What is the difference between a mandate and a boydate?
The answer is at:
http://18minutegap.com
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Bob Jones Reaches Out in Compassion
If you need convincing about the nature of compassion take a look at Bob Jone's letter of congratulations to President Bush. He couldn't help but throw in a couple of requests as well:
Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ.
Now let us prey (sic)
(note: since Bob's letter starting getting so much attention he took it down off of the University's website. You can still read about the letter here.)
If you need convincing about the nature of compassion take a look at Bob Jone's letter of congratulations to President Bush. He couldn't help but throw in a couple of requests as well:
Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ.
Now let us prey (sic)
(note: since Bob's letter starting getting so much attention he took it down off of the University's website. You can still read about the letter here.)
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
McDaniel Wins Recount in HD 78
As reported at Batesline Democrat Jeannie McDaniel prevailed in the recount in State House District 78 in East Tulsa. The recount found that she beat Schaffer by 24 votes instead of the initial 34-vote margin.This was a race between a longtime city activist (McDaniel) vs a relatively unknown young businessman (Schaffer). A relative in the district supplied me with all of the mailers from both candidates and it's interesting to see what happened in this race. McDaniel never went negative on Schaffer - her mailers stuck to pragmatic issues such as education and budgets. Schaffer's mailers also were about his qualifications - until the last two weeks of the campaign when he turned negative. Schaffer tried the same social issue tactic that worked for so many Repubs - focusing on gay marriage, abortion, etc.
One of the worst mailers from Schaffer (below) reprinted portions of a Tulsa World article that reported that McDaniel said the anti-gay marriage ammendment wasn't necessary because Oklahoma law already made gay marriage illegal. Schaffer, regretably, took this straight-forward and factual statement and tried to spin it to make McDaniel seem to be supporting gay marriage. Well, let's call it what it was, it was a blatent attempt to mislead the voters. Schaffer also pulled out the tiresome label of "liberal" and tried to stick it on the pragmatic McDaniel. And, sadly, the last minute misrepresentation against his opponent almost worked. I'm glad it didn't. It's good to see a candidate that stays positive and focused on pragmatic issues win.
As reported at Batesline Democrat Jeannie McDaniel prevailed in the recount in State House District 78 in East Tulsa. The recount found that she beat Schaffer by 24 votes instead of the initial 34-vote margin.This was a race between a longtime city activist (McDaniel) vs a relatively unknown young businessman (Schaffer). A relative in the district supplied me with all of the mailers from both candidates and it's interesting to see what happened in this race. McDaniel never went negative on Schaffer - her mailers stuck to pragmatic issues such as education and budgets. Schaffer's mailers also were about his qualifications - until the last two weeks of the campaign when he turned negative. Schaffer tried the same social issue tactic that worked for so many Repubs - focusing on gay marriage, abortion, etc.
One of the worst mailers from Schaffer (below) reprinted portions of a Tulsa World article that reported that McDaniel said the anti-gay marriage ammendment wasn't necessary because Oklahoma law already made gay marriage illegal. Schaffer, regretably, took this straight-forward and factual statement and tried to spin it to make McDaniel seem to be supporting gay marriage. Well, let's call it what it was, it was a blatent attempt to mislead the voters. Schaffer also pulled out the tiresome label of "liberal" and tried to stick it on the pragmatic McDaniel. And, sadly, the last minute misrepresentation against his opponent almost worked. I'm glad it didn't. It's good to see a candidate that stays positive and focused on pragmatic issues win.
It's Just Beginning
Oklahomans are used to receiving unwanted attention to our shortcomings. Everytime there's a big tornado in Oklahoma the national media swoops down and picks out the only toothless hillbilly in the city and asks him to describe the tornado. "Shoot-far! it sounded like a freight train a-comin' through mah trailer home!", the toothless man will say.
Whether it is towns voting to ban dancing, rural judges refusing to enforce cockfight bans, or cow-patty throwin' contests, we always seem to get egg on our collective faces when the national media comes to visit.
Well now the media can stay at home because we are bringing the entertainment to them. Tom Coburn is coming to Washington DC. Sure, he's been there before when he was the 1st District Congressman a few years ago - but no one pays much attention to Congresspeople. Now Coburn is to be our junior Senator in DC and people listen to Senators. Oh **#%.
Coburn isn't even in Washington yet but we are already getting the benefit of his notoriety. Everyone from Pat Buchanan to Jon Stewart have commented on the fun and games the nation can expect from a Senator Coburn. Last night, Jon Stewart's Daily Show had a bit on Coburn's comment about "rampant lesbianism in Southeast Oklahoma". Just think Oklahoma, what we can look forward to now!!
Maybe Tom Coburn will surprise us and shake up the old political system in DC in a good way. Pat Buchanan says the Republican leadership is scared of what Coburn could do to them. I know the feeling.
Oklahomans are used to receiving unwanted attention to our shortcomings. Everytime there's a big tornado in Oklahoma the national media swoops down and picks out the only toothless hillbilly in the city and asks him to describe the tornado. "Shoot-far! it sounded like a freight train a-comin' through mah trailer home!", the toothless man will say.
