God and Science

On the subject of stem cell research, I think the logic of science dictates that we should work within its laws rather than against them.

Amid all the uproar over embryonic stem cell research, one crucial fact is ignored. Remarkable progress towards cures is being made using umbilical and adult bone marrow stem cells.

To me, this makes perfect sense.

Human pride and short-sightedness have prompted our lawmakers to decide that we know better than natural law. We alone can build a better mousetrap of cures for disease by pouring billions of dollars into the killing of our own embryos. We overlook the probable fact that, in the beautiful symmetry of Nature, the answers to disease are embedded by the Creator within the miracle of life itself, waiting for us to discover and unlock their power.

To believe that human life must be destroyed before it can be saved contradicts not only common sense, decency, and dignity, but also the perfection of science. Answers, yet unknown, are there for discovery. Do we human beings have the patience, and the faith, to find them in a respectful and moral manner?

The work already in progress on adult and umbilical stem cells is well on the way to providing solutions that we need for many diseases, including Parkinsons and diabetes. In Australia, the Sydney Archdiocese is funding a $100,000 grant for research on stem cells.

"The achievements to date in this area far surpass anything that has been attained in the area of embryonic stem cell research," Cardinal George Pell said. "The Catholic Church always supports good science working from a good ethical foundation, and the Archdiocese of Sydney is delighted to be able to collaborate with researchers making inroads in this vitally important area."

Diverting our current path into the destruction of innocent life not only delays results, it destroys the inherent goodness and nobility of seeking cures. If one can view God and Science as two sides of the same coin, as I do, they can be seen working together, always for good. From either a scientific or spiritual viewpoint, embryonic stem cell research is a bankrupt endeavor that will impoverish us both ethically and intellectually.

Hitting Fast

"Hit hard, hit fast, hit often."
~ Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., USN

The U.S. Navy commissioned a new destroyer, Halsey, at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, California, today. My daughter had the opportunity to attend the ceremonies and deemed them "awesome."

Equally awesome is the quick response of London law enforcement officers to apprehend terrorists in the wake of the July attacks upon their city. Despite the tragic misstep of killing a Brazilian man, the apprehension of suspects has progressed at a remarkable rate. (And I can't help but think that the unfortunate man would certainly be alive if he had not run.)

Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch, had this to say about law enforcement's race against time:

"Despite the progress that has been made with the investigation, we must not be complacent. The threat remains, and is very real."

If Mr. Clarke continues to follow Admiral Halsey's advice with such rapid success, Londoners may soon feel more comfortable about taking the tube to work.

Good News Comes to Those Who Wait

I had been disappointed--make that disgusted--by Seattle's Judge Coughenour's tepid sentence to would-be terrorist Ahmed Ressam and outraged by his Honor's ridiculous remarks:

"This sentencing is one that I have struggled with a great deal, more than any other sentencing that I've had in the 24 years I've been on the bench."

Why? What's to struggle over? The man came here for the sole purpose of murdering as many Americans as he possibly could. What's hard about sentencing him?

Coughenour droned on, "Despite the fact that Mr. Ressam is not an American citizen and despite the fact that he entered this country intent upon killing American citizens, he received an effective, vigorous defense. Most importantly, all of this occurred in the sunlight of a public trial. There were no secret proceedings, no indefinite detentions, no denial of counsel."

Yeah, and the horse you rode in on. His Honor never stopped pounding his chest long enough to evaluate the wisdom of a 22-year sentence, with time already served counting against it. Do the math, Ressam will be free to bomb Americans again in less than 15 years.

But that was yesterday. Today, I read the excellent news that a Yemeni cleric has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for supporting Islamist terrorism. Now, that's more like it. If you want a fair sentence for a terrorist, take the trial downtown to New York City, where they understand the results of terrorism better than most.

Expecting a light sentence from a judge in NYC? "Fugget-a-boud-it!"

And there was more good news today. A fatwa, or legal pronouncement on a single issue, was issued by an American Muslim organization, the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), denouncing Islamic terrorism. Now, keep in mind that fatwas are not like papal edicts. They don't apply across the board. Fatwas, rather than binding all of Islam, pertain only to those leaders who issue it and to their followers. Even so, this is an important step in a positive direction.

