Banned in China

1) The People's Public of China is rumored to have 40,000 Internet censors working full time. They are mostly responsible for blocking internal dissent, anything smelling of a pro-Democracy movement, or criticism of The Party.

2) Sometime in December, this blog's hits from China started slowing down. In January, they stopped altogether.

3) My good friend and co-worker Ray is working in China now. Ray tried to log onto this site from The People's Republic, but couldn't.

4) Is it because of The Infamous Chinese Dog Story? Was the criticism of Chinese traffic too much for the nation to bear? Was it The Notorious Chinese Washing Machine Story, with its implied condemnation of Chinese manufacturing safeguards? Or was I banned for openly griping about the absence of Chinese Road Signs in The Celebrated Chinese Typhoon Story? Too many Free Market diatribes? We'll never know.

5) But now that I'm banned, why hold back? Bill M., another co-worker, sent me this a few months ago. It's about the Chinese Olympic symbol....

The United States executes about 60 people per year. That's 20 executions for every 100 million people.

China executes about 3,500 people per year. That's 270 for every 100 million people. Many of these executions have been for political reasons.

All stats from Tony Wheeler, via Amnesty International.

The only way the old men running the Communist Party can stay in power is to silence any and all dissent.

I defy anyone to look at this cartoon and not think of it all through the Olympics.

Addition from later today....I picked up my Sports Illustrated, and S.L. Price had a great editorial on the same subject. No cartoons, though. Not as memorable.

Barack Obama shocks the world by winning a Grammy

Several months ago, I congratulated Former Vice President Al Gore for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Lots of people offered their congratulations, but I was the first.

My congratulations to Gore came a week before the official announcement. Click here to read it, and come back to see us......

Had I not been distracted for the last month by various Baptist controversies, I would've trotted out another display of my prophetic gifts. Too late.

Barack Obama has won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word recording for his campaign bio, "The Audacity of Hope".

I like Obama a lot. He's the Democrat who comes closest to making sense on Free Trade issues, as I pointed out here, but he was back-pedaling a little on the issue in Wisconsin last night, wandering into the "free trade has to represent everybody" thickets. (My belief is that I don't worry about you when I trade with Starbucks, you don't worry about me when you trade with Amazon.com, etc.) Barack Obama can walk up to a podium and cause you to start nodding along and deciding to live a better life. The same text, in the newspaper the next morning, is almost unreadable.

Back to my point....Obama now has two Grammys to act as a counter-balance to Bill Clinton's pair. Bill Clinton's surrogate, Hillary, who is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the shadow of her husband, only has one. If they ever allow the official candidates to lay out their bling on the podiums during a presidential debate, Obama will have the biggest pile.

For those of you who still doubt my point in the first link that these awards are an ideological, predictable farce, let me drag this in for additional emphasis....

Bill Clinton was seeking his third Grammy with "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World," a call to public service. Another former Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, also was in the running, with "Sunday Morning in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World," a collection of Bible lessons. Carter won the award last year.....
Not to be outdone by Obama, Hillary Clinton won the spoken word prize in 1997, while she was still first lady, for her book "It Takes a Village." (Note to the author of this piece....If it was Hillary's turn to win the Grammy in '97, Obama wasn't even on the radar yet. Also, Obama now has two Grammys. That means that she's been outdone by Obama, right?)
No Republican politician has won the category since Everett Dirksen, an Illinois congressman and senator, in 1968.

Is it because Democrats have better diction? Is it because their words are more soothing on cross-country flights? Or is it because these awards are an ideological, predictable farce?

Obama picture from Townhall.com

How are we going to act?

See update from March 9th, 2008
Well.....
Like the Calvinist said after he fell down the stairs, "I'm glad that's over with."

Fort Worth's Broadway Baptist votes to keep pastor
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
and a similar story from the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog

I'm a member of a study group called "Exploring The Christian Faith" at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. We don't hesitate to ask the hard questions. Very few answers are provided. We're just about to finish a series called "Living The Questions". We'll probably do a book study next.

If you've lost touch with your faith, or lost interest in traditional answers to Christianity's difficulties, come join us. There's been some recent controversy about our studying some of the theologians listed in the Spiritual Advisors blogroll to your right. Borg in particular. I hope we're over it now. (See the Star-Telegram link above.)

In the last few months, I've learned that Freedom of Religious Expression is a valuable thing. Lord have mercy, I love this class. All points of view are respected. No one believes me, but meeting in that room is the most Libertarian hour of my week.

If you want to join us, we meet at 9:30 in Room 306 every Sunday morning. 305 West Broadway, Fort Worth, TX 76104.

My Dinner With Marcus Borg

Well.....
Like the Calvinist said after he fell down the stairs, "I'm glad that's over with."

Fort Worth's Broadway Baptist votes to keep pastor
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
and a similar story from the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog

I'm a member of a study group called "Exploring The Christian Faith" at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. We don't hesitate to ask the hard questions. Very few answers are provided. We're just about to finish a series called "Living The Questions". We'll probably do a book study next.

If you've lost touch with your faith, or lost interest in traditional answers to Christianity's difficulties, come join us. There's been some recent controversy about our studying some of the theologians listed in the Spiritual Advisors blogroll to your right. Borg in particular. I hope we're over it now. (See the Star-Telegram link above.)

In the last few months, I've learned that Freedom of Religious Expression is a valuable thing. Lord have mercy, I love this class. All points of view are respected. No one believes me, but meeting in that room is the most Libertarian hour of my week.

If you want to join us, we meet at 9:30 in Room 306 every Sunday morning. 305 West Broadway, Fort Worth, TX 76104.

One day, I'll get around to describing "My Dinner With Marcus Borg". But some more dust needs to settle first....

The Logo for Friends For The Future of Broadway

Well.....
Like the Calvinist said after he fell down the stairs, "I'm glad that's over with."

Fort Worth's Broadway Baptist votes to keep pastor
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
and a similar story from the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog

Maybe one day we'll all be Friends For The Future of Broadway.....

I'm a member of a study group called "Exploring The Christian Faith" at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. We don't hesitate to ask the hard questions. Very few answers are provided. We're just about to finish a series called "Living The Questions". We'll probably do a book study next.

If you've lost touch with your faith, or lost interest in traditional answers to Christianity's difficulties, come join us. There's been some recent controversy about our studying some of the theologians listed in the Spiritual Advisors blogroll to your right. Borg in particular. I hope we're over it now. (See the Star-Telegram link above.)

In the last few months, I've learned that Freedom of Religious Expression is a valuable thing. Lord have mercy, I love this class. All points of view are respected. No one believes me, but meeting in that room is the most Libertarian hour of my week.

If you want to join us, we meet at 9:30 in Room 306 every Sunday morning. 305 West Broadway, Fort Worth, TX 76104.