Issues, Etc. unceremoniously canned; UPDATE: LCMS issues "non-statement"; UPDATE: Wil Weedon organizing protest

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Got the astounding news today that the radio program Issues, Etc. -- a favorite of Rich and mine -- has been suddenly canceled and its host and producer, the Rev. Todd Wilken and Jeff Schwarz, respectively, unceremoniously fired with no explanation.

And this is Holy Week.

Reliable sources say that the cause is neither finances nor scandal -- neither of which would have necessitated the sudden cancellation of the program anyway. Speculation abounds, but the fact that there was no warning coupled with the fact that even the show's Web site was taken down completely smacks of a punishing stance by the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, which underwrote the program.

Here's a roundup of blog posts about the topic:

Wil Weedon: http://weedon.blogspot.com/2008/03/holy-tuesday-treachery.html

Randy Asburry: http://rasburrysres.blogspot.com/2008/03/day-of-infamy-call-for-prayer.html

James White: http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=2585

Kim Riddlebarger: http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2008/3/18/lcms-pulls-the-plug-on-issues-etc.html

J.A.T. Vierkant: http://jatvierkantsnotebook.blogspot.com/2008/03/issues-etc-canceled.html


It just galls me that hacks like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer are multimillionaires and poor Todd and Jeff are in the ranks of the unemployed today.


UPDATE: Looks like the LCMS has offered up a non-responsive response on the KFUO Web site:

For programmatic and business reasons, the decision was made this week to discontinue the "Issues, Etc." program on KFUO-AM. We look forward to bringing you new programming in this time slot in the near future. Also, we thank "Issues" host Rev. Todd Wilken and producer Mr. Jeff Schwarz for their years of service on behalf of the station. Those interested may still download past "Issues, Etc." programs from the "Issues" archive on this website. Thank you sincerely for your continued support of KFUO's radio ministry.

Try again, LCMS. Not. Good. Enough.

UPDATE: Pastor Wil Weedon, a frequent IE guest and -- I believe -- Jeff Schwarz's own pastor, is wanting to organize a formal public protest in St. Louis. Here's his blog post about it.

I'll be there in spirit, pastor.

You want money for WHAT???

In all fairness, Hillary Clinton is not the only pol who enjoys playing fast and loose with other people's cash.

You know those protests going on in Berkeley, Calif.? You know those federal earmarks for Berkeley that Sen. Jim DeMint wants to get rid of? Wondered what they were for? Here ya go: (emphasis mine)

Over $2 million was secretly tucked away for Berkeley earmarks in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill, projects that were never voted on or debated... Included in the $2 million worth of pork are some particularly wasteful projects. One earmark provides gourmet organic lunches to schools in the Berkeley School District. While our Marines are making due with MREs of Sloppy Joe and Chili with Beans, the organization Chez Panisse is getting federal tax dollars to design meals that promote "environmental harmony." Chez Panisse's menu features Comté cheese soufflé with mâche salad," "Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis" and "Chicory salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast."

I'm now re-imagining the fictional conversation from my previous post:

"Give me $2 million."

"What?"

"For my kid's Meyer lemon eclairs and chicory salad."

Hey, Berkeley: Go feed your kids Meyer lemon eclairs and chicory salad on your own friggin' dime.

'Scuse me while I go have some ramen.

(Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)

UPDATE: I just love how the SF Chronicle characterizes the federal earmarks in question: "Washington money bound for Berkeley schools, food programs and ferries." If you didn't know any better, wouldn't you imagine pencils and peanut butter sandwiches? Yeah, I would, too.

The tyranny of Hillary-style "sharing"

Hillary Clinton says she wants to give every newborn in America a $5,000 bond. Sounds good in principle, but I ask you, dear reader, to imagine the following exchange between you and Random Person on the Street:

"Give me $5,000."

"Well, I don't have $5,000."

"Then give me $50. And the names of 99 of your friends."

"What for? Why should I be giving you money?"

"It's for my baby."

"Is something wrong with your baby?"

"No, I just want money for my kid's future."

"Well, that's nice, but don't you have a job? Any friends or family who could help you out?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. I want you to cough up $50."

"Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do! It's sharing the wealth. You ought to share. Didn't they teach you that in kindergarten? Besides, I see that you have a house and a car and two dogs. Surely you could give up $50."

"I'm not going to give you $50. Sorry."

"Then I'll take it out of your next paycheck."

"That's stealing!"

"No, it isn't. You make more money than I do."

"So?"

"So?! So?! Lady, don't you realize that there's only so much money to go around? C'mon, you won't miss it."

