. Now here is the sticky part. In the beginning, it is clear that they WANTED to meet together, as they got together daily at the Temple, and from house to house. This drive to fellowship was so strong, that out-of-towners didn't want to go home! It wasn't until later in Acts that the first day of the week (Sunday) meeting became apostolically normative, and even then, it was the irreducible minimum. Daily fellowship continued, at home, in the marketplace....

There is much mumphing about things like "501 (c) 3" churches that have "sold out" to Caesar for tax exempt status (and don't misunderstand, this kind of thing chaps me no end. Jesus did not say "Let not your right hand know what the other is doing...but don't forget to report it as a deduction!" The Gospel According to H&R Block includes its own - and perhaps only - reward.) Nonetheless, this kind of thing is NO reason to "forsake the assembling of yourselves together". Why? Because Jesus Himself told me! In a LETTER!

(Mrs P., put down that straitjacket! I have not joined Pat Robertson on the ramparts brandishing a broken grape juice bottle.)

Rev 2:18-29
(18) And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, He who has His eyes like a flame of fire and His feet like burnished metal, says these things:
(19) I know your works and love and service and faith and your patience, and your works; and the last to be more than the first.
(20) But I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication, and to eat idol-sacrifices.
(21) And I gave her time that she might repent of her fornication, and she did not repent.
(22) Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds.
(23) And I will kill her children with death. And all the churches will know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts, and I will give to every one of you according to your works.
(24) But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak, I will put on you no other burden.
(25) But that which you have, hold fast until I come.
(26) And he who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, to him I will give power over the nations.
(27) And he will rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter they will be broken to pieces, even as I received from My Father.
(28) And I will give him the Morning Star.
(29) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Please to note, that here was a congregation who had a woman in a teaching role, a "prophetess" (preface what you say with "Thus saith the Lord", and the rubes will believe anything) who was actually teaching to eat sacrificial meat from idol-worship, and teaching that fornication was acceptable worship.

She was the founder of the first lay ministry

Jesus makes it clear that the unrepentant would be Summarily Dealt With. Repentance is the key. Those who followed her folly were to repent. Those who had not sullied themselves, were to hold fast the faith.

Even though there were Heretics Most Vile in the congregation, Jesus did not say to the faithful: "Come out! There's a nice piece of property on the hill...go Start a New Work there." Discipline was also key. Since things had gone so far, He apparently stepped in to judge Jezzie and her hardcore followers. Jesus' promise to the faithful makes it clear: faithfulness to Christ and His teaching yields Authority.

Now, those who were faithful at Thyatira remained, even with the mess that was going on. In the church, the righteous are not called upon to leave if there are misdoings afoot. Rather, they are called upon to exercise Biblical Authority and sanction the false and misbehaving:

Titus 3:9-11
(9) But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions, and strivings about the Law, for they are unprofitable and vain.
(10) After the first and second warning, reject a man of heresy,
(11) knowing that he who is such has been perverted, and sins, being self-condemned.

The "man of heresy", or "factious man", is one whose attitude is : "My way or the highway". He creates schisms, divisions in the Body of Christ. "Heresy" does not necessarily connote "false teaching" It can even mean having a divisive attitude over a point of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15-17
(15) Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
(16) But shun profane, vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
(17) And their word will eat like a gangrene....

"Shun" is not a lightweight word. "Avoid like a plague carrier" is more like its meaning.

And everyone's favorite, the playa in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 5:1-13
(1) On the whole it is reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even named among the nations, so as one to have his father's wife.
(2) And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, so that he who has done this deed may be taken from your midst.
(3) For as being absent in body but present in spirit, I indeed have judged already as though I were present concerning him who worked out this thing;
(4) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, with my spirit; also, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ;
(5) to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
(6) Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
(7) Therefore purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
(8) Therefore let us keep the feast; not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
(9) I wrote to you in the letter not to associate intimately with fornicators;
(10) yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then you must go out of the world.
(11) But now I have written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother and is either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one not to eat.
(12) For what is it to me to also judge those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
(13) But God judges those who are outside. Therefore put out from you the evil one.

To judge (or appraise) the actions of our brethren (contextually- in our own congregation)
is Biblical and necessary, and part of "submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God. (Eph 5:21) " If Bro. Mike sees me heading toward trouble, it is his responsibility to warn me in love. If I persist in folly, then more drastic action is called for. Jesus called for proactivity in interpersonal relationships amongst brothers (and sisters).

Matthew 18:14-17
(14) Even so it is not the will of your Father in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
(15) But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
(16) But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
(17) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-collector.

In order for the church (ekklesia: assembly) to be effective, it has to be assembled!
We are commanded the following:

Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

this written at a time when persecution was rampant. The church unassembled isn't the church. A car unassembled isn't a car, it is a pile of pieces. A person unassembled isn't a person, it is a pile of meat. The Body of Christ isn't the Body when it is unassembled, it is a bunch of Lone Rangers. We lose an important point in American Christendom: Jesus died for...the church.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,
Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So men ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord loves the church.
Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.
Eph 5:31 "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh."
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Don't get hung up on the husband/wife thing in this discussion, here, beyond seeing that the passage is explicitly speaking of the church, and the church's relationship to Christ. Jesus is passionate in His love for the church, His people assembled. The Body imagery in 1st Corinthians makes it plain that I am not the church, and that you are not the church. WE are the church, assembled saints to do His will in the earth, and to serve one another to facilitate our accomplishing His commission. The faithful are to stay put, and handle the heretic, the factious, the Jezebel. God has provided the tools and instruction necessary to the task. "Quit you like men" does not mean "Quit".

Quite.

I have a terrible suspicion.

The Ron Paul nutcases, like the Truthers, and the amazingly crude New Hampshire crowd are not true supporters, but are moles from other groups sent to destroy Paul's appeal.

Yeah, sometimes the Aardvark isn't the sharpest knife....It's just my inclination is to take people, oh, at their word. Some years back a friend tried to recruit the Aardvark to run for State House. One problem: I needed to run on the Democrat ticket, because "that was the only way for someone to get in". I couldn't do it, couldn't be a stealth Republican.

Though apparently the "R" party is filled with not-so-stealth Democrats.

So I guess we true Ron Paulites must redouble our efforts.

And kick the phonies where it hurts.

I am...disturbed.


(The chorus of "AYYYYYY- mens" ceases its reverberation.)

I in my self-absorption check out "Sitemeter" to see Whom and Why.
The referring URL's are fascinating. Sometimes I get porn searches referred to my blog.
(I once used the word in an article, and there is the whole issue of "aardvarking".) Carpentry inquiries will stumble upon the "plumbline" thingie. But now I have discovered a Callow Pretender, an alley dweller with delusions of 'varkhood. Has the nerve to refer to himself as "Orycteropus Afer", an aardvark by any other name...

Aardvark Alley is the offending site, and I am forced to go and check it out. Doubtless I shall have to dodge dumpsters, alley cats, puddles of dumpster juice, and all manner of derelicts, but your Aardvark (*ahem* whose blog pre-dates this fellow's) will forge ahead with Wellies on to discover Just What's Going On!

Do you dare explore with me?

Well, the Aardvark has learned the trick...take a popular pundit, and pwn him.
I got record hits Friday for my heartfelt Hannity entry. Thank you all. (Cynics take note: this was not a ploy to drive traffic to my site. I was really ticked at the fair and balanced approach the Hannitoad (and Fox in general) uses where Ron Paul is concerned.