From Pakistan, to China, the FCNA's action had media coverage. A German iman issued a similar statement today in Hamburg. The evidence is that Islam is starting to communicate worldwide on this topic. This sudden, deliberate movement of the international Muslim community to differentiate itself from Islamo-terrorism is a promising beginning on a very sore subject, one that has been neglected for too long. It's way overdue that we hear from Muslims themselves, speaking out against the hijacking of their faith by blood-thirsty murderers.

The fatwa stated that "those who commit terrorism are 'criminals' not 'martyrs' and that it is both the civic and religious duty of Muslims to "cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians."

Judge Coughenour has some catching up to do.

Education Online

If you aren't reading Victor Davis Hanson's website on a regular basis, you are not as well equipped as you could be to understand current events.

I'll bet a paycheck that you won't find a more valuable source of in-depth geopolitical history, accompanied by a laser-like analysis that interweaves all the threads in a common sense tapestry that defies argument. Read his website. It's free, and it will make you smart in spite of yourself.

Iraq the Model today posted a translation of the draft of the Iraqi Constitution, with commentary. Considering that two Iraqi brothers living in Baghdad write this blog, theirs is a crucial perspective to help keep us informed and aware of events in the war.

Froggy Ruminations brings the military mindset to the reader in a blog that can crackle with spicy wit or shoot bitter venom, depending upon the occasion. Froggy can also write with the raw soul of a warrior who has lost brothers-in-arms. When he does, the tears he prompts have the power to teach us to honor and respect the incalculable cost our troops have paid in the War on Terror.

One can never have too much knowledge. The trick is to know where to go to get good information. In my opinion, that place is no longer the major daily newspapers. The three tried-and-true internet sources cited above are, for me, a daily part of my continuing education.

The People's Cross

Today I voted, for the third time in 14 years, to preserve the cross atop Mount Soledad.

I'm hopeful that Proposition A will pass. Just a few days ago, a judicial ruling changed the necessary votes from a simple majority to two-thirds, which is a daunting percentage to reach in such proximity to the election. But the polls closed a few minutes ago, and I saw the earliest returns on TV. So far, 75% of the votes counted are in favor of preserving the cross.

When one disgruntled atheist can be successful in challenging the majority wishes of an entire community, we no longer resemble America. I'll wait to see how the results shake out in the morning light. It just might look like America again, after all.

UPDATE: Proposition A passed with three quarters of the vote. Both a judicial review of the constitutionality of the vote and yet another legal challenge by San Diego's most obsessive atheist are scheduled next month.

Finding Our Way

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
~ Romans 12:21

In the wake of the tragic shooting of an innocent youth suspected of terrorism in London, we are left with the immensely difficult challenge of how to face the dangers of our time without harming the innocent. We have learned that we must pick our way carefully through a shadowed maze of wrong turns before we can find our footing. And it is with great sadness that we realize we must sometimes stumble and fail before our feet reach a sure path.

I have been reading the books of John Paul II since his death last April. I remember when Crossing the Threshold of Hope was on the bestseller list. Although I was interested in reading it, my life was at a particularly overstressed point at that time. I finally caught up with it, and it has proved well worth the wait, especially in view of our troubled current events.

John Paul the Great was more that a holy man unparalleled in our time. He was a scholar, a historian, a philosopher, a writer, a teacher, and a visionary of the future. The pages of this book are saturated with his strong yet gentle wisdom as well as his rock-bound faith.

I was especially fascinated by his discussion of different religious faiths and how he perceives them fitting into God's plan. And yes, indeed, John Paul II speaks of Islam in this book, telling us on page 93 that, despite their “very distant” theology vis-a-vis Christianity, “the religiosity of Muslims deserves respect”.

The emphasis upon those words was the Holy Father’s.

In the closing chapter of Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium, John Paul II discusses his brush with death from the bullet of a would-be assassin’s gun. In this riveting discussion of his suffering in the aftermath of the shooting, John Paul makes this statement of faith from which we can all draw hope today:

There is no evil from which God cannot draw forth a greater good. There is no suffering which he cannot transform into a path leading to him.

It would do us all good to reflect upon those very wise words in light of the heavy sorrows this July has seen. We need the downtime for a moment. We very much need to find that path.

Required Reading

As always, Victor Davis Hanson nails it down for all to read. Anyone who truly wants to understand what we are struggling against in the GWOT needs to read the entire piece.

As incentive, below is one of several payday quotes:

"So far global jihad avoids two billion Indians and Chinese, despite the fact that their countries are far tougher on Muslims than is the United States or Europe. In other words, the Islamicists target those whom they think they can intimidate and blackmail."

