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Tuesday, August 31

Are you guys having a killer time?

I'm sure you have all had that one kid in class that gets on you nerves. Well I have met the biggest one of those ever. Probably more annoying than Joel's "perma-cougher"! Anyway, I'm pretty sure this kid desires to lick the Calc professors feet if he had the chance.

He is that guy who always tries to turn his homework in early. The teacher made it very clear that HW is to be turned in on Friday, but captain spiffy pants wanted to make sure EVERYBODY knew he had it done early! On top of that, when the teacher gave us a practice problem, before anybody even started working on it he shouted out the answer, thanks a lot JERK! But finally, today came the funniest thing i have seen in a while.

The teacher is handing back homework and when he goes to get his he gave the paper a long blank stare. He couldn't believe his eyes, the teacher dared to give him a 19/20 on his HW. The very homework he tried to turn in early! How dare he! This is all true, I could see the grade on his sheet and his face. It made me laugh so hard that he would be that upset about one point. So I guess I could say, "The day is mine!"

Sunday, August 29

What Better Place Than Here, What Better Time Than Now

>Continuing from the last post...I just have a few more things to say (as I usually do).

I would like to say that I live exactly how God wants me and that I am where he want me to be (in my walk with him) but I know I am far from it. God is currently revealing a lot to me about this topic and living where I am now doesn't make it easy. I feel like I am being closed in against my will here at Cedarville. It's almost like everyone here is so legalistic as Joel commented.

I feel like we are being "protected" from the world and at the same time not letting God's love flow out into the world. As my roomate said, when he was at home, he was on the front lines of the battle but here it seems like there is no battle. He is one of those people who grows from those trials and stuggles which is, I think, the way all Christians should be! I guess the question is where should we draw the line between protecting our hearts and fighing the good fight. I say rather than hiding from the battle why don't we run into it trusting that God has already gone before us! I have been part of the battle and let me tell you, it's not easy but it's so worth it.

Friday, August 27

This Fire We Started Made Wreckage of All That We Know...

A song by Kids in the Way which is, "A song about the church today and how we've screwed up the original intentions by letting our own desires get in the mix." I am kind of stealing this topic from Em O but I want to be a little more specific. Now, I don't want to step on any toes here...I want to darn near cut em off!

As a Christian and member of "The Church" (as a whole) I have seen how the church has become self-destructive. We let the world push us around; taking the Bible out of schools, out of government, and maybe soon even out of Home Schooling. We're being pushed into a little corener and we aren't pushing back. Instead we have put ourselves into a bubble of "protection" from the world. The people of the church have become so caught up in this little Church world where the real world doesn't exist. We become so religeous in making sure everything is perfect that we forget to even invite God in. Not to mention anybody on the outside of our protection bubble has no desire to go in because they see the hypocricy that exists.

I am in no way sayin that I am perfect or even better than most Christians. I have been on 4 missions trips and many times street witnessing but I am still nowhere near reaching out as much as God wants me to! All I'm saying is, collectively, we need to put aside these stupid theological and religeous squabbles aside and do what God has told us to do. Stop protecting yourself and step out into the battle. God has been dealing with me a lot with this lately and I just hope he tells you something through this too!

Wednesday, August 25

Did you say A 350 MPH SUPERCAR!?

Sorry about the last post, for some reason the server decided that paragraphs were tacky and unnecessary so that may have been a little wacky to read but I think i fixed it!!! Anyway, I would like to just vent today on how fickle "The Man" can be.

You know who the man is, he's that guy (and often a woman or a whole administration) who is in charge and his job is to "keep you down". Well I'm here to tell you "The Man" in college is ruthless! Here I am sitting through all these meetings over the weekend hearing about how hard college is and how you can't base your college potential on you high school learning experiences and grades. The very next day, guess what happens, they make me take a test on my high school Pre calc knowledge and based on that they try to tell me that I can't take college Calculus! This may all make sense to somebody but not this guy. Anyway, I had to convince my "Education Advisor" (just a branch of "The Man") that I could make it...and it worked. Trickin' the system as my friend Kyle used to say!

Anyway, sorry if that was boring but I had to get it out. I probably won't usually post this much or this often but hopefully they will be more interesting than this one. By the way, Emily, I'm still sorry you fed 10,000 blearns to your Bahdonkadong, it really is a shame that your fandango is now gone forever!

