New Covenant

Note: opportunities to share the Gospel

Christians, note this opportunity to share the Gospel, being handed directly to you:

Per CNN, Atheist ads to adorn New York subway stations.

The advertisements ask the question, written simply over an image of a blue sky with wispy white clouds: "A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?"

Take it from there...

Change... we can believe in

From NLPC,

NLPC has uncovered a plan by the White House New Media operation to hire a technology vendor to conduct a massive, secret effort to harvest personal information on millions of Americans from social networking websites.

My journey towards owning a firearm, vol. 2: the Tueller Drill

Twenty one feet.

One and one-half seconds.

The Tueller Drill was developed by Sgt. Dennis Tueller, of the Salt Lake City Police Department, to demonstrate the amount of time it would take an assailant, armed with a contact weapon, to travel 21 feet (7 yards) to his intended victim. Based on the tests conducted, it was demonstrated that it only took 1.5 seconds for the attacker to reach his victim. The point of the drill was to illustrate the dilemma faced by an armed victim, namely, to be able to recognize the potential threat, determine that an attack is occurring, and respond appropriately (in self defense). Particularly designed for persons armed with a holstered firearm, the drill was contrasted against the time required to draw, aim, and shoot the attacker. Tests typically show that most experienced shooters can recognize a threat, draw their firearm, and shoot in around 2 seconds.

That leaves the victim in the red by about 1/2 of a second.

Thus, it is entirely possible for an attacker armed with a knife to move across 7 yards and make contact with his victim before the victim can take action to defend himself. The dilemma an armed person now has is whether or not he can recognize a real threat with a non-existent threat, and whether or not the aggressor is within his danger zone. If he makes the wrong decision, and kills the person representing the non-existent threat, he could be faced with murder charges. If he makes the wrong decision, and waits until the bad guy's attack is well underway, he could be dead.

What to do?

In Armed Response, David Kenik recommends running through various scenarios designed to instill the reality of how quick an attack could take place. For instance, he envisions a home invasion occurring while your family members are in various locations within the house. How much time would it take to get your family into one safe location and to retrieve your self-defense handgun? He thinks that the lag in time to accomplish so much dictates his being armed while in his own home. 

Is Kenik overreacting? Maybe, although his point is well taken that if an event (such as a home invasion) were to occur, time would be of the utmost essence. In my opinion, scenarios such as those recommended by Kenik are useful in helping to educate one on the need for alertness at all times. One of the key components of one's response time, to an attack, is to recognize that an attack is occurring or about to occur. Indeed, one of the tips given to women, regarding their responsibility in managing their own safety, is to always be aware of who is about in their surroundings. This is typically known as being in relaxed alert mode of Condition Yellow.

Apart from the fact that many people consider a lethal threat occurrence to be so unlikely as to negate the necessity for consideration, much less training, I have to wonder how such people view events such as house fires, car accidents, natural disasters, etc. As for my family, my wife and I have discussed with our children what to do in the event of a house fire. We've done this, despite the fact that none of us have ever experienced a house fire.

Owning a firearm, for the purposes of self-defense, opens up a myriad of responsibility issues for the firearm owner, not the least of which is the understanding of the Tueller Drill and its implications. Regardless of whether or not an attacker is 21 feet away, one's awareness of his surroundings is paramount. Self defense experts will reiterate that tactical training, with one's firearm, is critical and should include exercises designed to stimulate one's ability to make shoot or no-shoot decisions under stress.

Probably most important, is the decision one must make regarding whether or not they can shoot a firearm, in self defense, and potentially take another human's life. And that will be the topic of vol. 3 in this series.

All photos - © 2009, A. R. Lopez

Regarding wariness towards the cult of Obama and our children

From FoxNews (HT: Belmont Club),

The Obama administration is rethinking its course recommendations for students ahead of President Obama's address to the the nation's schoolchildren next week, rewriting its suggestions to teachers for student assignments on how to "help the president."

(emphasis added) From Hope & Change parents,

You're certainly free to consider me paranoid. And I'm free to consider you naive.

Health care is not a right; Rationing is inevitable

Two provocative excerpts from Eric Chevlen, in an article at First Things.

It’s a mistake to think of health care as a right. It is not a right; it is a good. Freedom of speech, by contrast, is a right, as is freedom of religious belief. They are privileges that inure to individuals as a consequence of the primordial right, free will. That is why we see them as inalienable. The exercise of these rights does not depend on any action of government, but rather on its inaction. Government may not legitimately interfere with their exercise, but nothing mandates that the government provide us with printing press or chapel.

Health care is different. It is more akin to the other goods which sustain life: food, clothing, and shelter. A well-ordered society exists to protect its members from the unlawful taking of life, and is structured to facilitate its members’ acquisition of these goods.

