Without Politicians

Oprah is a superstar. She is a megacelebrity with a bank account to match. She made $260 million between June 2006 and June 2007. She is worth an estimated $1.5 billion. I have no problem with this. I do get the feeling that Oprah’s perspective on all this money and success is flawed. You see, God owns all this, not Oprah. She is a manager and nothing more. Consider these words:

You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

Oprah has been getting spiritual with the aid of guru Eckart Tolle. She will take his word to heart, but is she willng to do the same with God’s Word? Will she ever admit that her success, fame, and money are GIFTS from the Lord? The one and only.

Beyond even this, and one does not have to be religious to understand this, she gives away chunks of money for her own benefit all in the name of charity. This is what bothers me the most about Oprah. She is always in self-promotion mode. For Christians, it is much worse, because we believe God owns it all. Oprah is using God’s money for her own personal and professional gain. To her credit, she is not the only human on the planet doing this, but this fact does not make it any less horrid. Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount discourse, says this about giving to the needy:

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4)

This is my challenge to Oprah, even though it is quite certain her eyes will never view this blog post: Spend one year being charitable without the cameras. Let no one know what you are giving and to whom you are giving. Do not even publicly attach your name to anything concerning giving to the needy. Do it in secret as Jesus commanded. Can you do it?

What do you think? Is is possible for Oprah to live 12 months without announcing any type of charity? She would have to give up her most popular episode, “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” to fulfill this. She would have to stop filming Oprah’s Big Give. She would not be able to attend ANY charity dinners and galas. It does not seem possible to me. She is too vested in herself as a commodity to stop giving under the spotlight. This is sad.

Related Posts:

Oprah’s False Christianity
[O]prah [W]infrey’s [N]arcissism
The Real American Dream

This kid exemplifies teenage stupidity. I cannot fault him, because I was an idiot in high school as well.

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YouTube Stupidity, Pt. 3
YouTube Stupidity, Pt. 1

Irresponsible Human Behavior
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Increased CO2 Production
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Increased Greenhouse Gas Concentrations
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Global Warming
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Radical Planetary Climate Change
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Human Extinction

There are some startling new statistics regarding latina teens. The following comes from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

• 51% of Latina teens get pregnant at least once
  before age 20—nearly twice the national average.
• Latinas have had the highest teen birth rate of any
  major ethnic/racial minority in the country since 1995.
• Latina teen birth rates have declined about half as fast
  as non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black teens.
  In fact, teen birth rates have actually
  increased in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
• The Latino population is the largest and fastest growing
  minority group in the United States—by 2025, one quarter
  of all teens will be Latino. Clearly whatever
  goes on among Latino teens not only affects the Latino
  community, but also has an extraordinary impact on the
  nation as a whole.

This last statement is telling. Hispanics may one day outnumber all races in America if current birth rate trends continue. A high teen pregnancy rate among any race, but particularly one that is projected to be in the majority, has negative implications for everyone. I do not know if sex-at-fifteen is a cultural thing or if it is the result of rampant secularism (MTV, music, magazines, fashion, movies, commercials, etc.). It is more likely a mixture of both.

Many of these teen girls end up giving birth to multiple children with multiple fathers, virtually guaranteeing the long term need for social services like Medicaid and food stamps. This is a problem as evidenced by a February 6, 2007 article from The Arizona Republic:

Latina teens are 3 1/2 times more likely than Anglo teens to become pregnant in Arizona and are about one-third more likely to get pregnant than Hispanics nationwide.

This has helped keep Arizona’s teen pregnancy rate one of the highest in the nation. And Arizona taxpayers are increasingly picking up the tab: 82 percent of all teen births in 2005 were paid for by the state’s Medicaid program, up from 71 percent a decade earlier. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy estimates that Arizona taxpayers spent $268 million in 2004 for costs related to teen pregnancy, ranging from health care to welfare to lost income taxes.

