God Bless America. There truly is no better place on Earth than the United States of America. The level of freedom that we enjoy is unparalleled to any other country at any other time in history.
Watching the implosion of the Republican Party over the last year has been downright entertaining for me. A good liberal Democrat, I have been forced to endure the silliness and mean-spiritedness of the Far Right for years. To watch them devour each other now is a sign that reinforces my faith in God and all things that are holy.
When historians get around to writing their accounts of this era, few people will be able to rival Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh as the most unprincipled scoundrels in our history. Cheney had earned his berth in this classification early on in his Vice Presidency with his secretive collaboration with the energy industry to financially rape the citizens of the country. But since leaving office, he has managed to plunge himself even lower into the depths of hell with his ridiculous defense of the use of torture by the Bush Administration. In a nation founded upon the principles of human rights and steeped in the tradition of expanding those rights, Cheney’s defense of water-boarding is intolerable. How can we as a nation condemn the evils of those who act against us if we allow ourselves to sink to their levels?
Boss Limbaugh joins his pal Cheney on this descent into darkness more out of his desire for ratings than principle. Cheney truly believes in his view of the world whereas Limbaugh is simply an opportunistic windbag living off of the naivety of his audience. A college dropout, Rush latched onto entertainment as his career option. In recent years, he has made fun of Michael Fox and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease, accused veterans who opposed the war in Iraq as being phony soldiers, and championed the idea that African-Americans are incapable of being effective NFL quarterbacks. If it weren't for his callous disregard for basic human kindness and charity would be tempted to forgive his bloated shenanigans as the mind-numbing ramblings of a drug addict. Unfortunately, his hypocrisy is so blatant; he has earned his rightful place next to Cheney in the basement of history’s pathetic caricatures.
However, there is hope offered to us by the great literary figure of the Grinch. He too had a heart constricted by the coldness of his character. His evil doings were every bit as calculated as those of Limbaugh and as mean-spirited as those of Cheney but he was touched by the compassion of those victimized by his deeds and the love of those he had exploited. So, maybe Cheney and Limbaugh will be redeemed by a higher power and given the chance to refurbish their reputations and right the wrongs they have perpetrated on the citizens of this great country before it is too late. If not, perhaps they will enjoy their place in history with Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, and Benedict Arnold.
Kevin C Shinn
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Obama Drama
After eight years of the bungling Bush administration, it is both interesting and sad to hear the minions of George W. as they fan out across the media in a calculated effort to shift the responsibility of our nation's fiscal crisis from their tainted hands onto the shoulders of our new president.
Obama has an enormous task before him and the outcome of his efforts will determine the quality of life for our children for the next 50 years or longer. For the bloated voice of the Republican Party, in the form of Rush Limbaugh, to attack any actions of Obama rings hollow but specifically for them to criticize his handling of the economy is ridiculous. They were a complete and utter failure. It is time for them to shuffle off of the public stage and carefully take up their seats in the dust bin of history next to Warren Harding and James Buchanan.
Obama has an enormous task before him and the outcome of his efforts will determine the quality of life for our children for the next 50 years or longer. For the bloated voice of the Republican Party, in the form of Rush Limbaugh, to attack any actions of Obama rings hollow but specifically for them to criticize his handling of the economy is ridiculous. They were a complete and utter failure. It is time for them to shuffle off of the public stage and carefully take up their seats in the dust bin of history next to Warren Harding and James Buchanan.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Beware Obama, Palin, and McCain
Like millions of people, I have had a good chuckle or two at the expense of our fellow citizens who consistently have raised the alarm against Barack Obama and John McCain as secret operatives planted here to trigger the overthrow of our nation. On the face of it, our dear friends appear to have been a tad late in receiving their medication. After all, what kind of nut would think that if Obama was a plant by the Islamic extremists to enslave our proud land, the mullahs would not have named him Ralph Cramden or Joe Plumber in order to throw us off guard? And what kind of lunatic would believe that John McCain had been brainwashed by the Communists nearly 40 years ago just so that some day his handlers could use him to destroy our economy? Absurd. Ludicrous. Or is it?
