I came across an interesting piece of news last night. The Church of Scientology was banned from making edits to Wikipedia. Apparently they were being bias when editing article in an attempt to push their agenda down other peoples’ throats. This unfortunatley will not be the end to scientology as it is only an interesting little factoid. Although I can be labled as one who is skeptic of religion, I still have respect for the belief systems of the world. The only exception is to scientology as it is clearly fake. I really do not understand how people can believe such odd things. Anyway, I picked this story up off of a blog that I read called Unreasonable Faith written by Daniel Florian. Take a look at the post he wrote about it, as well as the links to the article which he provides here. I just basically wanted to spread the word that at least something is being done to combat the oddness that is Scientology. What ever happened to Anonymous anyway?
Is the United States Safer Under the Obama Administration?
Posted Wednesday May 27, 2009 at 6:49pm in News, Politics
I just wanted to ask a question to the shanehaven.com readers. Do you feel the country is safer under the Obama Administration than under the Bush Administration? Please take a look at the poll below. This stems from the comments that Dick Cheney has made and the Obama National Security Advisor’s rebuttal. I would just like to know what others think.
[polldaddy poll=1657252]
Mark R. Levin's Liberty and Tyranny Mini Book Review
Posted Tuesday May 26, 2009 at 7:30am in Mini Review
Last night, just before the start of game four of the Western Conference Playoff game between the Lakers and the Nuggets, I finished Levin’s book Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto. I had started the book during the Spring semester but academics interfered with the progression of the book. So after watching Angels and Demons at the Edwards La Verne 12 Cinema, I came home, sat down, and finished reading the book.
Levin’s work was really a fascinating read. Certain chapters are a bit overwhelming, particularly dealing with the economy. Those chapters could be my problem however, as economic factors definitely have been known to confuse me. Chapters dealing with the social controversies within the U.S., and abroad, are indeed filled with great content. The one chapter that really stuck out was the chapter on illegal immigration. Personally, I have known the dangers that illegal immigration could pose to the United States, however Levin brought other factors to my attention that I had never truly considered. To do this, he cited historical examples, and primary sources of great writers and thinkers. If I could just pick one chapter out to read, that one be the one as it is one of his more fluid chapters as it pertains to his use of sources.
The book does fall short in two areas. First, some of his sources are questionable, but I suppose that is acceptable when dealing with a political pundit (regardless of which side he/she is on). Secondly, his use of language is not necessarily suited to his audience. A major part of Levin’s book is to rally the conservative voice into action. Knowing a few conservatives myself, I would say he should have chosen language that was more guided to the simpleton. After all, most of those who could read his book without a dictionary are probably smart enough to already be engaged in politics at least at the local level. Other than these two gripes, Levin makes outstanding points about the statist and what a conservative must do to preserve the country as we know it.
With that said, I would definitely recommend the book to others regardless of political affiliation. Despite the questionable sources, I think his message still stands true and it needs to be read for others to realize what the statist could potentially do with its power it has right now.
I would like to cite a few items out of his book that for one reason or another, grabbed my attention.
Philosophy on the combination of science and religion:
“Reason and science can explain the existence of matter, but they cannot explain why there is matter. They can explain the existence of the universe, but they cannot explain why there is a universe. They can explain the existence of nature and the law of physics, but they cannot explain why there is nature and the law of physics. They can explain the existence of life, but they cannot explain why there is life. They can explain the existence of consciousness, but they cannot explain why there is consciousness.”1
Interesting little quote:
“Even good men are capable of bad things.”2
On language and nation:
“The United States is already a bilingual nation. Government at all levels and a growing list of private concerns do business in both English and Spanish. And Spanish is the predominant language in communities throughout the country. This is a destructive condition. St. Augustine observed: ‘When men cannot communicate their thought to each other, simply because of difference of language, all the similarity of their common human nature is of no avail ot unite them in fellowship.’ Alexis De Tocqueville mad the same point: ‘Language is perhaps the strongest, perhaps the most enduring link which unites men.’”3
On the ultimate goal of Conservative ideals:
“The conservative does not seek rigid adherence to any specific course of action: neutrality or alliance, preemptive war or defensive posture, nation building or limited military strike. The benchmark, again, is whether any specific path will serve the nation’s best interests.”4
The following quote deals with his response to statists that claim conservatives are evil for phenomena like that of the patriot act and even racial profiling. Levin writes:
“During World War II, Franklin Roosevelt ordered the unconstitutional internment of 110,000 Japanese-Americans, which was upheld by an activist Supreme Court. Roosevelt remains among the Statist’s most adored leaders and the Court among his most venerated institutions. When Robert Kennedy served as attorney general of the Unied States in the 1960’s he did nothing to stop the illegal bugging of Martin Luther King, Jr.s’ telephone by the FBI. Today, the federal Justice Department building is named after Kennedy. Under President Bill Clinton, the National Security Agency launched the Echelon surveillance program, in which the U.S. government routinely intercepts international email, telephone, and fax communications of citizen and terrorist alike. It drew virtually no attention from self-identified civil libertarian groups.”5
End notes:
1. Mark R. Levin, Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto (New York: Threshold Editions, 2009), 24.
2. Ibid., 59.
3. Ibid., 161.
4. Ibid., 183.
5. Ibid., 192.
Today I ask all who view this page to do a simple task. I promise it will not take long. Please take pause from the cold refreshments, the flame broiled barbecues, the hot dogs, steaks, and get-togethers. I ask that you spare a moment to think of all the soldiers who have fallen in this nation’s history so that you can enjoy the freedoms that you do today. That, afterall, is the meaning of this Memorial Day. If you are a religious person, you may want to say a prayer. If you are not, that is alright too. You can say “thanks” in your own way. Just think of all the men and women who have fought, bled, and died from the American Revolution to our current day wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We enjoy the freedoms we have today in large part to the great people who have preserved our freedom from tyranny by serving in the military. Those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, we salute you this day; we also thank you. The great nation we live in today would not be possible without those brave enough to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
Hello readers! Today I would like to give a shout out to a buddy of mine. I just discovered he has a blog, and he does the blogging really well! The site is called The Catfish Splash, and he blogs about music, movies, and videogames. I think you all should check it out and add it to your daily websites that you visit. He is a good guy and I want you to check his site out. Please feel free to drop by and leave comments. Leaving comments really makes the author feel good, so help a buddy of mine out, make him feel happy!