According to an October 30, 2007 Newsweek article by Sarah Elkins, latinas “attend ’skipping parties’—as in skipping school—where they shed their inhibitions with the help of alcohol, pot and other drugs and hook up (have sex) with guys who are usually older than they are.” Elkins goes on to point out that, culturally, latinas are taught about “chastity and demureness,” while their male counterparts are more likely to be taught about “virility and conquest.”

Why, then, do these girls have sex at age 13 if they are raised to know better? The Arizona Republic article above points out that “Parents are busy adjusting to a new country, language and culture; they often work several jobs, while their kids are immersed in American teen culture, entrenched in sexy clothes, sexy music and sexy images on TV.” At some point, a disconnect between parent and child forms. This disconnect needs to be fixed fast judging by what Marisa Treviño tells us at the blog Latina Lista:

A friend recently told me that her daughter, who attends a majority-Latino, public middle school (6th, 7th and 8th grades) in Dallas, Texas, told her that there were 26 girls pregnant at her school. She routinely has 1-3 girls, at minimum, in her classes who are pregnant. But what is equally shocking is that her daughter said that the girls sit around and talk about how they ‘planned their pregnancies.’ It’s comprehensible that girls would plan for sex since sex is equated with sexiness and attractiveness and is so overtly glamorized in music videos and movies. There’s no pre-teen or teenage girl who doesn’t want to feel attractive and wanted by boys, but the idea that a fat belly is equally a turn-on is just a plain mystery.

In other words, being pregnant is fashionable. I approach this travesty from a layman’s perspective and cannot offer anything but a common sense approach. Articles like Elkins’ and Treviño’s offer better insight into the cultural reasons behind higher latina teen pregnancy rates. Treviño gives us the most culturally relevant and common sense statement about all of this:

All of these are scenarios that play a part in teens getting pregnant, but one other scenario that has never really been discussed is that some teens who get pregnant are continuing a family cycle — they see it as a tradition. Mom got pregnant young, dropped out of school, had more kids, worked dead-end jobs, never thought about school again. Daughter follows mom’s footstep.

This tradition has to end.

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In another sign America has peaked as a nation, a 14-year-old boy from Dallas, TX was arrested for dealing “cheese,” a heroin and over-the-counter medication mix. Along with the drugs, police found a mixture of firearms with “hundreds of rounds of ammunition.” To make it even better, an 8-year-old boy acted as the lookout. Where were the parents? They were oblivious to what was going on, judging by their arrest and subsequent release.

Back in February, it was an 11-year-old sex predator making the news in North Texas. What will be next? This is what Deputy Chief Julian Bernal had to say about all of this:

Once again, we’re back talking about 14-year-olds, and now 8-year-olds involved in the process of selling heroin. That’s extremely disturbing, and as a society it ought to be disturbing for all of us.

Well said.

The following came from Heather Millar’s article “An Unlucky Devil.” It appeared in the December 15, 2007 issue of American Way.

Nothing special, right? Here is what I saw:

Sony goes the sex route to sell its Vaio laptop. At least Sony had the couple in the video wear matching wedding bands (13 and 18 seconds).

Entertainment Weekly is predicting a box office gross of $310.8 million for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (#2) as part of their ten highest grossing films of the summer. Only Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is predicted to make more. You have to take these kinds of predictions for what they are: guesstimates. What do you think? The first Narnia made $292 million total. Will it beat out films like Iron Man (#5), The Dark Knight (#6), and The Incredible Hulk (#9)? Iron Man just cranked out $100.8 million dollars on its opening weekend. The race is on.

Additional predictions [Link]

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Someone Hates Narnia

Switchfoot just released their video for “This Is Home.” The song appears on the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I am going to go out on a limb and say this song is about Heaven. Jon Foreman talks about the song at the GMA Dove Awards. Check it out:

Were Chad Butler (Switchfoot) and Luke Wilson separated at birth? It sure looks like it.

