The (not quite) Supreme Court

My only comments on the matters currently before the Supreme Court:

I believe right and justice belong to Mr. Pelkey. But I'm afraid the law may lie with Dan’s City Used Cars, Inc.

Seriously, look it up.

Okay, okay, on the matters on everyone's minds and tongues:

Many, if not most, Western civilizations have acknowledged the existence of committed, monogamous relationships between members of the same gender. I'm aware of none that has equated these relationships with "marriage." If there is, I'd appreciate a link.

That said, with due apologies to my conservative friends, I think we've lost this battle. In fact, I think we lost it a long time ago, and we'd be better off settling for "civil unions," which I personally consider little different from marriages performed by non-ministers, or even unbelieving ministers. Or any marriage among unbelievers. America lost all semblance of Christianity years ago, and the government has neither the inclination nor the ability to bless or curse anyone (except Christians, of course... and Israel, for which we risk a very clear warning).

As for the matter of homosexuality in general, I have, and hopefully still have, gay friends. I pass no judgement on the deeds of any man (or woman).

But the Bible clearly does. In no uncertain terms. Not on the people any more than others, on their deeds, just the same as many, many other deeds the Bible speaks of, including others of a sexual nature.

Don't look at me, I didn't write it. But Moses and Paul, at a minimum, did. To argue otherwise, one must necessarily take a low view of Scripture. Or of God's willingness, or worse, ability, to preserve His Word over the long passage of time. And of the "cultural" argument, I would say only that we are about as far removed from the writings of the New Testament as Paul was from the writings of the Old, and the "culture" of desert-wandering Hebrews was a far cry from 1st Century Roman. And yet Paul held no such "cultural" view of the writings of Moses.

As always, just my two cents. Keep the change.

Are you prepared?

Get this poster here.


Depending on whose statistics you use, between three and seven percent of Americans are prepared to "shelter in place" for 24 hours.

Three

To seven

Percent

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.

That means they could survive, on their own, with no help, for TWENTY-FOUR LOUSY HOURS.

Do 93%+ of the people think in the event of a disaster, the government is gonna go door to door delivering McDonalds?

DON'T be the 94%!

FEMA recommends this:

Family Supply List
Emergency Supplies:
Water, food, and clean air are important things to have if an emergency happens. Each family or individual's kit should be customized to meet specific needs, such as medications and infant formula. It should also be customized to include important family documents.


Recommended Supplies to Include in a Basic Kit:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First Aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

Clothing and Bedding:
If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
- A jacket or coat
- Long pants
- A long sleeve shirt
- Sturdy shoes
- A hat and gloves
- A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person

Below are some other items for your family to consider adding to its supply kit. Some of these items, especially those marked with a * can be dangerous, so please have an adult collect these supplies.

- Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov
- Rain gear
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
- Cash or traveler's checks, change
- Paper towels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tent
- Compass
- Matches in a waterproof container*
- Signal flare*
- Paper, pencil
- Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
- Disinfectant*
- Household chlorine bleach* - You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Medicine dropper
- Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container

Connected by isolation

A very few of you will remember that I have been researching a premise: That although we are superficially connected, by Facebook, Twitter to more people than at anytime in history, we are more isolated from real relationships, the truly human connectedness God designed us to have.

But a funny thing happened on the way to my conclusion: My data didn't support my thesis. I suppose there are a number of reasons. A relatively small sample size. Not enough time and research. Or perhaps I simply tend to gather friends that believe as I. Whatever the reason, although it seems logical, intuitive even, I can't gather enough concrete evidence to support my argument. I will, however, share one of the more interesting things I found along the way. It's a presentation by MIT professor Sherry Turkle, who makes a pretty interesting argument herself. Perhaps she has been able to do what I couldn't. Give it a watch and see what you think.