Last week’s Letter to the Editor and plenty of unsupervised time on the Internet has led me to the startling revelation that our nation is at risk from a secret attack. The heroic work of the brave Alaskans who revealed Palin’s ties to the Alaskan Separatist Movement were my first clue to the puzzle. Watching her being sanitized from witchcraft by an evangelist from Kenya was the next piece to fall in place. But it wasn’t until I heard Obama mention that his father had been from Kenya as well that it all started to become clear.
Until 1898, Hawaii was an independent sovereign state, recognized by the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany with exchange of ambassadors. After years of subversion by American and European interventionists, on January 17, 1893 Hawaiian Queen LiliÊ»uokalani yielded to the superior force of the occupying American Army and wrote, “Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.”
Add to this that Alaska was sold to us by the Russians and that both Alaska and Hawaii became states during the Cold War, I think it is pretty clear what is at work here. We are not at serious risk from a group of nations dressed in robes and drop cloths armed with laser tipped camels. No ladies and gentlemen, the real threat to our republic is the insidious fifth columnists safely embedded in our political system waiting for the day when they can spring free and liberate Hawaii and Alaska from the Imperial hands of the United States.
Last week’s Letter to the Editor and plenty of unsupervised time on the Internet has led me to the startling revelation that our nation is at risk from a secret attack. The heroic work of the brave Alaskans who revealed Palin’s ties to the Alaskan Separatist Movement were my first clue to the puzzle. Watching her being sanitized from witchcraft by an evangelist from Kenya was the next piece to fall in place. But it wasn’t until I heard Obama mention that his father had been from Kenya as well that it all started to become clear.
Until 1898, Hawaii was an independent sovereign state, recognized by the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany with exchange of ambassadors. After years of subversion by American and European interventionists, on January 17, 1893 Hawaiian Queen LiliÊ»uokalani yielded to the superior force of the occupying American Army and wrote, “Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.”
Add to this that Alaska was sold to us by the Russians and that both Alaska and Hawaii became states during the Cold War, I think it is pretty clear what is at work here. We are not at serious risk from a group of nations dressed in robes and drop cloths armed with laser tipped camels. No ladies and gentlemen, the real threat to our republic is the insidious fifth columnists safely embedded in our political system waiting for the day when they can spring free and liberate Hawaii and Alaska from the Imperial hands of the United States.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
2008 Rapid Response Team Campers
This years state camp was the largest and best to date. Thanks to the American Red Cross and a generous donation from Blue Cross this year we were able to double the size of the camp and increase the courses taught to the campers. As always, we were able to train new campers in CPR, 1st Aid, and AED skills while those who were already certified in CPR were trained in Infant CPR. We also were able to introduce them to the Incident Command System. Returning campers received advanced ICS training and became certified in CPR for the Professional Rescuer. In addition, they were trained in advanced patient assessment and taught how to use c-collars, backboards, and a variety of splinting devices. I would really like to thank my staff (Kristyn Shinn, Adam Wade, Will Green, Mark Staples, Carlie Porterfield, and Whitney Donahoe) and staff assistants (Kris Hardin, Staci Sullivan, Brandon Mellenthin, Gabby Cuellar, and AJ Templeton) for all of their hard work. Camp would not have been possible without each of you. A special thanks to Gayla Bowden from the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross for all of her valiant efforts in pulling the camp together. I appreciate all of you. Anyone interested in attending the 2009 Rapid Response Team Camp should contact Kevin Shinn at KCShinn21@aol.com for further details.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Christian Misdirection
Evangelical Christians have allowed themselves to become an integral part of the Republican Party's formula for success while at the same time becoming a caricature on social issues. Bearing the banners of "Abortion" and "Gay Marriage" they march in an endless circle of negativism proclaiming to the world what they oppose while at the same time failing to stand for anything. If one were to judge the message of Jesus through the actions of those proudly labeling themselves conservative Christians what picture would our Savior see of himself?
