The Peaceful Gnome

From "The Lord Will Answer" for today, the Last Friday of the church year. God, You are my Father. Lord, You are my Brother. Spirit, You gave me birth through my dear mother, the holy Christian church. Triune God, I did not discover these truths in solitude. I did not find them in the forests or the grassy fields. You called to me where eager children walk and sing and say "I believe." Make me a devout sibling in this communion of saints, through the forgiveness of sins, unto the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. (EE) (Most prayers in this book are attributed to various people, but some just say "EE" and I'm not really certain what that means. In any case, this is my prayer for today. Thanks be to God.)

I just got an email from a cousin in Liverpool, UK, Tony Rossiter. Family members here might enjoy this photo of the Rossiter clan back in the 1970's. :-) Tony sent this identification of the folks in the photo: thats me on Bella;s lap and my brother Aaron on Debbie's lap...Thats my mum standing next to Tony So we have in the rear from left to right, the "English" Tony Rossiter's mom, "American" Tony Rossiter, front row from left to right, Debbie Rossiter with Aaron, Jimmy Rossiter, Bella Rossiter with English Tony Rossiter and Frankie Rossiter on the end. :-) Enjoy: Just to make us all feel really old here is a more recent photo from Bella, Frankie and Tony with their Dad Frank on the right :-)

The Wall Street Journal has an opinion piece on the new stem cell research from Japan and what this says about the left wing pro-abortion crowd's take on science: OPINIONJOURNAL FEDERATION Trading Places Will the secular left soon attack the religious right for being pro -science? BY JOSEPH BOTTUM Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST If the news of major breakthroughs in cell research should turn out to be correct, we are about to witness something like victory in the fight over embryonic stem cells. And that will open a nest of interesting questions, beginning with this one: All those editorialists and columnists who have, over the past 10 years, howled and howled about Luddites and religious fanatics thwarting science and frustrating medicine--were they really interested in technology and health, or were they just using all that as a handy stick with which to whack their political opponents? Full Story is here.

I just ate a 1.7 ounce bag of Ranch flavored Corn Nuts. I normally don't eat that sort of food anymore but someone gave us a box of them here at work and so I took a bag from the box and tried them. I ate the whole "single serving" bag. Of course these are extremely salty so you get thirsty, they were invented in Oakland as food to be served in taverns after all. They are also loaded with MSG. So, now that I have consumed my 220 calories worth of MSG, salt and fat I feel horrible. My lips are sore from the salt, I have a headache, probably from the MSG, and I am famished even though I was not actually hungry before I ate the stupid things! Snack foods are EVIL !

The plague of flying rats just gets worse and worse... TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL Cities Tackle Surge in Global Pigeon Population By David Crossland Gray and inconspicuous they may be, but pigeons are highly adaptable and their numbers are surging around the world, heightening the risk of disease. Cities have resorted to imaginative techniques to kill the birds over the years, but the only effective curb is to stop feeding them, says a Swiss scientist. DPA Venice has the highest pigeon density at three pigeons per citizen. The pigeon is a heavenly symbol of peace, love and purity but it also produces 12 kilos of excrement a year and is widely decried as a flying rat that soils facades and spreads disease in cities all over the world. Scientists, city officials and animal welfare activists met in the western German city of Essen on Tuesday for Germany's first Town Pigeon Conference to discuss how to deal with the growing pigeon population which is expected to rise ...

Ron Paul made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle today! It wasn't that long ago that they managed to ignore him completely, they can't any more. GO RON! CAMPAIGN 2008 RON WHO? Longshot candidate from Texas, once an unknown, gains on GOP leaders and rakes in funds... They were a lonely band of rebels until just a few weeks ago, backing the darkest of dark horse presidential candidates. But with Republican Rep. Ron Paul's fundraising on the rise - $4.2 million raised on the Internet in one day this month - and his poll numbers jumping, the Texas congressman might no longer be a "who?" but a potential problem for leading Republican presidential candidates in key states such as New Hampshire.

