A fairly prolonged period of introspection leads me to take sabbatical from blogging. The duration of my absence is indefinite.  Could be a month or two.  Could be a year.  Might be longer still.

For me, there’s an inescapable aspect of narcissism attached to blogging.  Does the world really yearn to hear what themes and ideas are being jostled about Jeff Baker’s cranium on a daily basis?  Perhaps not.  Besides, I have neither time nor talent to become the next Dick Morris or Michelle Malkin (her conservative Hot Air blog rocks).

Additionally, my columnist duties at Law Officer.com necessitate using whatever brain power I’ve got left at the end of the day to work on monthly contributions for them rather than musing on the passing scene here.

I used to spend considerable blog time engaging in polemics with non-Catholic Christians and atheists alike; I’ve come to realize most atheists are myopia stricken and will likely never convert, so prayers rather than philosophic debate are the best bet.  As for my Protestant brothers and sisters, well, they’re many times better disciples of Christ than I am, so I’d rather link arms than create further division among the ranks.

Finally and most importantly, I’m going to pare down time spent in front of the evil gray box.  Aside from the eternal implications of a relationship with Christ, my wife is the most important thing in my universe.  We have a deeply loving relationship, but spending extra time hand in hand with her rather than on the PC remains a good martial investment.

Ah, you see? I could have handled the news of my sabbatical in a scant three sentences, but instead authored this tediously protracted epistle.  Maybe I really am a touch narcissistic.

[grin]

Happy trails, and God bless.

-Jeff

The Discovery Institute says a group of Darwinists who are opposing efforts by the Texas State Board of Education to allow evolution to be debated in the classroom are clinging to 19th century science in the 21st century.

Full Story HERE

In light of the above news bit, readers might find this article a compelling discussion on the Church’s teaching on the matter of evolution.  I once shared this with a Protestant friend who found a great wealth of truth and learning in this piece, this despite her not being perfectly aligned with Catholic Christian teaching.

Adam, Eve and Evolution

Even if you’re of the persuasion that scripture is only a compilation of fables and folk tales, it’s hard to argue against this basic biblical premise: love of money is the root of all evil.

We see the effect in pop culture.  Money makes honest men deceitful, weak men powerful, foul men attractive, and anonymous men prominent.  The allure of money and the influence, notoriety, sex and esteem concomitant with vast quantities of it are real and narcotic.

Pope Benedict, someone I tend to pay attention to on matters of faith and morals, addressed the insidious nature of greed, calling wealth fleeting and unlasting, and comparing the global financial system to a house built on a foundation of sand.

My mom’s death leaves only a modest estate for my sis and I to deal with.  Honestly, I’m thankful for that.  Aside from our love, she was unable to take anything with her when she ventured from this life to whatever lay in store in the next.  That’s the crux of yesterday’s papal message.

It matters not whether you’re worth twenty thousand or $20 million; we are all one cancer diagnosis, one car accident, one act of nature, one slip in the shower, or one violent crime from extinction.  What’s your cash worth then?

Sure, we want to live reasonable lives.  I desire a comfortable home, a clean and reliable car to drive, an occasional night out at a good restaurant, and a little discretionary cash along the way.  I’m fortunate to make a decent living and my wife and I exist a bit below our means.  So I think we’ve got a relatively healthy handle on the issue of these “passing things” Pope Benedict alluded to.  Still, there is room to grow.

I wonder if those who’ve dedicated their lives to the sole pursuit of riches have any real faith in a creator, any genuine hope there might be something beyond our lives as we perceive them.  Cognitively, they have to know they can’t take their money with them in death.

This begs the question: what’s the purpose of life?  Is it to amass wealth?  We know that cannot be.  Your survivors get the prize, and only then until they too concede it in death… so on and so forth.

Mom’s passing is, I pray, molding me into a person who better places family before finances.  One who is more generous with what time and treasure he does have.  One who loves his wife before himself and one who doesn’t lose faith in the promise of something better than the here and now.

If you’re wildly rich, what’s your purpose?  And if you’re poor, yours?  How about most of us in the middle, what are we reaching for, why are we alive, what meaning does our existence have - if any?  Or are we nothing more than material accidents in a universe which exists by pure happenstance?

“Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” -Bertrand Russel, atheist

Pro-Life Obama is the name of a new website designed by a liberal political action committee which has been running pro-Obama ads on Christian radio stations. The site argues Obama would reduce abortions by providing women paid maternity leave and a 50-percent tax credit on up to $3,000 in daycare expenses, as well as expanding a program that provides home visits by registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers.

Brian Burch, president of the Catholic pro-life group Fidelis, says the pac is trying to whitewash Obama’s radical support for abortion.

“Barack Obama has publicly said that he will pass the Freedom of Choice Act. In fact, he has said that he will do that as his first act as president, and that act alone has been estimated to increase abortions by 125,000 a year.”

The truth is, Barak Obama is the culture of death’s avatar. I’ve laid out the facts in past musings here and here, so let there be no doubt who the true pro-life candidate is in this race: Sen. John McCain.  Suggestions to the contrary are an insult to the pro-life movement.

The losses Denise and I and our respective families suffered last week were eased by the love and support of our relatives, friends, neighbors and co-workers. We thank you for that.

So then, we close out a tough week, but we live in gratitude for what we have rather than lamenting in perpetuity what we do not.

–

Over a third cup of the shimmering black liquid on a crisp fall Saturday morning, a few thoughts on the passing scene:

• Does anyone really feel all broken up for the “Juice”? DNA evidence alone should have been enough to put O.J. Simpson away forever during the 1995 Clown Court inquiry into his butchery of two innocent people. Simpson cannot seem to stay out of trouble. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and while I’m all for giving everyone a free bite of the apple, Simpson extinguished his benefit of the doubt, oh, about 13 years ago to the day. It’s good to see Lady Justice reign him in at long last.
• The second swing Congress took at the $700B “rescue plan” was a success, that is, if you’re one of the senators or representatives whose affirmative vote was bought with an earmark for their home district. I say taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for coveters on Wall Street, unscrupulous lenders, and borrowers too dense or dreamy-eyed not to take responsibility for their finances. Nationalizing millions of mortgages and opening the public trough to everyone clamoring for federal welfare is not the American way. There’s plenty to read on this subject, but I found this CNET piece enlightening.
• While I don’t agree with Joe Biden on 95 percent of his policy statements, he was well prepared, articulate and passionate during the veep debate Thursday night. The fact this cagey Washington veteran of 3.5 decades wasn’t able to put away a diminutive 130-pound mom from Alaska with a month’s experience on the national scene resulted in a resounding victory for Sarah Palin and a much needed shot of adrenaline for the McCain campaign. Sarah Palin plain makes me proud to call myself a conservative. If change, a fresh face, and a new perspective is truly what the nation yearns for today, I say put her at the top of the ticket and let’s get it on with Mr. Obama in November. She’s no less qualified than he is to be president, so why not?

Mikey and Mom

I’m only 41. Now, three-plus years removed from losing my dad, I’m without either parent.

I found my mom dead in her home Sunday afternoon when I stopped for a visit.

She was a night owl and took several meds that kept her up half the night. As such, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for members of my tiny, dwindling family to experience difficultly reaching her during normal hours.

Mom wasn’t the model of perfect health, so I knew this day would come.  Still, turning the key in the door Sunday, well, it felt different this time.  And it was. Better me than another family member I suppose.

My handicapped little brother, Michael, buckled when I met with him to break the news. If you’ve got a penchant for prayer, I’d politely ask you keep him in yours.

Lori, my sister, and I have spent the last two days immersed in the arduous task of sorting mom’s paperwork and effects, making necessary notifications, and completing funeral arrangements. More work lay ahead, but we’ve received much needed help and support from loved ones.

If all this wasn’t rough enough, Denise’s grandfather passed away Saturday night. Thus, we’ll be slogging through two funerals today.

Despite the losses, my prevailing feelings are of pride and gratitude. There are babies being born stateside whose fathers -killed in combat- they will never know. So I’m blessed to have had my mom and dad as long as I did, however numbing it feels to be “orphaned” earlier in life than I would have anticipated or preferred.

On this day, I honor my mother, the woman who brought me into this world. I owe her more than mere words can convey.

I’m so sorry, Mom.  I love you, I respect you, and I pray I’ll see you again one day…

By now, we’ve all had a whiff of the foul smelling assertion John McCain has a 33 percent chance of dying while in office, this assuming he’s elected to a second term and lives to 80 years of age.

