Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Is it Spring or Summer?
Yesterday marked the first day of spring. But it's more like summer as it 73 degrees here in Boston on Tuesday. Today it was 80 and tomorrow it's supposed to be 84. Yes folks, it's March. I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods but if you can go to work tomorrow wearing short sleeves then count your blessings.
Romney's Gaffes Haven't Hurt Him...So Far
In the wake of the "Etch a Sketch" controversy set into motion by Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom this morning, ABC News has produced a list of Romney gaffes.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Tebow Leaving on a Jets Plane
A day after officially signing Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos have traded quarterback Tim Tebow to the New York Jets for a fourth round draft pick.
Wow! The Broncos practically gave Tebow away.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Wow! The Broncos practically gave Tebow away.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Jeb Bush Endorses Romney
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has endorsed Mitt Romney following his decisive win in the Illinois GOP Primary last night.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Mel Parnell, 1922-2012. R.I.P.
Mel Parnell, the greatest left-handed pticher to toe the rubber for the Boston Red Sox, died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was 89.
To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
French Shooter an al Qaeda Terrorist
As of this writing, there is a standoff at an apartment building in Toulouse between French authorities and the shooter responsible for seven deaths over a period of eight days.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Search for Amelia Earhart Continues
This morning I watched a ceremony on the State Department's website featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announce the support of the federal government in renewing the search for Amelia Earhart this summer. The search will coincide with the 75th anniversary of her disappearance as Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan attempted to circumnavigate the globe aboard the Electra Lockheed.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Prediction: Tebow Will Start in 2012
Jim Antle argues that there is a limited market for Tim Tebow. But even if that's true a limited market is quite different than no market at all.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Manning: A Rocky Mountain Mistake (Or John Elway's Lack of Faith in Tim Tebow)
Jim Antle makes a very good argument about how signing Peyton Manning will be a good thing for the Denver Broncos.
But I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the Broncos will rue the day they signed Manning especially if they trade Tim Tebow.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
But I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the Broncos will rue the day they signed Manning especially if they trade Tim Tebow.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Anti-Semitism in France
The shooting outside a Jewish school today in Toulouse which resulted in the deaths of a rabbi and three children warrants another examination of anti-Semitism in France.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Manhunt in France for Moped Shooter
There is now a nationwide manhunt in France for a shooter on a moped after three students and an adult were shot and killed outside a Jewish school today in Toulouse. Apparently, the adult was the father of two of the students killed.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
NYT Calls J Street a "Pro-Israel Group"
I had a funny feeling when I saw this New York Times headline:
Pro-Israel Groups Differ on Approaches Toward Iran
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Pro-Israel Groups Differ on Approaches Toward Iran
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Ron O'Paul?
I went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston this afternoon.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Pettitte Comes Out of Retirement
I didn't see this coming. Andy Pettitte, who retired after the 2010 season, has signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Williams to Step Down as Archbishop of Canterbury at End of 2012
After ten years at the helm of the Church of England, Rowan Williams will step down as Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of 2012 to accept a position at Cambridge University.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
We're Not Going to War with Iran
Jim Antle argues that the discussion over whether Iran is a rational actor misses the bigger picture of whether we ought to go to war with Iran.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
An Evening with Jon Anderson
On Thursday night, I went to see former Yes lead singer Jon Anderson perform in a solo concert at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Iran's Regime is Inherently Irrational
I appreciate Ross Kaminsky's comments in response to my criticism of General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, concerning his assessment of Iran as a rational actor.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
D'Antoni Steps Down as Knicks Head Coach
In a stunning move, Mike D'Antoni has abruptly resigned as head coach of the New York Knicks.
What a difference a month makes. In February, the Knicks experienced a renaissance with the emergence of Jeremy Lin. At one point, the Knicks had won eight out of nine games including victories over the L.A. Lakers and the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.
However, it's from Linsanity to just plain insanity. Call it March Madness if you will.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
What a difference a month makes. In February, the Knicks experienced a renaissance with the emergence of Jeremy Lin. At one point, the Knicks had won eight out of nine games including victories over the L.A. Lakers and the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.
