Proper Sexual Relations...

...for a male Muslim. Absolutely sick. If you have a weak constitution, you may make it through the first couple of paragraphs of the article. If you want to understand what sharia law** does to a community, read it all, including the readers' comments.

Just as liberals eat their young, per se, by promoting and engaging in abortion, Muslims do the same by the practices indicated in this post. Beware the day when they - the ruling imams - declare it better to spare infidel women than it is to kill them.

**FYI: in my opinion, the definition given by Wiki of sharia law is whitewashed - it gives the conceptual view of sharia law, not the practiced view. Nonetheless, it is a significant starting point for those of you unfamiliar with it.

Long Time Coming

On a prior post, called "Diversify", I commented about the need for more viable political parties. I also committed to adding links to political resources. I initiated the list with Infidel Bloggers Alliance and None of the Above, and have since added Pedestrian Infidel and Brave Humans, to which I accepted an invitation to be a contributor. (My fresh-baked initial post is available for viewing now.)

Yes, to those of you who don't follow or don't care to follow politics like I do, that means my blog will become somewhat less political again. However, it will not become completely void of political ramblings.

Anyway, my goal is to provide links to resources not affiliated with either major political party. If you'll take note of my "Politics & Political Parties" section, you'll see a bunch of brand spankin' new links. I did not include all of the parties I found. Why? Because some of them were either single issue or emotionally based, and that's not what I'm about here. I selected parties that had somewhat of a name recognition, embraced democracy (at least in theory), and took a comprehensive approach to its platform.

Be forewarned: I am not in agreement with philsophies of every party, nor do I always agree with my fellow contributors and commentors at Brave Humans. (And as some of you know, I don't agree on everything with every Christian I meet, either.) My intent is not to provide my preferred parties, but to provide alternatives for people from all aspects of the democratic portion of the political spectrum.

If you know of any other viable sites that don't toe the Democratic or Republican party line, please let me know. I would be happy to add them to my links.

Thanks.

Boogie Wonderland

So, here I am, minding my own business, when a musician friend of mine asks me if I want to audition for his new band. I do, and things go well. That was thirteen months ago.

Fast forward to today. Here I am, an 80s rocker who likes some of today's new rock, playing...

WHAT?

Yep...disco.

We had a great New Years Eve gig for a local catholic high school fundraiser, but realized we needed to add more "cheese" to keep folks of all ages on the dance floor. For our last two gigs, we added Get Down Tonight, by KC and the Sunshine Band, and Car Wash, by Rose Royce (see pics above of each).

Early returns have been favorable. Last week's gig was in a smaller venue. We had the place hopping until we finished at 2am. The new disco tunes, coupled with our standards for Jungle Boogie and Play That Funky Music, doubled the number of people on the dance floor, and the floor stayed packed for the rest of the night. Yesterday's gig was played in a larger venue, and the results were similar; folks came out of the woodwork when we played the disco tunes.

We're not giving up on the rock & roll; we also added Journey's Don't Stop Believin' to the set, to much fanfare. We realize, though, that certain venues need more cheese (dance), while others need more meat (rock).

More cheese, please!

Transfiguration Sunday

Here are the CLC radio posts for Transfiguration Sunday:

Readings and sermon

Revelation bible study - Chapters 12-13

School Is Back In Session

Prof. Quipper is back with another test. Don’t worry, you are not being graded on this one. The only way you can fail is not to take it. You don’t even need to print your name neatly at the top of the paper.

The first set of questions are food for thought:

1. Are you some variety of Christian?

2. Which variety (i.e. denomination) are you? (Note that non-denominational is not a valid answer; if you are non-denom, break it down according to the methods and principles your church follows most: Saddleback or Willow Creek, Schuller or Osteen, etc. BTW…you are a denomination, you just hate the way that sounds. :-) )

3. Do you agree with everything your denomination states it believes?

4. On a scale of 1-10, to what degree do you hold beliefs in common with other denominations? 0 is “none”, 10 is “all”.

Thank you. That wasn’t so bad now, was it? Look over your answers, virtually proofread them for accuracy, and take a deep breath. Now come the difficult questions:

5. Why did you answer #4 the way you did?

6. Assuming that your answer to #4 was not “all”, what would it take to make it “all”?

7. Is your answer to #6 practical, or even remotely possible?

8. If your answer to #6 is practical or remotely possible, what needs to occur to make it happen?

There is no need to post your answers in the comments. However, if you think you know where I am going with this, feel free to drop your theory on me. The rest of the story will be posted within the week.

