Please Vote NO on Cass Sunstein

Senators Udall & Bennett,

As you know, Cass Sunstein has been nominated by President Obama to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. I vehemently oppose his nomination and hope that you will agree with me that he holds radical views that are out of step with common Colorado values.

In a 2007 speech at Harvard University, Professor Sunstein said that he wants to ban hunting, and he intends to do it by regulating it out of existence. He is also strongly supports increased gun control, and downplays the 2nd Amendment. Colorado citizens view the rights to bear arms and to hunt as sacred, and modern wildlife management (including hunting) has given us some of the healthiest wildlife populations in history. We need to enforce current gun regulations and remote those that clearly have no effect on violent crime, not create more.

In a 2007 speech at Harvard, he put animal suffering on the same moral scale as human genocide and slavery. On page 11 of "Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions" (2004), he made the bizarre statement that animals could bring lawsuits against people. This could have devastating effects on farming and ranching in Colorado. Grocery prices are high enough without new, insane government regulations giving Bessie the Milk Cow human rights.

In his 2008 book “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness” he says that he wants to change organ donation from opt-in to opt-out, which would make the very personal, private choice about organ donation almost no choice at all. Colorado values freedom and personal liberty.

Sincerely,

Jeff Odegard
Colorado Springs

Give back the Helmet

We picked up a game for the kids at a garage sale. It's a Christian themed game called "Armor of God." Overall, it's a pretty good game. You go around the board trying to collect the 6 pieces of spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6. There are "battle" cards that either give or take away pieces of armor depending on the situation. For example, "you got in trouble at school, but then confessed to your parents. You get the Breastplate of Righteousness." or, "you didn't read your Bible, give back the Sword of the Spirit." It's a kid's game, on the kids' level, so it doesn't have to be perfect.

However, my daughter drew a card and got stuck trying to read a big word, so I took it to read it for her. It read:

You are embarrassed to
let your friends know
that you go to church
on Sundays.

Give back the
Helmet of Salvation.

I just smiled, gave the card to my wife and said, "let's pick another card." My daughter ended up with the sandals or something like that, and we kept playing. I kept the card when we cleaned up and put the game away.

So what's wrong? Can you really lose your salvation by being afraid to tell your friends you go to church? The card is based on a faulty interpretation of Matthew 10:32-33:

32 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."

At first glance, some would jump to the conclusion that for Jesus to deny someone before the Father means that they will lose their salvation, but the passage is saying something quite different. The real question is, what does it mean to have Jesus confess or deny us before the Father?

2 Timothy 2:11-13 says:

11 It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Here enduring is contrasted with denying. If we endure, we receive the reward of reigning with Him. If we deny Him, He denies us - denying us the reward of reigning with Him. This is just what Luke 9:26 says: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." It's not about losing salvation, it's about being ashamed before the Father on the day of judgment. Look back at 2 Timothy 2:13. If we are faithless, if we blow it, if we are ashamed and afraid to tell people about Him, He remains faithful to us because of His character. He gives us grace when we blow it because He is gracious, loving and forgiving.

My favorite passage about our security in Christ is Ephesians 1:13-14, which says,

"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

We are saved by grace through faith, and the moment we believe we receive the Holy Spirit, who seals us and is the pledge - the down payment - on our salvation. God does not break His promises, and His purpose in this promise is His own glory. You can't give back the Helmet of Salvation any more than you could turn a butterfly back into a caterpillar. At the moment of faith, a fundamental change happens inside you, and "you are a new creature; old things have passed away. Behold! New things have come!" (2 Cor 5:17)

I don't think that card will make it back to the game.

Note: Here is a slightly longer article on the topic of eternal security.

Fox News Still Pushing Soft-Core Porn

Today's fair and balanced soft core porn from Fox News:

• "Olivia Wilde's Potty Mouth" (including "hot" photo spread of Ms. Wilde in various stages of undress.
• (Former Playboy Model and Hugh Hefner girlfriend) "Holly Madison Tending Bar!"
• Fox "SexPert" "Wetter is Better"
• Maxim Monday "Haley's 'Bust-Out' 3-D Role"

Come on Fox! The economy is on the rocks with unemployment and foreclosures are set to skyrocket. Our president is trying to cram a health care plan nobody wants down our throats. Iran and North Korea are pushing for nuclear weapons, and you are trying to make an extra buck pushing porn?

Our society is crumbling around our ears and you're contributing to it. Please, please, clean the trash off your site and focus on the real news.

This just in (well, it was news to me...): The New American, March 20, 2006 reported that Rupert Murdoch has a growing porn empire, including channels on his British Sky network. Come on Mike Huckabee, you're a former Baptist pastor. Come on Glenn Beck, you're a Mormon. Come on Father Jonathan, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, you're good Catholics. Stand up to your boss and tell him Fox news needs to clean up its act!

Open Letter to Fox News

Letter sent to yourcomments@foxnews.com this evening:

I'm really tired of all the sex and sleaze on foxnews.com. I'm not a prude (but I am a Christian), but how often do I have to see "Playboy bunny wants bigger breasts" on a serious news site? Half of the articles in Features & Faces consistently use sex to draw readers to your news site, and I'm tired of it. I'm a conservative who will find other sites to read.

Besides, since Mr. Murdoch wants to start charging for his websites, I need to wean myself off your site before he does. I refuse to pay for Internet news. That's what your advertisers are for.