And then,

To claim that Congress will devise a new federal health care plan that will not involve rationing is like claiming that it will invent a triangle that doesn’t have three sides. Currently, within the private sector of health care, we have a large number of private insurance companies vying for the business of their customers. They ration health care on the basis of evidence-based medical necessity. The Obama health plan, the details of which are still being worked out, will also ration health care. The alternative to that is an accelerated escalation of aggregate health care costs. But the single-payer system to which Obama’s plan will lead will have no competitor and no pressing financial incentive to please its customers. No competitor for the single payer means no alternative for the patient. We can reasonably expect that a single-payer system of rationing will be largely implicit rather than explicit, and governed as much by cost and political considerations as by medical evidence. Such a system would likely combine the fiscal responsibility of the Postal Service, the customer friendliness of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and the smooth efficiency of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Confessions of a self-indulgent culture

Do you have an NEO (i.e., Near Earth Object) impact written into your insurance policy?

From NASA's Near Earth Object website:

No one should be overly concerned about an Earth impact of an asteroid or comet. The threat to any one person from auto accidents, disease, other natural disasters and a variety of other problems is much higher than the threat from NEOs. Over long periods of time, however, the chances of the Earth being impacted are not negligible so that some form of NEO insurance is warranted. At the moment, our best insurance rests with the NEO scientists and their efforts to first find these objects and then track their motions into the future. We need to first find them, then keep an eye on them.

When naked apes, endowed with the imago Dei, turn their backs on God, they fear for their lives...

image courtesy of NASA

Apollo 11 memorabilia

It was 40 years ago, today, that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon.

Wechoosethemoon.org is providing a virtual recreation and NASA has a dedicated website for the anniversary.

I still recall watching the fuzzy, black-and-white images on a small television set, with Walter Cronkite providing a running commentary. Having followed the space program through Gemini (too young to really remember Mercury), I was enthralled by the prospect of humans actually walking on and exploring the Moon. At the time I would collect newspaper clippings, magazine articles, photos, etc., all related to NASA's space program.

Over the years since, many of the data I collected has gone by the wayside. However, in rummaging through what memorabilia I have kept, I've run across the following...

 

I had an envelope, complete with a first day of issue stamp on it, sent to me.

My Uncle, who worked at NASA in Houston, had a friend on the USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier designated to recover the Apollo 11 astronauts (and capsule). He had his friend send me an envelope with special cancellation stamp and postmark.

Additional memorabilia, including newspaper headlines and magazine covers...

Ever have one of those days?

Our Western custom of shaking hands is, indeed, a quirky one. When executed properly the act is, at best, a firm establishment of proper manners and, at worst, an excellent method of germ exchange. And then there are the various faux paus to deal with (ever been on the receiving end of a limp shaker? - ugh!). Worse yet, have you ever held your hand out only to suffer the degrading experience of being rejected?

Luckily, that only happens to rank amateurs...

On the 4th day of July

Have a great Independence Day!

-image: © 2009 A. R. Lopez; Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Missouri

Inexperienced weakness in a land of enchantment: how our enemies view a feminized president

The question bubbled over with effervescent infatuation; innocent, yet unadulterated adoration for the one who now guides us.

Thank you, Mr. President. During these first 100 days, what has surprised you the most about this office? Enchanted you the most from serving in this office? Humbled you the most? And troubled you the most? (emphasis most certainly added)

Can anyone picture FDR being asked what enchanted him the most? Truman? LBJ? Teddy Roosevelt?

Have we gone from expecting a Rough Rider as President to expecting our leader to be enchanted? Has the Steyn feminization of the West now contaminated the office of President of the United States?

Barack Obama, the junior junior Senator from Illinois, bows low to foreign leaders, gleefully embraces foreign dictators, and posits diplomacy with tyrants. Those who would do this country harm cannot see in these actions anything but weakness.

Christians: pray for Barack Obama

A Prediction: 1,000 Swine Flu cases in U.S. by May 18, 2009

So say the "worst case" statistical models at Indiana University.

However, researchers state that time is of the essence and that models could change every 12 to 24 hours, depending on how quickly various governments react to the threat.

So... what's your wager?

My journey towards owning a firearm, vol. 1: Why?

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Also known as the 2nd Amendment.

I've purchased a firearm - a semi-automatic handgun (to be specific, a Glock 22, .40 S&W caliber).

How did this happen?

There are many reasons for one to choose to own a firearm: Self-defense, the exercising of one's 2nd amendment right, insurance for potential times of civil unrest, pure enjoyment (as in target-shooting), hunting, etc. Yet, despite this, I've been surprised to find that my decision to arm myself has sparked a variety of responses from people with whom I am acquainted. Emotions ranging from joyful glee to tentative fright to that of sour judgment have been levied in my direction - all because of my desire to own, and use, a firearm.