Idol Chatter

I can't believe I am saying this, but I'm saying this...

I think the American Idol audition shows ought to be mandatory viewing for all parents, and their pre-teen and teenaged children.

Quick, what's the phone number for the loony bin? He's gone insane!

Whoah, put away the strait jacket, and hear me out for a minute.


Forget the singing. Forget the judges. Forget the commercials for Coke, Ford and hair products.

Watch the kids. (I'm a 38-yo, so I can call them all "kids".) Watch what they wear. Watch what they say. Watch how they prepare themselves - or don't - for a two-minute audition with three people who have successfully been around the block several times in varying parts of the music industry.

Watch how they position themselves.

Are they smart? Are they proud? Are they looking for sympathy? Are they out for thirty seconds of fame? Do they think a gimmick of style will overcome their lack of singing substance?

Do they have too high an opinion of themselves? Do they no self-image at all? Do they use God as an excuse for their being at the auditon?

Are they misplaced? In the right place? To be put in their place?

Where else can you see such an unadulterated view of America and where it's going than on this show? You have people from all races and colors, likely from all sexual orientations, and maybe even from all creeds, although I'll surmise that practicing Muslims don't give a rip.

On last night's show, I watched a girl make it through to the next round. She had formal vocal training, a decent voice, and a decent look. I watched her best friend, pretty but plain, with no vocal training and no confidence, outperform her.

I watched people live up to the stereotypes that others would have of them. I watched others obliterate those same stereotypes.

I watched people who looked like they'd never heard a compliment in their life. I watched others who looked like they'd never heard a reprimand in their life - handed everything on a silver platter, always told they were "the best", and that their singing was great - sound worse than a tone-deaf dog, be told so, and not know how to handle it.

I watched people who were prim and proper when they had to impress, then let their true colors show in front of the judges after they were rejected.

Whether or not you like the concept of the show, the judges, or the singing, the audition shows give lots of discussion opportunities with kids. It gives you a chance to indicate what is important to you, and learn what's important to your kids, all through someone else's experiences.

And, yes, you can even comment on Simon Cowell's critiques, if you must. :-)

Un-stinkin-believable

Yes, we have our freedom of speech, but this is outright pathetic. I would have fired the rep on the spot.

It's Been a While

Hello everyone. I am alive, just busy and keeping a free mind.

Oh, so you really haven't had anything to say lately...

Correct! But, finally, I do.

Can it really be all that good after a one week lag? Aren't you rusty?

I dunno. You be the judge.

This is a football post.
And an Idiot of the Week post.
And a political post.
And a future-telling post.
All in one.

I predict the big winner in this year's Super Bowl will be...oh, you probably want to know who is playing. (Or maybe you don't, but too bad.) The Indianapolis Colts will play the Chicago Bears on the biggest advertising day of the year, er, in the biggest football game of the year. The Colts are coached by Tony Dungy, and da Bears are coached by Lovie Smith. Both gentlemen are very good coaches, and have the talent necessary to win it all.

Now that you know who is playing, let's get back to my prediction. Vegas hasn't seen a prediction like this, ever. There is no over/under on it, at least as I know. There is no point spread. I dunno if you can even wager on it in any way, shape or form.

The winner of the Super Bowl will be...race. Yes, black vs. white. African-American vs. everyone else on the football field. Why? Because, for the first time in Super Bowl history, a black head coach made it to the Super Bowl. Matter of fact, both teams are led by black head coaches.

Who cares? Color aside, these coaches excel at what they do. They deserve to receive accolades for their accomplishments, not because USA Today, Time, Newsweek, and all the other socio-politico folios - note, I dare not call them news media - see their color. These gentlemen deserve to be recognized for getting their teams to the biggest game of the year, if not to the biggest game of most of their players' lives.