Shifting aim a tad, your Aardvark has strong suspicions that an important personage in the Blog-o-Verse tm has significant personality issues.(I am waiting for the laughter to subside).

His online presence is less of a blog, and more of a Role-Playing Game. His stable of commentors remains surprisingly constant. A stable stable, as 'twere. A few newcomers arrive betimes, and very few are ever banned. He has pretensions...perhaps "delusions" is more apt, of being some sort of cyber-being, an intelligence uploaded to the net (Too many video games and bad SF, I'll wager). You know, like Freakazoid, but not fun. He dispenses his "wisdom" on current events, things political, religious or arcane, then sits back and watches while his collection of bloviators do their keyboarding thing, pro, con, and wildly off-topic.Sometimes he will re-enter the fray, stir the pot, then awa'.

Thing is...his commentariat, his "ilk", as they are called, remain too true to form, almost like set pieces in a play. Their roles are too defined. One is reliably conservative, another wildly libertarian, another can be depended upon to plumb the depths of scatology. Occasional "trolls" pop in to disturb the proceedings, like errant thoughts during an exam. PRECISELY like errant thoughts. This is what tipped me off.

This blogger's entire presentation seems a bit, ngaaaah, scripted. It is my belief that "Vox" is in fact the core writer, with each of the "ilk" being, not a person from across this broad land, but a shard, a splinter of his sad and injured personality. Vox Day IS his ilk. How ridiculous the names...there's even one called "Aardvark".

Waitaminute...I"M "Aardvark". Aardvark means ME.I'm certainly a discrete personality all my own. Of course I am. Just because MY blog started after "Vox Popoli" is no reason to think otherwise.

I need to go out and clear my head. Where did I put my Italian loafers...?

Sunsweet Commercial with Ray Bradbury!

This is my favorite ad ever.
It's by my hero, Stan Freberg.

Sean Hannity is a Loathsome Toad.

Hmmm...I may be scoffing. I'll sit out on the porch later.

I had a marvelous time yesterday. Then I came home to the Myrtle Beach Republican Q & A. We had to watch, as FOX had deigned to allow Ron Paul to take part in the debate -and even then, he had to demand to participate on the air.

It was a true Dog and Pony show, with each candidate doing Amusing Tricks, and Feats of Skill. At the end of the night, they couldn't let the answers speak for themselves. They trotted out pollster Luntz to question viewers as to why Fred Thompson was Teh Hotness.
Then Sockpuppet Hannity in his post-mortem had Luntz show the graph of viewer interest dropping to its nadir as Ron Paul spoke the truth. Then... then, Hannity and Colmes assured everyone that Dr, Congressman Paul had been invited to the post-game interviews, "but he refused, because he had another event to attend."

No, Sock-boy, Having an Event to Attend is not refusal. It is merely showing more interest in one's supporters than in giving a hostile nebbish opportunity to play verbal voodoo-doll with one.

OH! The text-in vote for "who won the debate" had Ron Paul at 35 or 36 percent, a good 10 points above the next best performer. Apparently the Paulistas hijacked the cell network, or stole the cellphones of the other candidates' followers, because Sean "Irish Need Not Apply" Hannity proclaimed that he DIDN'T win, in his opinion.

Sean Hannity's opinion trumps math. Someone call Stephen Hawking!!! This may finally answer the problem of the missing fraction of the Universe.

Seems it really is Vacuum.

And Vacuum sucks.

Play time for the Aardvark


Had a wonderful time today. For anyone who knows me at all, at all, you will be amazed that I did this. Loen and I went to Nashville to meet David Goodman.

I took the whole day, to travel to another state, to see someone I've never met.

Of course, sushi was involved.

What can I say? Musician, producer, jackleg economist, writer, artist, voice actor, family man, and that's the short list. He also evidently channels Peter Sellers, 'cos he has the BEST Dr. Strangelove impersonation I've ever heard. I dunno...I'm looking for a Medici lurking about.

We spoke of the Blog-o-Verse tm , the campaigns, t-shirts, music, gold, unreasoning virulent hatred of anime (I kid, I KID!), art, radio, the Theft of Signage, movies, family, children, the Whole State of Christ's Church - perhaps I use a broad brush - and how unnecessary bad language is.

And there was sushi! Ohhhhh, such sushi there was.

We ate at Fuji in Brentwood, off exit six-niner on I-65 north. Well recommended. They have an excellent lunch menu, with a broad selection of Japanese beers, as well, tho' we dod not partake of such. The green tea was amazingly good, with a note of sesame.

Then there were cigars.

David took us to Tobacco Road, a tobacconist extraordinaire. He bought himself and me each a CAO cigar. We stood around and enjoyed those for two hours. And talked. And laughed.

I haven't been as relaxed in ages.

A good time was had by all.

I am thankful.

---------------------------------------------
On a side note, I was REALLY glad that ummmmmmm, this Vidad character didn't show up. I had seriously thought (this is so SILLY) that David was really Vidad Magoodn, but I having met David, am sure it just couldn't be. So I'm REAL glad that Vidad didn't crash the party.

'Course, It would have put those nagging suspicions to rest, had he done so. (Has anyone else noticed how much he resembles a Muppet?)

The Minister's Big "O"

One of the main things that Jesus had against churches in Asia Minor, referenced in chapters 2 & 3 of the book of Revelation, was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (or Nicolaitanes). Now most self-serving doctrineers say that we don't know what the doctrine was, but that Jesus was ticked about it, whatever it was (much as folks can't figure out that Jesus was talking about the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24). Once again, grammar is not soft and gooey in the Bible. The language itself, the name itself has the meaning:

"The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes" is just what the word Nicolaitanes itself declares.

Proof:

1. In the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ, it is both "the deeds" and "the doctrine" of those in the two "churches" specified (Revelation 2:6, 15). The Lord demands repentance on the part of those who hold and practice these things and He threatens drastic punishment if they do not obey Him:

   "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth," (Revelation 2:16).

2. The name, Nicolaitanes, is a compound word which is composed of three Greek words, and which, because of being a proper noun, is transferred instead of being translated into English. As thus transferred, it is subject to the laws of Greek construction in regard to ellipsis, contraction and phonetics.
3. The Greek words used in its construction are first: "Nikos," of which we use the English equivalents instead of the Greek letters, as we shall also of the other two. Nikos is defined as "a conquest; victory; triumph; the conquered; and by implication, dominancy over the defeated." Another transferred name in which this term is used is "Nicopolis," i.e., Niko - conquest; polis city. Hence, the city of conquest, or city of victory. Also "Andro" -- "nikos;" a man of conquest, of victory. The second term used in the name under consideration is "laos," -- people, another use of which is Nicolas, which is transferred and is composed of Nikoslaos and means one who is "victorious over the people," the letter "s" being, in both words, the nominative case ending, which is retained only at the end of the word to denote the case, while "a" short and "o" short are contracted into "a" long.

