Burning bibles...

The truth can be difficult to find out and this story is a prime example of that. Earlier this month Al Jazeera took a video clip of American soldiers in Bagram stated to have been recorded almost a year ago by some sources, and used it to present what their viewpoint, which was that US troops urged to share faith in Afghanistan. Though if you watch the video clip it's clear that Sgt. James Watts states that the bibles were sent to him from his church back home.

Now this story is in the news again because it's been confirmed that the bibles were destroyed. A more recent article on Al Jazeera reports also that the Bibles were burned:

The US army in Afghanistan has burned Bibles printed in local languages, a US colonel in Afghanistan has said, amid concerns they could have been used to try to convert Afghans.

"My understanding is that the [military] leadership confiscated these Bibles so that they could not be distributed around Afghanistan," Colonel Greg Julian told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

"It was their best judgement at the time, that the best way to deal with it, was to destroy them and I understand that they were burnt."

It's also pointed out by a few media sources that this was not an official military action but was related to one soldier, Sgt. Watts, who was not aware that he could not hand out the Bibles. Fox news as one example.

The controversy doesn't end there though, now there some claiming Mikey Weinstein demanded the chaplain in the video be court-martialed (which I haven't found beyond him suggesting something similar 2006) and those who have created petitions claiming that the rights of the religious are being attacked by domestic enemies of religious liberty.

This isn't about our soldiers not having the right to worship God while they are in the military, it isn't about our country stopping them from having access to religious material. It's about respecting the laws in other countries, even if you don't agree with them, it is against the law in Afghanistan to try to convert Muslims to another faith. As pointed out during the case of Abdul Rahman:

Afghanistan's 2004 constitution states that "no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam" (Article 3) thus affirming that apostasy from Islam is punishable by death. On the other hand, the constitution's preamble affirms that the people of Afghanistan will respect the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which in Article 18 guarantees the freedom to change one's religion.

Non-Muslim Afghans who have never been Muslims have a measure of freedom in that they are permitted to "exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of the law" (Article 2). This applies to Afghan Hindus, Sikhs and the one remaining member of Afghanistan's Jewish community. But it does not apply to Afghan Christians (or other non-Muslims) who have chosen to convert from Islam.

Making it appear that the US military sanctions these laws to be broken is wrong, but it's also just as wrong to use what happened as a way to further a personal agenda here in the US and there are some on both sides of this issue not acting very different when it comes to skewing what happened and a lack of honesty.

(cross posted at Liberal Common Sense)

Ma what?

I saw the word, ma huang and at first I had no idea what it was, beyond guessing it was some type of an oriental herb. I then discovered Ma huang (Ephedra sinica) is a cone-bearing shrub, 30 to 50 cm in height, which is native to China but now found also in the Mediterranean region, India, Persia, and the western portion of South America.

Ten species of Ephedra are known to exist in North America, and many were popular in folk medicine and as a daily beverage. After the Mormons had arrived in Utah, the native tribe introduced them to a species of Ephedra, and they used the stems as a substitute for coffee and tea. However, this was considered to be a bitter-tasting tonic beverage. In the Old West, the same species used by the Mormons gained a reputation as a cure for syphilis and gonorrhea, though there doesn't seem to be any evidence that it worked to cure those...

It'd be funnier if it wasn't true...

A version of a popular joke with a Libertarian twist:

Three colleagues, a Democrat, a Republican, and a Libertarian went out to dinner. And the Libertarian, against his normal instincts, allowed the others to talk him into splitting the dinner tab equally. Doing his part to help keep the bill down, the Libertarian ordered the $9.99 dinner special and a sparkling water. The Republican had a Scotch on the rocks and the Democrat had a vodka and tonic before dinner, and the Republican ordered the $29.99 sirloin steak while the Democrat had the $34.99 lobster dinner. Then both the Democrat and Republican had an after-dinner liqueur at $5.99 each, while the Libertarian had a cup of coffee. The check came to over $100 — over $125 with tax and tip.

However, to add insult to injury, about the time the waiter brought the check, the Democrat got a call on his cellphone and had to step outside to talk. And the Republican looked at his watch, said he was late for an appointment, excused himself, and hurriedly left.

When the Libertarian protested at being left to pay the entire bill, which he had to put on his credit card to cover, the Republican said: "But I saved you money by spending five dollars less than the Democrat." And the Democrat said: "You can't blame me for the high bill, because the Republican spent over $40 all on his own!"

Which probably makes the Libertarian hope that the other two don't use a colon cleanser so perhaps the Libertarian will live longer and healthier, or at least be around longer to pay off the credit card debt from the other two.

:-)

Questioning Rick Perry's patriotism...

Some of the blogs out there have really been doing some major name calling when it comes to Texas Governor Rick Perry and his recent statements regarding Texas and the topic of secession. I don't want Texas to secede, but I also don't believe our government holds the right to keep a state that wants to leave the union. What's really at issue when you read the press release from Rick Perry it's not so much secession but state's rights. No one can deny that our present form of government is the way it was designed to exist and states have basically lost many of the rights they had when it came to determining what they wanted for their own citizens.

