Prophetic Musings

I've debated to myself whether to post this or not, but I'm going to. I found this through Slashdot today and it's from the Financial Times, so it isn't too bad. There is no foul language in it and no excessive descriptions. However, the subject is pornography, so it could be sensitve. Don't visit the link if you think you shouldn't. Basically I'm saying that it is entirely up to you to decide whether to visit it or not and don't blame me for delivering it. Here it is if you want it.

I think that it is important to read and see what the overwhelming presence of pornography on the internet is doing to people. Remember, these are people who are not Christians and don't have a Biblically based world view, yet they still feel something inherently wrong about viewing pornography. They hide it because of the shame they feel. There is something in their sub-conscience that is telling them it is wrong.

One paragraph of the article I think sums up why internet porn is so dangerous.

“To me, the most disturbing thing about the internet is that it has the perfect structure to promote dissatisfaction. You click on an image, it’s not quite right. So you click on another, then another. It’s completely open-ended. If you just keep looking there’ll be that image that’s just right. But the more you look, the less you get turned on by the stuff you did before. So, you have to search harder.”

The internet is really unending. Anytime that content on the internet goes away, it is replaced by something else. That something could be more violent, more degrading, more explicit. On the other hand it could be more uplifiting, more beautiful as well.

I think this is something that is known to be out there, but it is not known how to stop it. It is a never ending battle that is fought by anyone with the internet. There is no simple, effective way to keep the purveyors of *** out of any computer. An example that's happened to me. I was looking through the cookies on my computer at work to see if there was anything in there that shouldn't be. I ran across one which I will not name because I don't want Google to pick it up. Needless to say, it involved sex. I couldn't figure out how it would have gotten there, so I deleted it and started looking through the history on my internet browser to see where it might be coming from. Nothing jumped out at me. Finally, I happened to come across it. While looking at Experts Exchange, an tech forum where people post questions that can't figure out about all things computer-related, there was an ad for a magazine founded by a guy with a certain propensity for bunnies whose name I won't mention here because of Google. (Very Harry Potter-ish of me isn't it? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) Whenever that ad came up, it would write that cookie to my computer. I say this to show that you never know where something might come from.

I am not going to lie and say I've never fallen to this temptation. It's happened more times than I care to remember. I think between my wife and I we have figured out how to keep each other accountable for it though. The thing that scares me is my kids growing up with it. When I was a kid, the only way that you could get this kind of thing was through magazines or movies, neither of which we had. With the internet it is readily available by just searching for something innocuous in any search engine. If you want to find it, you can find it without much trouble. I wish I had an answer on how to block it. ICANN has talked of introducing a .XXX top level domain, but there are enforcement issues with so many different levels of what is considered to be obscene or indecent. If it could work, it would be an easy thing to filter, just blocking one domain.

This is something that could be a silent epidemic, if not already. It will spread through churches, schools, homes, businesses, anywhere with a connection to the internet and someone wanting a fix. It's something that needs to be solved before an entire generation of our children becomes completely desensitized to it.

Borders and Waldenbooks crumpled against pressure from Islamic groups because a magazine that they typically carry in stores will contain (yes, I said will, it hasn't come out yet) the cartoons of Mohammed that have caused so much controversy.

Does this mean that since something is offensive to me, that I can get Borders to stop carrying it? If so, remove Maxim, FHM, and all the other quasi-skin mags that are in the stores. They offend me as a Christian, therefore I want them gone.

I think the key here is that Borders and Waldenbooks have been intimidated by the possibility of Islamic violence. The are playing chicken with the wrong train in this case. By allowing themselves to be intimidated enough to not stock a regular item, where does that line get drawn? If people threaten to blow themselves up because of a book or a magazine that displays abortion, do they stop carrying it? I'm offended by many of the books that are in there in some form or another, but I DON'T HAVE TO READ THEM. Muslims don't have to read Free Inquiry magazine either. Nothing is being forced on anyone. If someone else chooses to pick it up that doesn't hold to the same beliefs, why are they being prevented from doing this?

Tim Blair points out an interesting parallel in Borders past and present behavior.

(h/t Instapundit)

It would appear that George Mason had some problems in our government in mind before the Constitution was signed. Judging from this list of things he didn't like about the Constitution, he could see what eventually was going to happen in the country. A lot of the points put forward are right on.

(h/t Radley Balko)

The phrase "doing things the right way" is kind of an American sports cliche. It's been said about probably every college program at one time or another. It looks like George Mason truly is one program that does it the right way. Adrian Wojnarowski shows some of that in an article on ESPN.com. My bracket says Florida will win it all this weekend, but I think I may have to root for George Mason instead.

Thanks to Radley Balko for pointing this one out. He also has some other links to some George Mason info, but the college and the man, here and here.

I got my first three trackbacks to a post I did yesterday on immigration. It's a little neat and a little scary to see my posts from here linked on someone else's website. I guess that's the nature of what I'm doing. Hopefully I can put some stuff on here that people will want to come back and see more of. It's an exciting time. Thanks to Rolling Barrage, Publius Rendezvous (love that banner at the top), and Mac Stansbury for the links!

I've been linking to her site alot lately, but Michelle Malkin is usually pretty spot on.