Laodiceans

Also, a still further transferred use of "laos" is found in the name Lao(s)diceans, compounded with dike or dice as the Greek "k" is the equivalent English "c." Thus, in the name Laodiceans, we have laos -- "people" and dice la(ic)os means "laymen," of which laos is the root and stem, which selfsame word, with the "o" short contracted to "i", to which root and stem the plural definite article ton is joined to form laiton -- is a Greek phrase meaning "the laity." judgment, or vengeance, i.e., the people of my judgment, or of my vengeance. Also the Greek word

The third and last word entering into the construction of the proper name Nicolaitanes is ton, in which omega, the long "o", is contracted into long "a", thus making the word "tan" which is the genitive case plural in all the genders of the definite article the. Therefore, we have, without the legal Greek construction, the English hyphenated word Nickos-laoston, but which, with its lawful elisions and contractions, becomes the English name: Nicolaitanes, the full meaning of which, in its native tongue and in its ecclesiastical setting, is that the bishops and prelates of the Church have gained a triumphal victory or conquest over the laiton -- the laity -- until they have been compelled to submit to the arbitrary dominion of men who have become that thing which God hates: "Lords over God's heritage." -- J. H. Allen

So, the Nicolitanes are those who lord it over God's people, who set a clergy over a laity.

Now, it is self-evident that as Paul said, divisions MUST exist to determine who amongst us is "approved". No division is so evident as the divide between the "preacher", and everyone else in the congregation. Biblical church polity consists of a congregation, of whom are elders (bishops, overseers) who are men of proven character and maturity who handle the spiritual leadership and teaching), and deacons, who are also of proven character, and who handle many of the physical needs of the congregation. The elders are scripturally enjoined not to "lord it over" the flock.

Now, it is problematic where the whole "preacher" or "minister" leading a congregation came in (oops, I forgot about the whole priesthood thing), but it sure isn't biblical.

Now, our congregation was "preacherless" for almost two years, and many of the men, including your Aardvark, stepped up to the plate to handle the preaching and teaching. We had the most amazing togetherness develop.during that time. Elders, deacons, everyone was just in to serve God and one another. It was neat. There was more real growth in myself (and others) than I had experienced in years.

The big problem lies in the separation of the "preacher" from the rest of the congregation. There is...behavior...that sets the "minister" apart from everyone else. Nowhere does this otherness appear more pronounced than in the pulpit. The timbre of voice, the pronunciation. Some groups have schools that teach how a preacher should "sound" (adding a "huh" at the end of a phrase to show your passion: "I say unto you-UH, that we are going to have-HUH, a greaaaat revival-HUH,,,") Not our crowd, thankfully.

However, one practise that really rattles my cage is the use of archaisms, using language that makes it sound like Fanny Crosby was your nanny, and P.P.Bliss your headmaster. Beginning a phrase with a sonorous "O". O, how sweet to trust in Jesus. O, what trying times in which we live. Extending the "O" is good for emphasis: "OOOOOO, what a profound thought". I mean, no-one talks like that.in real life, and it only serves to increase the unreality of what passes for the Faith today.

It is axiomatic for many to "speak where God's word speaks, and be silent where it is silent". Allow me to add: "and speak normally when you do so". Preacherly airs do not endear, and serve to separate you from those to whom you wish to communicate the Word of Truth.

Brother, can you spare a dime ?


One of the most amusing things I have heard in awhile was an audio montage of all the jackass...er...Democrat candidates proclaiming their commitment to "change".

"Change...commitment to change...effect change...agents of change...". Like that.
It makes me want to go to the primary events and fling hands-ful of coins of varying denomination.

Have I said how bored I am with all of this?

"Change" covers a vast continuum. Climate change is the bogey du jour, and it is surely not a positive in most minds. Do they plan on enlarging their carbon footey-prints?
Do they wish to limit liberties even more than Fearless Leader has against the Terrace?
To paraphrase the ditzy alienette from the third season of Star Trek (the REAL one):

"Change and change...what is change?"

What worries me is the way the Great Unwashed accept the litany of change as carven in stone (pauses a beat...). "Our headaches are over...here comes Moses with the tablets!"

I am ready for change; change to the way things should be. The You Ess of Ay has fallen a great fall, with Lincoln putting the kibosh on states rights, through the predations of liberty through the 20th century, up to the swaddling cloth of Homeland Security. We need a return to Constitutional limits upon government, and to the vistas of personal liberty we are being denied today.

McCain has won New Hampshire. The Hilldebeast is looking likely.

Can one be bored and fearful at the same time?

I am clueless as to CraigsList. Loen found THIS jewel, though. While I disagree with the slant, it's still amazing.

I cn haz Bootz. O yes.

You know, like this:

Thanks to Riatsila for showing how incompetent I am with Photoshop!

Go to this guy's eBay store to check out the cool old ad art.


Memory Lane is now HOV.only.

Toast'em Pop-Ups. Mmmmmmmmm....
Another in the long line of General Mills starters on a field of one that wound up as also-rans.

Here's a timeline.

1964

Schulze and Burch (a baking concern in Chicago) produced a new product that General Foods had invented, called a Toaster Pastry that was marketed under the Toast'em® Brand.

1971

Schulze and Burch acquired the Toast’em® brand from General Foods.

1997

Toast’em Pop-Ups Toaster Pastries were reformulated, creating a new proprietary flavor system resulting in a superior taste and a more moist filling.

So, the original wasn't good enough...they had to make them better. Problem is, they're not better. They are different, sweeter, with an indistinct flavor. "It's red and gooey. This must be STRAWBERRY!". Yummy.

Toast 'Ems started out as "Post Country Squares". Hear what Carolyn Wyman saith:

September 14,1964, Kellogg had a competitive toaster pastry called Pop-Tarts in stores....Kellogg won the Zeitgeist sweepstakes when the name Pop-Tarts, chosen for the way they popped out of the toaster, turned out to echo a pair of 1960s cultural movements, pop music and pop art. Post, by contrast, was stuck with Country Squares, a doubly corny name made all the worse since the Beatles had arrived in America less than two weeks before they hit the market. (Post later changed the name to Toast ’em Pop Ups.)

Amazing. Then, Nabisco came out with Toastettes, blah, blah. (They didn't even do the obvious and have a leggy Toastette dance around. You know, like the cigarette ads from the 50's.)

I want an Eggo....

I am in consumer shock.

You are no doubt aware of Dollar General Stores. They are the yellow-signed stores that have been around forever, normally found in the older strip mall in town. You know, the one where your wife doesn't go to the salon. It's the store that you go to when you say "I don't want to go all the way to town to pick up a (insert missing consumer item here). I'll just pick summat up at Dollar General.". Well, kiddies, DolGenCorp is Making a Move on the retail scene. Their stores are popping up in tony little suburbs, and they have a new thing: Dollar General Market. Here is the corporate blurb:

The Dollar General Market is a convenient alternative to supercenter shopping. With everything our traditional store carries, as well as an expanded food section including fresh produce and meat, Dollar General Market fulfills many customers’ weekly shopping needs in one stop. In addition to convenience and value, the Dollar General Market is a fun place to shop with additional space for seasonal merchandise, electronics, magazines, home products and more! As of March 2, 2007, Dollar General operated 56 Dollar General Market stores.

Clearly, they need to update their website.

After our junket for Mexican last night, I wanted batteries, so I suggested that we go to the Dollar General Market. And we did.