"That's not true, and it doesn't matter if I'll 'miss it,' it belongs to me and you can't just demand that I give it to you."

"But I need it for my kid's future. Don't you want my kids to have a good future?"

"Of course I do."

"Then give me money."

"No."

"Heartless bitch."

"Do you have ANY money of your own to save up?"

"No."

"Nothing? Nothing you couldn't give up?"

"No."

"How about your cable subscription?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Damn straight it's my business, you want my money!"

"Heartless bitch.'"

"You voted for Hillary, didn't you."

More from Mama Hill

From a Hillary-bylined article in The Wall Street Journal titled "My Plan for Shared Prosperity," with comments as if yours truly, the GGB, were running for prez.

Throughout my campaign, I have been listening to the voices of people across America. I met one man who told me, "I don't know what I did wrong. I got my education and I worked hard. I've been at the same company for 12 years now, but I've just been asked to train my successor because my job is moving to another
country."

Sweetheart, it sucks, but that's life. Sometimes you do everything right and get a bad result. I'm trying to get government out of the way so that it's more attractive to do business here in the U.S. than elsewhere, but in the meanwhile, you ain't the first guy to lose his job. Wipe your nose and try again.

Another woman said to me, "I just can't make ends meet. My health care premiums have doubled, college tuition is up. How am I supposed to make it as a single mom?"

Since I don't know why your kid's daddy ain't around, I won't ding you on that one. But sugar, you gotta make a choice. You obviously cannot afford health insurance + college + kid, so something has to go. I'd suggest it not be the kid. Sock some money away and go to college later. All I can do is try to keep government from making your life more expensive than it has to be, but I cannot make it cheaper for you. Sorry.

I am running for president to bring those voices to the White House and give people a chance to achieve the American Dream: having a good job, owning their own home and living with financial security. That means tackling our toughest challenges -- rising inequality, stagnating wages and a growing sense that too many middle class families are just one pink slip away from financial devastation.

And I would be running for president to defend the Constitution, which -- as best I recall -- is the president's job description.

More comments on the Hill's New Deal later. Read the whole thing here.

Ding ding ding ding ding!

Bryan at Hot Air neatly captures my main complaint with The Hill. First, Hillary's comments on Letterman last night:

CLINTON: You want to feel like the person you’re voting for actually cares about you. You know, actually wants to help you, you know. You know, they might actually get up in the morning and think, “Gosh, you know, what am I gonna do to get somebody a job or health care for somebody. And that’s the kind of heartfelt
connection that I see in people as I go around.”

Now Bryan: (emphasis mine)

I don’t want any of that. I don’t give a rip if the POTUS “cares for me.” That’s what my family, friends and church is for. I certainly don’t want a president who thinks part of his or her job is getting me a job. I’ll do that myself, thankyouverymuch. I just want the government to get in the way of the bad guys and out of the way of everybody else.

Hillary Clinton is cloaking her vision in touchy-feely language, but she basically wants to run your life.

What he said.

Like I said: 25 percent

Not. Making. This. Up.

Fox News: Report: 1 in 4 Britons Think Winston Churchill Never Existed

This dovetails nicely with GGB Rule #1, which is that fully 25 percent of the population is functionally retarded. Goes a long way toward explaining a lot.

Fun with Wii news, part 2: Astonishing quote of the day

NOTE TO THE READER 1/25/08: A few days after first posting this entry, I considered editing it or taking it down altogether. I still stand by my contentions that Mr. Goddard is being illogical and sanctimonious and his comments merit criticism, but I feel I was graceless in my approach and choice of language. The original post still stands for you, gentle reader, to judge for yourself.


Ya know, I've never been shot.

Which is a good thing.

I suppose being shot changes your life and your outlook on things. Which is why I'm trying not to be too judgmental.

Screw that. I am going to be judgmental because this quote I'm about to share with you is one of the most astonishingly stupid things I've ever read. This is Colin Goddard, who was responding to a gun-rights advocate who told him that he would have stopped the Virginia Tech shooter because he carries. Again, a photo of the Wii:



Well, Colin, I feel sorry for you for being a shooting victim. That sucks. I am glad you are alive.

It also sucks that you apparently expect police and armed civilians like me to defend your sorry butt because it's just TOO MUCH for your enlightened soul to take responsibility for your own safety. And when someone comes along basically offering you protection, you sniff and act like you're superior.

And THAT is what it comes down to, folks. You don't like guns? Don't want them in your house or on your person? FINE. But realize that if a cracked-out rapist is knocking down your door at 3 a.m., you are essentially expecting OTHER PEOPLE to risk their lives while you go hide in the closet.