So, the Idiot of the Week Award, granted two weeks in advance of the Super Bowl, goes to...the media. They're already at it, as foolish as it is.

I'm baaa-aaack. :-)

Superman!

Look, up in the sky. It's a bird...it's a plane...it's...

It's SuperQuip!

SuperQuip uses his extraordinary powers to help mankind all around the country.

With the click of a mouse, he enables people to leave work on time and go home to their families. He decodes technical mumbo jumbo into words and concepts that non-techies can understand. He explains the frustrations of people who only want to do their jobs to the supporters who can fix their problems.

"SuperQuip! Help! My user doesn't understand what I'm saying!"
SuperQuip swoops in, makes a quick phone call, and takes care of everything.

He plays the bass with aplomb! (Not with a pick.) Astounding onlookers left and right with his diversity, switching from rock, to funk, to disco, while keeping that twinkle in his eye, that smile on his face, and that bounce in his step all hours of the night!

"SuperQuip! You need to learn this new song in less than two days! Can you do it?"
Not a problem, just another minor challenge.

(Quietly)

SuperQuip, at home, is known only as "Hon" and "Daddy". Teaching piano to the Engineer, helping the Artist with her Tae Kwon Do lessons, and spelling Mrs. Quipper when she needs moments of sanity, mild mannered "Hon" enjoys relatively quiet days at home. No world calamities here; just tickle fights, good meals, marvelous family, and a place that any superhero would be glad to call home.


Is your everyday life drudgery, or fun? Mine is fun, even when not everything goes the way I hope it does. I hope you can see the everyday adventure in your life, too.

Winter Is Here!

Winter has finally really arrived in Cleveland! It's cold, weather reporters are reporting the wind chill factor, and I'm wearing my gloves. Today, it was sunny when I drove home, and the brisk air was exhilirating.

You think I'm crazy, right?

I usually don't like winter. But, for some reason, I'm glad it's here. Maybe it's refreshing, knowing you won't be sticking around that "boy this really stinks" forty degree mark, where it's cold enough to want to play in snow, but too warm to actually get it.

Happy winter, everyone.

Podcasts for Advent, Christmas and beyond

Scott has been working furiously to catch up with the podcasts. There's been a lot going on over the last month.

The technical difficulties Scott had earlier seem to be taken care of. Please stop at the CLCRadio site to get caught up along with us. :-)

Scott, thanks for your diligence and efforts.

Making Change, conclusion

This post is the grand conclusion of a question asked by Indiana Jane, regarding the grass-roots creating of a multitude of viable political parties. (Here are all the posts: the premise, and first, second, third, and fourth in the series.) In taking this ride, I asked you several key questions about you and your friends' decisions toward homeschooling:

• Why did homeschooling intrigue you?
• How did you investigate?
• What did you decide?
• Why did you decide, even in the face of potential overwhelming majority (public) support against your decision?
• What schooling method did you choose?
• What curriculum selection method did you use?
• How did you find groups to affiliate with?
• Why did you choose the groups you did? If you could not find one, did you create one?

Now, tell me, which of these questions - variations of the five W's - does not apply to politics, and the choices you make at the voting booth?

And, the painful questions:

• Are you pushing all homeschool parents to consolidate into one homeschool organization?
• Are you funneling all your homeschool views through two different, major homeschooling organizations?

My guess is that you are not. In actuality, my guess is that you are working to ensure that the
distinctions between different homeschooling groups remains. (Sorry, Susan, I know things have changed a lot in the past decade.) You may gather in common on some weighty matters, but there are enough differences between groups to maintain the groups' distinctions.

Shouldn't politics work the same way? I believe it should. If homeschooling is becoming fragmented either due to practices or principles, why should it be different in politics? So, what do you do? In my opinion, I still don't have a solid answer to the question. But I think I have some solid guidelines:

1. Turn off the tv, radio and internet mainstream media sources, and all the bloggers that rely on the mainstream media. This includes Fox, Rush Limbaugh, Drudge, WorldNetDaily, and the sources for Thomas Sowell, et al, on the right, and Huffington Post, MoveOn, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, Daily KOS, et al on the left. Turn them off for at least 2-3 months. You won't die. You won't be out of the loop. You just won't be influenced by what people want you to hear.