Next week (05.12-05.15), Vh1 will glorify the sexual revolution. The 4-part documentary will begin with the “rigid” and “frigid” 1950s and proceeds through four decades of Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, birth control, free speech, “free love,” female objectification, pornography, feminism, taboos, androgyny, Deep Throat, moral crusaders, public sex, capitalism, Hollywood, homosexuality, STDs, and AIDS. Here is the summary from the official press release:

‘Sex: The Revolution‘ frankly examines a colorful and controversial chapter of modern American history, when individuals and events coalesced to challenge the moral orthodoxy surrounding sex and sexual behavior. Eros moved from the shadows into the sphere of public discussion, as people sought to eradicate sexual ignorance, fear and loathing. Activism took root and laws were changed; traditional institutions and gender roles were questioned; pleasure was had, and so was profit. And as with any revolution, there were counter-forces seeking a return to the status quo.

Now that the status quo is sex-all-the-time with anyone and anywhere, what is next? Beastiality? Sex with robots? Sex with machines? The latter already is commonplace. We already know the sexual revolution failed to liberate anyone. It just gave us AIDS, abortions for profit, and commodified sex. Glorifying this baby boomer debacle is moronic.

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Barack Obama has tried to downplay it, while Bill Clinton has reminded us of it. Race may very well decide the Democratic nomination and beyond. This should be a concern for all Americans. When race becomes the decider, things like character, competency, patriotism, honesty, integrity, and readiness lose importance.

Thousands of Americans have voted for Obama because he is African-American, and thousands have voted against him for the same reason. This type of voting style will only increase in the future, especially when the first viable Latin-American makes a run. Sorry, Bill Richardson, but you were never in the game.

In the January 21, 2008 edition of Newsweek, Jon Meacham exposed the quanundrum facing African-American voters. In his article, “Letting Hillary Be Hillary,” he asks a female, African-American colleague what she thought about the Clinton campaign. This is what she said:

I was a Hillary supporter going into the primaries. When Barrack won in Iowa, I felt like a traitor to may race. What if this really is a moment where a black president is possible and I was going to vote for the woman! I felt awful. I constructed this whole complicated theory that I was resistant to the election of Barack because, if he won, then I and ever other black person in the world was going to have to accept a new paradigm in American race relations—namely racism is not as pervasive and encompassing as we might like to believe and that the victim stance was going to be pretty hard to claim in the future. So then I became really excited and imagined how inspirational a black president would be, especially to the young black men who feel hopeless.

She then goes on to remind us that gender is also playing a role in this election:

Then came the ‘You’re likable enough, Hillary’ moment, and I swung sharply back to Hillary. I thought: ‘Great, another man who resents strong women and therefore resorts to personal insults to demean her.’

This is telling, because it shows that there is a conscious awareness among African-Americans that racism-as-an-excuse is losing credibility in America. Goodbye Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. It also shows the guilt associated with an Obama rejection in the midst of a possible cultural moment. These issues and concerns have to be in the minds of African-American voters.

There is a sad reality to all this. Say Obama becomes the 44th president and during his term things do not improve for African-Americans. What if the rates on incarceration, teen pregnancy, STD’s, graduation, and income levels stay stagnant or get worse? This will pose a problem for the Democratic Party if either Obama or Clinton get the White House, but if it is Obama, the letdown among African-Americans will be astronomical.

Voting for an African-American because of the historicity of his campaign is ignorance. Voting for a woman because of the historicity of her campaign is also ignorance. The ideological divide between Obama and Clinton is razor thin, forcing a tie breaker of sorts.

The Democratic nomination will now be decided by the superdelegates and not the voters. Will the superdelegates risk permanently alienating a large Democratic base and instigating Al Sharpton-led rioting in Denver? I am sure some of the more nihilistic members of the Democratic Party are salivating at the prospect of repeating Chicago ‘68, but doing so would be political suicide. A Hillary Clinton nomination=a lost voter base and a need for riot gear.

The Democratic Party created this situation. “The First Black President” has been called a racist when all he is doing is holding up a mirror to reality. Obama is getting votes because of his race (8 in 10 African-Americans voted for him in the South Carolina primary). Clinton is getting votes because of her gender. I do not see how the superdelegates can choose Clinton given the consequences. The Democrats are now being forced to play up to race, because Obama has been unable to put Clinton away in the primaries.

