Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:1-10
:: ashli 8:15 AM # ::
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Do it QUICKLY. I'm doing it NOW.
:: ashli 11:48 AM # ::
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:: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 ::
So we have a family trip scheduled for Disney. This was NOT my doing. It's a free trip, and my husband, on behalf of our children, couldn't resist. The land of oversized mouse ears and overpriced corn dogs is only 19 miles away from a place where parents bring their children--where we brought our child--to be slaughtered. One is a much more expensive "vacation" than the other, I can tell you. There's an E-ticket you do not want to punch.
This is not the best time of year either. If all had ended well so long ago, I probably would have sustained some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder from the hyperemesis alone. But I added so much on top of that it hardly registers.
The smell in the air. Winter is coming. Death. It reminds me of an illness, a child, a place, a happening that I spend most of my time trying to pretend never existed. Denial, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm not very good at it, and in fact I'm very bad at it particularly when my nose is thrust forward into the steaming pile of poo that is a trip to Orlando in winter months. Or any month really, but especially in winter.
I've been having some nasty-wasty thoughts of late. The truth of it all threatens my soap bubble with its menacing briar. This morning I was marveling over my daughter's tiny sleeping profile when I had the thought that if she needed a kidney I would give her two for good measure. Immediately, I thought of the first--maybe a girl just like her--a child in any case. And here I was doling out organs to her sister. Inwardly I laughed at myself and the perversion of this strange reality. Self-loathing.
Yes, I believe in Jesus, save your emails.
Two months ago an old but quietly cherished friend of mine accidentally ran over her 18-month-old while planting plum trees on their farm. I reiterate: it was an accident. It was not intentional, it was not premeditated, it was not scheduled and paid for. Still, she sat like a zombie for days, because that's child loss. But she emerged from the bewildered fog, because she loves Jesus and Jesus loves her (and the little children). Even so I wonder...I wonder if she feels the same about herself as she did before. I wonder what her mirror reflection means to her now. It's not something one asks, and so I'll never know. But I'm curious, not because I'm hateful, but because I'm a natural creature who wants to learn more about life and death and our experiences here on the big blue marble.
While my friend isn't guilty of murder, she will always know the driver of the van that killed her son. And so, dear brothers and sisters, while Christ's forgiveness renders me innocent, I will always know who killed my child. I will live with that until I go to be with Him.
For now, I have the heartbreaking poignancy of a trip to the big mouse who is also ironically part of the machine of sorrow.
:: ashli 6:56 PM # ::
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Dispel the myths but know that any person who takes part in the slaying of an innocent person, through legislation or any other type of advocacy, is NOT a follower of Christ. He might call himself a Christian, but despite his self-appointment he cannot both follow Christ and reject Him.
Consider Christ on earth: He healed many but never once did He kill. Nor did He help or encourage others to kill. There was never any circumstance where He led anyone to turn to death as a solution. Though He was sacrificed for us, it was the people who turned to death as the solution to the "problem" of Christ. The people got rid of Him because He posed an inconvenience. God knew they would, and though He used their malevolence for the good of all who would believe in His name, it remains that the malevolence of death belonged solely to the people who, via legislation or any other type of advocacy, slayed the Lord.
:: ashli 1:34 PM # ::
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"It's sad that John McCain and his supporters are closing their campaign with increasingly angry, desperate, false attacks instead of offering up a single thing John McCain would do differently on the economy than George Bush," said one chickensh*t in defense of another.
By the way, we were waving signs in a public show of support for McCain today, as we've done for a month of Saturdays, and we were, as usual, cussed at and threatened. I guess the llamas don't fall far from the messiah.
To be fair, when I made voter reminder calls for the Republican party, I did encounter some racism (from whites), and I was shocked and disgusted. For all these people knew my husband was a black man and my children were biracial like Obama. People need to learn that if they're going to be bastards, they should keep their mouths shut.
I also got "schooled" on the subject of abortion from abortion supporters whose plans to vote for Hillary Clinton for president were thwarted by Obama. As it was not my function to discuss abortion, I chose to ignore the comments, closing with a blurb regarding what a privilege it had been to talk to them. This I did for the sake of the children, because the truth of the matter, folks, is that talk is cheap and votes can thrill or kill.
On a positive note, in a predominantly African American county with approximately 23,000 registered Democrats and 3,000 registered Republicans, there were many waves of support for McCain from African American people who are absolutely not drinking the Kool Aid. Maybe they know that Barak Hussein Obama supports abortion and will appoint supreme court judges who will continue to ensure that more African American children are aborted than born. Whatever the case may be, I salute these individuals, because around here, to be an African American voting for McCain would likely be a very isolating experience. It would take a lot of courage and a lot of character and probably a fair amount of secrecy.
God bless anyone, no matter the color of their skin, who does not consider skin color to be a presidential qualification.
:: ashli 8:22 PM # ::
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Vote McCain, fellow lifers. Stay the course. It works.
:: ashli 1:32 AM # ::
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:: Thursday, October 30, 2008 ::
OBAMA: John McCain and Sarah Palin, they -- they called it socialistic. Now, I -- I -- I don't know when they decided that they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness.
