PUBLIC MARKS from jasontromm

For far too long, evangelical Christians have lacked the energy and passion of reformation and awakening that so transformed the world in the Word. This deadness in the church has not only accompanied the earthquakes of civilization that have occurred in the past couple of centuries, it has in many cases precipitated those sweeping cultural and intellectual changes. But a reaction is in the offing – a reaction to postmodernism, secularism, sin and to the deadness of churches and the comatose state of hearts. According to Robert Webber, our generation appears "to be the first generation of people coming out on the other side of the crisis." Young Christians, both in America and around the globe, are being prepared by the hand of Providence for a 21st century great awakening.

The Holy Land was described as a vast wasteland in the 19th century. Beginning in the mid-1800s, Jews were the majority -- often an overwhelming majority, especially around Jerusalem. When Jews began to return to their "promised land" early in the 20th century, the desert literally began to bloom under their industry. Arabs followed, coming in large numbers for the jobs and prosperity. In 1948, when the United Nations partitioned the land into separate Arab and Jewish states, the surrounding Arab states immediately declared war. The Jews urged the Arabs to stay and live peacefully. Many Arabs chose to leave, to be rejected, used and virtually imprisoned by Arab power brokers.

I knew the events in the Middle East were big when the New York Times devoted nearly as much space to them as it did to a New York court ruling last week rejecting gay marriage. Some have argued that Israel's response is disproportionate, which is actually correct: It wasn't nearly strong enough. I know this because there are parts of South Lebanon still standing. Most Americans have been glued to their TV sets, transfixed by Israel's show of power, wondering, "Gee, why can't we do that?"

Gov. Mitt Romney ordered an immediate shutdown of the Ted Williams Tunnel's eastbound lanes Thursday as the investigation continued into a deadly collapse of ceiling panels in a connecting tunnel. No reasons for the closure were immediately released. The governor has been overseeing the inspections of the Big Dig tunnels since shortly after the fatal accident July 10 that killed Milena Del Valle, 38, as she and her husband drove to the airport.

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr filed a lawsuit against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday, claiming Bloomberg's attempt to crack down on gun dealers was "careless, willful and clearly illegal." The lawsuit, filed in Cobb County Superior Court, is in response to a federal lawsuit filed by Bloomberg in May alleging that 15 firearm brokers in five states, including Georgia, were "rogue gun dealers."

Kelly Pickler, the twangy Southern sweetheart of last season’s “American Idol,” has landed a country record deal with a Nashville label. Pickler will have a song for country radio in September and an album out Nov. 14, both from BNA Records, which is in the same label group behind fellow “Idol” alum Carrie Underwood’s albums “I’ve always dreamed of getting a record deal so now my dream has come true!” Pickler said.

The proposed school meal price hikes are not small change, said Elizabeth Velez, the mother of three. "I'm going to go broke," she said. Her kindergartner and two high school students purchase breakfast and lunch at school. >:-D Instead of whining, how about getting your ass out of bed earlier and feeding your kids breakfast at home?

One of the things the President and his evacuation team must do is follow the law -- or at least people say the President is not above the law, so it’s better that he obeys it. A law especially pertinent to this situation is the 2003 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which -- in part -- requires the government to charge evacuees commercial fare plus a dollar for government evacuation. Obeying the law, the State Department had planned to make the evacuating Americans sign a note pledging to reimburse the U.S. government before they got on board. They were charging the price of a single commercial flight from Beirut to Cyprus -- usually $150-$200. When House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi heard about this, she quickly asked her staff to find the nearest microphone. They found CNN, to which Pelosi declared, “A nation that can provide more than $300 billion for a war in Iraq can provide the money to get its people out of Lebanon.” ()() Incidentally, Nancy voted for the law which requires the state department to charge evacuees. Didn't she read the bill before voting for it?

A 46-year-old man is accused of assaulting his wife with a carrot, causing her to lose sight in one eye," It is a scandal that thanks to the carrot lobby, Americans--even the mentally ill, convicted criminals and stalkers--are able to buy these dangerous weapons without so much as a license or background check. We need carrot control! It's the only way to deal with crime at its roots.

The Internal Revenue Service has been warning churches and nonprofit organizations that improper campaigning in the upcoming political season could endanger their tax-exempt status. ()() There's two problems with this new initiative. 1) There's nothing in the Constitution that prohibits churches and religious leaders from participating in the political process. 2) It's being used seletively to silence conservative, Bible believ ing, white Christians. It's never used to target churches where the "Reverands" Jackson and Sharption speak.

Like chanting Buddhist monks, the president’s critics repeat 100 times daily: “Bush Lied -- People Died.” The “lie,” of course, is that Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Death. “There were none,” Senator Jack Reed (D., R.I.) told his colleagues June 21. “They were not there.” Absent such munitions, the argument goes, U.S. involvement in Iraq is nothing but a blood-soaked misadventure unfolding on a collapsed façade of falsehoods.