However, it's from Linsanity to just plain insanity. Call it March Madness if you will.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Santorum Wins Mississippi
Rick Santorum is 2 for 2 tonight. Shortly after winning Alabama, Santorum was declared the winner in Mississippi.
This is the tenth contest Santorum has won against two for Newt Gingrich.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
This is the tenth contest Santorum has won against two for Newt Gingrich.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Santorum Wins Alabama
With just under 50% of the vote in, Fox News is calling Rick Santorum the winner of the Alabama Primary.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
General Dempsey Rationalizes Iran's Irrationality
Today, I have a feature article on the main site which rejects the notion advanced by General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff amongst others than Iran is a rational actor.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Leftist Commemoration Undermines Resolve Against Terror
Yes. Perhaps this is being posted a bit late. However, the points are still valid. If you are going to be that condescending, perhaps you should be reminded that you seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time online obsessively reading columns and articles of those you snidely dismiss as less accomplished than yourself.
It is said that the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn anything from history. Following the attack on 9/11, the nation's leaders as epitomized by the members of Congress joining on the steps of the Capitol in patriotic chorus vowed that they would be vigilant against the laxity of policy and perspective that left the door wide open allowing such a tragedy to transpire in the first place. However, in the decade since then, little has changed in the hearts of many that would prevent an occurrence of similar or greater magnitude from happening again in the future.
Under the auspices of the National Cathedral, an interfaith memorial was to be held in Washington, DC. Since the President and a number of representatives from a variety of religious perspectives were scheduled to speak at the service, the event was billed as and assumed to be one promoting an inclusive brand of diversity and spirituality.
It is estimated that nearly 20% hold to a theology or worldview classifiable as Evangelical in nature. Critics might respond that is only a small percentage of the population and as such the perspective should not be catered to with a proverbial seat on the dais.
If that is the case, then why should a number of other faiths have been included that did next to nothing in laying the foundation upon which this country was built or offer little in addressing the 9/11 attack. One could argue that, at least, Islam should have been allowed on stage to offer an apology for the entire awful mess.
The number of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains in this country no doubt come in at a percentage far below that of the Evangelical Right. A number of these Eastern faiths are emphasized over that of Evangelicalism because of the tendency of these creeds of the Orient to ignore the reality of the troubles plaguing mankind rather than addressing how to really resolve them as in traditional Christianity.
Leftwing religionists, such as those organizing the memorial service sponsored by the National Cathedral, despite clinging to the Christian name do not like to admit evil manifesting in human lives known as sin exists. Pantheism --- the philosophical backbone of Hinduism --- denies the objective reality of sin altogether.
Popular conceptions of Hinduism further down the chain of enlightenment consist of an infinite number of gods (though adherents of a multiplicity of deities still get as jacked out of shape as a monotheistic Jew if a family member comes to Christ as Lord and Savior). However, among elites, the multitude of divinities are not so much distinct personalities but rather representations of the singular unified reality known as “Brahman”.
In fact, according to the adherents of this outlook, we ourselves are not really independent consciences distinct from the comprehensive totality (“Atman is Brahman”). What we perceive as the self is merely an illusion. This is summarized by the teaching of “maya”.
Thus, instead of grappling with the overwhelming horror of sin on such a grand scale as an objective reality such as 9/11, the Eastern perspective just glosses it all over by insisting that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon never really happened in the ultimate sense. And if by some small chance that it really did, such an act at its core couldn’t possibly be evil at its most profound depth. One of the beauties the pantheist insists upon in the All Is One mentality of philosophical monism is that at such a level everything is beyond the limited concepts of good and evil.
One religion invited to the interfaith prayer service is so obscure that it is a safe wager that the majority of Americans have likely never heard of it and even fewer understand it. It was in all likelihood selected as it represents the kind of religion Episcopalian elites would like to impose upon the masses in the future.
As a system of belief, there is very little that Jainism can provide to defend a civilization against the onslaught of terrorism. It does posses a number of tenets that are the equivalent of where liberalism ends up if followed to its logical conclusions.
For example, Jainism does not believe in a personal God as found in the monotheistic traditions. Rather, what is thought of as the ultimate has more in common with a form energy. When considering Jainism, one is reminded of Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” when he describes the Force of that series as “surrounds us. binds us.”
