Time for the weekly Christian Views Symposium, brought to you by Cross Blogging.

Each week Lennie asks an interesting question. Everyone is invited to provide an answer to the question, either on their own blog, or in the comments to his (or another) blog. This week, he's asking about Halloween:

Should Christians celebrate Halloween?

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As could be expected, the formerly mainstream media (FMSM) is having an orgasm in celebration of the 2000th American killed in the current version of the war on terror. They are just gushing with joy that they get to write the stories about people dying for freedom.

Of course, they've not got one word to print about the 40 million babies killed from abortion. Nothing about the thousands dead on September 11 in America. No comment on the 16,000 people murdered in the United States in 2004 (the last year numbers are available from the FBI).

They have nothing to print about the 94,000 people raped in 2004, nor the 850,000 people assaulted. No word on the victims of terrorists across the world, daily, including the terrorists in Beirut, darfur, or Oklahoma.

And Cindy LOOK-AT-ME Sheehan is now promising to tie herself to the White House fence. I'd love to see her completely ignored -- can you imagine if she tied herself to a fence and they built a construction wall around her?

It's all part of an agenda. An anti-American, anti-freedom agenda.

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Have you seen the barbershop sign for "Whites Only?"

It's out in front of Herbert Leger's barbershop in Lafayette, LA. And someone saw it and was "appalled."

When asked about it, Herbert explained the obvious -- "I don't have the training, I don't have the experience, I don't have the knowledge and the technique used in cutting black people's hair."

In fact, "when a customer walks in he can't help, he sends him to his barber friend across the street." I wonder how long before the NAACP demands that Herbert cut black people's hair (badly).

When the NAACP finally realizes (6 months and 2 "rallys" later) that Herb doesn't know HOW to cut black people's hair, I'm sure the ACLU will get involved to ensure taxpayers pay to teach Herb how to cut black hair.

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According to the all-knowing government spokesman Earl Taylor of Onslow County Schools:

Paying an employee $14,733.16 per month instead of $8,394.00 per month is a "savings to the local, state and or federal governments."

From the news story:

Taylor did not elaborate on how much it saves. And despite multiple requests, Taylor did not provide any numeric breakdown to illustrate precisely how it saves the taxpayers' money.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:04 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Here we go again. "The government" is providing "free" ice, water and "other essentials" in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. So, Bou AND VW, feel free to head on over and collect some "free" stuff.

Of course, it's not really free, *I* am paying for it.

But still the government will provide. Is there anything that government won't provide? I mean to those who didn't earn it, of course. They won't give me jack because I work.

Folks, GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE ANSWER -- and I don't care what the question was. I really believe the government in the US is past the point of no return -- there will never again be a limited constitutional republic in the world. And that's really sad.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:44 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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1 Yep, they are providing "free ice" just one i-95 stop away from me... it would take me about 20 minutes to get there. I am NOT going to go get it. I don't need it and it drives me nuts when people go get it 'just because it's free'. Sigh.

Posted by: vw bug at October 25, 2005 04:10 PM (YDxO1)

2 Psst. Next time make it "VW and Bou". GRIN

Posted by: vw bug at October 25, 2005 04:11 PM (YDxO1)

3 VW and Bou? Oh NOW we see how it is!

Posted by: Ogre at October 25, 2005 05:08 PM (iJFc9)

4 "They won't give me jack because I work." Sadly, even employment doesn't always guarantee a family can make ends meet. Last year I had a student who was working full time as a machinist, had two young children, and was taking classes at my community college. She of course had to feed and clothe not only herself, but the two kids. She didn't make enough on her 40-hrs/week to pay rent, food, clothing, and for her college classes. She could have given up the college classes, that would've given her a little more money and time to work, but then she would never be able to move up from her minimum wage job. The sad choice she eventually had to make was to live with an abusive boyfriend and his father so she didn't have to pay the rent. The only other option I could think of would be if she packed up herself and her children and moved to a part of the country where the cost of living was lower, but this would've required moving away from everyone and everything she knew, and in a new location she'd have to pay for childcare since she wouldn't know anyone reliable to take care of her kids while she was at work or school. I am thankful that I have never had to live a life like this, and I do not begrudge them the help they receive from my taxes. However, if you don't like how the US is doing things you have a few choices: keep complaining pointlessly; stop complaining and suck it up; vote, write letters to politicians, stage protests, make campaign contributions, and do other such things that can help your viewpoint be heard; run for office yourself; or leave the country for one that does do things the way you like.

