train up a child in the way she should go...

kicking it with clare watching the steelers win the afc championship

not seeing the forest for the trees

From a CNN story about the execution of a 76-year old prisoner:

Having suffered a heart attack back in September, [condemned prisoner, Clarence Ray] Allen had asked prison authorities to let him die if he went into cardiac arrest before his execution, a request prison officials said they would not honor.

"At no point are we not going to value the sanctity of life," said prison spokesman Vernell Crittendon. "We would resuscitate him," then execute him.

Well, at least they value the sanctity of human life.

baby update

we've posted some more pictures of clare on our fotopage.

Why I Have No Respect Left For Pat

Why did I start my C.A.P.S. petition? Why do I no longer have any respect for Pat Robertson? Just look at the following selection of quotes from the news coverage of Pat's latest outrageous statements--taken from CNN, I added the emphasis to some of them. How would you like to be Pat's official spokesperson in the first story after hearing that he reversed his position & apologized?

Exactly who is Pat serving? On January 6th he defended his comments as being what the Word of God teaches. Israel threatens to leave him out of a $50million project & all of the sudden he was wrong to say what he did? He was wrong to begin with, but to have such total lack of conviction to immediately fold on his position because it was going to cost him some money is reprehensible. No wonder the world looks at Christians as a laughing stock, as greedy snake oil salesmen, and as cold hearted and hypocritical people.

(To Israel's credit they're still excluding Pat from the development project.)

Robertson suggests God smote Sharon

Evangelist links Israeli leader's stroke to 'dividing God's land'

Friday, January 6, 2006

"He was dividing God's land, and I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America,'" Robertson told viewers of his long-running television show, "The 700 Club."

"God says, 'This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone,'" he said.

Robertson said Thursday that Sharon was "a very likable person, and I am sad to see him in this condition." He linked Sharon's health problems to the 1995 assassination of Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the Oslo peace accords that granted limited self-rule to Palestinians.

"It was a terrible thing that happened, but nevertheless, now he's dead," Robertson said.

According to The Associated Press, Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts said of people who criticized the comments: "What they're basically saying is, 'How dare Pat Robertson quote the Bible?'"

"This is what the word of God says," Watts told the AP. "This is nothing new to the Christian community."

-----------------------------

Israel: Woe unto Pat Robertson for criticizing Sharon

Nation cuts ties with Christian broadcaster

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Israel on Wednesday said it would go ahead with plans to build an evangelical Christian heritage center in northern Israel -- but without Robertson, after the Christian Coalition founder said Israeli leader Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for "dividing God's land."

"From our perspective, such a statement made for a person that is lying in a hospital bed is outrageous," Deputy Tourism Minister Rami Levy told CNN.

Robertson had led a group of evangelicals planning the $50 million center, a joint venture with the state of Israel. The facility is to be built along the Sea of Galilee, where Christians believe Jesus walked on water.

The ministry said its decision to cut ties with Robertson was directly related to his comments. However, Israel will still continue with the project, Levy said.

-------------------

Robertson apologizes to Sharon's son

Comments follow threatened exclusion from $50M heritage center

Friday, January 13, 2006

"My zeal, my love of Israel and my concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness," Robertson wrote.

In his letter, Robertson expressed "profound sympathy" for Sharon, who is making slight improvements after the cerebral hemorrhage he suffered last week. Robertson also called the 77-year-old leader "a kind, gracious and gentle man" who was "carrying an almost insurmountable burden of making decisions for his nation."

He added, "I ask your forgiveness and the forgiveness of the people of Israel for saying what was clearly insensitive at the time."

The evangelist also chided the news media for not conveying the "heartfelt sentiments" he also expressed the day after Sharon fell ill.

plese sign my petition

I've created a new on-line petition. Follow this link to sign the petition for CAPS (Christians Against Pat Speaking) asking Pat Robertson to stop saying stupid things. I'd appreciate it if you could forward the news of this petition on to your friends as well.

Thanks
Tom

baptism

we're getting ready to baptize clare so i took the occassion to get all theological on the subject here.