It was big. It was clean. It was bright. The clerks were friendly and smiling. There was meat, and milk, and fresh strawberries, and Christmas stuff on clearance. (As Christmas is grimly determined to return the end of '08, The Dread Dormomoo and I availed ourselves of some shiny ornaments, and I felt good about it all.) There was even a section with actually useful home repair products like ballcocks, the tube-y, float-y contrivances that go inside your toilet tank; brand-name, too. Of course, the Blue Tarp, to patch things if a chunk of blue ice holes your roof.

They had COMPUTERS. And really nice laptops. At Dollar General. They even do service.
There were locked glass cases with hard drives, and USB hubs, and DVD writers. Oh my.

They DID have batteries, and remaindered anime DVD's, of which I scarfed up several. We sell them as a sideline at the conventions. The kids love buying $10 DVD's.

Dollar General Market is to Dollar General Store as Target is to Wal-mart. Almost.
I was surprised and amazed. I'm gonna go have a Toast'Em Pop-up for breakfast, now.

They had those, too.

The Eight-Track Tape of Dorian Gray

The Dread Dormomoo, Riatsila, and I went to our current favorite Mexican Restaurant, El Olmeca, in Ardmore, AL tonight. Their ASCAP-approved (it says so on the door!) soundtrack was doing its South of the Border best, when a tune from the Grooveyard of Forgotten Favorites popped up. Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.
Mmmmmmm, tasty. Lani Hall did the lead vocal. Tasty, indeed. She is the wife of Herb Alpert, and went on to a solo career.In 1983 she sang the eponymous main title for Never Say Never Again . She sounded the same as she did almost 20 years previously.
What pipes. Check out her stuff online. Amazing talent.

Oh, and the dinner was good, too!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow...nothing worse than an upset punditry! Huxterby and Le Nègre Magique winning in Iowa. Kind of amazing. I'm just bored with the whole thing. It's a washout if anyone but Ron Paul gets in. Yes, I really believe that.

In the midst of the Iowa Caucus foofooraw, my youngest, Loen, is back in his room, cleaning up, with "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" playing on his PSP, hooked up to a room-filling but cheap home theater sound setup.

This is a 17-year-old with more than a modicum of taste. Your Aardvark is so proud.

OH!! Loen did this stop-motion animation last weekend. Check it out.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! I'm three for three this year. You guys have no idea how much I love doing this blogging bit. Creativity. Juices flowing, getting my thoughts and all-important opinions out there. I've got to go for now, so as to sign up for more conventions for the year.

---------- but wait, there's MOAR! -----------------

It is the WORST CON YEAR EVER !!!!!!!!!

Here is some of what is out there:
http://www.narutotrek.com/

It's got Star Trek. It's got Narutards. I guess one out of two ain't bad, but the COMBO... It's like buffalo chips with French Onion Dip.

http://www.connooga.com/

Wow...Twiki... Local wrestling sensations...Thong Girl... Daniel Emery Taylor!!!


Actually, Thong Girl is an amusing concept, and REALLY tweaked the Keepers of Public Moraltude in Tennessee.
To borrow Jennie Breeden's tagline: It's not Satanic Porn...HONEST. It's just a tacky superheroine comic (and I mean tacky in the best possible kitschy way) that became a video series.

I'm really depressed.

Vidad Magoodn, he of the News Network, has made comment:

"Actually, I'm just envious that part of your job involves going to anime conventions. I hate anime... but that sounds like a LOT more fun than what I'm doing."

What's funny is that I turned to the Dread Dormomoo at Mile 301 on I-65N and asked

"I'm 50. Why do I keep doing this?"

Seriously. I love BEING where I am. It is the Getting There that is a pain. I dislike driving. It is such a waste of time. Thankfully, there are audiobooks, Bible CDs, and music.
So the question remains, beyond "Dude...she had PURPLE HAIR!!!".And the money.

There is the issue of ego strokes. At the end of a 3-day anime convention, there are scores of kids and adults wearing our shirts. Now to be clear, we sell OUR shirts. Our designs, our printing. These shirts are a part of us, not mere reselling of someone else's stuff. The Aardvarks actually have a fan base. This all adds up to major positive strokes.

By and large, the anime fans are a polite lot. Much that is positive in Japanese culture comes through in anime, especially the manners. Sez Ima Strawman of Omaha: "Oh, the kids are just copying the polite behavior they see." Hmmm...that sounds like learning to me. Besides, I'd rather have someone copying politesse than thuggery.

Vidad, why do you hate anime? Are you a thug? (Hey, I'm practicing political polemic, here.)

The retail shirt sales have exploded our business, and this is a good thing. It well and truly helps to make the con-to-con grind bearable.

There was a lovely Twilight Zone episode entitled "Kick the Can". The moral was "You're as old as you act". I'm 50, with reasonable health, a few aches here and there. In my HEAD, I'm still a teen. Early teen. I call men "Sir" who look like I do now. I've always called men who look like I do now "Sir". I collect toys. I sometimes do more than look at them. Being around these kids is a major boost. Maybe it's the aerosol hormone levels. Maybe our mental ages are consonant. I just know that I feel better talking with them, joking with them, listening to them. It's corny, but being with the youngers makes ME feel younger.

That's reason enough to drive 8 hours to a con.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!







This will be your Aardvark's
Loot Roster from the Christmas festivities.

* Pictured is the Fireflash model kit by Aoshima. The atomic jet liner first appeared in the Thunderbirds initial episode "Trapped in the Sky". This is awsome. Trust me.

* Looney Toons GOLDEN Collection: Volume 4

* Animaniacs Volume 1

* Fractured Flickers DVD

* A Dremel-type tool of Cunning Design

* A martini-mix set. Mmmmmm...libation-ey!

* "A Child's Christmas in Wales" DVD (Denholm Elliott)

* A glowing lava-rock looking Tiki head.

* A Tiki desk fountain. (See, I've got this serious Space-Age Bachelor Pad motif working in my office. It clashes a little with the toy collection)

* An uber pen set: fountain, biro, and mechanical pencil.

The stocking contained Jelly Babies, Reese bells, ThinkGeek Destruct Button, Walkers shortbread, assorted bungee-cord set (don't ask)...like that.

(The bungees immediately came in handy at Anime South, where we lassoed catgirls with them. No, really, we used 'em on the pop-up display)

On the other hand...
Be afraid.
Be very afraid.

Hey Vidad...I got yer anime right here... (this is a cosplayer portraying Major Motoko Kusanagi from "Ghost in the Shell")

Here was our setup at Anime South.


Lotsa purty shirts.

On the other hand, the Hilton is a 20th-Century hotelier

...So I don't have WiFi. I have iBahn. Dialup speedy...thingie. Pricier than my van. ($9.95 per day) I know where Paris' allowance comes from. Though it rather makes sense, eviscerating the proletariat and all. Those who stay at Hilton resorts are of a particular social stratum, and all the add-ons are handleable by the wealthier amongst us. At the same time, they are onerous to those who are more, mmmmmm, budget-minded. It is the same effect as ball park ticket prices, and inflated prices for food and fannish goods like foam fingers.


Look who comes to the park on $5 ticket night.


The resort prices, while profit-oriented, serve another important job. They keep the hoi-polloi out. Now, your humble 'Vark is not acting Above His Station; he was here as a vendor for a convention, and enjoyed convention rates with the Dread Dormomoo. Enjoyed a good weekend of shirt sales, as well. Yaaaaay! CONFETTI!!