Posted by: zandperl at October 26, 2005 12:02 AM (KHEUn)

5 And Zandpearl -- This country would work a lot better if it was allowed to function as originally planned. The govt has one job, the private sector has another. There are a lot of charities and support groups out there that are supported by private individuals, I run across them all the time surfing. I also know people who are really good at searching them out. There are companies requiring employees with certain skills that train unskilled people on the job, compensating them while they learn. If the socialist{liberal} element in our society wasn't constantly at work trying to tear down a system that has made America the wealthiest, most influential and most powerful nation on earth, the marketplace, instead of having to concentrate on surviving under perpetual siege, might be able to do their job and help support their future assets while training them for better paying positions. I know a few people who have gone from semiemployable to highly paid professional via such NONgovernment-paid programs. The MSM doesn't spend any time reporting these things because they, like the rest of the left, have this all pervasive need to make the govt pay for everything. Funny thing, I might add that a great deal of socialist thought is generated from colleges. You tell Ogre to go to a country where the government might do things more to his liking, well: This is a capitalist republic, not a socialist country. Most socialist countries aren't doing too well these days, are they? So let the liberals leave and find one of those "Utopias" to live in, instead of screwing up this country.

Posted by: Seth at October 26, 2005 04:38 AM (MyOr7)

6 Absolutely, Seth. Private charities can do things a million times better than the government. I don't object to people who need help getting help, Zandperl -- I object to them claiming they have a right to the fruits of MY labor. And I *AM* doing all I can -- including pointing out where the government goes wrong here on this blog so hopefully at least one person will think about it and realize that the current government entitlement and answer-to-everything is wrong. And I'm doing a number of the other things you list. I agree with Seth -- I want THIS country to be the constitutional republic that supports freedom -- anyone who doesn't like that ought to leave because there are plenty of other choices for socialism. Unfortunately, the socialists NEED my capitalist money to support their programs, so they won't leave.

Posted by: Ogre at October 26, 2005 07:00 AM (/k+l4)

7 My power has been out the last 2 days due to the heavy snowfall in the mountains of western PA. No FEMA trucks spotted yet.

Posted by: Tomslick at October 26, 2005 08:46 AM (xNjHI)

8 I'm sure it's due to mismanagement, Tomslick. They will have you your free ice soon. I think on the website you can sign up for home delivery in case you're too lazy, I mean too needy, to go get it yourself.

Posted by: Ogre at October 26, 2005 09:00 AM (/k+l4)

9 I think the majority of people here would rather sign the "Stay away Fema, we are doing just fine" site. My family, my home, my responsibility. What a novel idea.

Posted by: Tomslick at October 26, 2005 12:09 PM (xNjHI)

10 You're a dinosaur, Tomslick, and not welcome by the politicians and elites of this country. Me, too.

Posted by: Ogre at October 26, 2005 01:03 PM (/k+l4)

11 Hay, Have you ever been in POLAND? I got 400E per month - my flant renting per month is about 200E and food 100.

Posted by: kiki at November 08, 2005 09:45 AM (OW7Cc)

12 400E Per month for what? For working, or just cash from the government?

Posted by: Ogre at November 08, 2005 09:57 AM (/k+l4)

13 Everyone gets so dependent on power. I think that we need to find alternative power needs.

Posted by: Anna at November 15, 2005 10:02 PM (Wm4GU)

14 We've been searching for a long time, Anna, it's just that an economically viable alternative has not been found yet.

Posted by: Ogre at November 15, 2005 10:47 PM (7PCNv)

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This week's Carnival of Liberty is up. Much discussion and posting about freedom -- go read now.

And be sure to visit this week's New Blog Showcase Carnival, too! New blogs!

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The Homespun Bloggers seem to have dropped the ball once again. I blame MajorDad1984. Then again, as I write this, MajorDad1984's blog is returning a 404 not found error...