Take for instance the uproar over whether it is more appropriate to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." If there was ever a non-issue, this was it. Conservative Christians desperately wanted to make the argument that for stores like Wal-Mart to greet people with "Happy Holidays" was an insult to Christians. It is an effective technique among them. Announce that they are being persecuted and rally the troops to the defense of the cause.
Of course, conservative Christians are not any worse than the rest of us during the Christmas holidays. It has become the season of consumerism. Retailers count on making 50% of their yearly sales during this period of time. If we, as a nation, were truly wishing to glorify Jesus as our Savior, Easter would be the biggest holiday of the year. Surely if the time of his birth is important to us as Christians, then the period of His resurrection would be of equal if not greater importance.
Another issue that conservatives cling to with zealous determination is the position that medical abortion is equivalent to murder. On the face of this argument, it would appear logical to assume that a fetus which possesses all of the physical characteristics of a human must be a person with a soul as well. Therefore, it is equally as logical to assume that if the fetus is an unborn child then the fertilized egg must have the potential to become a child and thus must be protected from harm as well. It all seems so easy to believe. But as an intelligent, free-thinking Christian, we are faced with a tremendous dilemma on this issue. If a fetus is truly a baby with a soul and a medical abortion is the same as murder then natural abortions, also known as a miscarriage, kill infinitely more children. If this is true, then God's own design has been responsible for more deaths than any other human event in history. In this light, it makes no sense to believe that God is a mass murderer. If we as Christians rightfully reject the idea of our God as a serial killer, then we are left with an emotionally charged problem: “Is abortion murder?”
Then again, maybe it is not so difficult to understand. As Christians, we believe that our soul is separate from our body and at death our body goes back to the earth and our spirit goes to either Heaven or hell. And if the spirit leaves the body at death then the question becomes at what point does God place the spirit in the body? On the back end of life, we recognize that there are times when we allow the body to perish for one reason or another. So why is it so difficult for us to accept that in God’s plan, when the vessel is not acceptable to contain the soul, much like a sculptor starting over, the body simply jettison’s the imperfect container and begins again?
Whatever the answer, it is impossible for a free-thinking human to deny the fact that there is absolutely no way to determine when life truly begins. The recognition of this fact leads to the critical conclusion that when it comes to the decision whether or not an abortion is the right course for a woman to take must be left up to the individual conscience of the woman and not to the legislative or judicial branches of our government. Because, at the end of our life, when we must stand before our Maker and answer for our sins, it will be the ultimate responsibility of the woman to answer for that decision. That is why it is called “free will.”
Finally, with respect to the misdirection I believe many of my brothers and sisters in Christ seem to be following, whatever happened to the true spirit of Jesus? If we truly wish to express our faith in our Savior and to be lights on a hill directing others to live and die as Christ would have us, what is the message we are sharing? How can we ignore the plight of the poor and the downtrodden while actively and openly pursuing bigger and better material goods? It has become standard fare for some of the leading evangelicals in this country to preach the gospel of wealth as a reward for being loyal Christians. Conversely, if one is to believe this course, it means that those who are poor are in such a state of condition because they are not true believers. And if one accepts this belief, one can justify the lack of assistance to those in need by doing so in the perverse name of our Lord and Savior.
In the end, "Happy Holidays," gay marriage, and abortion are not the biggest threat to Christianity in the world today. The biggest threat to our mission as Christians, charged with leading others to the glorious salvation bought and paid for by the blood of our Savior, is that we allow ourselves to be drawn into worshipping golden idols and false prophets and fail to live up to the true meaning of our own ideal. Leadership through service is still the message of Christ.
