Monday, September 28, 2015

Suggested Readings from Sept. 27, 2015

Note: Each block of text actually is a link to a story or a web page that I am commenting on. Click on that text and it will take you to the page being referred to.

If you missed tonight’s lunar eclipse … you missed a treat.

Having said that, here we go with our usual eclectic collection of Random Thoughts. I hope you find them at least interesting, if not informative and thought provoking.

When I read this, I almost laughed ... yeah, right! This is assuming that domestic policies don't ground NASA plans long before the 2030s ... and that this government program can be brought in anywhere near its budget. Personally, my bet is on Mars One project getting there first ... if they don't get discouraged or stopped by bureaucratic inertia.

This is a difficult choice to have to make ... because of the phobia against being "islamophobic" or at least being called that, one wonders what risks we are taking. It is worth thinking about.

I smell the odor of another deal in the making ... it will stink, but it will be touted as a victory ...

Actually, I find this photo of President Obama and Pope Francis just outrageously funny ... no special meaning attached to it ... but President Obama's critics can have a field day with it.

All I can say is a) I hope the president's view turns out to be one that is achieveable (although I have very serious reservations) and b) I am somewhat glad that I am too old now to fight in these battles, because I am afraid President Obama is in a world of his own.

This just seems to be a sidebar to everything else going on in the Middle East, but it is worth keeping an eye on ... things could get very complicated.

Major Mars research discovery announcement ... my bet is on finding water.

Interesting stock market-watch type story that focuses on who in the US could help Ukraine replace the navy the Russians stole.

That this story is on CNN says a lot ... the drip-drip-drip and limited-hangouts (to borrow a phrase from the Nixon Administration in my youth), it seems that Hillary's nefarious and basically stupid activities are not being just dismissed any more.

Putin wants coordination on fighting ISIS and the price tag, undoubtedly, will be calling off the dogs on Syria's Assad.

A Beebe wrap on Pope Francis' visit to the US ... I watched much of this today ... and have very mixed feelings - unfortunately.

An interesting perspective on the 70 years of the UN from the BBC

President Obama plans to press his agenda at the UN General Assembly. The question is will anybody really be listening? His foreign policy is rife with disasters ... one wonders what else can go awry.

A little reminder about the sacrifice made by those in service of the United States.

Unfortunately, for the rest of us, Pope Francis' words apparently were ambiguous enough to leave much open to interpretation ... or at least that is the view of leading Democrats.

This headline says it all ... unfortunately that perspective is not resonating.

Interesting commentary on the state of Christianity in the US, and how we have gone astray ... because we have ... Listening to Pope Francis this past week has illuminated many of the areas I agree with the leader of the Catholic Church ... but the most important point, in this article and his words, was that the changes have to begin with the individual and in the individual's heart and view of the world.

It is sad, almost tragic, that it seems we have come to this end ... in the disintegration of the extended family and the loss of a sense of responsibility for those who have served us, whether as parents or warriors.

This young man is right to stand up for what he believes ... and you have to respect him for that ... however, it would be interesting to see how, 25 years hence, that he balances the conflicts between Islamic texts and the US Constitution (assuming it is still intact by then). Unfortunately, the Rule of Sharia and the Koran can not coexist equally with the principles of the Constitution and our system of Common Law . The question for a Muslim will be: Which rules how you govern?

And the problem as it now stands with a slight majority of Muslims in the US, the U.S. Constitution and its legal system must fall to the dictates of the Koran and Sharia law.

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