I was quite unprepared for such disparate reactions. So, let me take a few posts explaining my journey towards owning a firearm.

First, why... Why own a firearm? Well, let's say that I've always been interested in firearms but, for various reasons, have never pursued said interest. Introvert that I am, I tend to not want to look like I don't know what I'm doing (in front of others) and, when dealing with firearms, one had very well know exactly what they are doing. While I could have certainly found ways to learn, whether it be through friends, or the classroom - I never made it happen. That changed recently, though, as I finally decided to get the education, knowledge, and training to be proficient in the handling of firearms. What was the catalyst? Middle age, perhaps. I've joked with more than one friend, that, given I now reside in middle age, I'm simply going through that so-called crisis in which men desperately need to hold on to and prove their manhood - typically via the acquisition of a convertible sports car. If that's the case, then at least my venture into the sport of shooting is much cheaper than that of purchasing Nissan's latest Z model!

However, it goes far beyond a mere desire to prove my manhood.

Rush.

Yes, shooting a firearm gives one quite the rush. The night I returned from taking a gun safety / practice class, my adrenaline was flowing and I couldn't wait until the time I would return to the shooting range for more - fun. Up until that class, I had never fired a pistol and had never fired a rifle with a caliber larger than .22LR. The night of my class, I fired a .40 S&W caliber semi-automatic handgun (an HK USP), and it was, literally, an amazing experience!

As I stepped into my shooting lane that night, our instructor had us - I was joined by about 5 other shooters - load one round of ammunition into the pistol's magazine. Upon his command we were to load our firearm, take aim, and fire at a paper target (ostensibly, a silhouette of a human being). The HK USP is an all steel gun, which means it's a bit heavy. This particular model had a serrated grip which seemed, to me, to be excessively rough. Gripping the gun in my right hand, I placed the magazine (with one round in it) into the magazine well. After the magazine clicked in I then pulled the slide back to engage the cartridge into the chamber. At that point, the gun was "live"... and deadly. My trigger finger, up to now, was not on the trigger as - per basic firearm safety rules - you do not put your finger on the trigger until you are about to fire. As I leveled the live handgun, pointing it towards the target, I placed my left (support) hand into position, against the open, left side of the pistol grip, wrapping my left hand fingers around my right (strong) hand. I then acquired my sight on the target, held my breath, and gently squeezed the trigger.

Many shooting instructors tell you that, as you squeeze the trigger, the actual firing of the gun should come as a surprise. Let me tell you, the first round I shot definitely came as a surprise. In all honesty, after the gun fired (loudly), and the recoil bounced back into my body, my initial thought was, "What on earth am I doing here? I'm in way over my head!" Our instructor then asked us to load our magazines with multiple cartridges and continue firing. I did so and found that, as each successive shot reverberated through the indoor range, I grew accustomed to the sound of the gun firing, to the shock of the firearm pushing back against both of my hands with the recoil lifting the barrel up, to the blast of hot gases venting out from the gun, to the sound of an expended shell casing bouncing onto the concrete floor, and to the distinctive smell of burned gunpowder. I became fascinated with acquiring the target in my sights, and then seeing how close the projectile, which I had sent flying, came to hitting my target. I marveled at the processes involved in taking dead aim onto a subject - the concentration - the discipline - the mechanics.

Is it wrong for me to enjoy shooting a firearm, a firearm which, if pointed and fired at a human being, would most likely kill them? I don't think so, and if you happen to think so, then I'd be interested in knowing what you think about the fact that multi-thousand pound vehicles are frequently seen being driven erratically about, at speeds upwards of 80 miles per hour? The kinetic energy stored up in a moving SUV is tremendous - and I shudder to think how casually such energy is wielded about, without the slightest regard to the potential impact to innocent human life.

Yet I traverse a tangent.

Having a rip-roaring fun time, though, was not the only impetus for my researching and entering the realm of gun ownership. Self-defense was another. We live in dangerous times (and not simply because Barack Obama was elected). I have a family to protect, and a firearm is one method with which I, and they, can be protected.

However, the very lethal nature of a firearm, combined with legal ramifications of using lethal force, make the use of such a methodology extremely complicated. 

And that's what I'll discuss in vol. 2 of this series - Having a pistol for self-defense.

- first image: my Glock 22; second image: results of my first night shooting, with the HK USP; all images © 2009 A. R. Lopez

Will they blame Bush for this, as well?

These days, the same park is filled with people: families with children, women in jeans, women walking alone. Even the nighttime, when Iraqis used to cower inside their homes, no longer scares them. I can hear their laughter wafting from the park. At sundown the other day, I had to weave my way through perhaps 2,000 people. It was an astonishing, beautiful scene — impossible, incomprehensible, only months ago. - NYT

ABCNews video here.

