Preacher Jailed For Calling Homosexuality A Sin

Dale McAlpine was charged with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a homosexual police community support officer (PCSO) overheard him reciting a number of “sins” referred to in the Bible, including blasphemy, drunkenness and same sex relationships.
The 42-year-old Baptist, who has preached Christianity in Wokington, Cumbria for years, said he did not mention homosexuality while delivering a sermon from the top of a stepladder, but admitted telling a passing shopper that he believed it went against the word of God.
Police officers are alleging that he made the remark in a voice loud enough to be overheard by others and have charged him with using abusive or insulting language, contrary to the Public Order Act.

You can read the rest here.

Some questions:
-Should people be arrested for saying homosexuality is a sin?
-Who determines what is okay to say and what isn't?
-Should this section of the Public Order Act pertain to those who preach scripture?
-Should pastors/preachers be more careful with the things they say so as not to offend anyone?

Right To Life Denied Under State Run Health Care

She said: 'When he was born, he put out his arms and legs and pushed himself over.
A midwife said he was breathing and had a strong heartbeat, and described him as a "little fighter".
I kept asking for the doctors but the midwife said, "They won't come and help, sweetie. Make the best of the time you have with him".'
She cuddled her child and took precious photos of him, but he died in her arms less than two hours after his birth.
Miss Capewell, who has a five-year-old daughter Jodie, went into labour in October last year at 21 weeks and four days after suffering problems during her pregnancy.
She said she was told that because she had not reached 22 weeks, she was not allowed injections to try to stop the labour, or a steroid injection to help to strengthen her baby's lungs.
Instead, doctors told her to treat the labour as a miscarriage, not a birth, and to expect her baby to be born with serious deformities or even to be still-born.
She told how she begged one paediatrician, 'You have got to help', only for the man to respond: 'No we don't.'
As her contractions continued, a chaplain arrived at her bedside to discuss bereavement and planning a funeral, she claims.
She said: 'I was sitting there, reading this leaflet about planning a funeral and thinking, this is my baby, he isn't even born yet, let alone dead.'
After his death she even had to argue with hospital officials for her right to receive birth and death certificates, which meant she could give her son a proper funeral.

You can read more here.

You can read Jayden's story here.

Some questions:
-Should an arbitrary date be the determiner of who is treated and who is not?
-Do you agree with the decision made here?
-How should one determine who should get treatment and who should not? Or should the default be that everyone get treatment?
-Thoughts?

When The System Fails

A New Jersey man whose driver's license has been suspended 78 times has pleaded guilty to his 15th drunken-driving offense.

You can read the rest here.

Some questions:
-How in the world?
-78? Seriously?
-Anybody got a better idea for a system that works?

Moral Depravity Runs Through & Through

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Should those in positions of heads of state be subject to criminal charges?
-Should the federal government be able to remove heads of state?
-If these allegations are proven true, what punishment should be handed down?
-How do we as citizens safeguard our liberties from things like this? Practically how do we?
-Did you ever trust your elected officials? Do you now?

I Fart In Your General Direction & Get Charged For It

So, this guy is driving with no headlights on. He gets pulled over, fails the sobriety test and is taken in for DUI charges...

When police were trying to get fingerprints, police say Cruz moved closer to the officer and passed gas on him. The investigating officer remarked in the criminal complaint that the odor was very strong.

Cruz is now charged with battery on a police officer, as well as DUI and obstruction.

You can read the rest here.

Some questions:
-What in the world! Seriously? Battery?
-What will be chargeable next? Bad breath? Oily hair?
-Has law enforcement gone too far?

Common Sense Is Not So Common Anymore

A 10-year-old boy here has been suspended from school for having something most students carry in their supply boxes: a pencil sharpener.

So, let me get this straight. A student with no past record and no signs of aggression owns a pencil sharpener. No doubt the pencil sharpener was on the list of "Back to School" items on the approved list for his fourth grade class. He uses it a few times and the "made in China" pencil sharpener breaks exposing the blade. Now he has to make a decision. Do I A. Dissappoint the "go green" crowd and allow this to be yet another piece of non-eco friendly waste that will fill our landfills and destroy the earth. Or B. Do I continue to use it (it still works and allows me to be fiscally responsible)and bank on the fact that my teacher and the administrators are smart enough to recognize that a school approved pencil sharpener is being used for sharpening pencils.

The ever-trusting fourth grader chose to stay friendly with the "go green" crowd, show fiscal responsibility in not having his parents to buy him a new made-in-China pencil sharpener, and to trust in the common sense of those who are entrusted to educate him. Boy was that a wrong decision. Now he has to endure two days of suspension and possibly more disciplinary action for what? His parents buying a piece-of-junk pencil sharpener sold at Wal-Mart and made in China because they can make them cheaper and faster and Wal-Mart can continue to lower prices. You see what is going on here don't you? This is all part of the plan. Wal-Mart and China are in cohorts and due to our lack of common sense and our inability to put political correctness in its proper place, we will all have our children spending the entirety of their school age in suspension where they will be unable to learn and once they enter into the workforce the American economy will collapse and our nation will crumble. That is when China will move in and eradicate us to make way for their citizens to start having 2 children per marriage. After all, they will need the space and everything they need will already be sold at a Wal-Mart near them.

