The American Spectator : California Nightmarin'

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California Nightmarin'

7.6.09 @ 6:01AM

Left coast cars take a step backwards. One more comedian in Congress. Defending the barracuda. Plus more.

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It is quite amusing to read Rev. Nolan’s sanguine notions concerning the “split that is not a split” within the Episcopal Church. It is especially entertaining when he is dismissive of the ACNA as just another breakaway group in a long list of breakaway groups from a number of larger religious bodies.

What, pray tell, is the Episcopal (Anglican) Church but a breakaway assemblage? What is the worst excuse in the world for separating from the Roman Catholic Church than switching allegiance from the Pope to the King so that King can divorce and/or murder his wife in order to marry another?

At least some new religious bodies come about because of honest disagreements over doctrine and the meaning of the Word of God.

The good Reverend is certainly right in his comments that the Christian Churches are constantly “engaged in doctrinal/moral self-examination.” But he is a little too glib in looking down his nose at those who are less than game for participating in the perpetual seminar for every “wind of doctrine” that comes down the pike. He seems to have little empathy or imagination by describing their motives as nothing more than “prefer[ing] final certainties in all matters.”

Rev. Nolan admits he himself is “dissatisfied with a number of matters of belief and practice in the contemporary Episcopal Church.” But he also counters: “However, it is within the life of the Church that effective remedies can emerge -- after much discussion, debate, and discernment.” What Rev. Nolan leaves out is that these Christian-Socratic symposiums can get it wrong. In fact these exercises in “discerning the movement of the Holy Ghost” have got it catastrophically wrong hundreds of times in the past two thousand years.

Among Christians, there can be genuine disagreements yet the fellowship holds them together. But there are decisions in doctrine which are deal breakers. Some of our divines have construed the plain sense of Scripture into enthusiastic blessings for what it actually condemns. Clearly what is at the bottom is a deeper disagreement over how Scripture is read and used. What is troubling to “conservatives” is that if our theologians, seminaries and leadership can see their way to permit practicing homosexuals into the ministry and bless “same sex” unions, what will they see their way to do in the future? Worse, our theologians, seminaries and leadership may find the next “development” distasteful, but they will find they have no principle against it.
-- Mike Dooley

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Re: The July 2 edition of Reader Mail:

Good for you! At last, a 8-page reader mail. As a subscriber and donating reader, we were about to move on to other sites. I understand the costs involved but what are the costs of almost eliminating this well loved feature? Also missing is the interplay between various contributors in the mail. Hopefully today is the start of the "return of mail."
-- Dick Grogan
Yorba Linda, California

The Editor replies: We appreciate Mr. Grogan's loyalty to Reader Mail. Most readers, alas, prefer to respond in the Comments section of individual pieces, which wasn't available back in Reader Mail's heyday. We do what we can, but Reader Mail depends on you, the reader -- and letter writer.

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Letter to the Editor View all comments (2) | Leave a comment

Old Texican| 7.6.09 @ 1:24PM

Hi guys
I pasted this here to hang my arse out further.
(grin)

Robert Stacey,Very thoughtful article. Thank you.

Guys
some splendid thoughts here.
As one of you mentioned, we were having a very serious discussion on one the blogs. It is a shame those discussions can't stay around here longer.

If our country has reached the point where an honest decent elected official such as Sarah Palin can be hounded out of office by smut, then my slogan henceforward will be...
REPEAL REPEAL REPEAL !

I truly believe "conserving" is no longer a viable option. I believe our country needs desperately to be put in "retrograde motion"...ie: reverse.

There is no question in my mind that if cap and trade and/or nationalized medical are passed, then REPEAL of both will be the only ...ONLY... salvation of our country as a free society in anything but name.

I notice that many of us keep trying to dip into history to get a perspective. It is my contention that there is NO historical happening in 232 years that even comes close to our present day situation.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my belief that for the very FIRST time, a true revolution has been declared upon we free sovereign citizens. I do not exagerate here. War has been declared upon us, just as surely as a war was declared when Islamic terrorists knocked down the Trade Towers, and hammered the Pentagon.

I have read and heard SO many inadequate terms to describe our politicos in DC..."thugs, Chicago thugs, utopians, idiots, incompetents, narcisists, etc.

THEY ARE NOTHING OF THE KIND!

First of all...they are "OATH-BREAKERS"!
They swore to preserve, protect, and defend our constitution. They have since stated very clearly in words and actions that they have no intent to preserve protect and defend our constitution.

To them, our constitution is nothing more than something that limits their efforts. They talk about a "living constitution". They are liars.

We do have a living constitution...but the way it is supposed "grow and mature" is through:

1. Constitutional conventions of the several States to perfect that constitution if needs be.

2. Ammending that constitution again by concert of the several States.

They have chosen an unconstitutional method, called.........."force" ie war!

Every single one of us have heard Obama's own words about building a national internal "police force", (or words to that effect), that is equal in size and strength to our present armed forces.

Why? Please ask yourself............. why?

My thought is that it is his back-up plan B if he can't win the stealth war that is quietly destroying the legs of the table...one by one... that holds all of our labor fruit...and all of our future hopes.

For the very first time in our history, our federal government has declared war on it's own tax-paying, law-abiding citizens. Their "war goals"
are pretty simple, and as old as time. (theft, writ large)

Their weapons and tactics are pretty novel in some cases, but their "war aims" are to reduce us to submission or incarceration...or death if incarceration becomes too expensive because there are too many of us.

I take Sarah's "re-quote" by Douglass McArthur very seriously. God bless her, she is trying to "advance in another direction".

I don't know "which" direction we should go...but we Americans still remember how to sit on our ass and produce no taxable income.

Think about it a moment. If tax revenues dropped even 80% in a given month from we in the middle class...oops?

Thoughts?

Richard Baker| 7.7.09 @ 8:45AM

And liberals wonder why California has long been called "The Land of the Fruits and Nuts"? Golden State? The founders of the Bear Republic would kill these idiots as tyrants.