2. Walk through the homeschool questions above, but from the political perspective. Forget about financial clout, power, and control. Think for yourself, relative to your household just like you did for homeschooling.

3. Meet with like-minded people, but forsake political labels. Political labels are inventions of the media, and channel the debate away from issues and towards consolidated power.

4. See how you can get involved in local affiliations that: a) do not support a specific party, or b) support issues that transcend the two main parties (in other words, issues that the two major parties won't touch, or are realistically on the same side of the issue). None Of The Above is a good example of this type of organization.

I hope this helps you find your place in politics.

The Patch

Ladies, have you been feeling lazy lately, wanting to become a gold digger rather than earning your keep?

Men, would you rather be a bum, er, homeless man, than pay governments up to 50% of your earnings in taxes?

Corporate officials, are you fed up with having to go to investors to bail you out of another bad business decision, for fear that they may not support you?

Well, then WAKE UP! Quipper Helps, a new division of the Quipper jaggernaut, has created a new product to help you quell those nagging cravings. We gladly present to you...


THE ENTITLEMENT PATCH

Yes! The Entitlement Patch is exactly what you need to get you out of that entitlement-craving funk!

• Thinking that welfare benefits should extend to $10,000 higher than you earn? No problem!
• Enrolling your kids in the school lunch program, even though your combined family income is approaching six figures? We understand!
• Looking at ways that your company can accumulate more government subsidies? That's okay!

The Entitlement Patch will help you eliminate your desired government addictions. Just place the patch on your forehead, and in mere weeks, you, too will eliminate entitlement entrapment.


Not only that, but your purchase of The Entitlement Patch automatically enrolls you in our almost-free* Entitlement Support Program. You will have 24x7 access to our special 900 number (1-900-IMA-LOSR).


BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE

For those of you already addicted to government entitlements, Quipper Helps has also created the "Think For Yourself" program. This handy, gold bound brochure** will help you understand the purpose behind hard work, succeeding and failing on your own merits, and being a responsible adult and citizen. Endorsed negatively by Alec Baldwin and Gweneth Paltrow, having your hands on this little brochure will make you the talk of all the high society parties.



AND WE ARE LEAVING THE BEST FOR LAST

The Entitlement Patch can be yours for the mere low price of nothing. That's right...nothing! And if you commit to using the Entitlement Support Program for at least sixty minutes, we'll throw in the free "Think For Yourself" brochure ABSOLUTELY FREE.


The Quipper Helps Entitlement Patch...doing for you what you won't do for yourself! And profiting from it!!!

Dial 1-800-I-M-A-L-O-S-R Now! Operators are standing by!




* Your first five minutes use of the Entitlement Support Program (ESP) is free. After that, for each additional call we make to you to check up on you will cost you $5 per minute.

** This exsquisite single-page brochure says, "I am a free thinking, able-bodied, able-minded person. I do not need the government to do anything for me. I am responsible for my own actions; I cannot blame them on anyone else."

Disclaimer: no politicians died during the making of this product. But we were ever so hopeful.

Hey Legacy

The Quipper News Alliance (QNA) has just learned that, in an effort to start off on the right, er, correct foot with the Democrats, President Bush plans on serenading Nancy Pelosi with the following tune prior to her taking the office of House Speaker this month.

Sung to the tune of Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms.

Tell me do you think it'd be all right
If I could just crash here tonight
You can see I'm in no shape for leading
And my whole base left me, so...

And you know we might not be that bad
Partisanship made me oh, so sad
If I stayed strong on immigration, though
I might not be alone

Tomorrow we can pander 'round this town
And let the press chase us around
The past is gone but something might be found
to help save face...hey legacy!

And you can trust me not to think
And not to be extreme
If you'll let me stay for two more years
I won't veto anything

Cause I don't really want to be with you
But Rove played me for a fool
If I had vetoed the McCain-Feingold bill
I would not be here with you

Tomorrow we can pander 'round this town
And let the press chase us around
The past is gone but something might be found
to help save face...hey legacy!