A Good Friday Meditation from St. Athanasius, "On the Incarnation"

A very strong proof of this destruction of death and its conquest by the cross is supplied by a present fact, namely this. All the disciples of Christ despise death; they take the offensive against it and, instead of fearing it, by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ trample on it as on something dead...Death has become like a tyrant who has been completely conquered by the legitimate monarch; bound hand and foot as he now is, the passers-by jeer at him, hitting him and abusing him, no longer afraid of his cruelty and rage because of the king who conquered him. So death has been conquered and branded for what it is by the Saviour on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ, trample it as they pass and as witness to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, "O Death, where is thy victory; O Grave, where is thy sting?" (I Cor. 15:55).

St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, Chapter 27.

Obamabots on parade in Columbus

The Obama campaign didn't want the mental patients down at the rally at the statehouse this weekend, so they sent them to stand on the corner of High St. and North Broadway to promote those critical political issues of our day - impeaching Bush and 9/11 Truth. (photos courtesy of DanM):

Remember, these people get as many votes as you do!

Starving Joe the Plumber to death - nice touch!!




No Obama event would be complete without the 9/11 Truthers:


It's always fun to see the somewhat world-famous Jihad Brothers:


Aziz the Jihad Brother with Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi:

Sharia law: change you can believe in!!

Believe!!


No, she's not part of the Jihad Brothers.

Sarah Palin and Gretchen Wilson rock Columbus

(Psst - don't forget to check out my post and pictures Friday's rally with McCain, Schwarzenegger, and Hank Jr.!)

(Double psst - today's Mason-Dixon Battleground poll has McCain up by 2 in OH)

Gov. Sarah Palin, First Dude Todd Palin and Gretchen Wilson came to Columbus today to rally the troops just 48 hours before Election Day.

How energized is the GOP base in Ohio?

Well, this was the front of the line:
And this was the back (going all the way to Alum Creek Drive):

The little girl in her pink cowboy hat was so cute:

Her Hotness, Gov. Palin, and entourage arrived ON TIME!!

Alaska's First Couple:

Gretchen Wilson rocked the house:

HELL YEA!!

More of Her Hotness:

First Dude:

Vets for McCain-Palin! There were two WWII vets (one man, one lady) and a Korean War vet sitting directly beside us. Thank you vets!!!!!


Sarah 4 VP!!


Gretchen signing autographs:

Gov. Palin was proudly sporting her buckeyes:

Note to political newcomers: if you want to shake the candidate's hand, don't try to push your way to the front, but look for the Black Escalades outside (or in this case, a White Tahoe)...

...because good things come to those who wait:

More experienced than Barack Obama - smarter and better looking than Joe Biden.

Hell yes Ohio's going for McCain-Palin!!!

John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Hank Williams Jr. in Columbus

Senator John McCain, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Hank Williams, Jr. came to Columbus today to rally the troops in the last few days of this campaign for victory in the Buckeye State. Needless to say, the lines outside Nationwide Arena were long, stretching all the way down Nationwide Blvd.

A reminder of why we were all there:


Buckeyes for McCain!

House Minority Leader John Boehner spoke to the crowd:

As did Ohio 15th Congressional District GOP candidate Steve Stivers:

Hank Williams Jr. warmed up the crowd for about 20 minutes, including his new hit, "McCain/Palin Tradition":


The Straight Talk Express arrived, and Gov. Schwarzenegger gave a rip-roaring speech (note the "Joe the News Photographer" down beside the stage).

Um, did I mention the McCain ladies are HOT!? Not that Lindsey would notice, of course.



Here's the YouTube of Schwarzenegger's speech:



Then came the main event:





What a pleasure it was to be at McCain's final Ohio campaign stop before Tuesday's elections. Work to help get out the vote this weekend, and take somebody to the polls on Tuesday!

Go McCain-Palin!!

A Free, Independent Kosova!

After nearly 20 years of Serbian oppression and occupation, the Kosova has finally declared its independence!


The Kosovars are to be congratulated that they have achieved their freedom through peaceful, democratic means in cooperation and under the supervision of NATO and the international community (note to the Palestinians). Meanwhile in Belgrade, Serbian leaders are calling for war and more violence, while trying to a lid on anti-Kosova riots. The contrast couldn't be more stark.


In many of the published pictures in the past few days leading up to this historic day the American flag is seen prominently with the Albanian flag. Through the brave and tireless service of our US military, particularly those who served in KFOR, we have won an important ally in the Balkans. It's unfortunate that the late Kosovar Prime Minister Ibrahim Rugova, a man committed to peaceful resolution of the Kosovar situation, and Rep. Tom Lantos, a devoted friend of the Kosovar people and a brave champion for their cause on Capitol Hill, didn't live long enough to see this day.

Congratulations to Kosovars everywhere!

Islam, Science and Christianity

(Note: I'm cross-posting this from WorldMagBlog)

Popular mythology holds that while Christian Europe was in the so-called "Dark Ages", where intellectual inquiry and human progress was allegedly weighted down under Christian dogma, the Islamic world was flourishing with advancement and learning. But bestselling author Robert Spencer challenges the assumptions underlying this "Golden Age of Islam" narrative, primarily constructed by 19th Century European historical revisionists, in his new book, Religion of Peace?, and in a recent blog post where he notes that virtually all of the scientific and technological achievements following the initial Islamic wars of conquest relied on the Christian and Jewish intellectual capital of the areas they subdued. Spencer concludes:

In sum, there was a time when it was indeed true that Islamic culture was more advanced than that of Europeans, but that superiority corresponds exactly to the period when Muslims were able to draw on and advance the achievements of Byzantine and other civilizations. But when the Muslim overlords had taken what they could from their subject peoples, and the Jewish and Christian communities had been stripped of their material and intellectual wealth and thoroughly subdued, Islam went into a period of intellectual decline from which it has not yet recovered.

Bestselling author Dr. Andrew Bostom also recently addressed another component of the "Golden Age of Islam" myth, that Islamic Spain was a model of religious ecumenism while Christian Europe was simultaneously wracked with inquisitions and intolerance, by examining the writings of the "Second Moses", Jewish medieval philosopher Maimonides, who fled Muslim Spain because of religious persecution there directed against Jews and Christians alike.

Both the Spencer and Bostom articles are well worth reading. I would also note my previous June 2006 post, "The 'Golden Age of Islam' Myth", which covers additional ground on this topic.

An unofficial Fred Thompson campaign ad