Tough Call

For the Record

As a human being, never mind as a Christian, my heart goes out to all who find it necessary to flee for their lives from the only home they have ever known. They are in my thoughts and prayers daily. That said...

• I reject out of hand the scurrilous argument that turning these particular refugees away is in some way hypocritical or anti-Christian. It is not for our government to force Christian charity upon its citizens against their will. 
• It is also worth noting that the same people making these appeals to Christian morality now are curiously resistant to the idea that Christian morality ought to influence our nation's abortion policy.
• Even granting that there is a humanitarian case to be made for admitting them, that is not the only issue we must consider.
• There are legitimate concerns about safety that cannot be waved away or dismissed.
• We are the greatest nation in the history of humankind, and it is certainly in our power to help these people. Settling them in the United States is not the only option to consider, nor even perhaps the best option available. Our actions ought to blend our nation's compassion with its prudence.

"That said, your instinct is to take them all, isn't it?"

Considering what they are fleeing from, yes...

Spirit of the Season

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, the beloved/dreaded "Holiday Season" will be fully upon on us. (And, for the record,
I think it is asinine to eschew saying "Christmas" this time of year, as if not saying the word takes away the Christian roots of all the celebrations.)

I haven't been overwhelmed with this year's collection of holiday mugs from Starbucks, but I am hopeful there will be a few more releases before Christmas.

In the meantime, I did find something appealing on my most recent visit:
Christmas Blend Espresso Roast, which is a unique spin on their usual Espresso Roast. I'm looking forward to finding out how this tastes coming out of my Mr. Coffee Café Barista.

All Politics is Local, You Say?

From the perspicacious pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read regularly, as I do.

Until Next Time...

Not everyone who achieves success pursuing a passion for music winds up playing in front of crowds of cheering fans. Paul Dinletir and Kevin Rix turned their passion for music into a company called audiomachine, one of the most successful companies of its kind working in Hollywood today. They have produced electronic scores for all sorts of projects, but they specialize in music for motion pictures, and in particular for trailers.

Even a partial list of the film trailers these guys have done the music for is quite impressive, as it includes blockbusters like Avatar, The Dark Knight, American Sniper, Star Trek, all the good Marvel Comics movies, most of the Harry Potter films, Peter Jackson's Hobbit films, and many more. They've also provided music for the Call of Duty video game series, arguably the most popular franchise in gaming.

The duo's most recent commercial release is this week's music recommendation. Today's send-off is the first track from the album, "The Lion's Heart." Enjoy...