The Homespun Bloggers is a place for non-professional bloggers to congregate, expand, and explore. It's a rather informal aggregator of bloggers. They post a "best of" section each week, they've had a number of radio shows and podcasts, and have had a symposium.

The symposium was a question that was asked by MajorDad, to be answered by any and all members of the consortium who chose to respond. This space here I had reserved for answering this week's question, but there's no question -- and hasn't been one since Oct 1.

Then again, I guess I should stop complaining about the lack of a Symposium question and help the Homespun Bloggers out by volunteering to take over the weekly symposium, shouldn't I?

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The British government is working on a law that will pretty much outlaw speech in England. Sure, that might not be their intent, but the law they are working on will have that effect.

The law, called "The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill," will make it a crime to "insult," "ridicule," or complain about someone's beliefs. Those who violate the law will be subject to up to 7 years in jail.

If that law passes and I walk down the street telling a witch that "Jesus Saves," I could go to jail. Of course, if the witch replies back, "Burn in hell," I'm sure the witch could go to jail too. I sure hope you people have an awful lot of jail space over there because as written, this law could put just about the whole country in jail.

Of course it won't -- and that's what makes the law even worse: "the attorney-general will have the power of veto over any criminal action."

So if this law goes through, the attorney-general will literally have the complete power to imprison absolutely anyone he doesn't happen to like -- as everyone will break the law, but he gets to determine who gets punished for breaking the law.

Don't worry, Americans, we're darn close to a law like this, thanks to "people" like the ACLU.

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Allard (R-CO), Allen (R-VA), Bayh (D-IN), Burr (R-NC), Coburn (R-OK), Conrad (D-ND), DeMint (R-SC), DeWine (R-OH), Feingold (D-WI), Graham (R-SC), Kyl (R-AZ), Landrieu (D-LA), Sessions (R-AL), Sununu (R-NH), Vitter (R-LA).

That's it. Those 15 out of 100 Senators actually voted against excessive pork spending. Every other one supported pork spending and special projects. Read this interview with the Senator who DARED to suggest the Senate reduce spending.

He is targeted, as are the other 14 on this list:

And so, Mr. President, when members come down to the floor and vote on this amendment, they need to know if they start stripping out this project, Senator Bond and I are likely to be taking a long, serious look at their projects, to determine whether they should be preserved during our upcoming conference negotiations.

The Wideawakes have more details.

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The lawsuit continues against the state of North Carolina for giving away over $260 million in taxpayer funds to bribe the private company, Dell Inc., to move to North Carolina.

In 1995 the State Supreme Court ruled that so-called "incentives" are legal and constitutional. It is highly likely that the court will rule that way again -- after all government begets government.

What's even more troubling is a lawyer for the defense said, “It’s really a case against the people’s government, and that government is clearly doing what it was elected to do."

If that's true, then the battle is truly lost. If people are electing government to take care of them and redistribute wealth, then we honestly are beyond that point of no return -- there can never be freedom if that is the purpose of government. Those that produce are now outnumbered by those that do not produce -- and nothing short of a serious revolution will change that.

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A couple of carnivals for your reading pleasure on this Monday evening:

First up, the Tarheel Tavern. This is a carnival of North Carolina bloggers blogging in and about the turpentine state (North Carolina). This week the tavern appears at Slowly she Turned.

Next is the Carnival of True Liberties, spotlighting the loss of liberties and enemies of liberty in America. Check it out.

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Need some laughter for your Monday afternoon? This video is 3.5 minutes long, and you're certain to be smiling before it's over. I wonder if the guy in the background has a clue...

Ah, to be in college again.

(Hit Tip to Kit).

Posted by: Ogre at 01:06 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Yikes! Boudicca of Boudicca's Voice is really about to get hammered -- and not in a good way:

Say a prayer for her family and everyone else in that mess. And check her blog for updates, as she's phoning in the updates to her dad who's posting them on her site.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:45 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 OUCH. I am saying prayers. She has a blog, can she post to it now?? If not and you hear from her let us know how she is doing.