RUSH: A virtue out of selfishness? A virtue? Look, we're not talking charity here, Senator Obama. When you use the government to take what people have produced, that's thug behavior. When you force the long arm of government into people's bank accounts, that's not charity. And what is this "virtue of selfishness"? Sir, if there's anybody selfishness in this race, it is you! Your aunt lives in a slum in Boston! Your brother lives in a hut in Kenya!
Obama had better understand that he is restricting the choice of some of his most avid supporters who made the well thought-out decision to watch American Idol, or whatever the heck Obama will be interrupting. (I don't know the TV schedule; I read books.)
:: ashli 12:36 PM # ::
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He gets by with a little help from his friends.
:: ashli 12:30 PM # ::
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Got this "unbiased" offer in the ol' email today.
Yes, it has been 8 years for an administration, so out it goes. There will indeed be a "change" coming to Washington. But isn't it neat how their headline just happens to be a direct quote from The One? (Search it, people.) I mean, since the blank check of "Change" is basically Obama's campaign slogan, if you were Weekly Reader, don't you think that in order to be unbiased you might be careful to select a headline that doesn't have the word "Change" in it? I mean, "New Leadership Comes to Washington" would have worked as would have any number of headlines that didn't favor either McCain or The One. But no, a direct quote from the messiah. Unfreakingbelievable.
And my 9-year-old came to me yesterday and asked, "Mama, does Weekly Reader think Obama is going to win?"
"Why do you ask that, Son?" I replied.
He casually informed me, "Because Obama has a long chin and his head fits in the blank space but McCain's head doesn't."
"Here, let me see," says I.
Things have gotten so ridiculously bad that a 9-year-old boy is noticing media bias!
I outlined it crudely in red. OK, so I'm fairly certain that it is just a coincidence, but it's worth a look:
"On Nov. 4, Barack Obama will be elected as the next president of the United States. The real excitement won't come from watching that foregone conclusion come to pass. No, the big question is, will Democrats nationwide simply "win" the night—or will they deliver an electoral drubbing so thorough that it signals the utter rejection of conservative ideology and kills the notion that America is a 'center-right' country?"
My 9-year-old was laughing his butt off at the breakfast table this morning. When I inquired over the matter he showed me this cartoon.
I asked him:
"If you were old enough to vote in this election who would you vote for? Obama or McCain?"
He said, "McCain."
I was curious to know if he was simply regurgitating our politics or if there was any semblance of individual understanding/concern, so I asked him: "Why?"
He replied, "Because McCain doesn't support abortion."
He's less than ten years old, folks, and he can give anyone who asks a specific reason why he would vote for his candidate.
Well done, kid, well done.
:: ashli 9:32 AM # ::
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:: Sunday, October 26, 2008 ::
"We now see there is a left-to-right elite centered in New York, Washington, Hollywood and Silicon Valley who hand down judgments of the nation's mortals from their perch atop the Bell Curve."
I can't believe I'm giving props to Lorne Michaels, but his comment was unbelievably FAIR and gracious. His politics are definitely not my politics either, but I appreciated his first class statement.
No kidding. And what kind of message does a vote for Obama send our Americans serving in the military?
"You can give your life and limb for your country for all we care, but what really counts is being able to speak well, looking good in expensive suits, and cozying up with Hollywood."
Real nice.
You know, I live in FL and the idea of wearing a burka in the summer makes me sweat in more ways than one, so PLEASE vote for McCain.
Go look at yet another biased article. Look for the not-so-subliminal message that McCain is a racist, behold the notion that Obama's negative anti-McCain ad is not negative (because it's not Republican), be swept away by Obama's jaw-dropping crowds and pity McCain's pathetically low rally attendance, and do not miss such items as:
"The fact is I am not George Bush," McCain said. Then, he added: "Do we share a common philosophy of the Republican Party? Of course."
Obama pounced on that comment, telling his Denver audience, "I guess that was John McCain finally giving us a little straight talk, and owning up to the fact that he and George Bush actually have a whole lot in common."
Umm...seriously, people. Do they really expect us to believe that this is journalism? And is anyone actually buying Obama's logic? He appears to be drunk on his own Cool-Aide.
:: ashli 8:58 PM # ::
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Abortion-related Anti-Palin ad on the No. 6 train in New York: (HT: TRA)
The answer: Neither is half as limited as Barak Obama's experience.
:: ashli 2:03 PM # ::
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You know, we don't have cable. We seriously get like four channels, one of them being the Weather Channel. That's alright with us, because we're Christian homeschoolers; we're over the top to win our kids for Christ, and we consider the vast majority of television programming to be morally harmful to our children.
For the most part, the entertainment industry is just another cog in the machine of conforming to this world that we are in but not of. So we try to set ourselves apart by setting apart what we allow ourselves and our children to watch. We're not scared of the other stuff. Don't forget: my bmom was a stripper in New York City in the 60's-70's; I was raised to LOVE liberal. Each of my bparents aborted a child, and so did I. Click clack, I followed down that track. I voted for Clinton, for Pete's sake. (I'm sorry.)