Now that my Thanksgiving dinner has at last fully digested I suppose I can get back to making the occasional post here on my blog. For the last few months I have been investigating the claims made by what are called "Young Earth Creationists." I am not going to try and rehash the details here but thought I would update you on where I am on the subject these days. Young Earth Creationists are folks who read Genesis 1 & 2 as a sort of science text and attempt to make sense of the world in light of this. They claim that the earth is, at most, 10,000 years old and that it was created in 6 literal days as described in Genesis. My own church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod , seems to hold this very view of things, though, as far as I know, it is not something that will get one tossed out on his ear if he doesn't buy it. At least I hope that is so. I'll let you know if I discover otherwise. The Young Earth Creationists (YEC) endeavor to explain the geologic re...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Lora, Serenity and I attended Thanksgiving Eve Vespers on Wednesday night at Messiah. Then on Thursday, after Lora got off of work at Starbucks, we went to Mountain House and shared a huge and delicious Thanksgiving Feast with Jon, Celeste, Jory, Derek, Hans, Ethan and Nicholas Domke. There was turkey and sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, salads, cranberries and so forth. Lora made an apple cobbler and her yummy broccoli and bacon salad. There was pumpkin bread, ginger bread, rolls and butter, pumpkin pecan pie, whipped cream and more at desert. Wine, beer a dozens sorts of soda pop to drink and coffee at the end. We gave thanks to God for the abundance we are privileged with here in our land and we had a pleasant time of visiting relaxing. All told it was a wonderful day of feasting and fun. Serenity had a great time playing with the Domke children and today is sleeping in late to recover :-) I hope everyone had a great Tha...

Here is some "Glorious Pro-War Propaganda" that was sent to me by a family member. Click here if you don't see the video embedded below. It came with this explanation, FYI it actually came out last year but is still making the rounds, nothing ever totally vanishes from the net: This film was made by a 15 year old girl. > > The following is the hottest thing on the internet and on Fox News today. > > Lizzie Palmer who put this YouTube program together is 15 years old. There > have been over 3,000,000 hits as of this morning. In case you missed it, > here > it is. > > Watch all of it.......and, pass it on!! I have a couple of comments to make about it. 1. This is a very nicely done and professional looking bit of propaganda. 2. It makes the claim, during the middle portions, that these people are fighting "for you." This is not true, they are fighting for an empire, they are fighting for Oil companies and they are fighting on behalf...

Cool, stem cells without having to murder babies to get them! By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have transformed ordinary human skin cells into batches of cells that look and act like embryonic stem cells -- but without using cloning technology and without making embryos. Their breakthroughs, reported on Tuesday, could make possible the long-sought goal of tailor-made medicine, but without the political, scientific and ethical roadblock of using human eggs or embryos. Full Story.

Commemoration for today: Elizabeth of Hungary Born in Pressburg, Hungary, in 1207, Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew II and his wife Gertrude. Given as a bride in an arranged political marriage, Elizabeth became the wife of Louis of Thuringia in Germany at the age of 14. She had a spirit of Christian generosity and charity, and the home she established for her husband and three children in the Wartburg Castle at Eisenach was known for its hospitality and family love. Elizabeth often supervised the care of the sick and needy and even gave up her bed to a leper at one time. Widowed at the age of 20, she made provisions for her children and entered into an austere life as a nun in the Order of Saint Francis. Her self-denial led to failing health and an early death in 1231 at the age of 24. Remembered for her self-sacrificing ways, Elizabeth is commemorated through the many hospitals named for her around the world. [From " Commemorations Biographies , " Lutheran Servi...

A Turkey Poem ;) The turkey shot out of the oven And rocketed into the air. It knocked every plate off the table And partly demolished a chair It ricocheted into a corner And burst with a deafening boom Then splattered all over the kitchen Completely obscuring the room It stuck to the walls and the windows It totally coated the floor, There was turkey attached to the ceiling, Where there'd never been turkey before. It blanketed every appliance It smeared every saucer and bowl There wasn't a way I could stop it, That turkey was outta control. I scraped and scrubbed with displeasure and Thought with chagrin as I mopped, That I'd never again stuff a turkey With popcorn that hasn't been popped! Author unknown

Thomas DiLorenzo on the supreme soviet of neoconservatism. "...The "National Continuity Policy" directive "concentrates power into the office of the president to coordinate any and all government and business activities" in the event of a "catastrophic emergency," writes the judge. The problem this creates for the American public is that "the pliable language in the directive creates the ability for a vast scope of executive authority without the checks and balances of the other branches of government," writes Napolitano. It creates dictatorial powers, in other words. "Catastrophic emergency" is defined so broadly that it could include an economic downturn, an environmental catastrophe, large-scale protests against the Iraq war, a power black...

