Some Pigs

This past week the American populace managed to survive the Pennsylvania primary without falling apart or going into the vapours despite the worrying of the media.
The whole thing is ridiculous. In a classical American world the choosing of a president would have little effect on the lives of the average American. It used to be that the average Yank spent most of his or her time, when dealing with the government, dealing with the state and local government. Washington, D.C. was "out there." It was, unless there was a declared war on, a concept more than a reality. The Federal government was an idea that was meant to guarantee the rights of the individual instead of playing the part of the "Sugar Daddy" bailing one out of bad mortgage deals or bad behaviour.
Now we have three potential candidates for the office of the President who, in reality, are really not that much different, in the Constitutional sense, from one another. They all see the Federal government as the end all and be all of the governance of the populace. And they all are elitists. They know more than we do. They want to run and control our lives and behaviours.
This correspondent foresees the day when your paycheck will be given directly to the Federal government and then the Federal government will pay you rent or mortgage, decide what you will buy at the grocery store (always healthy food), and allow the citizen a minimal amount of disposable income to use for movies, golf and gas.
Our Overloads, no matter what party, have decided that they know what is best for us. We'll be riding city and Greyhound buses while they fly in private jets.
It's enough to make one wonder if Jefferson was not correct in his statement that a revolution every generation is required to keep Americans free.

Enough to gag a maggot

We here at the Manor have not paid close attention to the present presidential race. Since the race has come down to McCaine, Obama and Clinton we have come to the conclusion that choosing among the three is like trying to decide which of the Three Stooges was the smartest. Homer Simpson, the cartoon character, once stated of the Stooges, that "Moe is their leader." The question is, which one of the three candidates is Moe?
But occasionally the candidates say something either so stupid or clueless that we are forced to take our minds off our plans for the upcoming fox hunt.
A case in point is the latest Obama kefuffle: Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com. The odd thing is that we at the Manor are bitter about the government. And we own a gun or two, go to church and don't like illegal aliens. But we are bitter because our elected Overlords do not seem to be capable of minding their own damn business and keeping their nose out of ours. Any man or woman who expects the government to look after them, save them or care about them should probably move to the poor farm or Sweden. Sweden is a nice place -- if you don't live there.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton seems to feel that she has to show herself a "regular guy." She was co-opted on the bowling gag by Obambi, so she went to a bar in Crown Point, Indiana where she downed a Boilermaker consisting of a shot of Crown Royal and cheap beer. The thought of the image is comical. But no one has pointed out that Mrs. Clinton drank a shot of Canadian whisky and not bourbon or Jack Daniels. Using the "logic" of your average college professor one could say that in gulping Crown Royal instead of Maker's Mark Mrs. Clinton was professing her allegiance to the Canadian style of governance.
Before we here at the Manor are accused of hypocrisy, let it be known that our favored whiskey is Scotch. But we're not running for federal office and we're not trying to prove that we are "regular guys."

The Passing of a Friend

We here at the Manor have been blessed to have shared our time and space with a little cocker spaniel named Jip. She was buff colored and goofy and very sweet. She was adopted from the local animal shelter when she was about three years old. When your faithful correspondent brought her home from the shelter she sat on his lap while he was driving her to the Manor. Jip chose to live at the Manor as much as we at the Manor chose her. And we feel that we were honored and privileged to know and love her.
Jip passed away this week. There is no obituary that this correspondent can write that does justice to her. We've lived with many dogs, but Jip was a special friend. She was the kind of dog that makes one wonder if one is a good enough a man to have such a dog.
She is dearly missed by many. She is the friend by which other friends will be measured.
RIP

Islam is a Losing Proposition

In the past your faithful correspondent has ranted about the evils of Islam and Islamism. And in the future he will continue to do so.
But this writer may have given the impression that those who have been born into the Islamic religion are irrevocably lost to the truth that is found in Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not true. Those who God has deigned to be saved will be saved. And among those who have been chosen are a good number of number of Muslims who have seen the Light of the World.
This article gives information about Ex-Muslims who have found Christ: Pajamas Media » Blog Archive » Muslims Leaving Islam in Droves If one can believe the statements made in the article there are many more "secret Christians" in traditionally Muslim lands than we know. To think that the conversion rate among Muslims to Christianity is much greater than that among Christians converting to Islam is a cause for rejoicing. Secret Christians will raise other secret Christians and before long secret Christians will be able to, without fear, come into the open and declare their faith due to their sheer numbers. These Christians deserve our prayers and support. They are the hope of the Middle East. Islam has no hope for its adherents.
This link: A Muslim Journey to Hope features video testimonies by Muslims who have come to faith in Christ. Please note the sacrifices these brothers and sister have made to publicly proclaim their adherence to the Truth.