Tuesday, August 24

As I Venture Out On My Own

I am now venturing out into two new worlds at once: the world of blogging, and the world of college! So far, I have found the world of blogging much more interesting and fun for various reasons.

First, in college they heard you around from meeting to pointless meeting hearing the same things over and over again (study a lot, college is harder than high school, treat it like a full time job, and my favorite don't play your music too loud!) and I'm telling you they could have replaced many hours of useless information and repetition with one truly informative hour-long session. Whereas in blogging, I'm the boss and I get to tell you what you need to hear and keep millions (cause I'm sure millions of people will read this) of people on their toes about what I will say next. (ADVANTAGE: BLOGGING)

Second, the dorm smells like wet paint and old crusty socks (partly my fault but mostly left over from years past. Blogging, I create the environment and if I want I can change the colors from white to an awesome periwinkle or Sponge Bob Yellow. I am like god up in this piece, I could create little blogs and just destroy them with my mighty iron fist! (ADVANTAGE: BLOGGING)

Lastly, college is filled with millions of hot babes that are all very interested in "super cool" engineering students. I mean, what lady doesn't want a skimply little man sporting the latest poket protector from American Eagle. But in my blog I am a sexy man, possibly the coolest guy around and all the hot babes online really do want me (hey, don't be jealous just becasue I've been chatting online with hot babes all day) becasue I can be as awesome as I want to! (ADVANTAGE: BLOGGING)

Well that was a blow-out! But seriously I am enjoying college and the hot babes really do kinda like me here. So please come back and observe my progress through college. Read tomorrow on how to sign up for sand volleyball!

Sunday, August 1

Where Bush Got his Orders

Where Bush Got His Marching Orders

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
- President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
- Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
- Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry ( D - MA), and others Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
- Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them."
- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002


"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do."
- Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapon stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation .. And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003


SO NOW THESE SAME DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED, THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, AND THAT HE TOOK US TO WAR UNECESSARILY !

TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PRESIDENT LEADING US TO WAR.

Send this to everybody you know. The networks won't do it . It's up to us to get the word out.

The Truth About the Stats

Lemme see; have I got this straight?

Clinton awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Yugoslavia - good...
Bush awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Iraq - bad...

Clinton spends 77 billion on war in Serbia - good...
Bush spends 87 billion in Iraq - bad...

Clinton imposes regime change in Serbia - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...

Clinton bombs Christian Serbs on behalf of Muslim Albanian terrorists- good...
Bush liberates 25 million from a genocidal dictator - bad...

Clinton bombs Chinese embassy - good...
Bush bombs terrorist camps - bad...

Clinton commits felonies while in office - good...
Bush lands on aircraft carrier in jumpsuit - bad...

No mass graves found in Serbia - good...
No WMD found Iraq - bad...

Stock market crashes in 2000 under Clinton - good...
Economy on upswing under Bush - bad...

Clinton refuses to take custody of Bin Laden - good...
World Trade Centers fall under Bush - bad...

Clinton says Saddam has nukes - good...
Bush says Saddam has nukes - bad...

Clinton calls for regime change in Iraq - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...

Terrorist training in Afghanistan under Clinton - good...
Bush destroys training camps in Afghanistan - bad...

Milosevic not yet convicted - good...
Saddam turned over for trial - bad...

Ahh, it's so confusing!

Every year an independent tax watchdog group analyzes the average tax burden on Americans, and then calculates the "Tax Freedom Day". This is the day after which the money you earn goes to you, not the government. This year, tax freedom day was April 11th. That's the earliest it has been since 1991. It's latest day ever was May 2nd, which occurred in 2000. Notice anything special about those dates?

Recently, John Kerry gave a speech in which he claimed Americans are actually paying more taxes under Bush, despite the tax cuts. He gave no explanation and provided no data for this claim.

Another interesting fact: Both George Bush and John Kerry are wealthy men. Bush owns only one home, his ranch in Texas. Kerry owns 4 mansions, all worth several million dollars. (His ski resort home in Idaho is an old barn brought over from Europe in pieces. Not your average A-frame).
Bush paid $250,000 in taxes this year; Kerry paid $90,000. Does that sound right? The man who wants to raise your taxes obviously has figured out a way to avoid paying his own.

