Edmund Burke

"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."

Turkey Day?

What is this? First they came for Christmas, and I didn't speak up because I figured "Happy Holidays" had a nice ring. Then they came for Easter, and I did not speak up because my mouth was full of honey-baked ham. Then they came for Thanksgiving, and there was no one to speak for it!


I said there was no one to speak for it!

Ooh, I'm sorry. You're stuffing your faces with mashed potatoes. Gotcha. Sorry. I guess I can lead the charge after dinner. What? Football first? Aah. Ok. Well, how about after...? No again? What? Oh, pie? How many kinds? FIVE! Well, it would simply be sacrilege to sacrifice those good pies for the sake of a name! After all, as the wise Juliet so, well, wisely declared: "What's in a name?"

A heck of a darn lot, that's what. Turkey day, my leg. And I'm not talking about the drumstick I've got in my hand. Out of all the holidays there are, Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorites. Yes, I love Christmas, and I'm ready, believe me. My Carpenter's CD is primed, and lights go up Dec. 1, because it's just wrong to put them up earlier. I love celebrating the birth of Our Lord and Savior, and the mystery and magic of all of that. Easter, and it's reminder of the suffering of Jesus Christ for we who didn't deserve it is likewise a wonderful day. And 4th of July, well, I love eating barbecue, and pool parties are fun, and I love America. But when else to you get to stuff your face and not have your mom glare at you from across the table?

My traditional Thanksgiving dinner consists of turkey, preferably smoked though traditionally oven-baked. Two kinds of stuffing are necessary: wet and dry. I prefer wet, but dry seems to be the one that lasts longer and it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. Green bean casserole is a must, as well as mashed potatoes. Mom's famous sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top is a great addition to the flavor medley, as well as some fantastic chutney which seems to pop up every couple of years. Martinelli's is the beverage of choice for now, though wine will likely be an addition in later years. Of course, it has to be drunk slowly out of a stemmed wine glass (the Martinelli's, not the wine. Well, the wine too, but not yet. Anyways...).

Thanksgiving day for me goes something like this: Get up early. Yes, early. Eat a light, and I do mean light, breakfast. Spend the day doing something strenuous like running all over my relatives' 24 acres, playing football in the front yard, something like that. No lunch is allowed. At all. That would be wrong. Maybe cheese and crackers if they're set out, but not too many. Thanksgiving dinner is planned for about 4 in the afternoon. Estimated eating time then, well, let's see, add two, um, carry the one, multiply by 3.12532, and you come up with something like 5:49, which gives you enough time to start the football game on TV and get into it, if it's good. GO LONGHORNS! Then to eat. And boy do we eat! Fourths and fifths are not uncommon, though very few people reload on EVERYTHING each round. Dishes are washed, then a short walk is in order, and when we return, pie and vanilla ice cream. And of course there must be pecan, apple, pumpkin, pumpkin praline, and cherry pies. You can't skip one. And you have to eat some of all of them. With whipped cream. Of course.

I am now very, very hungry. Ravenously hungry, in fact. Darn, drooled on the keyboard. Oops. Need to clean that up now. Anyways, but beyond the food, there's something very unique about Thanksgiving. And that means a lot coming from an young male. I love setting aside time to remind ourselves just Who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. On Thanksgiving it is to God that our gratitude should be directed. And it's on Thanksgiving that we are reminded that the little things like a perfectly golden turkey hot from the oven are as equally worthy of our gratitude as the unexpected raise or the good health of a loved one.

Modern Thanksgiving celebrations have missed out on that. Which is strange. How can one be thankful for their house when they don't have Someone to be thankful to? You're just thankful that you got lucky enough to have it? That was the downfall of the holiday, now simply referred to as Turkey Day.

But it doesn't have to be that way for us.

So keep in mind between stuffing with stuffing and deserting after dessert, just Who are we thankful to?

It Was the Best of Times...

For those of you who haven't read it yet, Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is one of the most moving works I have read. After finishing the novel, I sat down a wept for a half an hour, hence the tear-stains on the last pages of my copy. The amazing story of redemption, of someone laying down his life for his friend, of his selflessness on the way to the guillotine, comforting another instead of caring only for himself, all sends chills up and down my spine. The depiction of the aristocracy as snobs who cared little for the people, and the depiction of the rabble-turned-mob not as a contrast to the aristocracy but as equally wicked and bloodthirsty is a dead-on representation of the period. Yes, he didn't have all historical facts correct, but keep in mind, this is a fictional novel based on historical events that occurred. Watch any historical movie, and you'll understand why it says "based on."

Which is why I was rather upset by the analysis in my literature book. The writers went out of their way to criticize the work, claiming it was historically inaccurate. They chide Dickens for writing in such a way that "We have far more sympathy for Oliver Twist trying to get a second helping than we do for the nameless serfs of the fourteenth century who live in grinding poverty generation after generation." The reason this is so is because Dickens wrote about the depravities of his time. If he had lived during the 14th century, he most certainly would have condemned the enslavement of the helpless serfs. But he didn't. Because of him, people began to take notice of the horrendous conditions of working houses and orphanages. Those today who work to end hunger should not be criticized because during the 14th century people didn't have as much to eat as the poor people today. They should be praised for what they do today, not for how much they cared about the past.