The American Civil Liberties Union has too much time on its hands. The organization is like a pesky flea, jumping around uncontrollably, able to draw blood and fully capable of driving you crazy, if not killing you. The ACLU is at it again and this one takes the cake! No doubt, over the years its taken up some questionable causes, but this latest one proves its lost it.

Ex-U.S. House speaker asks public: 'Which side do you think should win?' Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is using bold language to describe the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, calling it the beginning of the Third World War. "This is World War III," the Georgia Republican told the Seattle Times.

A microphone picked up an unaware President Bush saying on Monday Syria should press Hezbollah to "stop doing this shit" and that his secretary of state may go to the Middle East soon. Bush was talking privately to British Prime Minister Tony Blair during a lunch at the Group of Eight summit in St Petersburg about an upsurge of violence in the Middle East, not realizing a microphone was recording what he said.

Bad guys have superior firepower, can eavesdrop on communications of American law enforcement Hundreds of rounds of automatic-weapons fire rained down on South Texas sheriff's deputies and Border Patrol agents from the Mexican side of the border as they investigated a horror story told by two American brothers who fled across the Rio Grande fearing for their lives. ()() One more reason we need to stop the flood of illegal aliens coming into our country. Time for our Border Patrol agents to move up to M-16's and machine guns.

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. That's the tactic that an anti-abortion group in Wichita, Kan., took when it boasted about its purchase of a former abortion facility building and subsequent plans to convert it into a memorial for aborted fetuses. Operation Rescue bought the former site of Central Women's Services weeks after the abortion clinic sold its equipment and closed the doors -- a tactic used before by similar groups that may increase. ()() Isn't this the same tactic used by environmental wackos? If you can't beat 'em, evict 'em. Why is it OK for liberal groups to use this tactic, but not conservative groups?

In Chicago, an ambulance driver refused to transport a patient for an abortion. In California, fertility specialists rebuffed a gay woman seeking artificial insemination. In Texas, a pharmacist turned away a rape victim seeking the morning-after pill.

The Senate voted 62-36 to pass an immigration reform bill on Thursday, with 23 Republicans voting for it, four Democrats voting against it, and just about everyone saying it's unclear what the final bill will look like, once the Senate and the House try to hammer out a compromise on their very different bills.

Most of the audience stood, bowing their heads. Then, most of the 286 graduating seniors pulled out laminated bookmarks and folded up pieces of paper that they had been given earlier and began reciting "The Lord's Prayer." Students said beforehand that they knew that the moment of silence would be their chance to speak. Once those in the audience realized what the students were doing, they broke into wild cheering as the silence in the football stadium was broken by the verses of the prayer. ()() Chalk another one up for students rights and a victory over the ACLU.

America's medical tort system is broken. And patients are the ones left to pick up the pieces. Skyrocketing liability insurance premiums for doctors across the nation are seriously threatening patient access to care. A significant cause of the medical liability crisis is the unrestrained escalation in jury awards that are part of a legal system that in many states is simply out of control. According to Jury Verdict Research, between 1994-2001, the average liability award increased 176 percent.

A university honor student who called his fellow seniors "selfish" during a politically charged commencement speech issued an apology for causing offense. Kessler, 21, said he intended in his speech to look back and forward at some of the issues confronting the university and society. "Instead of providing hope for all, I offended some by my words," Kessler said in a statement released by the university. "I sincerely apologize to each person I offended." ()() I have no idea why this gentleman thought he had anything to apologize for. He was reminding these students of their obligations as Catholics.

The Libertarian Party, hoping to capitalize on the public's apparent discontent with incumbent politicians, is offering what it calls a "politician removal service."

Two groups with widely divergent views on same-sex marriage gathered in Washington, D.C., Monday to present a surprisingly similar message: Churches, not the U.S. Congress, should settle the contentious issue.

If Arnold Schwarzenegger had migrated to Mexico instead of the United States, he couldn't be a governor. If Argentina native Sergio Villanueva, firefighter hero of the Sept. 11 attacks, had moved to Tecate instead of New York, he wouldn't have been allowed on the force. Even as Mexico presses the United States to grant unrestricted citizenship to millions of undocumented Mexican migrants, its officials at times calling U.S. policies "xenophobic," Mexico places daunting limitations on anyone born outside its territory. ()()The hypocrisy is stunning!

Compare and contrast... In Dallas, a school district strikes the words "In God We Trust" from the photo of an enlarged nickel on a yearbook cover for fear of offending students of differing religions. In California, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (the one that outlawed the Pledge of Allegiance for its reference to God) approved putting public school students through Muslim role-playing exercises.