HT: HotAir

It's all a matter of timing

From President Obama,

Today, ...the United States will pursue a new strategy to end the war in Iraq through a transition to full Iraqi responsibility. This strategy is grounded in a clear and achievable goal shared by the Iraqi people and the American people: an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant. To achieve that goal, we will work to promote an Iraqi government that is just, representative, and accountable, and that provides neither support nor safe-haven to terrorists. We will help Iraq build new ties of trade and commerce with the world. And we will forge a partnership with the people and government of Iraq that contributes to the peace and security of the region.

The only thing new about this strategy is that Obama has shifted (i.e., changed his mind) regarding his approach towards our presence in Iraq. Remember, this is the same person who opposed the Surge, who once gave up hope on succeeding in Iraq, and who once stated that the lives of troops killed in action were "wasted". (HT: HotAir)

Life is, by no means, fair. Many times, our fortune, or failure, is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time - of having that lucky break. What we'll see, in the next few years, is Obama receiving the accolades for any progress to be displayed in Iraq. Bush, in our media's shortsightedness, will take more than his share of the blame for what it cost to succeed - the failures, mistakes, and blood. Yet, he is the one who was fated to do the dirty work.

And, I think that history will eventually provide us with the clear picture of who accomplished what.

Obama's continued betrayal of those most disadvantaged

Five days in, and President Obama has made at least two significant moves: One, he signed an executive order which will effectively close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, thereby releasing terror suspects; two, he issued a memorandum which lifts a ban on U.S. funding for international groups that perform abortions.

Score: 

Terror suspects - 1, Unborn children - 0

Change? Certainly. Hope? Hardly.

Christians, pray for Obama.

One promise that President Obama isn't backing away from

From CNN, Obama may quickly reverse abortion policy,

President-elect Barack Obama is considering issuing an executive order to reverse a controversial Bush administration abortion policy in his first week in office, three Democratic sources said Monday.

Obama's second full day as president falls on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States.

The sources said Obama may use the occasion to reverse the "Mexico City policy" reinstated in 2001 by Bush that prohibits U.S. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion services. It bans any organization receiving family planning funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development from offering abortions or abortion counseling.

Will you begin your term, President-elect Obama, with an act that may begin to help confirm Robert George's pronouncement of you being our most pro-abortion president ever?

Amidst the incessant proclamations of history being made, what with Obama's inauguration, I can't help but wonder what Dr. King would think of how Obama has already betrayed, and will continue to betray, the most innocent in our land.

Christians: Pray for Barack Obama

Hatred in our land

Remember this photo from history?

From USInfo.state.gov,

Federal troops escort black students as they arrive at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the first week of integration in September 1957.

The Little Rock Nine, black high school students, needed protection from the hatred of racism as they tried to attend an integrated school.

Now take a look at this video of a group of Christians being escorted, by police officers, through a neighborhood in San Francisco, as gays intimidate and threaten violence on them.

Remind me again... Proposition 8 was about hate coming from whom?

Quote of the... uh... century?

From CNN, Poll finds great expectations for Obama,

"My fervent prayer is that there will be peace on Earth in all nations, and let all countries unite together to make this dream come true," said iReporter Shari Atukorala of Kandy, Sri Lanka. "To the President-elect Barack Obama: Sir, you can do this for all of us."

Utterly amazing.

Is this perception of Obama common? Maybe so. Also from the CNN article,

The public thinks it's likely that Obama will improve race relations, improve economic conditions, bring stability to the financial markets, make the U.S. safer from terrorism, reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil, reduce global warming, win the war in Afghanistan and remove U.S. troops from Iraq without causing a major upheaval in that country.

How much of this adoration, do you think, has gone (and will go) to Obama's head? At what point does admiration for one's leader turn into adoration, albeit worship, of one's leader? 

On the one hand, reality may rear its ugly head and simply educate the many ignorant, but sincere, idealists who have put their faith in Obama; on the other hand, the cult of worship, is an enticing temptation, which strokes at the very essence of the narcissist's ego.

Christians: pray for Obama

If a tree (that didn't do anything) falls in the forest...

From the Miami Herald, Obama to step down from Senate seat Sunday.

I'm wondering exactly why he's stepping down? I mean... up to this point in time, has his whopping 150 days of actually being a Senator mattered?

Why "My President is Black" is incorrect

Via Malkin, it seems we have a new slogan, what with the election of Barack Obama.

My President is Black

Wrong!

Truth be told, Barack Obama is half black and half white. In other words, he's biracial.

Martin Luther King said, in his I Have a Dream speech, that he dreamed of the day when his children would

not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

So, let's encourage supporters of Barack Obama to start following Dr. King's wishes, and not focus so much attention on the color of Obama's skin. Or, if they must draw attention to it, to at least begin admitting that, Our President is Black & White.