It's a job that all law enforcement and many civilians are willing to do, but when you act like people who want to protect themselves AND YOU TOO need to be pitied, that we have some sort of mental problem, well, forgive us if we feel inclined to mock your silly ass in a public forum.

Goddard went on to say:

"You're afraid of crazy situations happening."

Damn straight, but I am less afraid knowing that I have the potential to stop a psychotic goblin from killing me and those around me.

"I've lived through this and I know that I can't continue in my life afraid of things."

Congratulations. But "lack of fear" is no protection against hot metal speeding toward you at hundreds of meters per second.

He then went on to add that he puts his "full trust" in police to protect society. Yes, we see how amazingly effective that was against Mr. Cho and his little ballistic friends.

Note to self: Do not send any future offspring to Virginia Tech.

Methinks the lady doth protest too much

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the latest inductee into the 15 Minutes Hall of Fame: Jane Doe of the "Rock My World" commercial fame. Here's the story on Fox News, and here's the video of the jewelry ad that Jane Doe claims made her look pornographic without her consent. (She's suing for $5 mil, saying it has tarnished her "wholesome" image.) Please note, the video is somewhat NSFW.

Hmmm, let's see ....

Lacy nightie? Check.
Red satin sheets? Check.
Writhing? Check.
Stroking the face? Check.
Heavy breathing? Check.

As an astute commenter on YouTube said, "I can see why she's upset. The director just asked her to act like she's playing tennis."

Dumb government idea of the day

FDA considers additional food labels

Memo to the FDA: Believe it or not, it is not your responsibility to make sure we eat our greens and don't pig out on Doritos. And cigarette packs are labeled to hell and gone and that doesn't discourage most people from smoking, now does it?

Ministers behaving badly. Congregants behaving stupidly.

"The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer [bishop], he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money."

-- St. Paul, I Timothy 3:1-3

Evangelist Juanita Bynum recently got the stuffing knocked out of her in a hotel parking lot by her husband, "Bishop" Thomas Weeks III. A hotel bellman witnessed the attack, as relayed here in an article by Fox News:

"They were talking about a reconciliation. They got into an argument. In the process of the argument, her husband walked out to the parking lot area, turned back around and started to choke Miss Bynum," [Atlanta police officer Ronald ] Campbell said.

"As he choked her, he pushed her down to the ground and started to kick her and also stomp on her," he said. "There was a bellman at the location who witnessed the whole assault, intervened, and pulled Mr. Weeks off of Miss Bynum."

"Bishop" Weeks has yet to repent and instead took a few brief moments in the pulpit this past Sunday (before a guest preacher delivered the sermon) to blame the devil for his troubles, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. His congregants are being all mashy-mouthed about "not judging." One particularly pathetic comment to the AJC site [emphases mine]:

I am a member of Global Destiny. I was there yesterday and I support Bishop 100%. He is a true man of God who made a mistake. I get paid on this week and will sow my entire pay check to the ministry. I know these are trying times for him financially. My 8 year daughter does not mind forfeiting "back to school shopping" b/c Bishop weeks is in need. Praying is not enough. We need ot take action. I signed the thing on yesterday to have the Judge decrease the felony to a misdemeanor. I am praying that his case is dismissed due ot self defense or he gets Community Service. Everyone does stuff they regret. I know he is pure, he did not mean to hurt her-he got caught up in the heat of the moment. I pray that he will Preach on this coming Sunday.

Good Lord Almighty, this is so cosmically insane, I don't even know where to begin. Weeks is in flagrant violation of at least four Biblical requirements to be a bishop, and not only is he not being held accountable, people are flinging MONEY at him!!! ENTIRE PAYCHECKS!!!

"Judge not," my arse. I cannot judge Weeks' heart or motivations, but I sure as heck can judge that smacking your wife around is a big fat honkin' no-no for any man who claims to be a Christian, much less a "Bishop." And when church members do not stand up and demand decent behavior from their leaders, it makes us all look like cretins and gives cover to ignorant people who think that the Bible actually endorses that kind of behavior.

Aggghhhh. I want to throw something.

News -- Not News

What is "news." A primer.

News:

NOT News:

Any questions?

HOSTAGE WATCH: Update: Oh, shit.

This is Bae Ho-jung, father of South Korean pastor Bae Hyeong-gyu, who is reported to have been murdered by the Taliban. (AP photo) Our prayers are with you, brother.

UPDATE: 12:43 p.m. Central: It's been reported that the murdered pastor may have died of illness. Whatever. Six of one ... you know the routine. If he was that sick, he should have been in a hospital instead of in whatever shithole the Taliban stuck him in.