No, there is no fear here. My husband and I have lived mediocrity and are just not satisfied. Back to television...
We have a lot of friends who don't have TVs at all, and though that is a great idea, we have two, along with DVD players that we attempt to fill with only wholesome programs. Andy Griffith is one of our absolute favorites.
Mayberry, the sleepy little town with the God-fearing sheriff who is oft found singing hymns on his front porch to the sweet harmonizing of Don Knotts. Oh, I know, that's only acting, but Don played one of the voices in the Christian children's video series Hermie, and Andy has produced a slew of gospel albums.
Folks, Don is dead, and I hope he is with Christ this very moment. But dear ol' Andy is alive and kicking and taking part in such items as this:
Well, well, well...the blank check of "change" rears its foolish head once again. Kinda like the word "choice." It sounds GREAT, but what does it really mean?
Little Ronnie Howard, Andy Griffith (for SHAME) and "the Fonz" standing up for the "Will kill for sex," (abortion) candidate. Isn't it heartwarming.
So, an Obama presidency would never be as "divisive" as a Bush presidency. Are you freaking kidding me? Who writes this tripe? Worse, who BELIEVES it?
Sooo DISAPPOINTING.
I suppose we'll still watch Andy Griffith, because the show was great, and we already paid for the DVD sets long ago. But privately, this is going to ruin it for me. Son of a gun.
If you're a woman who is voting for McCain/Palin, Ashley Judd wants you to know that "A woman voting for McCain and Palin, is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders."
So apparently, you're a walking contradiction, and she kind of implies that you're reckless and stupid too.
Thomas Sowell: "When one thinks of all the men who have put their lives on the line in battle to defend and preserve this country, it is especially painful to think that there are people living in the safety and comfort of civilian life who cannot be bothered to find out the facts about candidates before voting to put the fate of this nation, and of generations yet to come, in the hands of someone chosen because they like his words or style."
"The magic word 'change' makes specifics unnecessary. If things are going bad, some think that what is needed is blank-check 'change.'"
John McCain's father, John Sidney McCain Jr., and his mother, Roberta Wright McCain. McCain's father was a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, as was his grandfather. Source
:: ashli 12:54 AM # ::
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:: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 ::
Here's The Story "I spent the next couple of days in a fog."
Gee, I spent the next 11 years (and counting) in a fog.
You know, it doesn't matter how women feel about their SICLEs. If someone is proud or if someone is torn up about it, it doesn't matter half as much as what abortion is: the killing of a living human being who has committed no crime.
I tell ya, I'm all for the choice to decide when you're ready to become a parent or not. It's when you're ready to have sex. Hopefully that time coincides with marriage, because it's nice to raise a child with a mother and a father, and a husband is much less likely to leave a wife over a pregnancy, while a wife is much less likely to abort a husband's baby without his consent.
Choice carries responsibility. "Will kill for sex," is barbaric and unacceptable.
:: ashli 9:31 PM # ::
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"Have no doubts: Obama's surrogates and the media (but I repeat myself) will insist that McCain stop campaigning for three or four critical days a week and a half out from an election.
I feel bad about his grandmother. I will not however allow him to pull a Johnny Fairplay to grab immunity in a presidential election."
So watch as that prediction becomes a reality, and do not miss the comments.
Nevermind that I have never ever one single flipping time logged on to Comcast's homepage and seen even one Obama-related headline that did anything but glorify "The One." Today, I log on and find, yet again, some kind of anti-Palin utter meaningless nonsense headlining.
Forget all the serious Obama-related questions like, is he in fact even a flipping American citizen and if so, WHY won't he release his birth certificate and medical and schooling info like every flipping body else has already been happy to do? Disregard how deeply in bed The One may have been with ACORN or William Flipping Ayers. THAT, my friends, is negative and brings Republican campaigning to an all time low.
No, let's focus on positive campaigning, on the issues that threaten to unhinge the earth's gravitational pull and throw our galaxy into chaos...such as how much donation money the Republican party has spent on Sarah Palin's look. And, God in heaven, how much she has spent on GASP! taking her children with her on business trips. Look how she tried to get away with involving them in service projects in any capacity they were able. That, ladies and gentlemen, is grounds for vice presidential disqualification, not to mention tarring and feathering.
Thank the Lord that Comcast is focusing on the big issues, otherwise we might be duped by the dispicably family-oriented Palin who, as we all know from the plane she didn't sell on eBay (Ah ha! Another scandal!) is a money grubber who feeds off of taxpayers' finances like some sort of a political placostamus any chance she gets.
Who would not agree that Sarah Palin should be buying her own Aquanet and riding a low-emissions hybrid tricycle to all her gigs? I want to see the headline that expresses outrage over her and her multiple children sucking up air that belongs to the rest of us. That is sure to be the media's October surprise.
After breaking his promise NOT to accept public financing, just where is Obama's half a billion coming from? WHO CARES!!! What I want to know is did Sarah Palin use Republican donations to buy Trig diapers at any time while campaigning here in the 48 contiguous states!!!
