Friday, January 26, 2007

Our World

The news is constantly filled with stories of violence and idiocy around the globe. Hezbollah is trying to reverse the Cedar Revolution of a couple years ago that overthrew Syria's influence in the nation of Lebanon with a violent play of their own that began as riots in Beirut. The battle for Somalia has quieted for a moment, but the battle between government backed democracy (with the assistance of Ethiopia) and the Sharia regime of the Islamic Courts still rages in ways that we cannot even see, nor ever understand. Iran may turn to nuclear weapons to further taunt The West and Israel, and Israel is willing to use their own nuclear weapons on Iran if they are able to get that far. Meanwhile, here in the United States, Jimmy Carter has proclaimed Israel an aggressor and unfair to those poor Palestinians, and claims that Christians have developed an ingrained hatred for non-Christians and with it is causing unwarranted fear of terrorism. Rosie O'Donnell is calling for the impeachment of the President so that the message can be sent to the rest of the world that America is willing to dethrone their leaders in the midst of a war. The Liberals want to pull out of Iraq, watch the region collapse into a bloodbath, blame it all on Bush, and then win the White House in 2008 as a result of their hate fueled, Marxist-style propaganda. Iran's President Ahmadinejad, as usual, has proclaimed that the United States and Israel will soon be annihilated, and Chavez has decided that he should be dictator of Venezuela, and that the South American country should be a socialist republic. The Saudis are playing with the idea of banning the letter X because of its similarity to a Christian cross, and the Australian flag has been banned from major rock festivals in Australia because the national flag is being brandished as a gang color. A female Muslim police officer in London has refused to shake hands with London's Metropolitan police chief at a parade, and refused to allow her picture to be taken because she felt it was going to be used for "propaganda purposes." The midget in North Korea still wants to be able to launch nuclear missiles (surely into Japan and the United States), and China has gained the technology of shooting satellites out of the sky with long-range missiles which could cripple the U.S. ability to exchange information if they were to turn these missiles on American satellites. A French Ambassador has proclaimed that Israel is nothing but a "Shitty Little Country," despite all that Israel has contributed to the world (and of course none of the Muslim countries are shitty little countries, despite their habit of spreading a burning hatred for the West as well as intolerance to anyone not of their faith). And a whole slew of illegals crossed the border today as the National Guard watched without being allowed to do anything accept rub the sweat off of their brows.

Pretty depressing, if you let it get to you.

But there is plenty of good news.

Fidel Castro is going to be okay after his recent battles with health problems, which includes being fitted with an artificial anus (okay, that's not good news, it's just funny). Tijuana police, after being discovered by the federal government of acting as body guards for drug traffickers moving drugs into the United States, have had their guns stripped away from them, and are now using sling shots (equipped with bags of ball bearings). Serena Williams beat Sharapova in the Australian Open (or more accurately, the American beat the Russian). Rocky Balboa is a great movie that reminds us that the heart is the strongest part of our bodies if we let it be. And the Muslims, angry with what happened to those six praying imams in Minnesota, have decided to boycott US Airways, making that airline the safest airline in the world.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

So your point is? I'm going to start calling you "Mr. Everything But The Kitchen Sink Guy" pretty soon, DG. Let's see...that would be MEBTKSG...

*****

Sunrise, sunset.

Anonymous said...

I think I'll stick with DG.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

Had a lot of things on my mind, so and I try not to just relay the news, any ol' news site is usually good for that - - I tend to enjoy providing a no-nonsense commentary on the things that bug me the most - - but all of this news was just filling my in box of late, and I had to puke it all out on my blog. My point is, since you asked, is that even though there are always a lot of horrid things going on in the world, the glass is still always half full. As depressing things as there are out there, I still find a silver lining, good news, a good laugh, and enjoy people that are just like slinkies - - not really good for anything, but still bring a smile to my face when they are pushed down a flight of stairs (old joke, but I still think it's funny) Oh, and to open a can of worms and answer a question I never got around to answering - - Yes and no, I do and don't consider you a murderer. From a legal view point, abortion is legal, and was when you committed voluntarily carried out the act, so you are not a murderer. However, the death of innocent blood from my own point of view, which is heavily influenced by scripture, you are. And it doesn't really matter if abortion was legal in Rome, Revolutionary America, a hundred years ago, or right now. The legalities are not what governs my heart in some of my beliefs. Whether it is legal or not, the shedding of innocent blood, or unborn children unable to have a voice on whether or not they are allowed to live or die, is wrong. WRONG. And no amount of excuses, or attempts to prove that a fetus is not a human life, will make me change my mind. My mother carried me in her womb under very difficult circumstances involving things that I won't discuss, and could have very well decided to abort me before I was born, though it was long before Roe v. Wade, but thank God my mom decided that allowing me to live (when I was nothing more than a fetus) was the way to go. Aren't you glad you weren't aborted?