Back in 1998 when Bill was performing sex acts on Monica Lewinsky, showing young Americans alternative uses for cigars, African-American voters stood by him. This time it is different. Barack Obama is the first viable African-American candidate to run for president. Race is a part of it. African-Americans see hope in Obama like they never have seen before in a candidate. There is nothing wrong with this, and actually, is great to see. The problem is when voters choose Obama out of an emotional response due to a perceived moment. Bill Clinton, “The First Black President,” was a default candidate based on party affiliation. Obama is much more than this, but he should not be the default candidate for any percentage of voters based on his race.

Related Posts:

More American Than Obama
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Christ-Followers With B.O.
Does Barack Obama Hate America?

Perhaps America’s brand of secularism poses a particular problem. It allows for professing belief in God and respects the public role of religion and the churches, but at the same time can subtly reduce religious belief to a lowest common denominator. The result is a growing separation of faith from life.

-The Pope speaking to American bishops during his recent visit, “Pope Praises Americans’ Faith and Warns of Perils of Secularism,” The New York Times (04.17.08)

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The Warm Fuzzy Church
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Yesterday, I saw a young American wearing a t-shirt you will not see too often outside of a church youth group:

God Owns It All

How is your perspective? Are you still on an ego trip? You own nothing. 

Finally, Barack Obama came out of the closet and denounced his mentor and friend, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. He thoroughly trashed him only weeks from saying in Philadelphia that he could not disown him. This is a flip-flop that puts John Kerry to shame. Obama seems to think that when things are starting to stink, he can just get rid off the trash and everything will smell like roses. It will not work and things are worse off for him now that he has thrown Wright under the bus.

I am not buying what Obama is selling and anyone who does is still trapped in his tractor beam. Here is the deal so listen closely. This is the probable, yet unprovable, scenario: Obama needed to shed some Wright to get his campaign back up to speed and Wright needed to stroke his damaged ego. The two worked out a plan to help each other. Obama gets to go on a rant to rebuke Wright’s falsehoods and gets some damage control, while Wright enjoys a publicity tour answering softball questions, getting his ego boosted along with future book sales. It is a win/win, at least to the “messiah” and his followers.

The New John Kerry is in deeper, murkier water now. His credibility is shot if it was not already shot. He should have done all this right out of the gate before Wright was a one-word punchline. It is an assault on reason (thanks Al Gore) to suggest Obama was ignorant of Wright’s world view long before he entered the presidential race. It goes back to the question Obama likes to dance around like a school girl: Why did you stay at Trinity United Church of Christ if you and your family were being fed this incendiary garbage? Was it because you needed to hear his rhetoric to feed your world view?

The New John Kerry is more of the same—a politician concerned with attaining power and power only. This type of politician will say and do anything to get it. Obama is now flip-flopping on Wright in order to save his quest to become the most powerful man on the planet. He is willing to throw his mentor and his grandmother in front of a train to get what he wants. America is next.

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I went bowling last night for the first time in 13 years. I was in high school then. This time, I bowled while watching the Dallas Mavericks implode in the playoffs yet again. At least the Dallas Stars won. Here are the stats:

• Game 1 (136)
• Game 2 (174)
• Game 3 (191 - six strikes, five consecutive)
• Game 4 (Unknown/Time Expired - sitting on 100 at frame six with two spares and two strikes in frames 7, 8, 9, and 10) I am guessing 150s-160s.

Since I do not know what my lifetime high score is, I will just say 191 is now the score to beat.

In Case You Thought Women Were Human
No, It Was Just Natural Selection
Where Did Jesus Go?
Faced My Mortality, Still An Atheist
What’s Ben Stein Smoking?
Abortion, Why I Can See Both Sides
With Thanks To My Atheist Mother
Defining Racisim
Coming Out
What It Takes To Believe In Hell
Expelled: The First Numbers Are In
Would You Marry A Theist?

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What The Atheists Are Saying, Pt. 1

These words of wisdom come from an interview called “Stupid Questions With Flavor Flav” that appeared in the April 18th edition of Entertainment Weekly. This quote should have been Nancy Reagan’s anti-drug campaign slogan.