Just so you know, if Sarah Palin were coming to Tallahassee, Florida today, I would single handedly make a Republican donation for an Ultimate Day for her and each of her girls at Chelsea's Spa.
This election has taught me two things: 1. Journalism is DEAD. 2. The democratic process is on its last leg.
:: ashli 4:15 PM # ::
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"East Coast fans of 22weeks: There will be a screening of 22weeks at Regent University next Tuesday, October 28th at 7 & 9pm!!! Tickets are free but you have to have one to get in. To get tickets contact either me or the Regent U box office. There is select seating so get your tickets now. This may be your one chance to see 22 Weeks for a while! Tell all your friends!! There will be a Q & A with Director/Producer Angel Soto following. Lets get people passionate about LIFE, the greatest human right that there is. Thank guys, God Bless!! -Natalie Wenninger"
:: ashli 10:30 PM # ::
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"Wonder if Stewart dropped an F-bomb on Obama when he made the clinging-to-guns-and-religion crack? I mean, he was talking about the same pro-Americans Sarah was, except not calling them names and suggesting they're violent and stupid."
"Hollywood is the most predictable place on the planet, not exclusively because of politics but because of narrow-mindedness."
:: ashli 2:36 PM # ::
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Get run over for Obama! Anti-Palin protestors breakin' the law.
These children shouldn't have been aborted in the first place, but once they are fully born and take that first breath, they are somehow magically transformed BY LAW into full-fledged human beings who are SUPPOSED to be protected under law. But they're not.
Obama is either evil or very, very naive.
:: ashli 2:12 PM # ::
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ROFL! This is hilarious! Look how far they will go! LOL!
:: ashli 9:55 PM # ::
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Obama's grandmother is very ill. If you pray, please do so for her. Also pray for Obama who is sure to be heartbroken should anything happen to her.
Pray for Obama and Obama's mama's mama, but vote for McCain so that more grandmas can have a relationship with their grandchildren.
:: ashli 9:43 PM # ::
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Be sure and visit Jill's blog to view these in her sidebar:
*Barack Obama opposed legislation as IL state senator to protect abortion survivors from being shelved to die:
~Links to Obama's votes on IL’s Born Alive Infant Protection Act ~Obama’s 10 reasons for supporting infanticide ~Why Jesus would not vote for Obama ~Audio of Obama arguing against giving medical care to abortion survivors
*Barack Obama thinks partial birth abortion is a “legitimate medical procedure”: ~Michelle Obama's partial birth abortion fundraising letter
*Barack Obama opposes parental notification of minor girls before they abort: ~Media Matters corroboration
*Barack Obama has stated “the first thing I’d do as president“ would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would overturn every local, state, and federal abortion law passed in the past 35 years: ~Video of Obama promising FOCA to Planned Parenthood
:: ashli 7:14 PM # ::
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Be sure to click on all the links. Obama's "old-school cool," while McCain is producing "debate low lights."
Speaking of old-school and low lights...Yahoo's "non-partisan" coverage is just one of many issues that might explain why Google is whipping Yahoo's arse anymore.
While it was hardly a keystone of the final presidential debate, the life issue did make a brief-but fiery-debut at the hands of moderator Bob Schieffer. Though Schieffer wrapped the abortion question in the broader topic of litmus tests for judges, it quickly became a defining moment of the night, drawing sharp contrasts between the candidates on the fundamental issue of life.
On Roe v. Wade, Sen. Obama defended his support for abortion-on-demand by equating the "right" to kill an unborn child with our First Amendment rights, saying that neither "should be subject to popular vote." In his response, Sen. McCain, who said he was "proudly pro-life," outlined how Obama had "align[ed] [himself] with the extreme aspect of the pro-abortion movement in America." He pointed to Obama's record in the Illinois State Senate, where, in the Judiciary Committee, he voted against a law "that would provide immediate medical attention to a child born of a failed abortion." McCain went on, "Then there was another bill... in the state of Illinois... where [Obama] voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion... [They were] clear-cut votes... in direct contradiction to the feelings and views of mainstream America."
Obama claimed that he would never vote to withhold protection from an infant. However, records from the Illinois State Senate show that he did exactly that-not once but four times. He also said that at the time a law similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act was already on the books. Also false. According to Jill Stanek, the pro-life nurse who blew the whistle on this neglect, there was no such thing as across-the-board protection for infants who survive an abortion. Instead, the law protected only those "survivors their abortionist deems fit to live."
What's more, Sen. Obama said last night that he is "completely supportive of a ban on late-term abortions, partial-birth or otherwise, as long as there's an exception for the mother's health." That statement ignores the fact that the Supreme Court has defined "health" in the abortion context to include such factors as "psychological" and "financial" well-being, that is, just about anything. For more on Obama's abortion views, check out Professor Robby George's latest editorial at www.thepublicdiscourse.com.
:: ashli 6:22 PM # ::
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Hey, just curious...
How come if you don't support Obama you're a racist, but if you don't support Palin you're a feminist?