Mind you, this is in no way a bigot's screed. We enjoy upward mobility in our country, and you can leave the ignominy of the Cheap Seats for Skybox altitudes, whether your name is Cletus, Lamar, Shonequa, or Jin Woo (though Irish need not apply...). These are just some thoughts a-borning. Money provides a pretty good moat.

Hope you all had an Amazing Christmas Holiday.
We are prepping for Anime South in Destin, Florida THIS WEEKEND. Busy busy, busy.
So no shrewd commentary on the Human Condition today. I'll post from the Con, as I will have my 'Varkmotron laptop logic with me, with WiFi, no less.It IS, after all, the Twenty-First Century.

I am the very model of a modern blogging Aardvark.

---------------------------------------------------

OH! Go here and be amazed!

MERRY CHRISTMAS



Cool Yule, y'all!!


Enjoy the Christmas Cheese.

61%

Become an Ultrasound technician

Tor-pe-do is aw-AAAAAY

Tor-pe-do is aw-AAAAAY


CunningDove over t' Vox's reports:

This morning on Fox & Friends they asked (Ron Paul) for his thoughts on Huckabee's latest commercial with a "cross" in the background. Paul stated that he was reminded of the quote by Lewis Sinclair, "When fascism comes to the United States it will come wrapped in the American Flag and carrying a cross."

There are those thinking this an ill-advised remark, and that Ron Paul has torpedoed himself, and is taking on water. Sadly, I believe that the Esteemed Congressman is right on the money. I recall reading of Hitler wrapping himself in religious and nationalistic bunting, for example.

Allow me to repeat myself: I am a Christian, a Bible-believer (though rarely a Bible-thumper - it wears out the cover). And as a believer, I state categorically that EVERY time I have voted for a politician who has run (at least in part) as being "a Christian", or religious - every time - it has turned around to bite me..

Every


time.


I have been voting since 1975.
I have been a Christian since at LEAST 1971.

This establishes a pattern. I have ALWAYS voted for "the Christian candidate". (Yes, that means that I voted for Jimmuh Carter. If there was a Purgatory, I would spend time there...)
Yes, I have always voted for the "Christian" candidate.
I have always been bitten on the bum because of it.
Mr. Peanut: High ideals from a loathsome leftist >CHOMP<


I voted for Guy Hunt, the Primitive Baptist preacher and former Amwayite (for Alabama Governor). I got Mortimer Snerd >CHOMP<


I voted for Bob Riley, the horsie-riding gubernatorial candidate, who promised no new taxes, and promptly sought a 2 billion dollar tax rise >CHOMP<


I voted for W.


The Lie of the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition is that a united Christian vote Means Something in our post-Christian times. To quote a favorite Lewis character: "Show it me i' the Book!". I find no indication of Jesus or Paul advocating such political activism. To practice same seems antithetical to Christ's explanation to Pilate that "My kingdom is not of this world".

Political doings have been my life for twenty years. Vote Christian! Sadly, EVERY putatively Christian candidate for whom I have voted has bitten me on the bum, from Jimmuh Cahtuh on.


As far as activism, I remember well the parties in the streets that followed the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Do you remember where you were that day; remember how our Representatives listened to the majority outcry for the unborn, moved by the peaceful, hymn-singing, praying marchers standing for innocent lives?


Behold the spectacle of the American Church NOT speaking as Nathan to Washington's David, but wavering and keeping silent so as to maintain 501c3 status, for we all "know" that American Christians will contribute, not because cheerful giving delights their Lord, but because they can deduct their "charity" from their Income Taxes. Maybe my right hand should not know what my left is doing, but by Goo, Washington will.


But I digress. The Fear of the Left is of a Christian Theocracy running the country into lacklustre greyness. They would be willing to sell our country out to the mullahs' Islamic Allah-ocracy, and dhimmitude for all, just to avoid the HORRORS of an ascendant Biblical culture.But the Gospel does not call for a "Christian Government".

It calls for Christians to govern themselves, and to teach others to do the same. ANY candidate who wraps himself in the Christian Flag, whilst waving the American one, bears gimlet-eyed scrutiny. Dr, Congressman Paul is right.

Compassionate (Christian) Conservatism has yielded a landmark diminution of civil liberties, from rampant phone tapping to "Campaign Finance Reform".

Ron Paul is VERY Right.

There is another medical furor a-brewing. The Dread Dormomoo and I were listening to the radio box this AM, and a medical show came on. A new study indicates that overweight MAY not be as dire in individuals as was thought. This gives me hope, as your Aardvark more closely resembles a grocer than a burglar.The war is "Overweight vs.Obese".

People who are overweight but not obese have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight, federal researchers are reporting today.

The researchers - statisticians and epidemiologists from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - also found that increased risk of death from obesity was seen for the most part in the extremely obese, a group constituting only 8 percent of Americans.

And being very thin, even though the thinness was longstanding and unlikely to stem from disease, caused a slight increase in the risk of death, the researchers said.

WOW. Wowee wowow WOW! Perhaps the rubric "Your fat's bad; mine's not." applies.
I mean, who could POSSIBLY object to such gladsome tidings (except perhaps Victoria's Secret models)?

[insert menacing blare of trumpets]

THE FAT POLICE!

Grumping like a Golden Corral customer whose steaks were overcooked, the Fat Police are whining about the methodology of the study.

Now the new study says that obesity and extreme obesity are causing about 112,000 extra deaths but that overweight is preventing about 86,000, leaving a net toll of some 26,000 deaths in all three categories combined, compared with the 34.000 extra deaths found in those who are underweight.

Dr. Donna Stroup, director of the Coordinating Center for Health Promotion at the C.D.C., noted that the previous study had used different data and different methods of analysis.

"Counting deaths is not an exact science," Dr. Stroup said.

Miz Dr. Stroup, we understand. Math is hard.

One complaint is that the new study diminishes the sense of danger engendered by the older "fat is BAD, your heart will explode" studies. On the radio report, one female science person referred to the old findings as "intuitive". C'mon, everyone KNOWS that a BMI above 3 is hazardous. Yeah, and I look terrible in Speedos.

(*child, tearfully shrieking*"Momeeee, what's THAT?"

"Look away Timmy...it's only a ....I don't know...I mean, I THINK it's... O dear Heaven...it has a MOUTH.... *snatches up Timmy and beats a retreat to the hotel*).

(The preceding was an exercise in self-deprecating fantastical humor, and no, I never even look at Speedos)

Read the article. The radio report presented the standard model as "If you ARE overweight, then you will BECOME obese". This understanding begets fear, and thus a measure of emotional control by the Anti-Fat League. One doctor (again female) was concerned that the new data would give a false security to those with a few extra pounds. In short, the OLD fear-mongering data is better, because it enables the Fat Police to better exert control through press releases and pressure upon Makers of Public Policy.

Nanny Science. Any data that contradicts the bad news, even if it is accurate, is to be discounted because the People need to be controlled by the fear of Death By Eclairs.

I received what may be the best email subject line EVER.

Apparently Vladimir Putin is ramping up hostility toward the West with a new tactic:

Hello, Beautiful Russian women waiting to meet YOU! mausoleum

I have an oddness for you.