Yo, yo—believing the hype is better than smoking the pipe.

The following letter to the editor appeared in the April 17th edition of USA Today and is very straight up about what immigration to America ought to look like. Two things about this letter from Klaus Bauer: (1) It is considered racist by today’s definition of racism. (2) It puts America in a more positive light than anything Barack Obama has uttered out of his mouth.

I came to USA as a legal immigrant from Germany 10 years ago. I was 35.

Already possessing pretty decent English language skills, I still took several classes before my arrival, making sure that this move would be an easy transition for me. I knew I wanted to stay in my professional field, which is finance, so I also learned financial terms used in this country.

I found employment within a month, I found new friends and co-workers, and due to hard work, I was able to work my way up in the corporate world. From Day One, I was welcomed with open arms, especially after showing efforts to learn the language. For me, USA is still the land of opportunity where everybody gets a fair chance at improving himself or herself.

I’m honored to be here and to show this great country the respect it deserves by speaking its language fluently and also by achieving citizenship.

Every immigrant has to make a decision to live by the rules if he or she wants to live here. It is hard for me to understand immigrants who come here without English skills, refuse to take an English class and then wonder why they’re not accepted by society.

The America of Klaus Bauer is an America of opportunity, not an America of bitterness. You see, Mr. Bauer recognizes the greatness of this country while Mr. Obama just recognizes the bitterness and negativity. Mr. Bauer seeks to lift America up while Mr. Obama seeks to tear it down. Mr. Bauer is “honored” to be an American while Mr. Obama associates with terrorists and listens to a pastor who equates America with the KKK. Does Barack Obama hate America? It is quite possible.

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I like to lift weights. I am not huge or anything, but I still enjoy pushing myself to achieve new goals. I can lift weights my whole life and never get anywhere near the size and strength of today’s professional bodybuilders, nor would I really desire to do so. Even so, I still admire the determination and dedication these guys and gals possess.

You may or may not have ever heard about 9-time Mr. Olympia and Arlington, TX resident Ronnie Coleman, but if you have, did you know this genetic freak does what he does for God? I recently found an interview over at bodybuilding.com where Ronnie briefly discusses his faith and how it all ties into his world view.

[Q] Is it correct that God, and a Christian faith, plays a big role in your life?

That’s something my mum started, from day one, as far back as I can remember. I’ve had a good Christian background. We’ve always believed in God, and for the most part I’ve always believed that we’re all here for a purpose, and everybody has a purpose in life - a calling. My calling is to be Mr. Olympia.

There is only one reason why I’m here and that is to serve God, and to do pretty much what he wants me to do. God is the person that put us here, and he put us here for a reason, and that reason is to serve him. If we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing by serving him, then we’re all living a very good life.

[Q] What other ways does having a strong Christian faith influence you in your daily life?

It reiterates and confirms the reason why I’m Mr. Olympia, and the reason why I’m Mr. Olympia is because God has chosen that destiny for me. That makes it real easy for me to train (laughs).

I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, what I was put here to do - serving God. So everything I do, I do for God. As long as you have that philosophy, then life will be real easy for you, for the most part.

[Q] Is there any one person, or experience that has had a positive effect on your bodybuilding career over the years?

For the most part I had never really wanted to be a bodybuilder, that was something that was chosen for me. So my family have had no influence on my career in this regard. Nobody never really encouraged me to do bodybuilding, it was something God chose for me, and I accepted it.

That is pretty amazing. “It was something God chose for me.” To borrow from Switchfoot yet again, “This is your life, are you who you want to be?” (“This Is Your Life”) If you listen to this song you might think it is worldly, but it is about following God’s plan. “Who you want to be” is really who God wants you to be. Are you walking your own path or are you walking down God’s path? We can plan are own paths all we want, but if our path does not mesh with God’s path, eventually our path will end in failure.

Ronnie Coleman getting crazy:

Check out his 2300 pound leg press. [Here]
Check out his 800 pound squat. [Here]
Check out his 800 pound deadlift. [Here]