Obama chestnut number two from last night's debate:
Obama: "Providing appropriate education to our youth communicating that sexuality is sacred and that [our youth] should not be engaged in cavalier activity."
Ask anyone who has been coerced and "guilted" into losing a child in an abortion: In the land of legalized abortion, it is no longer a choice, but a woman's responsibility. Apparently the naive Obama didn't get the memo.
Quote o' the debate:
Obama: "Nobody's pro-abortion. I think it's always a tragic situation. We should try to reduce these circumstances."
Really? Obama thinks it's a "tragic" situation? Hmm. WHY? Why does Obama refer to abortion as "tragic?"
I had an appendectomy, some tooth extractions, a laminectomy and a discectomy, but you know, I have no single shred of loss. I have no guilt, no grief. The anatomical structures removed from my body were part of my body, each smidgen of bone and tissue bore solely my genetic makeup. My body, my choice.
But when another person's body was within my body, and I had that body mangled and removed...you must understand that that wasn't my body, and so it wasn't my choice.
What's "tragic" about abortion is that it destroys what Obama and others truly know to be a living, growing human being, a child with his/her own unique genetic code. Obama's argument is not with the anti-abortion movement; it's with nature, and since he identifies himself as a "Christian," we may even say that his argument is with God Himself, Who made women with the ability to carry within our bodies the bodies of others.
That doesn't make us disadvantaged or unequal. On the contrary, in many ways, we can smugly say that we have an especially creative capacity that men simply do not. And I'll tell you, when I worked in the funeral industry I was witness to autopsies on occasion and, you can ask any physician, women are just internally built better than men. We have to be; we carry life. And Obama knows it, which is why he refers to abortion as "tragic."
It's tragic because it involves death, the intentional destruction of an innocent human being, a child, and therefore it should not be legal. Not because of my hurt feelings or someone else's feelings of accomplishment or satisfaction...but because it violates our U.S. Constitution by ending the life of a human being who has not been found guilty of any crime.
Obama makes a right to privacy argument, but the right simply does not exist. Even if it did, I do not have the right to beat and/or rape my children in the privacy of my own home. I could not go before a judge and argue, "Sorry, Judge, but you're invading my privacy." No, I'd go to jail, and we all understand that, because it is logical. Abortion is illogical. In deciding Roe v. Wade the supreme court didn't say these little ones weren't little ones. They only said they didn't know and therefore abortion was OK. WHAT?
Would any among us, abortion opponent or supporter, thinking that our diapered toddler *might* be behind our car, back out of our driveway without first making certain that what we were doing would not result in the death of a child? Or would we just plow away in *hopes* that our child was safely inside the house?
What are we doing, America? What are we buying into?
(Not visually graphic, but you might not want your children in the room due to improper sex discussion involving statutory rape.)
:: ashli 10:57 AM # ::
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Well, it's about FREAKING time!
Federal court: Ohio must check voter registrations
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered Ohio's top elections official to set up a system by Friday to verify the eligibility of new voters and make the information available to the state's 88 county election boards.
The full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a lower court ruling that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner must use other government records to check thousands of new voters for registration fraud.
A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit had disagreed last week, but the full court's ruling overturns that decision.
Ohio Republicans had sued Brunner, a Democrat. Her spokesman had no immediate comment Tuesday.
About 666,000 Ohioans have registered to vote since January, with many doing so before the contested Democratic primary election last March between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Since then, Ohio Republicans have filed a series of challenges to the registrations and Brunner's administration of election rules. They have helped voters file lawsuits against local boards of election over registration rules, absentee ballot requests and a weeklong period that allowed registration and voting on the same day.
Brunner previously said there was no way to set up the system with such speed.
Last week, a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit had sided with Brunner, but after hearing an appeal the full panel sided with the GOP and U.S. District Judge George C. Smith in Columbus. Smith had ordered Brunner to develop a way to verify voter registration information and make it available to local election boards.
Brunner argued that it would take two to three days to create the necessary computer programs, and said nothing in the federal Help America Vote Act required her to do what the district court ordered.
Tuesday's order directs Brunner to verify new registrations by comparing that information with data from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration.
Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett accused Brunner of pursuing a partisan agenda and said "her delay in providing this matching system leaves little time for election officials to act on questionable registrations."
Bennett said Brunner was destroying the public's trust in Ohio's elections system.
"Her shameful actions to disenfranchise Republican absentee voters, block the transparency of early voting and refuse the proper verification of newly registered voters have rightfully damaged her credibility as a nonpartisan election administrator," he said.
Polling in the state shows Obama, now the Democratic presidential nominee, slightly ahead of Republican challenger John McCain. Both campaigns have worked hard in the state, which has 20 electoral votes and gave President Bush a second term in 2004.
"Ashli, I read you most days, and am glad to see you posting so often lately! I went to Real Choice and read it through. What I have been most surprised by since trying to engage some rabidly pro-choice people is that they, like Obama, really don't care if people abort their babies when they are viable. This has been the most disturbing discovery I have made, and the most discouraging one. It's one thing to know these atrocities are happening and to think, 'If only people knew, they wouldn't stand for it to go on.' But then to find out that people actually don't care, well, that's heartbreaking beyond repair."