Barbarians.

UPDATE: July 25, 11:17 a.m. Central.

Michelle Malkin is on the case and reports that the body of a South Korean riddled with bullet holes has been found in Afghanistan.

I'm sick now.

Oh, NOW Fox News has the story on its homepage. Gee. Thanks, guys.

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Posted yesterday:

The GGB is just now recovering from a pretty nutso three months of newlywed life. (See my July 4 post for all the details.) I've been fasting somewhat from news and blogs because, well, I'm sick of reading about another bombing in Baghdad, and the only good thing about Lindsay Lohan's substance abuse problems is she's bumped Paris Hilton's orange-glo mug off the screen.

And then I read about this.

I just sent Fox News a snippy e-mail because THEY of ALL PEOPLE should at least have a MENTION of this on their homepage. But no. Alongside some legit headlines about global politics and Fred Thompson's campaign, we have these supermarket tabloid-worthy headlines:

"Live Well With Low IQ, No-Brainer"
"Man Has 33-Pound Tumor Removed From Face"
"Kim Jong-Il's Favorite Magician Injured in Risky Trick"

For the love of God and all that is holy, WAKE UP, PEOPLE! Good Lord Almighty, will you stop with the idiotic TRIVIA and stupid celebrity tricks and missing-pretty-woman dramas and start reporting the @#$%^% NEWS!!!!!!!!

When I need useless fluff, I'll watch WE TV or the Style Network. But when I turn on the news, I want frickin' NEWS! N-E-W-S!!!!

If this were 30 A.D., all my guests would be Mary

You know that "coincidence" of names on the ossuaries featured in the Jesus Tomb documentary? I thought of that as I was making the guest list for my upcoming bachelorette party:

- Four of the 20 women -- including myself -- are "Amy" or "Aimee." That's 20 percent. (One of the Amys is Rich's brother's wife. Ha!)
- Two of the 20 women are named Lisa -- 10 percent.
- Two of the 20 are named Vanessa -- 10 percent.
- We have a Jenna and a Jennefer. Close enough -- we'll call that 10 percent.
- We have a Meg and a Meagan. Ditto -- another 10 percent.

In other words, only eight women have "unique" names, and believe me, they're not names like "Esmerelda" or "Rainbow Moonbeam."

Apparently, all generations have a dearth of uniquely-named people, which is why no one should get their skivvies bunched up over the so-called Jesus Tomb.

Fox News: Procter & Gamble Wins 'Satanism' Lawsuit

From a cursory glance at this article, it looks like P&G might have been a little heavy-handed in going after Amway. However, I am constantly embarrassed at how so many of my fellow Christians buy into garbage such as the "Satanic" meanings of the P&G logo. That rumor has persisted for years. I hope that this victory will make people think twice before slandering people "in the name of Christ."

Marcotte stays on with Edwards; Satan flummoxed

No doubt you’ve heard about the saga of liberal blogger Amanda Marcotte being hired by candidate John Edwards to manage his campaign blog.

Amanda Marcotte’s writing style varies in tone from the incendiary to the downright Hiroshimian. She has an elegant style and vocabulary no doubt inspired by sundry hip hop artists, comment threads on pornographic forums, and Bradley Dingledorf, the pimply, smelly guy who scrawled graffiti on her seventh-grade locker.

Behold this gem of literary fortitude:

“Q: What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit?

A: You’d have to justify your misogyny with another ancient mythology.”

Convinced that Marcott’s treatise on The Third Person of the Trinity as Human Spermatozoa was merely misunderstood, nuanced satire rather than adolescent brain spew, Edwards said this, defending his decision to retain Marcotte:

“I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word.”

Indeed, rumor has it that the Maligning Bar has been set so high, Satan himself is having a hard time clearing it.

UPDATE: Just for the record, I could care less if John Edwards keeps Marcotte on or not. The fact that her reputation is blighted by vulgarity on a cosmic scale is his misfortune and none of my own. As vile as I think her comments are, I'd rather her come right out and say "f*** you!" than insult my intelligence by feigning innocence about her intentions. Plus, I wouldn't vote for Edwards anyway, but I'd rather the electorate see whose company he's keeping.

Turn your radio on, and listen to the t'storms in the air ...

In the wake of 20 tornado deaths in Florida, the folks at my favorite weather blog -- the ABC 33/40 Weather Blog -- have issued another rant on the importance of weather radios.

I second that emotion.