Posted by: Raven at October 24, 2005 05:48 PM (3kz8d)

2 Latest updates indicate some roof damage, but other than that, nothing serious.

Posted by: Ogre at October 24, 2005 09:01 PM (iJFc9)

3 BLHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. See if I post any more Miami Dolphin info for you. Bou Bou Bou... what about VW???? GRIN. We live about 20 minutes away from each other. I haven't heard from her yet. I am assuming she has no power. I have left messages with her dad and on her cell phone to bring over her laundry and take a hot shower. Things are looking better here today. The high will only be 70, so it will be livable (vs 100 just a week ago). Will keep you updated as I can... even if you do seem to worry more about Bou... and sniff sniff... forget about me. HA hahahaha. I am really joking. (hard to make it come across in words)

Posted by: vw bug at October 25, 2005 10:57 AM (3lN9J)

4 20 minutes away and you HAVE hot water and power? THAT'S why no VW! And 70? Geez, was darn 37 this morning. It's not supposed to be that cold in North Carolina in October!

Posted by: Ogre at October 25, 2005 11:16 AM (/k+l4)

5 ** snicker **

Posted by: vw bug at October 25, 2005 02:37 PM (YDxO1)

6 But hey, you can get free ice!

Posted by: Ogre at October 25, 2005 02:40 PM (/k+l4)

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0.22 is an acceptable BAC for driving if you cannot speak English, says defense attorneys and judges in Durham, NC. Good thing we don't prosecute illegal aliens, isn't it?

There are now numerous cases where pond-scum dirtbags defense lawyers are now successfully arguing that you cannot arrest someone for DUI without reading them their rights in their native tongue. District Judge Jim Hill says "It's not a black-and-white issue."

This judge and others have thrown out convictions of drunk drivers with 0.22 BAC because they were spanish. Never mind equal protection under the law -- according to these judges, the United States of America, and North Carolina, are REQUIRED that every single police officer learn to speak every language on the planet.

How else could it be otherwise? Georgia and Ohio, who have similar DUI laws, have already ruled that it's impossible for police officers to speak every known language. Unfortunately, Durham, NC, is being effectively ordered to learn every single language.

The waste of life crap-eating underside of snakes defense lawyers argue "Just because somebody doesn't speak English doesn't mean he can be railroaded. That would be very offensive." Oh no, we wouldn't want to offend anyone, would we? Hey morons, I'm offended that these people break the law and come to this country illegally, refuse to learn the language, and get to break even more laws and kill people without being punished.

And here I was always taught that ignorance of the law was not a defense. Now, according to some judges, it is.

Peter Porcupine notes the same problem in MA.
_______________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst, which takes place every Monday on Euphoric Reality. The purpose is to keep immigration issues at the forefront and to apply pressure to our elected officials to get the problem fixed. If youÂ’re concerned about the state of our borders, email kit.jarrell at gmail dot com to join.

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst, which takes place every Monday on Euphoric Reality. The purpose is to keep immigration issues at the forefront and to apply pressure to our elected officials to get the problem fixed. If youÂ’re concerned about the state of our borders, email kit.jarrell at gmail dot com to join.

Blogs Already on Board:

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Now this really IS news. A woman found a bullet in her pork loin that she bought at Food Lion -- and she's NOT suing Food Lion for emotional stress, nightmares, loss of job, or loss of income!

I'm astounded. Everyone sues over quite literally anything these days. Food Lion has money, therefore, most people today seem to enter that lottery lawsuit and hope they will get a settlement (and most do).

This woman received a $10 refund and a new pork loin -- and she's satisfied. Anyone want to bet how many letters from ambulance chasers she's going to get with bottom-feeding scum suckers lawyers wanting to sue for her so she can get what she "deserves?"

Events like this are so few and far between that I often lose hope for ever living in a decent society again. Thank you, Diane Johnson, for NOT entering the lawsuit lottery this week -- it was the right thing to do.

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1 Another reason why I don't eat pork. Ok, this is probably an anomaly, but heck....

Posted by: Jack at October 24, 2005 09:05 AM (i/Q2S)

2 I think in some areas, this is a delicacy -- pork a la lead.

Posted by: Ogre at October 24, 2005 09:50 AM (/k+l4)

3 I have a friend who found a needle in his hamburger at McDonalds. The way he found it? It was lodged in his throat and he needed emergency surgery. McDonalds fell over themselves to pay for everything and were willing to meet any reasonable demand. His demand? Pay for my medical bills and a free meal would be nice. He too, didn't sue.