Thought this was interesting, pass it on to Kerry supporters!

Incubus World View

Nathan Pruzaniec (Box 5078)
Christian Life & Thought (Section 03)
Mr. Steve Janssen
September 16, 2004
Paper #3

Under My Umbrella
Incubus


When I close my eyes
I can see for miles
There's comfort in my dark seat
And chaos in the aisles.

These eyes are not your eyes
And these eyes are not the color that
Your arid eyes might be.
But I was not around
When those eyes of yours decided so
I refuse to kneel before the sights you choose to see.

When I close my eyes
I remember why I smile
under my umbrella
I'm an Accomplished Exile

These eyes are not your eyes
And these eyes are not the color that
Your arid eyes might be.
But I was not around
When those eyes of yours decided
So I refuse to kneel before the sights you choose to see.

If this is right... I’d rather be wrong...
If this is sight... I’d rather be blind!


Incubus is one of the few secular bands out there that actually writes lyrics about things that matter, and they certainly are, but they can be somewhat gauche while doing it. They proudly display their world view, especially in this song. “Under My Umbrella” is a song about how they do not want to see what the world sees or believe what the world believes. They are saying that they can even see whatever they want to in the world and almost that the truth does not matter. I will discuss a few of these world views and see where the band stands in the big picture.

Starting with the first stanza, we see immediately that they are saying they can see all they want to see with their eyes closed. I feel they are trying to say that they really just imagine what is going on “for miles” rather than looking at the reality of it. They also go on to say that they are comfortable in the dark, in their blindness, whereas the rest of the world “in the aisle” is in chaos. I believe they are suggesting if everyone would just forget reality and “live a lie” basically, it would all be okay.

The chorus gets even more interesting as they go on talking about how they are now separate from the world. The band says that they do not have the same eyes as the world and their eyes are totally different from the rest. Not only do they say their eyes are different but they also comment that the world has arid eyes, or eyes that are “lacking vitality or imagination; sterile” as defined by Webster’s. Then, they go on to say since they were not in on the decision, or “not around”, when the world decided to see things the way they do, that they will not believe the same way.

Finally, the third stanza says that when they just imagine what is happening, they “remember why [they] smile”, meaning this is the only place they are happy. Maybe they mean the world is filled with nothing but pain and sorrow and this is the only escape. They also say that they are accomplished exiles. I think by that they mean they are somebody important in their own little world, that in their imagination they can be whatever they want to be. Then the bridge says these very distinct words, “If this is right, I’d rather be wrong. If this is sight, I’d rather be blind.” Right there I see that they really want no part of what the world is about or what they believe; they want to be completely set apart.

Now we have seen all the points and beliefs the band has made and I think they can all be categorized under one main point. They believe that the world is wrong, and that reality is whatever you want it to be. This belief probably goes deep into their life experience but I think this belief can easily be traced to another song of theirs. “Pardon Me” is a song they wrote two years earlier says, “I’ve had enough of the world, and these people’s mindless games.” Later in the song, they go on to say that they basically want to get out of this world. I would say this world view comes from their past experiences and that they are just looking for ways to separate from the world.

I think the obvious question here is; what is reality? Can we just separate ourselves from the world and believe whatever we want about it? I think the band has half the picture there but the other half is a little off. The Bible does tell us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (BBE)” So the Bible tells us to separate ourselves from the world. I believe God does want us to be totally different from the world and not to get mixed in but I also believe that God wants us to realize the reality of the world around us. He wants us to see this because if we don’t than we will live as if everything is perfect and not realize the lost souls around us. The band also said that they could be whatever they want to be but the Bible also tells us that we should live God’s perfect plan for our life and not our own.

Incubus definitely has a very unique world view with a very specific focus and if you get rid of all the codswallop, it is not completely ridiculous. I do think that their desire to be free from the world is probably not for the same reasons as the Bible gives us but it does set them in the right direction. They need an obvious change of purpose for their lives and a reality check. They need to see the corruption in the world and rather than completely hide from it, try to make an indefinite impact. The position they are in gives them the potential and ability to shape the world into what it should be. Incubus could easily change the world view of thousands, as I’m sure they already have, but this time to one that honors God. Then it would be a reality even they could smile about.