If this topic interests you? An additional FAQ page, one of the points:

Q: Doesn't the Texas Constitution reserve the right of Texas to secede?
A:

No such provision is found in the current Texas Constitution[1](adopted in 1876) or the terms of annexation.[2] However, it does state (in Article 1, Section 1) that "Texas is a free and independent State, subject only to the Constitution of the United States..." (note that it does not state "...subject to the President of the United States..." or "...subject to the Congress of the United States..." or "...subject to the collective will of one or more of the other States...")

Neither the Texas Constitution, nor the Constitution of the united States, explicitly or implicitly disallows the secession of Texas (or any other "free and independent State") from the United States. Joining the "Union" was ever and always voluntary, rendering voluntary withdrawal an equally lawful and viable option (regardless of what any self-appointed academic, media, or government "experts"—including Abraham Lincoln himself—may have ever said).

Both the original (1836) and the current (1876) Texas Constitutions also state that "All political power is inherent in the people ... they have at all times the inalienable right to alter their government in such manner as they might think proper."

I support the concept of State's rights, just as I am against the practice of unfunded or underfunded federal mandates, believing that if the Federal Government is going to tell a State it "has" to do something? It should provide the full funding or it should be voluntary.

Strong fences make good neighbors

While thinking of summer, it was also hard to ignore that we are going to have to replace one part of our fence, well technically our neighbor should but since it's clear he's not going to, we offered to take care of the fence installation of one new section of privacy fencing since he no longer has a dog and we have two. Not just to keep the doggies safe, but because of the below referenced pool, too many accidents happen when children can easily gain access to a pool that's not in a fenced in yard.

It's hard to not think of summer..

Today was a beautiful day here in Northwestern Ohio, it made me almost want to shuck typing from my upstairs "office" location and use the laptop with the wireless connection on the back deck. The weather inspired my husband to clean out the garage and to start eyeing the small above the ground pool that we have to get it ready for the hotter days that will eventually come. This made me wish that my laptop was waterproof, as I could imagine using one of those pool floats lounges and live blogging from my pool. Alas, that will have to remain a dream, though live blogging from the deck is a sure certainty....

Stark-raving-mad Libertarian?

That's supposedly how Jack Spirko describes himself, while I can't describe my libertarian leanings from my upbringing in that manner, one of my relatives shares some of the same thoughts as Spirko when it comes to libertarianism and survivalism as penned in this Charleston Gazette article. A small taste:

Spirko, an Army veteran and self-described "stark-raving-mad Libertarian," is part of a growing movement of people who are preparing for a disaster natural, economic or man-made. Referred to as "modern survivalists" or "preppers," they are taking steps to protect and provide for their families should something bad happen.

Theirs is a different breed of survivalist, far from the militants or religious extremists who hole up in bunkers, live off the land and wait for the apocalypse.

Preppers are regular people with regular jobs who decided after Sept. 11, after Hurricane Katrina or when their 401(k)s tanked that they can't rely on someone else to help them if something goes awry.

Libertarians rising?

Probably one of the better articles I've read on the concept of the tea-parties and why so many people felt they wanted to participate. The reality for those who followed this was that the Republican Party wasn't behind organizing this, though it's clear that some tried to coattail on to the events by appearing to speak.

Part of the recommended piece Libertarians rising, Republicans riding, Liberals receding:

Libertarians were soaring and leading the charge at the tea parties despite the relatively small percentage of people who consider themselves to be Libertarian. Hopping on to ride on their coat-tails were many Republicans, who seemed to suddenly remember that they were the party of Reagan, who himself stood for lower taxes, smaller government and fiscal responsibility. Of course it was hard for contemporary Republicans to achieve strong credibility on those issues because of their inability and/or unwillingness to reign in government spending or reduce the size and scope of the government when they controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress. There are not many Reagan-like figures left in the party that he once led so brilliantly.

I'd also have to agree that some of the Democrats who tried to either scorn or try to make the tea parties appear to be Republican ideas was disheartening.

How to save money on car repairs

The easiest way is to learn to do some of the basics yourself, though many of the repairs you probably could do with a repair manual on your car and some patience, would be aided by the use of a hydraulic floor jack. We don't have one, but luckily my son does so when we need one, all we have to do is borrow his. Recently we changed the starter on a car we have, it would have been much more difficult without that type of a jack, it could have been done, but you'd need ramps or more than one jack and you always need something to use as a safety, all too often people are injured when a jack let's loose...

Milton Friedman on Libertarianism...

This is part one of the four part video, it's one I recommend watching, especially the first one since there seems to be so much discussion as to what is an actual Libertarian. The other three are good too, and are found on YouTube, but I like this one the best.

Do pets need supplements?