Another charge leveled at this classic is aimed at Sydney Carton, the eventual hero of the tale. Carton lives a life of wasted talent, but in the end chooses to sacrifice his life for someone he loves. The literature curriculum we're using argues that he did not die well, because in order to die well, he must live well. Huh? What kind of argument is that? If one makes a noble decision at the end of his life, he had died well, regardless of what he did in the past. He has redeemed himself in a sense.

So regardless what you may hear from other sources, take it from me, you will find this a moving novel with a very stark depiction of the results of revolutionary thought. And a redemption and sacrificial story to boot!

To Those who Favor Compromise...

"Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

-Winston Churchill

A Constitutional Revelation

Just found this nugget in the Constitution during homework. Haven't ever actually read this article in the Bill of Rights before, but I found this to be very interesting.

"Article IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

In other words, a right enumerated in the Constitution cannot be interpreted in such a way that it would diminish or remove another right enumerated.

Therefore...

The interpretation of Article IV as a "right to privacy" strips away the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," enumerated by the Declaration of Independence, of unborn children. Therefore, this interpretation is unconstitutional, based on Article IX of the same document, and should be cast aside.

TADA!

All we have to do now is convince Americans that unborn children are just that, living human beings that deserve our compassion and our outrage over their unmitigated slaughter.

A Pressing Question

Benjamin Franklin was leaving for the last time from the Constitutional Convention when a voice rang out from the crowd that had gathered there. "What kind of government have you given us?" it demanded.

Franklin stopped, turned, and declared:

"A republic, if you can keep it!"

That's quite a responsibility.

Can we?

Are we?

A Good Reminder

“‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 'And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 'And I will be found by you,' declares the Lord,' and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord,' and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

"Let me be clear: it is not up to the Republican Party to restore our fortunes. It is not up to the conservative movement. It is not up to the media. It is not up to the general public. This passage is directed to the people who claim to be God’s people, to those who seek to follow Him every day of their lives. The future of this nation rests upon our own faithfulness to God."

-Michael Farris, Chancellor of Patrick Henry College, Founder of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), and homeschool advocate.

Losers and Winners: The Future of the Republican Party

With much sorrow, two of my beloved (or maybe not so beloved) teams lost over the past week. The first was perhaps less painful, though just as shocking. My dear Texas Longhorns lost, 39-33, with one second left. One second, folks. Ouch. The Red Raiders certainly deserved it, though. They played better overall, and their crowd was PUMPED! Still, it's heartbreaking to see my previously undefeated team take a beating, even if it was a last-second one. The lovable Longhorns now sit somewhere around no. 4, which is fine by me, though not nearly as reassuring as number one. At least we don't win 56-0 then drop two spots. Of course, don't get me started on the "we need a BCS playoff system." That's a whole other post.

Much more agonizing, and with much more tangible implications than football, however, team Obama slaughtered John McCain and the Red State Republicans in the quadrennial championship game. It's a heated rivalry, and each side has had almost equal opportunities to bring home the championship trophy. Tuesday, it was the Blue States. Overwhelmingly. Fortunately for those who live on the west coast, the networks politely waited to call the election until their polls closed. But even before then, it was obvious. This was a landslide victory for Obama.

Much has been made of John McCain's middle-of-the-road conservatism, and many pundits argued that this was the only brand that could win. They were wrong. Deeply wrong. So now, the question for republicans is going to be "What is the future of our party?"

I would argue that you can divide opinions on this subject into two camps, represented by two leaders of the republican party. The first is what we'll call the "social conservatives." They are the middle-of-the-road, go along to get along, lower taxes and smaller government conservatives. John McCain embodies this version of conservatism, the reach across the aisle, compromise to accomplish things type. Many would argue that this is the future of the republican party, that we are destined to become a center-right, watered-down version of our old selves.

However, there is also what I will call the "traditional conservatives," though they have also been named the "evangelical right," the "moral majority," or even "religious nutjobs," even by those within their own party. They find themselves best represented by Sarah Palin, who, in a bizarre twist, ended up on the same ticket as John McCain, the centrist. These are what most people would call "fanatics" or "hard right." Not only are they against higher taxes and larger government, they also oppose homosexual marriage, abortion, evolution, and other "religious issues." The fact is, this side of the party has been written off as a failure, destined to be washed up, disappear, and become irrelevant.

The facts would prove otherwise.

John McCain and his centrist vision lost the election. Not by a small margin, either. He and his centrist friends lost and lost badly. But can the same be said for traditional conservatives. In California, one of the most liberal states in the nation, voters overruled activist judges and reestablished traditional marriage by a 52-48 margin. Two other states, Florida and Arizona, also supported a ban on same-sex marriage by a 62-38 and 56-44, respectively. Traditional marriage is a clearly religious conservative issue and went 3 for 3.

Though abortion propositions didn't fare as well, there is still a clear indicator that the religious right wins elections. Proposition 4 in California required parental notice and a waiting period before performing an abortion on a minor. It did not pass, but largely because of homeschool advocate Roy Hanson's urging to vote no because of questionable language.

Thus, while most pundits would claim the heyday of religious nutjobs is over, that's not necssarily the case. The decision now will be whether others in our party will wake up to this fact, or if we'll have to face several more election cycles of centrisim. Keep this in mind, though: their version of conservatism couldn't win, while we "fundamentalists" at least had something to celebrate.

Election Day

Alright folks, this is it! Be in prayer today for our nation. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd slip in a word about Prop 8 in California too!