Take for instance the uproar over whether it is more appropriate to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." If there was ever a non-issue, this was it. Conservative Christians desperately wanted to make the argument that for stores like Wal-Mart to greet people with "Happy Holidays" was an insult to Christians. It is an effective technique among them. Announce that they are being persecuted and rally the troops to the defense of the cause.
Of course, conservative Christians are not any worse than the rest of us during the Christmas holidays. It has become the season of consumerism. Retailers count on making 50% of their yearly sales during this period of time. If we, as a nation, were truly wishing to glorify Jesus as our Savior, Easter would be the biggest holiday of the year. Surely if the time of his birth is important to us as Christians, then the period of His resurrection would be of equal if not greater importance.
Another issue that conservatives cling to with zealous determination is the position that medical abortion is equivalent to murder. On the face of this argument, it would appear logical to assume that a fetus which possesses all of the physical characteristics of a human must be a person with a soul as well. Therefore, it is equally as logical to assume that if the fetus is an unborn child then the fertilized egg must have the potential to become a child and thus must be protected from harm as well. It all seems so easy to believe. But as an intelligent, free-thinking Christian, we are faced with a tremendous dilemma on this issue. If a fetus is truly a baby with a soul and a medical abortion is the same as murder then natural abortions, also known as a miscarriage, kill infinitely more children. If this is true, then God's own design has been responsible for more deaths than any other human event in history. In this light, it makes no sense to believe that God is a mass murderer. If we as Christians rightfully reject the idea of our God as a serial killer, then we are left with an emotionally charged problem: “Is abortion murder?”
Then again, maybe it is not so difficult to understand. As Christians, we believe that our soul is separate from our body and at death our body goes back to the earth and our spirit goes to either Heaven or hell. And if the spirit leaves the body at death then the question becomes at what point does God place the spirit in the body? On the back end of life, we recognize that there are times when we allow the body to perish for one reason or another. So why is it so difficult for us to accept that in God’s plan, when the vessel is not acceptable to contain the soul, much like a sculptor starting over, the body simply jettison’s the imperfect container and begins again?
Whatever the answer, it is impossible for a free-thinking human to deny the fact that there is absolutely no way to determine when life truly begins. The recognition of this fact leads to the critical conclusion that when it comes to the decision whether or not an abortion is the right course for a woman to take must be left up to the individual conscience of the woman and not to the legislative or judicial branches of our government. Because, at the end of our life, when we must stand before our Maker and answer for our sins, it will be the ultimate responsibility of the woman to answer for that decision. That is why it is called “free will.”
Finally, with respect to the misdirection I believe many of my brothers and sisters in Christ seem to be following, whatever happened to the true spirit of Jesus? If we truly wish to express our faith in our Savior and to be lights on a hill directing others to live and die as Christ would have us, what is the message we are sharing? How can we ignore the plight of the poor and the downtrodden while actively and openly pursuing bigger and better material goods? It has become standard fare for some of the leading evangelicals in this country to preach the gospel of wealth as a reward for being loyal Christians. Conversely, if one is to believe this course, it means that those who are poor are in such a state of condition because they are not true believers. And if one accepts this belief, one can justify the lack of assistance to those in need by doing so in the perverse name of our Lord and Savior.
In the end, "Happy Holidays," gay marriage, and abortion are not the biggest threat to Christianity in the world today. The biggest threat to our mission as Christians, charged with leading others to the glorious salvation bought and paid for by the blood of our Savior, is that we allow ourselves to be drawn into worshipping golden idols and false prophets and fail to live up to the true meaning of our own ideal. Leadership through service is still the message of Christ.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Mitt Romney Bites the Dust
Romney packed it in today, calling it quits after having spent millions of his own dollars in an attempt to buy his way into the White House. And although his personality was more akin to a wax figure than a rousing leader of a free nation, I must admit that his finale was a tear jerker.