I have cats and dogs, all of which are very well fed animals, but one of mine is getting a bit older and he's not eating as much as he should. According to my vet, if you feed your pets a high quality pet food, if they are elderly or if they are a finicky eater, then pet supplements can be helpful. I do recommend researching the product, just as you would for something you'd purchase for your own use...

A lesson in the free market...

One of my bunch recently bought one of the weight loss pills sold on the internet, she told me it would be perfectly fine because the site offered a guarantee, I suggested she check the fine print because some places have a shipping and handling charge where not all of it is refunded. She didn't listen...the product didn't work for her and the shipping and handling was not refundable, which meant she paid $14.95 for the product which probably nets the company more than enough to cover their product minus her refund. Do yourself a favor, do some research as to what are the best weight loss pills out there and read the fine print...

Nice video on Libertarian Party

I'm wayyyy behind in blogging here but I came across this video and I thought it'd be a nice one to share. It's a ten minute look at the history of the Libertarian Party from 1971 to 2006.

Taboo topics now ads...

Have you ever stopped to wonder about how you can see how much our culture has changed by what is now acceptable to advertise versus what years ago would have been taboo? It's at times a bit hypocritical, but stop and think about this for a moment. Now on television and the internet everything from a yogurt that makes your digestive track work better, to drugs to help men with erectile issues to feminine products even going as far as advertisements designed to address vaginal dryness are out there.

Cigarettes and types of alcohol are no longer allowed to advertise in some places, but we can run disclaimers at the bottom of ads warning men to look out for erections that last more than 8 hours. This then leads to the irony that those little magic pills for men are covered under almost all prescription plans but not birth control...

Fat Cats if only...

I saw this cartoon and it caught my attention because of the concept of "fat cats" and how they are portrayed in cartoons. Most of us when we hear that phrase don't think of the real feline variety, we think about greed and an obsession for more. It'd be nice to think there was some type of magic diet pills that would address this type of "fat" but when you look at how long that word has been used, it's actually been used as a term since the 1920's and it appears to be here to stay.

Nice resource for libertarianish news

If you have never stopped by SmallGovTimes.com it's a source I try to read on a regular basis. While most of you who are regular readers know I battle between the liberal part of me and my libertarian up bringing, I typically find quite a few articles of interest there that you won't read in the traditional media.

One recent piece that is very thought provoking is Individualism and Self Defense. I highly recommend it as it will make you stop and think about what you perceive you have a right to as a citizen versus the realities of what the constitution states.

A new country?

An interesting article is linked at the title that reports on the progress of a group who is attempting to make their own country, not on land but on sea. It caught my interest when I heard about it some time ago, so it was interesting to read the coverage (ironically from the UK and not here). Some selected parts of the article:

A utopian project part-funded by a dotcom tycoon aims to build a giant platform off the coast of San Francisco where people can live free of government regulation.

It sounds like the plot of a pre-Daniel Craig Bond film: an internet tycoon invests part of his vast fortune to fund a fiefdom afloat in international waters. He is joined by the libertarian grandson of one the world’s most famous economic thinkers and advertises for like-minded citizens “who are dissatisfied with our current civilisation” to join him aboard his brave new world.

However, this is not fiction. It is happening now and the group, called the Seasteading Institute, has just released the first detailed plans of what its utopian water world will look like. The first architectural stage is being financed by a $500,000 (£362,000) donation from Peter Thiel, billionaire co-founder of PayPal, the online payments system that was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002. More funding will follow, and the group hopes to start building a small-scale version off the coast of San Francisco this year.

If this inspires you to want to learn more, there are some pictures:



You can also read quite a bit more about this by visiting The Seasteading Institute where they have more information, a blog and are even using Twitter now.

The greening of the economy

While parts of our economy are not faring well, one area that seems to be doing at least fairly well from a public relations/marketing stand point is green products. Go to any grocery store and chances are you'll see an array of "green" cleaning products, the same can be said for laundry detergent. When it comes to home lighting, more and more people are selecting led light fixtures or using other types of energy efficient, long lasting lights.

Reclaiming the Libertarian Party

Recommended piece by David F. Nolan on why he thinks it's time for the Libertarian Party to stand up for their principles and not be "just a pale, slightly-more-tolerant version of the GOP." He's formed The December 11 Group and is urging those interested to blog about it, visit the site and to get involved with their efforts.

The blog site is fairly new, and at this point the three listed as contributors are - "The Instigators" David F. Nolan, Jack Dean and Less Antman. They don't appear to be accepting comments but they do have an email address for those interested in more information. Or, you can bookmark their blogsite and see how this develops...

More cat word associations...

Yes, it could be said I'm feeling "catty" today, but more cat word associations. Most of you, especially those of you without felines in your home may conjur up another visual when thinking of bathroom vanities, not here. Here, images of cats, especially one cat in particular who likes to sleep in our bathroom sink comes to mind. The picture is not our cat, it is one who looks eerily like him and also apparently likes to sleep in the sink. Our cat is clever enough that when he sees you come with a camera, he leaps down...