I agree and have voted for the candidate who does care.
"Nobody should be able to say what you can do with your body."
I guess no one told Jessica Biel that there's a law against prostitution, smoking pot, having sex with your children, using your fist to smack your baby around, using your drunk body to drive a car, going to the mall in your birthday suit, etc. Man, she's going to be embarrassed when she finds out that somebody actually DOES say what I can do with my body. But seriously, I hope Jessica does something about the laws currently slapped all over my body, because everyone knows there's no better way to enjoy a Cinnabon than dining in the buff at the mall food court.
"'I give Jess the right to choose where we go to eat all the time,' Timberlake joked."
Oh, man! LOL! You tell 'em, Justin! ROFL! Choosing to mutillate and kill your child is just like choosing between a chalupa and a chimichanga (only that's a lot harder because they both start with c's and everything)! Joking about abortion...what a funny, funny guy! Hey that reminds me of an HILARIOUS email I shot to a friend last night. Here's an excerpt (get ready to giggle):
"I read the Nathanson book last night. I was disappointed. It was brilliant, but the things I read. The things I know...
I was in the grocery store tonight, and I almost busted out crying in the cake aisle. I had to do that mental holding it together thing. something, i can't remember what, triggered a memory of the past...the beautiful past where i was young and moronic with life ahead...life was SOOOOO GOOOOOD back then. back then when i embraced evil and twisted the truth. and then abortion cooked me. i mean, MY LIFE ENDED. here it is, i know, but i am not me anymore. yes, that's a good thing, yes, yes. but there was something so nice about not knowing. about being "free." about being young and supple and FREE. it's greater to be a slave of Christ but better to come to it another way.
the fishermen came away from their nets willingly. paul had to be blinded, affected physically...blinded, i say, that he might see.
i know i told you DH and i both had dreams the same night...before we found out we were pregnant that first time. i dreamed that i was being wheeled through hospital corridors in hell where there were body parts scattered everywhere, blood and arms and legs and organs all over the floor, tripping the wheels of the gurney. and DH had a dream that i was giving birth and the doctor delivered a dismembered head.
and my parents who could always get me through everything, anything, everything...they just happened to die one right after the other, orphaning me only months before the most devastating pregnancy-related illness of my life. yes, yes. just really awful luck. but it feels very orchestrated, all of it. no one has HG in my family. NO ONE.
it feels very orchestrated.
and i submit, and i am privileged.
but i am cooked. and in the end of things, my tears are contradictions, because i know that it is better to be cooked by abortion and saved than cooked by an eternal separation from God.
sometimes i want my old life back even so, wretched creature that i am. because it was easier being loved and mooing along with the crowds. easier being whatever i wanted to be, feeling whatever i wanted to feel and being utterly free...free of consequences or the responsibility of my freedom. free from the agony of abortion.
but it is outrageous, and i know it, for me to desire my life back. my life...well it's right here, isn't it? i ate the cheese crackers and drank the tea as my little one swam in his/her own blood and dismembered body parts.
i look at my daughter now, you know, and i can see them. i can see all the wounds inflicted on my first. she sleeps, the artery pulses beneath the smoothest skin. and i see it cleave. in my mind's eye, it becomes the neck of my first child; i see it open. I see the jagged anatomy inside. i see the skull splitting and caving in and the tender palate rendered forever inoperable...those lips i will never kiss. those cheeks will never impart their warmth sleeping on my breast. the arms flung away and fingers damaged. the belly punctured, contents dismissed. nascent bones disjointed, disconnected like so much dry spaghetti. my child, made to love and be loved. my child, same as the daughter and son i now raise. my child, razed.
and yet i sit pooling, whining for my life back. well all at once you know, if you never knew before, that i deserve every dollar's worth of misery i purchased that educational night. every dollar and then some.
before abortion i loved myself more than anyone.
after abortion i despise myself.
i see millions of children like mine falling, and the people who aren't sanctifying it are apathetic. they care about taxes. they froth at the mouth and they CAREabout taxes.
i don't know the world anymore, and it doesn't know me.
and winter is coming..."
Yes, abortion is downright comedic. So keep on joking, Justin! Tell this one at your next Obama rally and laugh until I cry.
:: ashli 12:50 AM # ::
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Another first for Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel!
"We've never publicly endorsed before. But we've never been so inspired by one person," Timberlake told the Las Vegas crowd Saturday at a public rally for Barack Obama, where he and his equally supportive girlfriend took the stage at the Clark County Government Center.
"I'm not here as some dude who writes goofy songs," said the pop stud, in town to helm the PGA's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which teed off today. "Me and Jess, we're here as Americans. We're here as humans because this is something we had to do."
Pointing out that our next president could have a huge say in who sits on the U.S. Supreme Court for generations to come, and therefore play a role in the future legality of abortions, Biel added: "Nobody should be able to say what you can do with your body."
"I give Jess the right to choose where we go to eat all the time," Timberlake joked. "The funny thing is, what the woman chooses is usually right."
