Politics | Ain't Complicated

No advance copy to anyone (except my wife)
No teleprompter(s)
No Presidential special guests beyond former Presidents willing to attend
No speech writers
No partisanship
No laundry list of my accomplishments or my goals
“Ask what good you can do for you neighbor…then do it.”
“I have asked what good I can do for you. I’ve come up with two things I can promise right now. First, I will veto any legislation that has any earmarks attached. Second, I will push hard for a reduction in income tax rates with matching reductions in federal spending.”
“We have had a hard year. So did the Pilgrims. And they had a time of thanksgiving. For what are you thankful? Fellow Americans, answer the question in your own hearts. Then tell each other. Let’s cultivate a spirit of gratefulness.”
“President Carter, please stand. Thank you, sir, for…” followed by three good things he did for the country.
“President Bush 41, please stand. Thank you, sir, for…” followed by three good thing he did for the country.
“President Clinton, please stand. Thank you, sir, for…” followed by three good things he did for the country.
“President Bush 43, please stand. Thank you, sir, for…” followed by three good things he did for the country.
“I reaffirm my appreciation for our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. The Almighty has blessed us beyond measure through the principles and laws established by our founding documents.”
“I am grateful to be an American. We live in an exceptional country. God Himself has bestowed on us freedoms and liberty few nations have enjoyed. We have carelessly surrendered too many of those. We have brazenly abused others of them. And many we have put to good use for ourselves, our families, our communities, our country, and even our world.”
“I asked you about your own thankfulness. You aren’t here to express them in this forum. But your representatives are here. So we’ll have a fifteen minute open mike period in another five minutes or so. In that time slot, Senators and Representatives with a sincere personal expression of gratefulness may have a maximum of fifteen seconds to say one thing for which they are thankful. While you’re thinking, let me tell you some things for which I’m thankful…not as President, but as Mark Roth….”

See what you missed? 🙄

You may be thankful for that also. 😉

Scott Brown and Abortion

I came across this on the 23rd:

Many “pro-life” leaders are applauding the victory of Scott Brown Republican to the United States Senate in a special election held this past week in Massachusetts. In all honesty, his victory is at best, a hollow one for the preborn. Let’s take an objective, non-partisan look at Scott Brown’s record and rhetoric on prenatal child-killing as recorded at the website “OnTheIssues.org”:

Source: Scott Brown’s Election to US Senate: A Hollow Victory for the Preborn

Ahhh, politics!

Or do I mean, Uggghh, politics!

🙁

(If you’re one of those thrilled and relieved at his election in Massachusetts, do you know Senator-elect Brown’s stance on abortion?)

PS: This post isn’t a political statement. It’s a nudge at my fellow conservative Mennonites who are all thrilled at Mr. Brown’s election.)

Corridos are a big part of Mexico’s music. And the narco-corridos apparently are becoming more and more so. I remember hearing them…and being amazed that such kind of glorification was deemed acceptable. So I read this article with great interest:

A new proposal from Mexico’s ruling party could send musicians to prison for performing songs that glorify drug trafficking.

The law would bring prison sentences of up to three years for people who perform or produce songs or movies glamorizing criminals.

“Society sees drug ballads as nice, pleasant, inconsequential and harmless, but they are the opposite,” National Action Party lawmaker Oscar Martin Arce told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The ballads, known as “narcocorridos,” often describe drug trafficking and violence, and are popular among some norteno bands. After some killings, gangs pipe narcocorridos into police radio scanners, along with threatening messages.

Martin said his party’s proposal, presented before Congress on Wednesday, also takes aim at low-budget movies praising drug lords. It was unclear when lawmakers would vote on it.

“We cannot accept it as normal. We cannot exalt these people because they themselves are distributing these materials among youths to lead them into a lifestyle where the bad guy wins,” he said.

Martin said the proposal’s intention is not to limit free expression, but to stop such performances from inciting crimes.

Source: Mexican ruling party proposes banning drug ballads

So…just what are the limits of freedom of speech?

I wonder how far a corrido glorifying rape or racism or “homophobia” would get in the free expression market?

Sweden vs Homeschoolers?

Here’s a story I’ve been sitting on since December 22. I wonder what Christmas was like for the Johansson’s…and what’s happening with Dominic by now. I just did several Google searches and turned up nothing new.

An appeals-level court in Sweden has affirmed the “kidnapping” of a 7-year-old boy who was snatched by police from a jetliner as it prepared to take his family to their new home in India.

The days-old decision from the Administrative Court of Stockholm affirms the state custody of Dominic Johansson, who was taken by uniformed police officers on the orders of social workers even though there was no allegation of any crime on the part of the family, nor was there any warrant, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.

The group, the premiere homeschool advocacy association in the world today, has been alarmed by the case that developed apparently because school and social services officials in Sweden objected to the homeschool program for the child.

[…]

“HSLDA is gravely concerned about this case as it represents what can happen to other families who might wish to homeschool their children,” Donnelly said. “Furthermore, in response to inquiries from HSLDA, Swedish authorities have cited the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child to explain and defend their actions.

[…]

In a posting at the Swedish newspaper Varlen Idag, Mats Tunehag, president of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance, worried about the injury being inflicted on the family.

“Annie is from a Christian family in India, and they had planned for some time to move there to live, work and to homeschool Dominic. Due to the harassment from Swedish authorities the trip was delayed. But finally in June this year they were on their way, sitting on the plane bound for India. Then the police came rushing into the plane – as if they were to apprehend dangerous terrorists – and snatched Dominic, saying he is to be taken into care. Can anyone imagine?” Tunehag wrote.

So…what happens here in the United States if the USA becomes a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Source: Court endorses ‘kidnapping’ of 7-year-old

Hear Them Bells?

Is that chiming you hear a call to worship?

Or is it all in your head?

Like this, for instance: Bells toll to halt climate change.

Toll the bells; halt climate change.

Great. 🙄

Wow, who would have thought it could be so simple. And think of all the carbon and footprints expended getting to, around, and from Copenhagen for that CCC (climate change conference).

…a worldwide bell-ringing event initiated by the World Council of Churches for Sunday, Dec. 13. Churches have been asked to sound their bells or other instruments 350 times to symbolize the 350 parts per million considered the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Churches without bells are invited to use handbells or other noisemakers instead. Some congregations are choosing to toll their bells 35 times instead of 350.

Our church has no bells. But if anyone shows up with handbells or cow bells or dumb bells, I’ll try to remember to let you know via Twitter.

And about those congregations opting to tithe the bell ringing, what’s with that? Maybe they’re slackers. Maybe they don’t want to be fanatical. Maybe they think some anti-climate-change conspiracy has infiltrated the movement and succeeded in setting “the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide” 1000% too high.

Mark’s Special Request to the Bell Ringers: Please consider the consequences of halting climate change! Are you sure that’s really what you want?

Anyway, I thought you should know what all the bell ringing is about. (But won’t all that excessive ringing drive the bats out of the bellfry?)

Oh, and sorry this is so late. I meant to post it yesterday.