Others, having suffered the bitter disappoint Romney experienced on Super Tuesday, might have simply acknowledged that his phony message and plastic expression had been soundly rejected by the masses and wandered back to the mansion and the disciples of Salt Lake. But not Mitt, bless his little heart, he turned it into a downright stirring moment of patriotism that could set the ever lower bar of politics a notch higher for concession speechs. In the face of overwhelming evidence that his campaign was going no where, chose to suspend his efforts for the good of the nation. His pitch being that if he continued on this nation would be split over the best nominee for the Republicans and could actually usher in Armageddon by allowing the Democrats to seize control of the Executive Branch. Instead, in a display of self-sacrifice the knights of Camelot would have cherished, Mitt stepped aside so the nation could better battle the godless terrorists and liberals while at the same time preserving the tax cuts for the rich, Haliburton's grip on the Iraqi oil fields, and Marie Osmond's undying love. Okay, so I'm jealous of the Osmond thing, but the rest of it is bad.
Stay tuned for the next chapter in the Conservative Chronicles as Mike Huckabee positions himself to be the VP choice for the now right-challenged McCain.
Others, having suffered the bitter disappoint Romney experienced on Super Tuesday, might have simply acknowledged that his phony message and plastic expression had been soundly rejected by the masses and wandered back to the mansion and the disciples of Salt Lake. But not Mitt, bless his little heart, he turned it into a downright stirring moment of patriotism that could set the ever lower bar of politics a notch higher for concession speechs. In the face of overwhelming evidence that his campaign was going no where, chose to suspend his efforts for the good of the nation. His pitch being that if he continued on this nation would be split over the best nominee for the Republicans and could actually usher in Armageddon by allowing the Democrats to seize control of the Executive Branch. Instead, in a display of self-sacrifice the knights of Camelot would have cherished, Mitt stepped aside so the nation could better battle the godless terrorists and liberals while at the same time preserving the tax cuts for the rich, Haliburton's grip on the Iraqi oil fields, and Marie Osmond's undying love. Okay, so I'm jealous of the Osmond thing, but the rest of it is bad.
Stay tuned for the next chapter in the Conservative Chronicles as Mike Huckabee positions himself to be the VP choice for the now right-challenged McCain.
Monday, February 4, 2008
HUNTSVILLE DEFEATS GENTRY 3 to 1 in Soccer.
In the first game of the season for both teams, the Eagles boy's soccer team earned a hard fought 3 to 1 victory over the Pioneers in Gentry.
Fielding a boy's team for the first time this season, Gentry jumped to an early 1 to 0 lead off a quick shot in front of the Eagles goal. The two teams battled for the next 70 minutes without a score.
With just over 6 minutes left to go in the game, Eagles Senior forward Alex Goikoetxea tied the game after beating the Pioneer defenders to the ball in a wild scramble in front of the goal.
By this point in the contest, the Eagles superior conditioning kicked in as player after player went down with leg cramps for Gentry. With just over 4 minutes remaining in the game, Huntsville's Senior forward Ben Grove gathered in a loose ball and placed it past the Gentry keeper for the game winning goal. Less than a minute later, Grove completed the scoring by outracing the Pioneer defenders to a ball down the middle of the field and slamming the ball deep into the back of the net.
Fielding a boy's team for the first time this season, Gentry jumped to an early 1 to 0 lead off a quick shot in front of the Eagles goal. The two teams battled for the next 70 minutes without a score.
With just over 6 minutes left to go in the game, Eagles Senior forward Alex Goikoetxea tied the game after beating the Pioneer defenders to the ball in a wild scramble in front of the goal.
By this point in the contest, the Eagles superior conditioning kicked in as player after player went down with leg cramps for Gentry. With just over 4 minutes remaining in the game, Huntsville's Senior forward Ben Grove gathered in a loose ball and placed it past the Gentry keeper for the game winning goal. Less than a minute later, Grove completed the scoring by outracing the Pioneer defenders to a ball down the middle of the field and slamming the ball deep into the back of the net.
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