Ridiculous.

Here is the link.

The End of Contraception: The Government Defines Life

A new set of health laws that could be proposed by the government sometime in the next few weeks has women's health activists steaming. If the laws are implemented, they claim, women will have a harder time getting access to contraception.

The legislation, a draft of which was leaked last week to the New York Times, stokes the debate over when human life begins by taking the position that birth control that prevents the implantation of a fertilized egg actually results in abortion.

Late last week, Sen. Hillary Clinton called the planned rules (which could be imposed without congressional approval) "damaging" and a "dire threat to women" and warned that contraceptive coverage would "disappear overnight" if enacted.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Why do you think the legistlation states life begins at fertilization?
-What are your thoughts on birth control? Is it abortion? If not, when does life begin?
-Should this be legislated to the general public?
-What did women do before the invention of "the pill" to ensure they did not get pregnant- chastity?
-Do you agree with the proposed legislation? If so why? If not, why not?
-Do you see further ethical ramifications stemming from this legislation if passed?
-Has contraception been a good thing for us culturally? Spiritually?

Less Abortions Or No Abortions?

Denny Burk picked up on a discussion on Al Mohler's radio program between Tony Campolo and Russell Moore. Part of the transcript is below.

Moore: What would you say to someone that would argue as I would that getting together with abortion rights supporters and saying let’s reduce the number of abortions is something like a previous generation getting together with white supremacists and saying let’s find a way to reduce the number of lynchings. Don’t you kind of almost provide a smokescreen . . .

Campolo: Wait a minute. That was a very inflammatory way of stating the issue . . .

Moore: Not if unborn children are actually children . . .

Campolo: Would you let me respond? . . .

Even though Campolo is put off by the comparison to white supremacists, Moore’s analogy is entirely appropriate. Just as black Americans are persons created in God’s image whose lives should be protected in law against lynchings, so the unborn are persons whose lives should be protected in law against abortion.

You can read the rest here.
The audio can be heard here.

Some questions:
-Where do you stand on the issue of abortion?
-When does life qualify as human life?
-Do you think Moore's point is valid?
-Should the father have equal say in abortions concerning their unborn child?
-If abortion was outlawed, what would be the negative effects of such a ruling?

Keep Your Guns Says The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.

The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Does this ruling impact you personally?
-Do you think it was the right decision?
-Are guns important for citizens to own?
-Why are gun rights a hot button issue currently?

Apes Gain Rights In Spain Previously Limited To Humans

Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.
Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

"We have no knowledge of great apes being used in experiments in Spain, but there is currently no law preventing that from happening," Pozas said.
Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden and breaking the new laws will become an offence under Spain's penal code.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Is there a symbolic statement being made with this resolution?
-Are there good aspects to this?
-Is a government resolution really needed for such a thing as this?
-Do you think that giving rights to apes that were previously reserved for humans is a step forward for atheism?

Children Have No Need For A Father

Single women and lesbian couples won landmark parental rights last night as MPs voted to remove the requirement that fertility clinics consider a child’s need for a father.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will replace the rule with a “need for supportive parenting” after opponents were defeated in two votes by unexpectedly wide margins.

The Government had been prepared for defeat but won the free votes by majorities of 75 and 68. The decisions mean that the legislation will grant the most significant extension to homosexual family rights since gay adoption was sanctioned.

The Government has now won all four of the measures on which it agreed to grant Labour MPs a free vote. Moves to allow the creation of hybrid embryos for medical research, and “saviour siblings” screened as suitable tissue donors for sick children, were passed by large majorities on Monday.

Here is one of the comments posted in regards to this article: Good decision, great for singles who can't find men to have kids with. Unless women in their 20's start dateing men in their 40's the dream of a nuclear family is nonexistent. Men in their 20's are selfish, busy reading Loaded and Nuts than creating mature and stable relationships to have kids in.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Do you agree with the majority of vote casters?
-What are your thoughts concerning "saviour sibliings"?
-Do you agree with the commentor? Please explain.
-Do you think that children benefit from a father/mother family as opposed to a mother or mother/mother (lesbian) family?
-Why is the (U.K.) government even casting votes on such things as this?
-Are making hybrid embryos a "moral endeavor" as stated by Brown?

Lesson Learned: Don't Steal Macs!

A remote-desktop access feature found in some Macintoshes is being credited with leading police to two suspects in the burglary of an apartment in New York.

The feature allowed Duplaga to see immediately how the computer was being used at the time, as well as operate it remotely. Recalling that she had a camera installed on the computer, the fast-thinking Duplaga snapped images of one of the burglary suspects before he realized what was happening, according to the Times. Duplaga showed the image to friends, who recognized the suspect as someone who attended a party at the apartment.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Would you have thought to use this feature?
-If Apple can provide remote access to a Mac, IP agnostically mind you, why can't a PC natively do this?
-Do you think the police would have pursued it had it been a 10 dollar flash drive? A iPhone? A Dell? At what point does the item lose the ability to be pursued by authorities due to its worth?