The couple also discussed the troops in the Middle East: "One of the ways to support our troops is to bring them home," Biel said. And they talked about what they perceive as the declining view of America in the eyes of the rest of the world: "You get to be where, enough is enough, you know?" Timberlake mused.
Judging by the reaction in this video, at least someone has the young-and-vocal female vote wrapped up in Nevada.
There's so much intriguing information out there regarding Obama's life ethic, his ties, religious beliefs, patriotism, citizenship, etc. But is any of this cause for pause for the waves of people who proudly and passionately support him? Why, of course not! Bow down to The One!
Obviously, we are raising our children to know and cherish the value of human life. Hopefully they will be passionate about this most important issue, and hopefully they will know that there are positive ways to act on their beliefs.
We want to teach our children that as citizens of this country (and as children of Christ) we must act, and it is definitely our duty to show them how to do so responsibly. Volunteering for the cause that represents our deepest concerns is a great way to do that.
Message to McCain: Get off your arse, dude or Obama's going to be doing his presidential Thug Thizzle fo' shizzle.
It's time to call all this garbage out. Not dredging up all of Obama's dirty, dirty secrets has NOT been serving our party. I got this mass email from Biden last week:
"John McCain and Governor Palin are setting a new low in presidential politics with their dishonorable campaign."
Holy guaca-freakin-moly, people! McCain and Palin have just been sitting on their arses this whole time remaining so freaking honorable that Obama is getting away with freaking murder! I hope to God that McCain just freakin tells it like it is during this last debate. Bump decorum! BRING IT, already!
I received an interesting email this morning that wasn't written by David Plouffe but was interesting anyway:
Ashli,
I know this might pain you, but an e-mail I received this morning from The Matthew 25 Network announcing the launch of ProlifeproObama.com has turned my heart around (please send me $5 or more). I now know that "Barack Obama will bring the kind of systemic, grassroots, bottom-up change we need to help families to choose life and reduce the abortion rate in this country.
It's completely non-partisan -- although its founder is Mara Vandersplice, the former Director of Religious Outreach for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, that campaign is obviously over. Plus, she was featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post and was on the Colbert Report. And Sharee McKenzie Taylor, its chief fundraiser (please give me $5 or more) was a corporate lawyer at a huge Manhattan law firm. No, neither of them could possibly have souls, but that just makes them like the rest of us sinners.
I found their reaction to Palin's convention speech particularly moving. Instead of calling her a liar, they are trying quietly to help her as a Christian by circulating an online petition asking her to PUT AWAY FALSEHOOD (and asking you before signing, to "please consider a donation to help us keep spreading our message"):
As Christians, we are called to be respectful and loving toward our neighbors, honoring their intentions even if we disagree with their plans. We are also called to "put away falsehood" (Eph 4:25) and to refrain from slandering, belittling, or speaking out of contempt for anyone . . .
To be blunt, we saw very little of Jesus' love in Sarah Palin's speech, as she heaped contempt on those who disagree with her politically, while offering no vision for how to resolve the critical issues facing Americans today like job loss, health care, growing child poverty rates and the war in Iraq.
Moreover, as has been documented by major media sources including the Associated Press, Palin spoke falsehoods not only about her own record, but about Barack Obama's record as a State Senator and as a U.S. Senator. As Christians, we are called throughout Scripture to speak the whole truth, to put away falsehood, to bear true witness even when it hurts our own interests. The name of Jesus should never be associated with falsehoods or deception, but in Sarah Palin's speech, we believe it was.
We all know what Jesus really wants his name associated with, and, if you need a hint, it's a common medical procedure (please send us $250-$2,500). Oh, and now that you've gotten your purse out, go to their online store and get a tee shirt or a bumper sticker. You can really tell how pro-life they are by their refusal to put the word "pro-life" or anything associated with . . . uh . . . that common medical procedure on the merchandise -- Jesus calls on them to be modest and not draw attention to themselves, particularly not loud guffaws.
And finally, don't forget to go to their Put Away Falsehood anti-smear page, where, among other things, they claim that "Senator Obama has never supported gay marriage."
So the Llamas are building Bible Web sites and twisting the Word of God to heap their voluminous mountain of stinking falsehood upon anyone ignorant enough to listen. A very spiritually dangerous business, that.
But in all seriousness, I once was lost. I religiously attended an abortion-supporting church (pastored by a lesbian) and murdered my own child. I am no better than the Llamas. But Jesus is. As I was found, so too can they be. Yes, they make me furious, because they are hurting people and mocking God, but I pray for their salvation--not because I'm a "good Christian," but because at the end of the day I see myself and know who I am. I know that I do not deserve salvation but death. Instead God found me on the proverbial road to Damascus and called out my name. I will never know why. I can only be grateful. I can only reject the darkness of my own immoral nature and strive against it as a living expression of my relationship with Him. I can only hope that others who are now in darkness (and reveling in it like I did) will one day see and embrace the Light of the world that they might have the privilege of serving the King (and I don't mean Elvis, baby) and the joy of being called His sons and daughters.