Democrat, Republican or Texan?

I got this in an email at work today, and couldn't pass up posting it!

Are you a Democrat, a Republican or a Texan? The answer can be found by posing the following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. You are carrying a Colt 1911 cal. 45 semiautomatic pistol, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?

(Image courtesy of Xavier Thoughts)

....................................................
THINK CAREFULLY:
....................................................

Democrat's Answer:

• Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
• Does the man look poor or oppressed?
• Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
• Could we run away?
• What does my wife think?
• What about the kids?
• Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
• What does the law say about this situation?
• Does the Colt have appropriate safety built into it?
• Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
• Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me? Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
• If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
• Should I call 9-1-1?
• Why is this street so deserted?
• We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
• This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.

...................................................
Republican's Answer:

• BANG!

...................................................


Texan's Answer:

• BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!* Click..... (Sounds of reloading)
• BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click


• Daughter: 'Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester SilverTips or Hollow Points?'
• Son: 'Can I shoot the next one!'

* Note: the original email only had 9 bullets in the 1911 before reloading. The 1911 magazine holds 10. Actually a real Texan would load up 10+1. Also, there would be no "click" when the gun was empty because the slide would lock back and the hammer would be unable to drop, thus no "click". A competent handgunner would also be counting rounds expended and rounds remaining, so the second magazine would be on it's way to the gun immediately after the 11th round (10+1) was fired.**

** The previous note confirms that I am a gun geek. :o}

Things that make me angry...

This from Telegraph.co.uk today:

"A businessman was held on suspicion of attempted murder after confronting a gang of youths who allegedly threatened to kill his wife and attacked his stepson outside their home.
Colin Philpott was roused from bed and, still barefoot, challenged the group as his stepson, Alex, was battered in the front garden of the family’s £500,000 property.
In the scuffle which followed, one of the youths, named locally as Josh Hasler, was stabbed a number of times and collapsed in the street. Police were called, leading to the arrest of Mr Philpott and five of the youths, aged 16."

A gang of at least 6 punks break into his house, attack his stepson, threaten to kill him and his wife, and he gets arrested for exercising his natural, God-given right to self-defense? According to the liberal nutjobs who run the country, I suppose he should have just rolled over and let them kill his family. Poor, misguided youths; they probably didn't know any better. They're the real victims here.

I hope the bobbies come to their senses, drop all charges and issue an apology, but that would assume a level of common sense that they just don't possess anymore in jolly old England.

Please Vote No on Heath Care Reform

Senators Bennet and Udall,

I have been watching the progress of the health care debate on Capitol hill and am very concerned, as I was with the Cap and Trade bill, that the proposed bill is a fiscal nightmare waiting to happen. I do not need to provide you with the specific details, but here is a quck list of my concerns:

1. The CBO has warned of a $1 trillion cost explosion if it is passed. To pay for this, plan is to heavily tax the top tax bracket, which will hurt small businesses and entrepeneurs, further hurting the economy. In fact, it is very probable that taxes will have to eventaully be raised for all Americans (despite the President's pre-election promises) to cover skyrocketing health care bills.
2. In other countries, nationalizing Health Care has lead to rationing, long waits, lower quality of service, and health care workers leaving the practice. Why is the survival rate for prostate cancer almost 98% in the US, but only 74% in Great Britain? Why are there ridiculously long waits for common surgeries in the UK, Canada and the rest of Europe, but very little wait here in the US? Nationalized Health Care has (like Cap and Trade) been a national disaster in countries that have tried it.
3. The government has been unable to efficiently and effectively run any other program. I have no reason to believe it will do any better with health care. Nationalized health care will only add a monstrous layer of bureaucracy, control and inefficiency between me and my doctors.
4. Please look at the list of cons at http://www.balancedpolitics.org/universal_health_care.htm.
   

Yes, we have a healthcare problem in the US, but it is nothing compared to the problems caused by Nationalized Health Care in other countries. There are better solutions out there that respect individual liberty, privacy, choice and the free market capitalism that has made this country great.

As an additional note, I notice that the Honorable John Thune (R-SD), sponsored Amendment 1618 which was added to the Defense Authorization Bill (S. 1390). It would give individuals with state-issued Concealed Handgun Licences (CHL) reciprocity in all states that allow concealed carry. At this time, CHL reciprocity between states is a constantly changing, confusing mess that puts law-abiding citizens in danger of unknowingly breaking gun laws in various states. Every trip out of state requires researching the current reciprocity and laws of each state I will travel through. Please support Amendment 1618 to SB 1390. Please support the People's Right to Keep and Bear Arms as documented in the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and upheld in last year's Heller v. Washington D.C. decision.*

I have noticed that support for President Obama is plummeting, especially among independent voters, and that many moderate Democrats are beginning to resist the President's radical agenda in light of the upcoming mid-term elections. I was very interested to hear that Senator Bennet is up for re-election in 2010. I look forward to casting my vote in that election. For the first time ever, I am considering getting personally involved in backing the candidate of my choice.

Sincerely,

Jeff A. Odegard
Colorado Springs

* Note to my blog-readers: The rights outlined in the Bill of Rights are "inalienable" and "natural" rights, inherent to men, women, and children because they are given by God.. The Bill of Rights recognizes, documents, and codifies these rights, but does not grant these rights. On the contrary, the Bill of Rights (like the rest of the Constitution) limits the powers of the US Government and protects the rights of the people and the individual States.