Father of LSD Has Last Bad Trip

Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the hallucinogenic drug LSD, has died aged 102.

Born on January 11 1906, Hofmann discovered LSD - lysergic acid diethylamide, which later became the favoured drug of the 1960s counterculture - when a tiny quantity leaked on to his hand during a laboratory experiment in 1943.
He noted a "remarkable restlessness, combined with slight dizziness" that made him stop his work. "At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxication-like condition, characterised by an extremely stimulated imagination," Hofmann wrote in his book LSD: My Problem Child.

"In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight too unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours. After some two hours this condition faded away."

A few days later, Hofmann intentionally took a dose of LSD and experienced the world's first "bad trip".

"On the way home, my condition began to assume threatening forms. Everything in my field of vision wavered and was distorted as if seen in a curved mirror," he said.

"My surroundings had now transformed themselves in more terrifying ways. A demon had invaded me, had taken possession of my body, mind, and soul. I jumped up and screamed, trying to free myself from him, but then sank down again and lay helpless on the sofa. The substance, with which I had wanted to experiment, had vanquished me."

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-What are your thoughts concerning his recounting of his first bad trip as noted above?
-Do you think the 60's would have been what they were if it had not been for LSD?
-Do you think this drug should be made legal? If so, why?
-Do you think LSD could serve a legitimate medical purpose? If so, what?

A Public School Allegedly Promotes Islam

TIZA's [Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy]operation as a public, taxpayer-funded school is troubling on several fronts. TIZA is skirting the law by operating what is essentially an Islamic school at taxpayer expense. The Department of Education has failed to provide the oversight necessary to catch these illegalities, and appears to lack the tools to do so. In addition, there's a double standard at work here -- if TIZA were a Christian school, it would likely be gone in a heartbeat.

You can read more here.

Some questions
-Do you think this to be a double standard?
-Should tax payers have the option of funding a religously based school?
-If this school is found to be promoting religion at the tax payer's expense, what should be the penalty for such an act? (would your conclusion be different if it was Christian?)
-What, if any, burdern does the Department of Education bear?

Gun Control: Ineffective Since Its Institution?

Remember the post on the Israeli student who killed the man who was going around shooting people on a university campus? He killed him because he had a gun and used it to put an end to something that could have been much, much worse had he not have been armed and on campus.

In regards to that post, Misawa over at Misawa's Musings has fleshed this issue out a bit. I would encourage you to stop by over there and take a look at this thoughts on the matter and offer your own. While you are there, read some of his other posts; he has a knack for putting things.

You can read more here.

Comment on his blog on this one.

A Student With A Gun

Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem:

Witnesses said that only one terrorist had entered the building and that he managed to fire 500-600 bullets over the course of 4-10 minutes before he was killed.

The gunman entered the library where about 80 people were gathered, witnesses said, and opened fire.
Yitzhak Dadon, a student, said he was armed with a rifle and waited on the roof of a nearby building. "He came out of the library spraying automatic fire ... the terrorist came to the entrance and I shot him twice in the head," he said.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-What do you think about students having guns on/near school areas?
-Do you think Yitzhak Dadon did the right thing in this case?
-If this had happened in America, what do you think the differences would be? Afterall, schools are gun free zones.
-Should this cause us (Americans) to rethink the issue of guns on campus; especially in light of the recent string of college/school shootings?

Don't Steal That Song, It May Not Be Legal!

Music fans around the world faced confusion today as it was announced they would be able to download unlimited, free songs without breaking the law.

A revamped online file-sharing service had vowed to offer a catalogue of 30million free songs that are compatible with iPods, but record labels have denied they had granted permission to share the songs.

...Warner Music said it had not authorised the use of its tracks by Qtrax - and later Universal Music Group and EMI followed suit, saying they did not have licensing deals with Qtrax and discussions were continuing.

You can read more here.

An observation:
-As quick as it came, in all probability, it is gone.

Steal That Song, It's Legal!

With CD sales in free fall and legal downloads yet to fill the gap, the music industry has reluctantly embraced the file-sharing technology that threatened to destroy it. Qtrax (the site is currently down so I linked to the google cache page of the site so you can still see it), a digital service announced today, promises a catalogue of more than 25 million songs that users can download to keep, free and with no limit on the number of tracks.

The service has been endorsed by the very same record companies - including EMI, Universal Music and Warner Music – that have chased file-sharers through the courts in a doomed attempt to prevent piracy. The gamble is that fans will put up with a limited amount of advertising around the Qtrax website’s jukebox in return for authorised use of almost every song available.

The singer James Blunt gave Qtrax a cautious welcome. “I’m amazed that we now accept that people steal music,” he said. “I was taught not to steal sweets from a sweet shop. But I want to learn how this service works, given the condition the music industry is in.”

You can read more here.

Update: Qtrax is back up. Check it out here.

Some questions:
-Would you deal with Digital Rights Management and advertising for free music?
-What do you think about this? Blunt's statement?
-If you currently use iTunes or another service, will you move to Qtrax?
-Does this seem right to you?