No, I’m not talking about Judas Maccabeus. I’m referring to the “hammer” Tom Delay who has just announced that he will not be seeking reelection to represent his suburban Houston district in the U. S. Congress. This is huge political news. How the mighty have fallen. “Tom DeLay Says He Will Give Up His Seat” – TIME Magazine Exclusive “Rep. DeLay Won’t Seek Reelection” – Washington Post
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Marvin Olasky vs. Ralph Reed
The Washington Post has picked up Marvin Olasky’s reporting on Ralph Reed’s ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Here’s the heart of it. Olasky, a journalism professor at the University of Texas, is editor in chief of World magazine, the mission of which “is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Since Nov. 19, World has run 10 articles and essays describing the $4 million in gambling money Abramoff paid to Reed to lobby against casinos competing with Abramoff’s clients. The articles have highlighted incriminating e-mails and other disclosures that have raised doubts about Reed’s explanations of his activities. If you are interested in reading the full article, you can…
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Botched Abortions You Haven’t Heard About
The vaunted “safe, legal, and rare” abortions that we’ve heard so much about may be legal, but they are hardly rare, and in the following story are not safe either (that is, safe for the mother, since they are never safe for the baby). The F.D.A. has now received reports that six women in the United States died after taking RU-486, or Mifeprex. A seventh died in Canada. The two most recent deaths and two of the previous four underwent their procedures at Planned Parenthood clinics, a spokeswoman said . . . Since reporting drug side effects is voluntary in the United States, it is possible that more women have…
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Democrats Wind-up To Impeach Bush
Today’s New York Times confirms what I posted yesterday. Democrats are mobilizing to impeach President Bush should they win control of congress this year. Here’s a snippet: Last year, Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and a member of the panel when it weighed proceedings against President Richard M. Nixon in 1974, proposed an initial inquiry into a censure or impeachment of Mr. Bush over the war. So far, the Conyers proposal has attracted support from about two dozen of the chamber’s 201 Democrats. ImpeachPAC, a grass-roots group based in New York City that grew out of the last election, is agitating…
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Bush To Be Impeached?
An editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal claims that the Democrats intend to impeach President Bush if they win congressional majorities in the elections this Fall. Their intention to do so was amplified by Senator Russ Feingold’s attempt this week to have President Bush censured: In fact, our guess is that censure would be the least of it. The real debate in Democratic circles would be whether to pass articles of impeachment. Whether such an inevitable attempt succeeds would depend on Mr. Bush’s approval rating, and especially on whether Democrats could use their subpoena power as committee chairs to conjure up something they could flog to a receptive media as…
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Scratching My Head at Derek Webb
I love Derek Webb. I first started listening to his music in 1994 when I was in college and when he was in Caedmon’s Call. I will never forget the first time I saw Derek perform live with Caedmon’s (circa 1995). It was at Tulane University in New Orleans, and I and the other hundred or so people were mesmerized for the entire concert. When I heard Derek sing and play “Bus Driver” that night, he became my favorite of the group. It was one of the best shows I’d ever been to. Caedmon’s Call was supposed to be playing Christian music, but it didn’t sound like any of the…
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Speak Softly? Not When It Comes to Iran & Nukes
Speaking on behalf of the Bush administration, Vice President Dick Cheney vows that the U.S. will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He also will not take the military option off of the table (click here to see the story). In this case, I think the administration is doing the right thing. Sometimes saber-rattling achieves more than “speaking softly while carrying a big stick.” Do you remember the “Axis of Evil”? It’s Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. If Iran thinks that Bush is not serious, they have another thing coming.
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Unspeakable Abortion Tragedy
I read an unspeakably tragic story today in the BBC News (click here to read it). It’s about a 16 year old girl who tried to abort her twins early in her pregnancy. Later in the pregnancy, she found out that one of them survived the procedure. Now, the surviving twin is four years old, and the mother is suing the hospital because “she suffers an impediment in her ability to obtain employment in consequence of her care for the child.” Consider these lines from the mother and weep: “I still don’t know if, or what, I am going to tell Jayde when the time comes. Maybe when she is…
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John Piper on the Danish Cartoon Controversy
John Piper’s essay on the Danish Cartoon controversy is a must-read. It clearly and respectfully delineates the differences between Christianity and Islam and calls for people to see the supremacy of Christ crucified. “Being Mocked: The Essence of Christ’s Work, Not Muhammad’s” – by John Piper Go read it. You’ll be glad you did.
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Bono’s Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast
Can a rock star preach? Apparently those who head up the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. think Bono can. Last week, he spoke at the annual event with President Bush sitting close by (for a transcript click here). I would argue, however, that although there was much to commend in Bono’s remarks, there was also much to be concerned about. We can all appreciate and affirm Bono’s desire to see the Christian church get more involved in addressing poverty and disease in Africa. We welcome the challenge that he gave to Americans to be more generous in their giving to charities that help bring relief to those who are…