Whether it is towns voting to ban dancing, rural judges refusing to enforce cockfight bans, or cow-patty throwin' contests, we always seem to get egg on our collective faces when the national media comes to visit.
Well now the media can stay at home because we are bringing the entertainment to them. Tom Coburn is coming to Washington DC. Sure, he's been there before when he was the 1st District Congressman a few years ago - but no one pays much attention to Congresspeople. Now Coburn is to be our junior Senator in DC and people listen to Senators. Oh **#%.
Coburn isn't even in Washington yet but we are already getting the benefit of his notoriety. Everyone from Pat Buchanan to Jon Stewart have commented on the fun and games the nation can expect from a Senator Coburn. Last night, Jon Stewart's Daily Show had a bit on Coburn's comment about "rampant lesbianism in Southeast Oklahoma". Just think Oklahoma, what we can look forward to now!!
Maybe Tom Coburn will surprise us and shake up the old political system in DC in a good way. Pat Buchanan says the Republican leadership is scared of what Coburn could do to them. I know the feeling.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Why (some) Evangelicals Scare Me
It's been a busy week of travel for OkiePundit so I apologize for the delay in explaining why, in my last post, I said evangelicals were a danger to a liberal democracy and perhaps the world. I should have said "most evangelicals" because I know quite a few who don't believe it is right to impose their religious beliefs on others. No, the evangelicals are not bad people - just the opposite. Most I know are very good people who do a lot of good for others. But when they start telling others how to live their lives I have a problem with that.
The danger I referred to regarded their objective (as I've heard them state over and over in church) to apply their interpretation of Biblical laws to the State and to infuse our foreign policy with Biblical intent. To be specific, I'm talking the whole agenda - the re-making of the United States as a "Christian nation" by putting school-sponsored Christian prayer into schools to facilitating Armageddon in the Middle East to hasten the second coming of Christ as prophesied in the Bible. I would say this is dangerous whether the proponents were Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, or Wiccans. When we start believing we have an unquestioned hold on the truth and believing that we need to force everyone else to conform to our beliefs we are in the danger zone.
A few weeks ago I was listening to a church cell group leader talk about the inevitability of an Arab - Israel war that would bring Israel to its knees and Jesus back for the Rapture. He was telling us that the role the US was playing in the Middle East was (and this was President Bush's plan according to the cell leader) designed to prepare the way for Armageddon and the second coming. This is not the first time I've heard this kind of talk in evangelical circles. Many of these people are voting based on a perception that Rapture-facilitation is the unstated goal of President Bush. No, I don't think the President shares this belief - at least I hope not. But I'm beginning to believe that it might be possible for the evangelicals to eventually elect someone that might share such thinking and be anxious to act on it. It scares me.
No, I'm not anti-Christian or anti-religious at all. I grew up in Oklahoma at a time when I was subjected to forced recitation of Christian prayer over the school intercom and mandatory fundamentalist-run Bible lessons in my public school classroom. That's not what I want to happen to my children. Or to the children of believers in other faiths or to non-believers. Our ancestors came here to escape religious persecution - let's keep that in mind.
It's been a busy week of travel for OkiePundit so I apologize for the delay in explaining why, in my last post, I said evangelicals were a danger to a liberal democracy and perhaps the world. I should have said "most evangelicals" because I know quite a few who don't believe it is right to impose their religious beliefs on others. No, the evangelicals are not bad people - just the opposite. Most I know are very good people who do a lot of good for others. But when they start telling others how to live their lives I have a problem with that.
The danger I referred to regarded their objective (as I've heard them state over and over in church) to apply their interpretation of Biblical laws to the State and to infuse our foreign policy with Biblical intent. To be specific, I'm talking the whole agenda - the re-making of the United States as a "Christian nation" by putting school-sponsored Christian prayer into schools to facilitating Armageddon in the Middle East to hasten the second coming of Christ as prophesied in the Bible. I would say this is dangerous whether the proponents were Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, or Wiccans. When we start believing we have an unquestioned hold on the truth and believing that we need to force everyone else to conform to our beliefs we are in the danger zone.
A few weeks ago I was listening to a church cell group leader talk about the inevitability of an Arab - Israel war that would bring Israel to its knees and Jesus back for the Rapture. He was telling us that the role the US was playing in the Middle East was (and this was President Bush's plan according to the cell leader) designed to prepare the way for Armageddon and the second coming. This is not the first time I've heard this kind of talk in evangelical circles. Many of these people are voting based on a perception that Rapture-facilitation is the unstated goal of President Bush. No, I don't think the President shares this belief - at least I hope not. But I'm beginning to believe that it might be possible for the evangelicals to eventually elect someone that might share such thinking and be anxious to act on it. It scares me.
No, I'm not anti-Christian or anti-religious at all. I grew up in Oklahoma at a time when I was subjected to forced recitation of Christian prayer over the school intercom and mandatory fundamentalist-run Bible lessons in my public school classroom. That's not what I want to happen to my children. Or to the children of believers in other faiths or to non-believers. Our ancestors came here to escape religious persecution - let's keep that in mind.