Anonymous said...

So you actually DO consider me a murderer.

Wow.

Anonymous said...

I'm ok now.

Anonymous said...

As far as I'm concerned, there are no "yes and nos" regarding MURDER. There are degrees as defined by our legal system (1st, 2nd and 3rd) but to me, the taking of an innocent life is murder. My first definition of life is that it has to be born first. And I don't equate pregnancy and motherhood either.

Anonymous said...

Murder is murder.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

Though an unborn child is dependent upon the mother for a while to survive, that does not make that unborn child not a person. Upon conception humanity begins. That is my opinion. Obviously, there are those times where the termination of a pregnancy is a necessary medical procedure, such as with ectopic pregnancies. But in my eyes, voluntary abortion is not justified. However, I am not judging your for your decision, I am mourning the death of that child, and all others that have been killed and were not even given the dignity of a name, or a headstone. Judgment is for God to impose.

Anonymous said...

A fetus is not a child. A pregnancy is not a child. But murder IS murder.

How could you not judge me if you think I am a murderer? Don't you think I need to be brought to justice? If you were a murderer, I'd want you brought to justice, no matter how much I like you.

If Justice is only for a god to impose, than why have a justice system at all. Why have jails?

And if Roe vs. Wade was overturned, should my justice be retroactive?

These are all the real deal questions, if you're really serious that abortion is murder, and about wanting to overturn Roe.

Of course, I'm a little hurt that you think I'm a murderer, but that's besides the point.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

it's not my place to bring you to justice regarding this issue. Judgment for spilling innocent blood sits with God - he will pass judgment when the time comes - I am not passing judgment, only passing on the information that abortion is murder and be prepared to face God's judgment. The only way to miss that judgment is through Christ, whereas His blood will blanket those past sins, and you will be forgiven through your repentence. In short, I am just the messenger, not the judge.

Anonymous said...

Why not? Why isn't it your place to bring a murderer to justice?

Are you saying that if you knew that a person you knew, killed a living, born person, you wouldn't turn them in? You'd leave in to the afterlife? If abortion is murder, how is it any diferent?

I'm talking about if abortion is murder... and/or if Roe is overturned, do you think I belong in jail? Do you think I deserve the death penalty in this life, just like any other murderer.

If I am a murderer, why is my crime so special as to not deserve puniishment in this life? Otherwise, why should we prosecute any murders if a god's just going to deal with it the next life? Why have any laws at all, if a god's justice is all that matters?

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

Abortion is wrong because it is the taking of a human life. Life begins at conception, biblically (Psalms 139:13 and Jeremiah 1:5 and Galatians 1:15) As a matter of fact, John the Baptist leaped in his mother's womb when the voice of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was heard (Luke 1:44). Conception marks the beginning of development that continues to adulthood. I don't believe the Bible is more specific on the matter of abortion because such a practice would be unthinkable to the Children of God. When Israel was in Egypt, a cruel Pharaoh forced the Israelites to kill their newborn babies. This was looked upon as the height of cruel oppression (Exodus 1:15-22. The idea of killing their own children was horrid. All through those early generations women yearned for children. Children were considered a gift of God. Women prayed not to be barren. Yet, in today's society, women have turned against their children and destroy them. Abortion is not only murderous, but historically poked its head during the heights of pagan barbarity.

Anonymous said...

So, do you think I deserve the death penalty, like anyother murderer? DG - you're not answering the question. If I'm just an ordinary murderer, Roe aside, then do I deserve the death penalty? If other murderers deserve the death penalty, why not me?

I understand, it's a hard question. If you really believe what you say you believe, well then this is where the rubber hits the road.

*****

As for the bible, pregnancies were considered the property of a husband, biblicly. If a man injured another man's wife to the point where it cause a miscarriage, then the husband had a legal claim to damages.

In the bible they refer to the "quickening." That's when a fetus moves. Hense the John the Baptist quote. Now, Roe has always placed restrictions on late term abortions, and it fit's in biologically and developmenatlly with the bible.

But the bible's most specific reference as to when life begins, is "upon the first breath." That is why you rarely see Jews protesting abortion. Jews believe that according to the bible, life starts upon the first intake of breath. It's even the orgin of the term "in - spire" as in respire.

For every quote in the bible referenceing pregnacy, or abortion, or mischariages, or when life begins, and I mean EVERY quote, it's all there at a website called belief.net.

Other than the John the Baptist quote, the biblical refereances you brought up DG, refer to the born, not the unborn. And that is somewhat intellectually dishonest.

I also wonder why you would think that quoting the bible would have an impact on me, since I don't even believe in a god, or the bible, or any supernatural entities. For me, when someone quotes the bible as proof of anything, it's a little like (with all due respect) quoting The Wizard of Oz to proove the Emerald City exists.

Anonymous said...

DG - you still haven't answered my question (as is your perogative.)