Posted by: oddybobo at October 24, 2005 10:27 AM (6Gm0j)

4 Really, Oddy? Scoreboard: Sensible Humans: 2 Scum-sucking money-grubbing idiots: 100,000

Posted by: Ogre at October 24, 2005 10:42 AM (/k+l4)

5 Yep, really. He and I went to high school together, and I took him chicken broth while he was recovering!

Posted by: oddybobo at October 24, 2005 03:29 PM (6Gm0j)

6 That's pretty darn cool. I hope he got some fries with that.

Posted by: Ogre at October 24, 2005 03:38 PM (/k+l4)

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Jim Black is the Speaker of the North Carolina General Assembly. He rules the entire state of North Carolina with an iron fist. If you oppose him politically, he will use everything at his disposal to crush you. He feels he is completely above the law and that he can do anything he wants without any repercussions.

He continues to win re-election because he convinces the people who vote for him that they need "influence" in the house, and if you vote for anyone but him, Mecklenburg County will "get" nothing from the Legislature. Of course, he leaves out the fact that Mecklenburg already "gets" little to nothing now.

He also wins because he commands the Democrats that make the rules and draw the districts to draw his district so that he will win without any competition. The Winston-Salem Journal has an excellent editorial that shows how above the law Jim Black thinks he is.

Jim Black sees nothing wrong with a private company employing his head fundraiser and that company writing the law that will benefit that company. In other words, the company gave Jim Black cash so that they could write the law that would give them millions of taxpayer money.

Jim Black's response when asked about this arrangement?

It is completely typical and necessary

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I think I understand now. All the Constitutional issues that have been discussed amongst conservatives and liberals now make sense -- apparently there's two different version of the U.S. Constitution, and conservatives have only seen one version. The Unrepentant Individual has found the unabridged version.

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Once again the Ogre heads off for the weekend (for the most part) to the lovely Carolina Renaissance Festival. I'm not quite sure why YOU aren't there. Think about it: 1600s. Ogres. Where else did you think you'd find an Ogre?

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Well, the Democrats appear to be pinning their hopes on the angry voter to take back the Congress in 2006. Jill Zuckman from the Washington Bureau of the Chicago Tribune writes about a number of quotes from the current Democrat planners.

The Democrats are excited that people are disappointed in Congress. The Democrats are working with the press to publicize as many scandals as they can regarding Republicans to attempt to get more people angry at Republicans and to turn more people off from voting -- the less people vote, the better Democrats appear to do.

Comparisons are being made about the approval ratings of Congressmen between the 1994 Republican takeover and today -- they are about the same. However, the Republicans claim that the biggest reason people voted for them in 1994 was because they promised change -- the Contract With America -- not just because voters were annoyed at scandals.

Of course, in 1993, there were 89 competitive seats. Today there are 28. That number alone should just sicken people. Just 6% of the seats in Congress are competitive. That's absolutely awful. That means 94% of the Congress is fat, dumb, and happy, and needs to do nothing to remain in their job. Ugh.

But if someone's going to capitalize on the dislike for Congress and scandals, how about a slogan for the 2006 Congressional elections:

You can't trust Democrats.
You can't trust Republicans.
Vote Libertarian.

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At least according to the Kansas Supreme Court. They recently ruled that the legislature cannot provide different penalties for different crimes. Applying the logic used in that case, first-degree murder and shoplifting need to have the same exact punishment. The court claims:

Moral disapproval of a group cannot be a legitimate state interest.

Sorry, no laws against embezzlement, as that's a moral judgment against a group of tricksters. You cannot have laws against drugs, because that's just a moral judgment against people with an alternative lifestyle.

This judge is another loony who doesn't like the legislature making laws for their own people. The case is being spun as one that "suggests animus toward teenagers who engage in homosexual sex." Well gee, then laws against bank robbery "suggest animus towards people who engage in robbing banks."

These laws are in place to stop ACTIONS. But sorry, this judge doesn't believe in judging anyone for their actions. Someone needs to mail this moron the definition of "judge" because he sure isn't qualified. Can we get Oddybobo to replace this idiot?

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