The source of this soothsayer stench are two liberal political action committees, Brave New PAC and Democracy for America. They launched an aggressive attack on McCain in an ad featuring unflattering images of his melanoma scars. The ad calls for McCain to release his medical records, something he already did earlier this year.

This latest and perhaps most vile attempt to put down the McCain candidacy fails both factually and ethically.

Sidebar: Yes, I was discouraged by Sarah Palin’s imprecision in front of Katie Couric during a nationally televised interview on CBS, but a vote for Barak Obama (who is no more qualified for president than Sarah Palin is for veep) because Palin is “one heartbeat away from the presidency” makes so little sense, it’s laughable.

FACT: Barak Obama’s running against John McCain, not Sarah Palin.

FACT: John McCain is in excellent health with a good long term prognosis.

FACT: Clear thinking people will not fall prey to the Radical Left’s propaganda regarding McCain’s predicted mortality.

It’s repugnant to see the usual smear artists writing Sen. McCain’s eulogy while giving chain-smoking Obama a pass. John McCain is surrounded by the world’s best doctors and has been in remission for some time. Matter of fact, he’s considered by tending physicians as being in the single-digit range for a recurrence of cancer.

An excerpt from a March 2008 CNN article:

“Sen. McCain enjoys excellent health and displays extraordinary energy, and, while it is impossible to predict any person’s future health, I and my colleagues can find no medical reason or problem that would preclude Sen. McCain from fulfilling all of the duties or obligations of the president of the United States,” said Dr. John D. Eckstein, an internist who has been overseeing McCain’s treatment for 16 years at the famed research center’s campus in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Full story HERE

barackobamatest.com

I suppose most liberals won’t mouse anywhere near that link.  Or if they do, they’ll carp about the manner in which the questions are worded or excuse the examination as Republican propaganda.

Meh.  Looks like the test is a pretty straightforward multiple-choice affair and it takes all of five minutes to complete while covering pertinent campaign issues like gun control and crime, taxes, abortion, energy, health care, trade and defense.

Feeling corageous? Take the test and comment back here on the results.

Fresh on the heels of a galactic blunder at a rally in Nashua, New Hampshire where he admitted Hillary Clinton may have been the better Democrat veep, Joe Biden continues to inflict damage on Barak Obama’s fraying campaign for the presidency.

Biden now says an Obama ad that mocked John McCain (who is unable to easily use a PC due to injuries sustained as a POW) as an out of touch computer illiterate was “terrible” and would not have been produced and aired had he known about it.

Friendly fire hurts.

Okay, I admit it. I have a bit of a dark side, sometimes giggling inappropriately at the most hideous, bone-crunching incidents and, occasionally, at the village idiot. Though I pledge to keep it quasi tame, I think it might be fun to do a weekly “Nutbar of The Week” post. It’s not as if there isn’t ample cannon fodder from which to choose these days.

Okay then, for my inaugural NoTW post, I’m trying to discern who is more deserving of the crown between these two:

Charolette Dennett, the Progressive Party’s candidate for Vermont Attorney General who, at a news conference Thursday, promised to prosecute President George W. Bush for murder if she’s elected (eh, I’m not making this up).

Full story HERE

-OR-

Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Democrat Congressman Charles Rangel, for calling Gov. Sarah Palin “disabled” in a CBS 2 HD (New York) exclusive interview on Friday. Stunning.

Full story with video HERE

If pressed to choose, it’s easy enough to dismiss Dennett. She’s among the lunatic fringe of the radical left. Vermont is one of the most liberal states in the nation and Dennett’s inane daydreaming of putting the President of the United States behind bars is just that - inane daydreaming.

On the other hand, as the brother and legal guardian of a severely handicapped sibling (Mikey suffers from Cohen Syndrome), I’d have to say I’m more bedazzled by Rangel’s repugnant insult levied against Sarah Palin and disabled people everywhere. He is worthy indeed to wear my first ever NoTW award.

Memo to the Obama camp: you’d better get the message out to your party’s mantel bearers so as to minimize what, if left unchecked, will surely be devastating levels of collateral damage to your chances of winning the presidency this fall.