Years ago, in the annals of the Tinfoil Hat Brigade, I heard a theory that there are areas on the planet where nuclear reactions won't work. Richard C. Hoagland was never mentioned, but it sounds like it is similar to some of his "hyper-dimensional physics" ideas.

Have any of you heard of this concept, or was it just a fever-dream?

I love chasing this kind of quasi-conspiracy stuff, but I haven't asked Google the correct question, apparently.

I discovered "Slice of Laodicea" blog tonight. I recommend it.

One of the entries concerned the woes at ORU, and the less-than-connubial bliss of Richard and his missus. It linked to a worldling who has a clearer picture of How Things Should Be than do most church folk.

To drub the equine carcass again, The Local Church is the basis of the work of the Kingdom of God. The Scripture says it is the church for whom Christ died. The local church is the platform from which our Kingdom work is to done. Church giving is always a local affair, except in the case of Paul collecting offerings from multiple churches to aid the Jerusalem church during a time of famine. The local congregation maintains the local work, and elders (pastors, shepherds) are paid from thence, if they choose to receive it. The local church model is to train and send out "apostles" (sent ones) to plant other local congregations, establish mature church leadership, and then report back home.
There is no New Testament model for a congregation "hiring a preacher" to either lead the church, or do a majority of the teaching / preaching / community work.

Sorry, it is NOT in there. Even Timothy and Titus do not indicate that their position was "pastoral" in the current sense; rather they were to establish an eldership and diaconate based upon the character attributes listed in their epistles from Paul. Read the book of Acts, and the "Timothy and Titus epistles" to get a sense of the New Testament way of doing the work of the church.

The modern church (local congregation) is few and far between, that measures up to the New Testament model.

As has been said elsewhere, there is no Biblical command or example for "para-church" evangelistic associations, missionary societies, or (shudder) TV ministries. The local church is to accomplish all the goals set before it by the Lord, itself. God has gifted, instructed, commanded, and equipped the church to do the work, if we will but DO it.
We have been suckered into following a foreign model, foreign to Divine Will. We thus open the door to deception.

Deception like that of hearing the cries for money to send to teachers and preachers who purport to be doing God's Work for us.(Of course as "partners", so we get credit as well!) Individuals send money to people who only offer their word that they are doing God's Work. Whole congregations send money to "ministries" to help do Kingdom work. Good idea, but not according to Hoyle.

Church, you are wasting your (and God's!) resources to support Home Offices, and ministries with lavish expenses, when YOU (and I) are to be doing the work, ourselves, at home. Try giving locally to accomplish God's work God's way. You may be surprised at the results. I believe God might be pleased if you do things His way, as well.

He writes so well he makes me feel like putting the quill back in the goose.

— —Fred Allen

I had NO idea that Fred Allen read my blog.
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE!!!

Chez Aardvark is undergoing some renovations. The much-used garage is being Converted.

YAY-uss. Say BAY-bee!

IT began as a standard roll-up door garage in 1986. In January 1991, we had the front closed in, and it became the Factory Floor for Lifetees, the first incarnation of our t-shirt printing biz. Since then, I have moved the business out of the garage, and it became a weight room, then a wait room, as in "Wait 'til I find it out in the garage.". We have cleared it out, and the front third is becoming a den.Separate and apart, the rear third is a combo laundry room and darkroom for exposing and washing out the screens which give "screenprinting" its name.

Blogging will be spotty for a few days, then...PICTURES!

"I was curious."

OK, here's the thing. (Mrs. Pilgrim, you'll like this.)
It is in vogue to be gay.
It is tres chic to be bi.

We are deluged by gayosity in our media, our sitcoms, our general culture, and even if it's a joke at the gay guy's expense, it's OK, because the message is gettin' out.

My family and I go to anime conventions as part of our business, and we see lots of kids who think they are gay. Loli girls walking around holding hands, bishi boys with their yaoi pals.
Lots of teen kids, convinced of their homosexuality. (Heteros, fear not, there are PLENTY of active couples in our teen culture as well.)

I have pondered this a lot, having children of my own, and a childhood of my own, and I believe that I have An Answer. I may not be a Mensa member, but this just makes sense. Our hyper-sexualized culture is yielding fruit.

When I was twelve or so, I was a voracious reader. Summer came, and I was devouring every book and magazine I could find. Worked through a ton of Reader's Digests and National Geographics, and needed more. I found a stack of large mags like McCall's and the Saturday Evening Post, and as I looked through the stack, I found a stratum of different magazines. Naked guy magazines. Intrigued by the novelty, I flipped through one, and...and...suddenly, the Gallant Salute. Now, I had friends in school who had the Naked Lady decks of cards, and I had no aversion to the female form undraped, but this reaction was unexpected and worrisome. (I was aware of my father's "alternate lifestyle", as they say; these were his mags secreted in a nondescript stack of Ladies' Home Journals. Oh, the Irony.)

Brothers and sisters, I was not ho-mo-sexual! My body did not react to male or female. It was reacting to the stimulus of the erotic. That is in main what these confused kids are reacting to. The yaoi and yuri manga, the sexual displays at every turn, the raging changes in their own bodies, hormonal, emotional; it is all about the erotic. If a young teen girl gets tingly at the sight of a nubile form, or if a guy responds to the sight of a naked male, this is not de facto evidence of homosexuality, but the gay publicity mill makes them think that they are. They are reacting to the erotic, nothing more.


This is a major reason for the call to modesty in the New Testament. Modest dress is helpful to those around, as it reduces distraction. The unclothed human body is fantastic to enjoy in the proper context (read: marriage). Frankly, when I saw a "news" report on Fox about Victoria's Secret (sales are off 40+ percent), I saw the undulating fem-flesh on the runway as more amusing than titillating. (as an aside, it seems culturally that breasts aren't special any more. No mystery, just pneumatic display.The VS models become anorexic Macy's Parade balloons.)


Homosexuality is a practice. It involves what you do. An involuntary reaction is one thing. Turning it into "lifestyle" and practice is another entirely. Let your kids know the difference, please. You could save them a world of worry, and yourself a load of grief.

Sunday night was a TREAT!


The much ballyhooed debut of "Tin Man" graced the aetheric flux tonight, thanks to the SciFi channel. It will be three two-hour events. Alan Cumming plays "Glitch" the cerebrotomized analogue to the Scarecrow of "The Wizard of Oz", and for the life of me, he sometimes channeled the moves and looks of Ray Bolger in that immortal role, and it didn't come across like mere mimicry. Think of The Scarecrow by way of an 80's discotheque. That's the look.


Zooey Deschanel, on the other hand (remember the Love Interest in "Elf"?) should be billed as the "Wooden Woman" of Tin Man. Gerry Anderson got better emotions out his actors. Ms. Deschanel plays "DG" whose dreams presage her journey to OZ, or as they say...the "Outer Zone".


You can read IMDB as well as I can, so I shall not belabor the plot points. This is a work produced by the Roberts.Halmi, the creative team who brought us the "Noah" mini-series, that had Lot and Noah as contemporaries. Noah picks Lot up from a raft in the middle of the Flood. (Cue God doing Don Adams voice in echoe chamber: :Missed it by that much!".)


This really plays like "Wizard of Oz meets Flash Gordon meets BioShock", and I mean the current SciFi channel Flash. The next seismic event you feel will be L. Frank Baum spinning in his grave, likely approaching relativistic speeds.