As such, a ratiocinative consciousness cannot be seen as the characteristic separating the higher order lifeforms more worthy of additional ethical concern and reflection. Since this characteristic is not possessed by what Paul Tillich would categorize as the ultimate concern of this creed now under consideration, those life forms possessing it are no more superior or much higher along the chain of being than those that do not.
The way this principle manifests itself is reminiscent of how things would operate if PETA had its way. Jainists are fanatic vegetarians. Not only do they refuse to eat meat, but they also sweep the ground in front of them so as to not inadvertently step on any bugs.
Jains also wear a cloth over their mouths and also abstain from certain vegetables so as to avoid inflicting undue harm on microorganisms. In other words, during the outbreak of a killer epidemic, if they want to remain philosophically consistent, they would have to remain no more in favor of the triumph of man over germ than germ over man in such a biological survival of the fittest.
Certain schools of Eastern thought construed through a Western New Age mindset hold that we create our own reality, largely through how we conceptualize the world around us. This has to be the reason to justify how the Obama administration decided to commemorate the anniversary of September 11th.
To fully appreciate what happened that tragic day, one cannot avoid who it was and what motivated these scumbags to carry out an act of such evil that the average person cannot fully grasp the magnitude of the deed's animus. By emphasizing this act of Islamist terror, the nation would be reminded that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance and that there exists those in the world whose highest goal is the destruction of that with which we have been blessed.
Instead, the Obama administration issued directives that the specifics of the attack were to be downplayed (as if the Twin Towers simply collapsed and a large gaping whole split the Pentagon all on their own). Instead, government officials and spokesmen were to present a "positive forward looking narrative" emphasizing trivialities such as community service.
However, some things that happen aren't positive. To be historically accurate, one cannot deny or sweep under the rug that several thousand Americans died that day and who it was that killed them.
Religion and/or spirituality is one of the most important pillars embraced by an individual influencing how they will cope with what transpires in the world around them. And though the state should have virtually no say in determining what path one ultimately decides upon for oneself, it has to be admitted that some creeds optimize one's chances of survival over others in that they approach the world as it actually exists rather than how we would like it to be.
by Frederick Meekins
It is said that the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn anything from history. Following the attack on 9/11, the nation's leaders as epitomized by the members of Congress joining on the steps of the Capitol in patriotic chorus vowed that they would be vigilant against the laxity of policy and perspective that left the door wide open allowing such a tragedy to transpire in the first place. However, in the decade since then, little has changed in the hearts of many that would prevent an occurrence of similar or greater magnitude from happening again in the future.
Under the auspices of the National Cathedral, an interfaith memorial was to be held in Washington, DC. Since the President and a number of representatives from a variety of religious perspectives were scheduled to speak at the service, the event was billed as and assumed to be one promoting an inclusive brand of diversity and spirituality.
It is estimated that nearly 20% hold to a theology or worldview classifiable as Evangelical in nature. Critics might respond that is only a small percentage of the population and as such the perspective should not be catered to with a proverbial seat on the dais.
If that is the case, then why should a number of other faiths have been included that did next to nothing in laying the foundation upon which this country was built or offer little in addressing the 9/11 attack. One could argue that, at least, Islam should have been allowed on stage to offer an apology for the entire awful mess.
The number of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains in this country no doubt come in at a percentage far below that of the Evangelical Right. A number of these Eastern faiths are emphasized over that of Evangelicalism because of the tendency of these creeds of the Orient to ignore the reality of the troubles plaguing mankind rather than addressing how to really resolve them as in traditional Christianity.
Leftwing religionists, such as those organizing the memorial service sponsored by the National Cathedral, despite clinging to the Christian name do not like to admit evil manifesting in human lives known as sin exists. Pantheism --- the philosophical backbone of Hinduism --- denies the objective reality of sin altogether.
Popular conceptions of Hinduism further down the chain of enlightenment consist of an infinite number of gods (though adherents of a multiplicity of deities still get as jacked out of shape as a monotheistic Jew if a family member comes to Christ as Lord and Savior). However, among elites, the multitude of divinities are not so much distinct personalities but rather representations of the singular unified reality known as “Brahman”.