The power of prayer comes not from us, it comes from God, as was said by Pastor Drosendahl the other day: "....likely, someone will ask also about the * power of prayer * (probably wanting to become a * prayer warrior * or some such non-biblical animal). The best response to this is gently, but firmly, to remind the folks that there is not much power in the pray-er, but almighty power in the Answerer of the prayers." It's always good to keep the emphasis where it belongs. :-)

Justinian , Christian Ruler and Confessor of Christ Justinian was emperor of the East from A.D. 527 to 565 when the Roman Empire was in decline. With his beautiful and capable wife, Theodora, he restored splendor and majesty to the Byzantine court. During his reign the Empire experienced a renaissance, due in large part to his ambition, intelligence and strong religious convictions. Justinian also attempted to bring unity to a divided church. He was a champion of orthodox Christianity and sought agreement among the parties in the Christological controversies of the day who were disputing the relation between the divine and human natures in the person of Christ. The Fifth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in A.D. 533 was held during his reign and addressed this dispute. Justinian died in his eighties, not accomplishing his desire for an empire that was firmly Christian and orthodox. [From " Commemorations Biographies , " Lutheran Service Book, LCMS Commission on Worship]

We believe: The Law of the Ten Commandments , the Gospel of the Creed , and the petitions of the Lord's Prayer are the footsteps and breath of the Christian life. We daily breathe in the Gospel, we exhale the Our Father, and we walk in the Lord's Commandments. From "The Lord will Answer" Third last Monday of the Church Year.

by Gary North I rarely discuss presidential politics in my reports, because I think a presidential election is a half-billion dollar Punch and Judy show whose practical outcome is orchestrated well in advance. The presidential campaign is held for tradition’s sake and for its entertainment value, the better to shill the voters. Let’s face reality: when the outcome of the 2004 presidential race had to be the election of a member of Skull and Bones, a Yale undergraduate secret society that initiates 15 students a year, the available two choices were not the result of the system we read about in our high school civics textbooks. Ever since 1932, the presidential campaigns have been conducted between Council on Foreign Relations Team A vs. Council on Foreign Relations Team B. In 2004...

Dr. Paul will be interviewed Sunday morning (Nov. 11) on CBS News' Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer.

by David W. Gorman Washington Headquarters Executive Director, Disabled American Veterans On Veterans Day, politicians will praise the 30,000 troops “officially wounded” in action in Iraq and Afghanistan as if this “statistic” were some kind of “fact.” In doing so, they’ll harm the men and women who carry the burden of our nation’s defense in today’s very dangerous world. That 30,000 number is a fantasy. Here’s the truth about the human cost borne by the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as shown by data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Of the 1.5 million troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 720,000 (48%) are now veterans in the civilian population. Of these, 202,000 have filed claims for VA disability benefits. The VA granted benefits in more than 90% of the cases processed so far, and will grant more upon appeal or presentation of additional evidence. In other words, real statistics show that one out of four veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan is disabled in milita...

Several years ago I canceled my subscription to Scientific American magazine. I did this because I had noticed that they had gone from what seemed a pretty straight forward science magazine addressed to educated laymen to what was obviously political advocacy with "science" as a bludgeon used to force acceptance of their socialist ideology. I pretty much just ignored them from then on, until a few days ago when I came across this story: When the Psychiatric Cure Is the Disease Apparently one of the agendas of Socialist American magazine now is to minimize and debunk the reality of child abuse. I was very gratified to see that the Wall Street Journal has put up a blog where both sides have been able to address this issue. I urge anyone who has had the misfortune of stumbling across the Scientific American story and thought it might be science of some sort to read the many responses by clinicians and survivors debunking the debunking so to speak. My thanks to friend Jeann...