----------------------------------------------------------



Neal Boortz hates Glenn Beck. Beck's middle-America goofy cheer is to Boortz like having a root canal done with a slow Black & Decker drill and a rusty nail.



A bent one.



It is a shame that Boortz is in bed with Beck in mutual antipathy toward Ron Paul.
And why? They are both beating the neocon drum of "fighting the Terrace threat of Islamofascism" or somesuch. In fact, Boortz is behaving like the one-issue voters he decries. Really Neal, you gotta stop acting like a pro-lifer!

Gillian Gibbons is apparently on par with most public school teachers here in the YouEssof Ay. What a stellar example of stupidity, to name a Teddy Bear "Mohammed" in a Muslim country.

But wait...it's the KIDS wot done it. The class agreed to the name after one child suggested it.

But wait...there's MORE! The boy who suggested it did so because Mohammed is his name. He was not thinking of the Prophet, nor the Prophet's beard, at all. He wanted to name the toy after himself.

Gillian should have known better to agree, but I'll betcha she fully believed that Islam at heart is a Religion of Peace and Love for the Betterment of its adherents. And who shouldn't believe it? Just look at Sudan! Darfur, anyone? If I were a leader in Sudan, I really wouldn't want to make my country more noisome than it already is.

Islam is a mongrel religion, cobbled from paganism, and the fever-dreams of a terrorist and pederast. That's a great start. The asses' heads who burble about the "great Faith of Islam" clearly haven't read their Bibles. (I pause for that revelation to sink in.) The book of Romans teaches that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.". The Koran just doesn't pass muster doctrinally as an extension of Divine Thought.
No agreement 'twixt the two.

OH! now rioters are demanding that the teacher (who now must be longing for a cuppa by the fire), be executed for her Crimes against Islam. They want to execute a teacher whose students named the class Teddy Bear "Mohammed". Peace and Love, baby. Peace and Love.

Sorry, but this increases my level of respect for Islam no end. It makes me consider naming my next bowl of oatmeal "Mohammed".

PBUH.

It's a train wreck, I tells ya.


I was feeling punk tonight...Loen and I may well be fighting the same bug. Thus we stayed home at church time. We made the grave error of watching the CNN-YouTube Republicrat debate.

Mercy.

Of course, I expected even-handed treatment at the hands of Anderson Cooper, as I expected piercing intelligent questions from the YouTube crowd.

...sorry, I just spewed hot tea out of my nose. I slay me!

It may be an obvious statement, but the entire debate was naught but an exercise in "How can we embarrass the candidates THIS time?". From the sad retired brigadier general whining about the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, clutching the big microphone, to the (likely) atheist plant holding up a Big Black Bible and asking "Do you believe every word of this book?", it was an infinite sadness. Ron Paul's real weakness is a tendency to dither while choosing the right phrasing, and he got precious little opportunity to showcase that.

Mitt Romney with his Laser-Eye Action TM was best at deferring to the wisdom of his advisors. John McCain was at his twitchy best. Giuliani was the most convincing of the bunch, as far as steady-on delivery is concerned. That zombie mouth of his is creepy, though. He reminds me of that Mummy in the original Jonny Quest.

A major irritant was the graph. Twelve men and twelve women, undecided voters all (they did not specify whether they were Republicans and Democrats). Of course, the U.V. is the stupidest beast on the planet, and is likely the reason there are so many Moderates elected. These U.V.'s each had a keypad where they registered their like or dislike for the answer of the moment. The 1-10 graph used "5" as a baseline, and a graph was superimposed over the face of the candidate. Each sex had a different color line, and you could track the relative mood of the cattle. After the debate the newschick asked if anyone had changed their minds (sorry, tea in my nose, again) and one white-haired woman said yes, she had. To John Edwards. Another manatee (manashe?)
was all open-minded about gays in the military, and that was sweet from a behemoth in green Spandex.

Did I say after the debate? They interrupted Hunter or Huckabee (sorry, I can't remember. Vanilla or French vanilla) to share the collective wisdom of the Undecideds.

Wow, what a show. I have such Hope for the future of the Republic.

OK, Alan Keyes

Get a grip. I've supported you in the past. I mean, I even had your BUMPER STICKER on my van, and I did business with that van. The problem is, you just don't learn. There is an important lesson that has escaped you over the years, and through the attempts. I've said it before, and because my own writing impresses me so, I'll iterate:


Jeremiah never won an election.

I believe that what you will do if your candidacy develops any legs at all is that you will siphon off the lunatic fringe that might go for Ron Paul (I know that many will rollick over the unintentional comedy of that prophecy.) And you will both lose.

Please, Alan, give your stance a chance, and let Ron Paul run. Don't be his Perot. I believe that he has a chance to win.

I know that you don't.

'Cause I learned the lesson.

The Angry Little Aardvark, Part the Second

This is a departure. Not politics, per se, not Biblicality (Boy, what a fun "Finish him" in Mortal Kombat...A 300-pound armored King James on a chain takes your opponent out as Shao Khan sepulchrally intones "Biblicality", whilst your fighter appears in a powder-blue leisure suit and pompadour. "Say Bay-bee").

I am livid over the Liberty Dollar seizure by the Feds.The head of the Mint had written that the Liberty Dollar was NOT in violation of law.

...correspondence between US Senator Bill Nelson of Florida and Edmond C Moy, Director of the US Mint. Of particular interest is Moy's statement that the (Liberty Dollar) paper Certificates are not covered by the Title 18, Section 486 and hence legal.

The whole sorry tale can be found here.

The Givemint has not only raided and seized the holdings of a legitimate business, but they have also stolen the money of those who hold some $20 million in Liberty Dollars. The Liberty Dollar is an alternative currency backed by precious metals. You know, like the Founders intended. Oh, and like God intended (Check the Mosaic Covenant on honest weights and measures).

The Feds are making it clear; Thou shalt have no other Currency before Mine.

Read the LD site. Join the fight for HONEST money.

I have an experiment going.

There is a little also-ran auction site called BidVille.

My ID there is Aardvark3.

I would like to see if I can drive some traffic there. (Not necessarily to buy my stuff, but to build up the thing.) I have already begun getting Christmas goodies on BidVille. You can get good, new merchandise there. You can sell for far less than on eBay, as well.

So check it out, maybe open an account and sell that extra fondue pot for some extra Christmas cash!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...and a Pox upon "Turkey Day"

What private property does -- as the Pilgrims discovered -- is connect effort to reward, creating an incentive for people to produce far more. Then, if there's a free market, people will trade their surpluses to others for the things they lack. Mutual exchange for mutual benefit makes the community richer.
Secure property rights are the key. When producers know that their future products are safe from confiscation, they will take risks and invest. But when they fear they will be deprived of the fruits of their labor, they will do as little as possible.
That's the lost lesson of Thanksgiving. -- John Stossel

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for the few friends I have - few being more a function of my busy-ness than of inherent unloveability - and for the business we have been so blessed with. I am thankful for this nation, and for the wisdom of its Founders, and for men like Ron Paul and even (!) Neal Boortz who strive to point us back to their instruction and example. For God, the Gifts of His Son and the Holy Spirit, and the church for whom Christ died. I am thankful for that empty tomb.

I am also thankful for the readers here, who make this less an exercise in futility and hubris.