Unfortunately, the "let the government take care of you" mentality has overridden common sense for a few people to the point that they'd rather get swept away like Dorothy than plunk down $20 for a basic weather radio. Scroll down to the first comment on that post and you'll see what I mean.

Granted, I'm a weather geek. I've gone through storm spotter training. I want my own wireless home weather station. But geekitude is not required for basic human survival.

Sometimes, people do all the right things and still get killed by tornadoes. In 1998, an F5 -- the most powerful type of tornado -- hit west of here and killed more than 30 people. A few were simply at ground zero and could have survived only if they'd had a basement or storm shelter. They did everything right and got into the most protected area of their homes, but the storm was too powerful.

But when I read about people in trailer parks getting killed, I want to scream. No one should EVER be in a mobile home during a tornado warning. NEVER EVER EVER. Drive to a gas station and hunker down in their bathroom. Go to a neighbor's house. Heck, crawling into a ditch is preferable to remaining in your own flying coffin.

Sad.

I want my pink back

Eve Ensler and fellow Code Pinkers protested this weekend against the war and the "surge," which Ensler likened to something that ... ahem ... happens to teenage boys in the middle of the night. She invoked images of things "swelling" and "rising" and "lasting just a minute."

OKAY, Eve, we get the picture.

Ensler has managed to completely invert the ideals of the women's movement. I thought women struggled to be recognized for their brains. You know, we're substantive, thoughtful, more than just the sum of our womanly parts.

Now, Ensler and the other Pinkers flounce around in ridiculous outfits, screeching, snickering about genitalia, and holding signs with insightful commentary such as "Augmentation is for Boobs."

And for Pete's sake, enough with the pink. Pink is a perfectly wonderful color, and I want it back.

Spare the rod, spoil the plane ride

AirTran had to boot a couple and their out-of-control kid off a plane because they were delaying takeoff. The 3-year-old refused to sit in her seat and was "climbing under the seat and hitting the parents."

Hitting the parents.

I've blogged before about my frustration with bratty kids who think nothing of assaulting their own parents. The 16-year-old who bruises her mother, as I witnessed one woman talking about, I'm sure started out like the 3-year-old on this plane.

In a not-unrelated item, a California assemblywoman wants to ban spanking of children under 4. She said she hasn't figured out exactly how to define spanking for the purposes of this bill, but she was quoted as saying, "I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child," [Sally] Lieber said. "Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a 6-month-old or a newborn?"

"Whip." Oh, geez. No one is advocating taking a cat o' nine tails to a three-month old. Anything that would cause injury to a child (apart from a tender bottom) is already against the law. And certainly she knows that.

Liber then invokes the tired canard that spanking breeds societal violence. Does that not collide with common sense? How many of you were spanked as children? Okay, put your hands down. How many of you have committed a violent act? That's what I thought.

Note to self: Never move to California, and ride AirTran at the next possible opportunity.

Too uncoordinated to be 'jocular'

If you’ve ever seen Broadcast News, you know why on-air panache and writing chops often do not come in the same body. Katie Couric should take note.

Her Jan. 15 “blog” post about the dearth of female news anchors left me scratching my head. Describing a meeting regarding U.S. policy in Iraq between senior White House officials and prominent members of the news media, she wrote:

“I couldn’t help but notice, despite how far we’ve come, that I was still the only woman there.”

Uh, that should be, “I couldn’t help noticing,” Katie.

“Well, there was some female support staff near the door. But of the people at the table, the ‘principals’ in the meeting, I was the only one wearing a skirt. Everyone was gracious, though the jocular atmosphere was palpable.”

Okay, I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt. If she meant “jocular” as in people were making jokes, I don’t understand why she would contrast it with everyone being “gracious.” Doesn’t make sense. Perhaps she meant that everyone was being nice but she wasn’t in on “the joke,” whatever that was.

Others have speculated, though, that she used “jocular” as some sort of adjective wrenched from “jock.” If so, God help us, she should be condemned to the fifth circle of Hell, where the only reading materials are Webster’s and the AP Style Manual.

“The feminist movement that began in the 1970’s helped women make tremendous strides …”

Wha? I thought the feminist movement began in the 1800s. But what do I know? I’m just a dinky blogger from Alabama.

“That meeting was a reality check for me—and not just about Iraq. It was a reminder that all of us still have an obligation to ask: Don’t more women deserve a place at the table too?”

You deserve a place at the table only if you’re qualified and prepared, Katie – not simply because you’re filling a quota. But far be it from me to suggest that a news anchor from a major network should possess basic English skills and a knowledge of history.

Rush Limbaugh has commentary here. Ian at Hot Air opines here.