It is true: Obama and his dishonest, Bible-perverting followers are our enemies. Resist them with all your might, call them out again and again, but endeavor to love them. I have not always done this, but I will try to, especially in the coming weeks.
:: ashli 11:10 AM # ::
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I wore my Sarah Palin T-shirt to the grocery store last night, and a fellow Republican commented that she liked it. She said she was going to make another donation to the Republican party this Saturday, and I said, "That's the spirit!" to which another woman practically yelled, "WHATEVER!" So I wheeled my cart over to her and told her that we vote pro-life, and since Obama supports abortion it was not possible to vote for him. She replied, "Well, everybody got they own choice!" I answered, "NO ONE should have THAT choice."
She happened to be African American, and I should have informed her about abortion by saying, "3 in 5 African American children are aborted in this country, which means more African American children are aborted than born! If you are happy with those numbers then you go right ahead and vote for Obama."
I missed the boat this time, but you can bet that I will not make the same mistake again.
:: ashli 3:53 PM # ::
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I have found Weekly Reader (WR) to be very helpful in teaching my kids about the presidency, election, government, etc. However, we came across page 2 of the Ready, Set, Vote! teacher's guide yesterday and it piqued my interest.
We all thought it was curious that WR refers to Obama as an "African American" when his mother was Caucasian. If his mother was white and his father is black, doesn't that make him as much a Caucasian as an African American? Why then did WR choose to refer to him as African American? Is "biracial" a bad thing? What kind of message does this send to other biracial Americans, especially the biracial children reading WR? Or is WR merely sending a subtle political message to the African American population? If so, should we really be voting (or not voting) based on skin tone?
"In her 1985 autobiography, Russell revealed that she got pregnant at age 19 and had a back alley abortion that was so badly botched she almost died. Upon inspecting her in the emergency room her doctor exclaimed, 'What butcher did this to you?' After that Russell was unable to conceive. Since then Jane has taken a staunch pro-life stance against abortion."
I think it's interesting (and inspiring) that Jane Russell's response to a botched, illegal abortion wasn't to legalize abortion. Instead it was to reject abortion itself.
Abortion is the biggest, most obscene illustration of the Democratic Party's influence on our nation. We didn't need a national economic crisis to ram their point home:
"I want it all for nothing with no responsibility no matter what."
But the road to that sort of "freedom" is paved with poverty and the bodies of our children.
Please, America, this is not what this great nation of ours was founded on. This is not the "liberty" that our forefathers fought and died for. We must embrace the idea of responsibility and comprehend that the beauty of character is developed through suffering for what is good and pure and right.
Common sense dictates that we must not secure loans that we have no way of affording, and we must not accept the killing of our children as a solution to financial, social or health woes. These may be difficult principles but they are ethical and worth it, and without them there can never be freedom and justice for all.
McCain isn't perfect, but the prospect of Obama is terrifying. Think "supreme court justices," people. This election, demand the maturity and character that personal responsibility builds.
:: ashli 7:57 AM # ::
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Why search the facts when it's much more easy (and fun) to bash the current administration that tried to prevent the current financial crisis?
I agree with Parker98. You could show a video of Obama eating babies and it just wouldn't deter his followers at all. They would only justify the eating of babies, REFUSE to take responsibility for any resulting negative impact, and then blame said negative impact on the Bush administration.
Everyone please pray for Sarah Palin today. You know how I adore her, but she kinda sucked in the Couric interview. She has got to do a better job of explaining why the life ethic is a good thing, and I much prefer that she just say, "I don't know," rather than try to B.S. her way out of an answer like she did when asked about supreme court decisions she has disagreed with historically. She was Johnny On the Spot, but sakes alive, wouldn't it have been great to cite slavery????? Oy vey!
The McCain team needs to hire Dave Ramsey and Serrin Foster and whip their platform into super shape.
BTW, is it me or is Biden referring to a substitute bill that would have invalidated the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA)? In the above video he makes it look like Republicans are down with wife beating. Real nice. Please do correct me if I'm wrong about the UVVA substitution, otherwise WHAT HE ISN'T TELLING is that he and his Democrat cronies introduced their bill because they were trying to make sure that children like Zachary and moms like Tracynever ever see justice, because Dems are afraid it would shed yet more light on Roe v. Wade and hack off financial supporters like Planned Parenthood.
:: ashli 10:25 AM # ::
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:: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 ::
Did you know that George Washington was opposed to political parties? He believed they would divide and therefore damage our country.
Did you know also that the Republican Party arose in 1854 over slavery? Republicans did not believe in slavery, and Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.
Historically, the Republican Party has championed the right of individuals to pursue life, liberty and happiness. Meanwhile, the Democrats are still violating the U.S. constitution (see 5th and 14th amendments) and offending the American spirit in which the Declaration of Independence was written, via conveniently defining certain groups of people as non-human property and completely revoking their civil rights.
So it looks like both parties are still in the 19th century, and as a member of the Grand Ol'Party (GOP), I can say that I'm rather proud of it.
:: ashli 9:55 PM # ::
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