I am NOT thankful for the waggish term "Turkey Day", a noisome term coined by comics wishing a hat-tip to the day, but with none of the attendant theistic baggage. It is flip, and unworthy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On Charismania.


Unlike many of my brethren, I am not convinced that the completion of the Canon spelled Doom for the charismata. That view requires an assumption, one not supported in Scripture, that the Spiritual Gifts were primarily for the Inspiration of the Scriptures.
I don't make an issue of it, as it is a divisive idea, but I don't shrink from discussing it if anyone inquires.

What's the point? I have seen a lot of stupidity done in the name of "the Holy Spirit".
Such silliness places it in the realm of Charismania, as distinguished from the charismatic.
I was musing this afternoon on the phenomenon I call "The Thursday Night Cough-and-Spew". This house party masquerades as a prayer meeting or Bible study, when in reality it as a coffee-klatsch for the chronically demonized. Your besetting sin or habit like addiction to pR0n, or habitual nail-biting, is dealt with, Hey Presto!, and you have the offending problem cast out of you. Victory in Jesus! -- 'til next week.

Now, I have no problem with the idea of deliverance from demons. Jesus dealt with 'em, treated them as sentient personalities, and took authority over them. He bequeathed that authority to the church. Aside from one misapplied verse from Zechariah, there is no Scriptural indication that trouble with evil spirits would cease after the first advent of Christ. Where my problem lies is the quick-and-easy shortcut to discipleship called "deliverance ministry". There is nothing in the New Testament that remotely resembles what passes for "deliverance" today. I have a habit...I go to the meeting...the group prays for me (in my experience with these groups, they are USUALLY led by self-styled woman "pastors")...I begin a set of learned responses, to wit, coughing, gagging, and being brought to crisis. The deliverance complete, I go home to...

The problem beginning again two days later.

I am speaking in generalities, but you get the point. I believe in prayer as being effective. I also believe that I am to be discipled, taught how to live the Christian life by those older and more experienced. Deliverance-so-called is no shortcut or substitute for maturity and growth. Much of what is practiced is psychodrama in the name of Jesus, a quick fix for the seeker, another notch on the belt of the "minister".

I do not mean to lump true deliverance in with the sloppy doctrine of today. Jesus' ministry was fully a third involved with casting out demons from the demonized. One of the charismata granted the church is "discerning of spirits", but to turn such effective methodologies into a carnival sideshow, Pentecostal primal-scream therapy, or some other pop-psych substitute for discipline, for trying , does violence to the Gospel, which itself is the power of God unto salvation.

I have a confession.


I am a Christian. (Allow me the hubris of self-applying what should be a gift word).

I am a Christian, and you have nothing to fear from me. I will not break down your door to stop whateveritisyoudo in your living room. I will DEFINITELY not intrude in your sanctum sanctorum to see what toys you have in your nightstand, and I certainly won't rummage in your medicine chest to see what creams and ointments you employ. (I make no promises about checking out your bookshelf.) You see, what you do, smoke, or imbibe in the sanctity of your home is NOT MY BUSINESS. It is certainly God's business; it is just as certainly not mine.

What's more... and this is KEY...I do not wish to employ the Armed Might of the Givemint to intrude into your bedroom, livingroom, or patio. This is to say. I do not wish to grant the Government what is surely only God's purview. If you murder your wife, that's one thing. Thou shalt not. However, smoking with, drinking with, or pleasuring her is not Government's concern.

What's MORE important is that I do not wish to vote for candidates who want to push their personal beliefs through the legislative sausage mill and make YOU eat it..
"But what about aBORtion?" Wow. See how successful the pro-life whine machine has been in fixing that little problem. (I say this as a pro-life person who has marched and donated and prayed and voted.) The only effective way to stop abortion is one at a time, through counseling and discipling. Go ahead and argue. History proves me right. Government is entirely the problem in the current abortion issue. (Well, maybe sin, selfishness and greed. Oh, wait...)

Now that the "A" word has been invoked, and none of my reader can think of anything else: It is no mistake in the banning of school prayer, Bibles in school, (Christian) public religious observance, and the coinciding zenith of Federal power. You cannot serve two masters.
The Federal government wants to be your master.I refuse to grant it more power. I will not vote for one who would make the Fed even more our master.

This is not to say that I believe in "anything goes". There are laws, and there is Law. If you are a lawbreaker, you should pay. Child molesters, murderers and such need not apply. The jury's out on jaywalkers. The point is, things that are between you and the Almighty need to remain so. If you bring the government into it, well, you get what you deserve for so doing. The Police Power of der Schtaat is a grievous thing and not something to be invoked lightly. It's like waving the MacLeod Faerie Flag to fend off Jehovah's Witnesses at the gate. I do not see Jesus, Peter, John, nor Paul marching to Rome to demand Christian Civil Rights, or to get legislation to stop the infernal practice of infant exposure (a kind of ex post facto abortion). Jesus said, make disciples of the nations. The rest of the gang proceeded so to do.

If through reading or hearing God's Word, with gentle enlightenment by the Holy Spirit, you become of the conviction that you are in error in a belief or practice, well, that's God's job, and if you want to talk, fine. But I'll not wag the Bony Finger of Judgment at you.

And I will not seek legislation against you.

Your Inner European is Dutch!

Open minded and tolerant. You're up for just about anything.

Who's Your Inner European?

Oh come ON...

The Patster has placed his imprimatur on Rudy-Boy. "DANGER, DANGER, Pat Robertson!"
Apparently those mega-health shakes aren't cleaning out the baffles of your mind.

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Yes, I'm posting again. I have been so amazingly busy with printing and conventions that I have had to triage my time, and sadly, the Plumbline took the hit. Truly, sadly, as this outlet is important to me. I have YET to finish Roci's list of questions, but it HAS been on my mind.

David Goodman has stopped by and commented. I want to meet him and enjoy Convivial Good Fellowship, with potables and cigars. That would be neat. I shall link to his blog, as well as the OTHER person who linked to me, and no I did not forget, just haven't gotten around to the chore of inserting a line of HTML. And the dog ate my homework.

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Now, let it be known that I am not a rabid Paulist, as people were rabid Perotistas lo, those many years ago. I have one-or-two mild disagreements with him, but COME ON, people, why are the "Christian" voters not looking at this guy? Ron Paul is the most socially conservative guy to come along in A-while. Is it the war? Since when did Christians not like a guy for BEING AGAINST A WAR? Does Jesus want us to bomb the Jihadists straight to Gehenna? WAIT! It's because he is "pro-DRUGS"!

No, he isn't. He is AGAINST anything in the Federal government that violates the Constitution. You know, the CONSTITUTION! The "Bible" of our system of governance.
George W. Bush's "damn piece of paper". He wants to follow the rules, rules penned by men far smarter than Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, or Nancy Pelosi. Or even Jeff Sessions or Richard Shelby.

I am weary to the point of nausea of the alleged conservative voices on radio not even MENTIONING Paul in their litany of Prexy hopefuls. I have respect for Laura Ingraham, but even she cannot utter the Dread Syllables.

His name is Ron Paul, and he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for President of These United States.

Hmmm...maybe I AM becoming rabid. I know that no-one else of any party gives me any sense of hope. The debates just look like the 1984 Apple ad, all massive and grey and droning. Makes me want to learn Russian.