July 22, 2005
And Then They Came After Us
We’re at war. How about acting like it?
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online

Now We're Getting It

Unfortunately, this may be the only approach that will work. Striking back in no uncertain terms against senseless violence, as London police did on Friday, may be the only answer in the fight against worldwide terror.

I found this quote from the title article most interesting:

Muslim leaders expressed concern about Friday's shooting.

"I have just had one phone call saying, 'What if I was carrying a rucksack?' It's vital the police give a statement about what occurred and explain why the man was shot dead," Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said.

It's equally vital that the Muslim Council of Britain issue strong, frequent statements of support for their homeland--that would be Britain--and its efforts to crush Islamo-terrorism, including actions taken by police to protect innocent citizens from attack. In this case, that protection involved a shooting. And while the spokesman is "expressing concern," he might want to toss in a warning to all of the Muslim youth in Great Britain to think carefully before pursuing any bomb-related endeavors. Yes, that might be something the Muslim spokesman would want to be concerned about.

By virtue of this shooting incident, London may be leading the way to a worldwide wake-up call in dealing with brutal and merciless terrorist threats.

And today, Egypt has terrorist bombings to cope with. If worldwide terror events continue in this violent vein, it may not be too long before the honey glaze comes off that Gitmo chicken.

The Voice of the Law

The nomination of Judge John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) brings long-awaited relief and hopeful elation to a large portion of the American public that is weary of waiting for its figurative day in court.

We have been patient, enduring some of the most outrageously inappropriate judicial decisions in our nation's history. The majority of Americans, speaking through the ballot box, do not want same-sex marriage accepted as normal. They do not want it to be legal to crush an infant's skull and suck its brains out in partial-birth abortions. They do not want their teenaged daughters undergoing abortions without their knowledge and consent. They do not want their children to sit down at a library computer and be a click away from accessing pornography.

Although it might come as quite a shock to most liberals, this majority of Americans comprises the "mainstream" of our nation.

With the nomination of Judge Roberts, mainstream Americans have been given the comforting prospect of having a Supreme Court Justice on the bench who not only understands the law, not only respects the law, but one who reveres the law enough to allow it to speak for itself rather than for any special interest or political group.

I'm looking forward to hearing what the Constitution has to say for a change, instead of partisan opinions along Constitution Avenue.

A Question To Ponder

Hugh Hewitt had quite a discussion going on his program this afternoon, regarding Congressman Tommy Tancredo's rash remark on a talk show about bombing Mecca.

The callers who agreed with Tancredo were getting Hugh more spun up than I can recall in recent memory. Many, including military callers, were agreeing with the spirit of Tancredo's hypothetical argument. This left my favorite talk show host extremely agitated and alarmed.

I thought of a question as I listened to all the various viewpoints being called in. What if the Japanese kamikaze warriors of WWII had grown up in Seattle, or San Francisco, or Phoenix? What if they had lived exemplary lives as good students and neighbors, within the bosom of America, and then one day, on a dime, answered the call to suicide bomb us into oblivion?

That's what happened in London on July 7. Young British Muslim men, who had grown up enjoying all the gifts, benefits and riches of Western life, turned on their countrymen and killed them in cold blood. Unbeknownst to their neighbors, they were Islamo-fanatics.

What conclusion can I draw from all this? Well, I certainly don't agree with Tancredo's thoughts about bombing Mecca. I think that was an extremely unfortunate statement by Tancredo, but that's not my issue here. My issue is trust. Until the "vast majority of Muslims who are loyal Americans" that I hear about so often begins to speak up, I will be very careful about what trust I place in anyone of the Islamic faith.

This is not to denigrate that faith. But it is to issue a challenge and a plea to that "vast majority" which thus far has been so silent, to speak out against the insanity of terrorism.

If you stay silent, you make me wonder frightening thoughts. Will I see you one day, on a train or a trolley, and learn too late that you've brought me my death in your backpack?

If I have nothing to fear from you, tell me so. I will believe you. But if you remain silent, I will stay suspicious of your motives. In view of the pain and suffering that this tiny minority of Islamo-fanatics have deliberately, even gleefully, brought into the world, I would be stupid not to be uncertain.

Am I missing something in this equation? If so, please tell me. I and the rest of my countrymen are eager to hear from you.