This really disturbs me. I don't understand why they are protesting. If people are here illegally, then they need to go back where they came from. I don't care what "rights" they think they might be entitled to. The people that are here to become citizens and filled out the paperwork to get in, more power to them. I welcome them with open arms. If the first thing they do is break the law to get into the country, then they don't need to be here. It's time to enforce the laws that we already have on the books. When someone is picked up that is illegal, send them back immediately. I realize that they are probably supporting their family, but they need to do it legally.

Just my $0.02.

This has long been one of my favorite songs. Again, it's Jars of Clay, from the self-title debut album. I love to play and sing it. I think it is another perfect description of how my life is. I'm completely unworthy of God's love, if only because I feel that I'm the one driving the most nails into the cross. It's like I need God to completely tear my world apart in order for me to be put back together again. Here are the words to the song.

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all adds up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride, I flew too high
And like Icarus, I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
To give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
More deeply than the ocean
More abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of live I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me
All I am for all you are because what I need and what I believe
Are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
Wipe away the crimson stains
Dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now
I owe you more each passing hour
The battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
Wash the feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
The sin-soaked heart and make it yours
Take my world apart
Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
So wipe away the crimson stains
Dull the nails that still remain
So steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
Take my world apart
Worlds apart

Wow, that was a long one. The entire last section is sung (sang?) like a run-on phrase. It sounds progressively more desperate through to the end, almost as if the person is coming to the end of their rope.

Something else about the song I love is the imagery. The first verse has the lines "Soaring on the wings of selfish pride, I flew too high/And like Icarus, I collide" Unless someone knows the Greek story of Icarus, then they won't understand the image being portrayed. Another line repeated twice in the last verse is "I look beyond the empty cross/forgetting what my life has cost." I think that this is something so easy for us to do in our society today. We find it so simple to just look past what Jesus has done and we don't realize the price paid for our sin.

Like I said before, I love to play and sing this song. It's a cry out for help and really strikes home with me. Hubris and self-reliance are big problems of mine and it's like I'm wanting God to roll back the eastern sky for me to listen to Him. I'm trying to change that, but it's hard to do.

Hey, guess what? That's two in a series now. Maybe this means I'll get my Take a Stand idea out of mothballs and try it out again. Heh, don't bet on it just now.

I've come to the realization that I'm nothing more than a link aggregator right now. I'm passing on mostly other people's thoughts on things. This isn't what I want to be doing, but it seems I'm taking the easy way out. I'll try to do more personal pieces in the future.

I posted about this yesterday, but it sounds like Abdul Rahman is already done for. He was released from prison last night, but now nobody knows where he is. Read Michelle Malkin's post for more.

Previous:
Unfortunate

Makes me think twice about wanting that Big Mac.

from The Evangelical Outpost

I guess the ultimate answer to the question of Life, the Universe and Everything really is 42. Wonder what Douglas Adams would have thought about that?

If you haven't read or seen The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you will have no idea what this is about. I'm not going to take the time to explain it either. All hail the mighty Wikipedia!

It's sad that a "civilized" soceity can do this to someone. Abdul Rahman was going to be put to death in Afghanistan because he had converted from Islam to Christianity. He is to be released as the court found there was not enough evidence to hold him for trial. Last night our pastor said that he didn't expect him to last a week. Unfortunately, I think he might be right.

(h/t Michelle Malkin)

An idiot city manager tries to threaten a Linux operating system developer because the city's web site is down. Just classic stuff.

United 93 looks like it could be an interesting movie. However, I think it would be incredibly difficult to watch. It's about the flight on September 11, 2001 which went down in Pennsylvania. I'm sure it will be controversial, but it could be a good starting point to revisit what happened that day and examine why we fight now.

For what it's worth, it's September 11, not 9/11. Calling it 9/11 cheapens it, at least in my perspective. It would be like calling Pearl Harbor 12/7. It just doesn't seem appropriate, especially given the scale of what happened that day.

I get my internet connection at home back up on Wednesday, then on Thursday my web host goes down for some reason, so no updates. Crazy stuff.

In other news, I'm starting on my secretive project. I'm using a program called FreeMind to map out the design and it really works well. A guy at work showed it to me. It's simple to use, but it's not just for software design. I've also used it for figuring out which classes I would need to take if I pursue my master's degree. I'm working on a new map now that will show goals and plans. Pretty cool program.

To continue my rambling, my wife bought me a new whiteboard for the house last weekend. Not just any whiteboard though, this thing is eight feet by four feet. It's really just wall paneling, but it works great as a whiteboard. Then better thing is that it's only about $15, instead of $50-60 for a comparable size true whiteboard. We drilled it into the wall in my office and it works great.

Finally, my bracket is currently ranked 171,387th in the country on ESPN's Tourney Challenge. I was ranked 1st for the first two or three days, which is longer than usual. I had all my Final Four teams until last night when Gonzaga lost. However, I'm tied for second in a KSU fan group. I'm curious to know who the 1st place entry is in the group, because the name on it is the same name as my high school football coach. Could be funny it it was really him.

UPDATE: It really was him. I sent an email to the user account and he replied back this morning. His son is a little farther down the list too. Amazing how small the internet makes the world sometimes. Always good to hear from someone in my hometown too.