Quoting scripture may comfort you, and more power to you for that, but it doesn't answer my question. It certainly doesn't answer my question in your own words, and it certainly doesn't answer the question in the here and now, real life world.

Brownback says his goal is to overturn Roe.

If Roe is overturned, should I be jailed? Or will amnisty be granted to 51 million murderers, and their accomplices? After all, there's no statute of limitations on murder.

DG, is it wrong for me to ask you to answer the question in your own words?

I think it's pretty well established, however, that you do think I'm a murderer.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

MK, you are getting a little ridiculous. From my own personal point of view, an unborn child is alive and a human, so voluntary death of that child through a procedure designed to end its life, in my eyes, is murder. Not only is the mother guilty, but so is the doctor. However, currently, the procedure is legal, so nobody should be jailed, and if Roe v. Wade was overturned, then any abortions performed before such overturn would obviously not prosecuted, because laws don't work in that kind of retroactive way. Now, like an adult death, there are exceptions. For example, if a pedestrian ran into the road and I hit him with my vehicle and inadvertantly killed him, I would obviously not be guilty of murder. Miscarriages and terminations of pregnancies that would othewise place both lives at risk are deaths of these unborn children that cannot be avoided. I still mourn the loss of the child, but I don't think judgment will be passed for them. Thing is, abortion is a bad thing, even many pro-abortionists agree. So why don't we take more preventative stance? Since the majority of abortions are due to unwanted pregnancies as a result of accidently conception, then how about we become more pro-active about birth control and responsible sexual practices? Let's solve the cause, and quit murdering our children and covering up its wrongness by calling it a choice.

Anonymous said...

So, therefore, it's ok by you that I walk the streets, even though I'm a murderer in your eyes? That's ok with you?

51 million murders, according to your defintion of murder, just written off, and that's ok with you?

And, also, if Roe's overturned, then it's just A-OK that 51 million murderers roam the streets? That's ok with you? I tell you, if I thought abortion was murder, it wouldn't be ok with me. I'm against murder. Murder is wrong, and all murderers should be in jail. How is that rediculous?

Look, if it's murder, it's murder.

And pregnancies are not children. It's immoral to equate a pregnancy with personhood. At least it is in my view, and I don't need to refer to a book to know that.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

It bothers me that people would allow themselves to do such a thing as allow an abortion to be performed, but they are not bad people for the most part, just misguided doing a wrong thing. I don't pass judgment on those that murdered the children - from a legal standpoint I can't, but I do mourn the dead. However, you CANNOT compare the murder of unborn children to other murder because the circumstances and the definition is essentially different. Is it murder? Yes. Was it in cold blood? Yes. But your line of thinking tries to go beyond that and can't. Common sense says that I can't go around slapping cuffs on a bunch of mothers or doctors for abortion, especially when it is legal. Would I like to be able to do that to the doctors? Absolutely. The women? No. The pain of what they allowed to happen, and the judgment they will face later with God, is more than adequate punishment for their actions. Fact is, my anti-abortion position does not seek what you infer, but rather mourns the deaths of so many of God's children.

Anonymous said...

So wait, murderers who commit murder through abortion aren't bad people, just misguided? As for me, I've always believed that murderers were bad people.

DG - you wrote that people who "allow" abortions to be performed, meaning, I assume, it's not the woman who's the murderer, but the doctor who performs the abortion. I've heard that ten thousand times over many years and I think it's the biggest cop-out in the world. How is it that the pregnant women aren't the "contractors" of the murder. That is, if it is murder.

*****

These inconsistancies of logic are why the right will never succeed at overturning Roe.

Furthermore, the right, the leaders of your party, The GOP, do not actually want to overturn Roe, even though they say they do. They LIE. If Roe was overturned, it would dry up a major source of their fundraising.

Anonymous said...

So wait, murderers who commit murder through abortion aren't bad people, just misguided? As for me, I've always believed that murderers were bad people.

DG - you wrote that people who "allow" abortions to be performed, meaning, I assume, it's not the woman who's the murderer, but the doctor who performs the abortion. I've heard that ten thousand times over many years and I think it's the biggest cop-out in the world. How is it that the pregnant women aren't the "contractors" of the murder. That is, if it is murder.

*****

These inconsistancies of logic are why the right will never succeed at overturning Roe.

Furthermore, the right, the leaders of your party, The GOP, do not actually want to overturn Roe, even though they say they do. They LIE. If Roe was overturned, it would dry up a major source of their fundraising.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

Eliminate the drive for abortion and the argument is a moot point.

Anonymous said...

That's utopian. I thought rightwingers had contempt for utopian ideas.

It, however, is not a biblical edict.

Anonymous said...

As for me. I think murder is wrong, and that murderers should be held to justice in this life, under United States jurispudence, ie. law.

Also, you spoke of emotion. There is nothing more emotionally based then the anti-abortion sentinment.