J-Walking: June 2007 Archives

Fred Thompson's stock is rising in Florida too - or so it appears. He's tripled his support there. Good for him. Again, this isn't about him. This is about a GOP field so weak, so without evident soul, that Fred Thompson appears to be the savior. Maybe he will be. Maybe he is the next Ronald Reagan - the movie star (broadly defined) who rescues the Republicans and helps save the world from doom. Somehow, however, I doubt that is true.

Why? Well, for one thing, Reagan had a singular focus in his life - he really did want to end the world of communism. It is what drove him. It was a philosophical spine. Thompson doesn't have that same thing. Unless we've all missed something it doesn't appear that he wakes up every day wondering what he can do to achieve a particular end. Then again I could be wrong - wouldn't be the first time this morning. I don't think I am, however. Thompson seems little more than the fantasy girl for the GOPs season of discontent.

A commentary I did today on Democrats, Republicans, and Jesus can be found here.

Yesterday ubermodel Giselle Bundchen spoke out against the Catholic church's condom ban during Rio's Fashion Week. That isn't terribly surprising. I'm with her and we both may be with an increasing number of people inside the Vatican who are questioning the policy - possibly even the Pope. I find it horrifying that condoms that can save lives throughout the world are spiritually banned.

More interesting, however, is her statement, "Today, no one is a virgin when they get married."

Ummm, not quite. Studies show that more than 20% of American women stay virgins until they get married. Moving overseas, one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Aishwarya Rai, was a virgin until she married and she isn't alone. Virginity is hot and more and more young men and young women are practicing it - it is not something to be mocked.

Commentators ask why and how Christians feel oppressed by the "culture". Here is a perfect example. Giselle, just say you are sorry, explain you misspoke. It is the right thing to do.

Earlier today someone tosses me a little bottle of water. It is orb-shaped, a bit weird. I don't look at it. Driving home from the meeting I take a look. It is from water-maker Poland Spring. It is called the "Aquapod." Check out the website. I'm wondering if somewhere in Cupertino Steve Jobs is asking his tech guys, "Is it possible to download water onto an iPod?" Elsewhere lawyers are wondering whether Poland Springs has infringed on a trademarked name. Note - the water tastes the same.

Lightning interrupts Giuliani:



What to say? Well, Giuliani's joke that this was scary to him as a kid who went to parochial school was evident. He talked more about religion in the following minute than at any other point in these debates - perhaps ever publicly. Imagine what might have happened if the lightning had knocked power out as well. Father Giuliani?

A staggering item this morning:In a poll of 1,000 respondents, 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of Christian women were found to be addicted to pornography. Conducted by ChristaNet.com, a popular Christian marketplace website, the poll asked visitors...

Listening to the three Democratic evangelists, er, presidential candidates at Monday night's Sojourners' Faith, Values, and Poverty Conference, I couldn't help noticing some serious mistakes they are making in trying to sound like "Godly" political leaders. They need to repent...

Marc Ambinder has launched a new "reported blog" on politics. It is worth the daily read. Take, for instance, his take on Fred Thompson and his penchant for campaigning from, um, comfortable surroundings....

From a dear friend who took his first trip out of the country...I recently returned from a missions trip to Guatemala. I went with a group from my church to do a construction project for El Verbo church, a local...

June 2008's conventional storyline: the religious right is dead, the religious left is growing, the Republicans are cratering, the Democrats will win the White House. It is possible that all four of those things are true. But take a look...

Snapshots from the forum that might not have been seen on TV:- Spontaneous and sustained applause for Elizabeth Edwards when she walked into the auditorium. She was mobbed by people all around her - mobbed not for autographs but mobbed...

Midway through - Jim Wallis has tried to interject discussions of poverty into the forum and, to some degree, has succeeded. But this is less a forum about faith and poverty and more a forum about faith and divisive social...

Evangelical Christians get regularly fired up by all the perceived ways the media and Hollywood make fun of them or misrepresent them. Frequently the slights are imagined or are trumped up by Christian leaders to raise more money. Sometimes, however,...

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifI'll be providing blog updates during and after the event....

From today's WP, a rift within the pro-life movement:"Over the past seven years, the partial-birth abortion ban as a fundraising technique has brought in over a quarter of a billion dollars" for major antiabortion groups, "but the ban has no...

Just watch:What a beautiful man and what a beautiful life. Paul's words in Galatians come to mind:"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."What...

Rod Dreher posts today on Peggy Noonan's lambasting of President Bush:...it seems to me that we conservatives need to avoid falling into a historical revisionism that allows us to portray ourselves as passive victims of a feckless president. Not saying...

So, I broke a toilet seat. We'll spare too many details other than the disclaimer that there were no injuries but I guess I just sat too hard on our toilet seat and there was a fairly loud breaking sound...