In fact, according to the adherents of this outlook, we ourselves are not really independent consciences distinct from the comprehensive totality (“Atman is Brahman”). What we perceive as the self is merely an illusion. This is summarized by the teaching of “maya”.
Thus, instead of grappling with the overwhelming horror of sin on such a grand scale as an objective reality such as 9/11, the Eastern perspective just glosses it all over by insisting that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon never really happened in the ultimate sense. And if by some small chance that it really did, such an act at its core couldn’t possibly be evil at its most profound depth. One of the beauties the pantheist insists upon in the All Is One mentality of philosophical monism is that at such a level everything is beyond the limited concepts of good and evil.
One religion invited to the interfaith prayer service is so obscure that it is a safe wager that the majority of Americans have likely never heard of it and even fewer understand it. It was in all likelihood selected as it represents the kind of religion Episcopalian elites would like to impose upon the masses in the future.
As a system of belief, there is very little that Jainism can provide to defend a civilization against the onslaught of terrorism. It does posses a number of tenets that are the equivalent of where liberalism ends up if followed to its logical conclusions.
For example, Jainism does not believe in a personal God as found in the monotheistic traditions. Rather, what is thought of as the ultimate has more in common with a form energy. When considering Jainism, one is reminded of Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” when he describes the Force of that series as “surrounds us. binds us.”
As such, a ratiocinative consciousness cannot be seen as the characteristic separating the higher order lifeforms more worthy of additional ethical concern and reflection. Since this characteristic is not possessed by what Paul Tillich would categorize as the ultimate concern of this creed now under consideration, those life forms possessing it are no more superior or much higher along the chain of being than those that do not.
The way this principle manifests itself is reminiscent of how things would operate if PETA had its way. Jainists are fanatic vegetarians. Not only do they refuse to eat meat, but they also sweep the ground in front of them so as to not inadvertently step on any bugs.
Jains also wear a cloth over their mouths and also abstain from certain vegetables so as to avoid inflicting undue harm on microorganisms. In other words, during the outbreak of a killer epidemic, if they want to remain philosophically consistent, they would have to remain no more in favor of the triumph of man over germ than germ over man in such a biological survival of the fittest.
Certain schools of Eastern thought construed through a Western New Age mindset hold that we create our own reality, largely through how we conceptualize the world around us. This has to be the reason to justify how the Obama administration decided to commemorate the anniversary of September 11th.
To fully appreciate what happened that tragic day, one cannot avoid who it was and what motivated these scumbags to carry out an act of such evil that the average person cannot fully grasp the magnitude of the deed's animus. By emphasizing this act of Islamist terror, the nation would be reminded that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance and that there exists those in the world whose highest goal is the destruction of that with which we have been blessed.
Instead, the Obama administration issued directives that the specifics of the attack were to be downplayed (as if the Twin Towers simply collapsed and a large gaping whole split the Pentagon all on their own). Instead, government officials and spokesmen were to present a "positive forward looking narrative" emphasizing trivialities such as community service.
However, some things that happen aren't positive. To be historically accurate, one cannot deny or sweep under the rug that several thousand Americans died that day and who it was that killed them.
Religion and/or spirituality is one of the most important pillars embraced by an individual influencing how they will cope with what transpires in the world around them. And though the state should have virtually no say in determining what path one ultimately decides upon for oneself, it has to be admitted that some creeds optimize one's chances of survival over others in that they approach the world as it actually exists rather than how we would like it to be.
by Frederick Meekins
Friday, March 9, 2012
Soledad O'Brien & That Guy From Cheers Get Really, Really Mad
I saw this video of this interrogation of Joel Pollak of Breitbart.com on CNN by Soledad O'Brien over the video of a then Harvard Law Review President Barack Obama embracing the late Harvard professor Derrick Bell followed by Harvard Law's Charles Ogletree bragging about how he hid the tape during the 2008 election.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
Could Manning Replace Tebow in Denver?
Well, this is very interesting. Peyton Manning is meeting with the Denver Broncos.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.
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