Author: jason

Time of the Gaps

Time of the Gaps

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Evolution is a pretty hot topic.  Pretty much every atheist believes it, as do some Christians.  Stories like this one only bolster the arguments for evolution being real (or do they?) At any rate, I’ve always been a bit annoyed by the evolutionist’s attack on creationism by claiming the we fall victim to the God of the Gaps fallacy.  As people smarter than I have pointed out, evolutionists do this to.  Many if not most evolutionists have made up their minds that it actually happened (that is, all life arose from a single organism through a means of natural selection, i.e., macro-evolution.  Micro-evolution is demonstrable fact), and refuse to entertain the idea that they may be wrong.  Their argument appears to me to be something like, “I know this is true because we’ve decided it is.  The evidence we need is out there somewhere.  We just need more time to find the evidence.”  I think I’ll call that the Time of the Gaps fallacy.

With that in mind, since evolutionists get a pass on it, I’m going to apply it to creationism:  I know God created the world because the Bible (which is demonstrably reliable in areas for which is intended,i.e., not biology class) tells me so.  I don’t think evolution was the way he did it, and I can’t give you a good answer for the rock you hold in your hand, but someday I will.  And, who knows?  Maybe when I die, I’ll find out that God did in fact use evolution as the means of creation.  Either way, I just need more time.

Late to work. Again.

Late to work. Again.

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I was late to work today.  Again.  The problem is Andrew.  This morning, Andrew came in to our room sometime after 5:00 and climbed in to bed with us.  After I remove his feet from my neck, he just snuggled up and went to sleep.  Knowing that Angela’s parents were going to keep him tonight so he won’t be home when I get there, I was hard pressed to quit snuggling and get up when the alarm went off.  So I didn’t, and I don’t regret a single minute I’ll have to work to make up the time. 😛

Signs of Life

Signs of Life

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Wednesday, I went with Angela to see the OB, where we got to see an ultrasound of the baby.  At this early stage, it was mostly a jumble of white lines and blobs on a black background, but one item was clearly visible:  the baby’s heart beat.  Having gone through this once with Andrew, one might think it would be old hat, but one would be wrong.  I sit still sometimes and close my eyes, just picturing that little blinking dot.  And smile. 🙂

But “Plan A” is better, right?

But “Plan A” is better, right?

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One thing that’s often overlooked in discussions of Plan B is that it presupposes that there’s a Plan A.  That plan, given the context, is another form of birth control, which usually doesn’t include abstinence.  Rather, it usually means The Pill.  The idea being, I guess, that if Plan A fails (or fails to be executed correctly), one can fall back to Plan B.  Now, if Plan B really is as evil I’ve made it out to be, we can assume that the primary or preferred plan is a better one, right?  Wrong.  What most people don’t realize is that there is a strong body of evidence that shows that The Pill is actually an abortifacient.  You can read an extensive discussion of the issue over at Eternal Perspectives Ministries, but I’ll highlight it for you right here.
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Wal-Mart Caves to the Pro-Abortion Crowd

Wal-Mart Caves to the Pro-Abortion Crowd

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Effective March 20, Wal-Mart began stocking the non-abortion abortion pill Plan B.  This policy reversal was made after the company lost lawsuits in Illinois and Massachusetts, forcing them to carry the pill in those states. 

From the Sapulpa Daily Herald, “We expect more states to require us to sell emergency contraceptives,” said Ron Chomiuk, vice president of Pharmacy for the chain. “Because of this, and the fact that this is an FDA-approved product, we feel it is difficult to justify being the country’s only major pharmacy chain not selling it.”

This change in policy makes Wal-Mart the largest abortion provider in the world in terms of the organization’s overall size (though, not necessarily in terms of procedures performed).  That Wal-Mart would make this decision I find unconscionable, which I told their CEO in an email sent from this page:

As a former Wal-Mart employee (ISD, Bentonville, ’97-’98), I’ve watched with great sadness the company I once loved so much slowly strip itself of just about everything admirable. I’ve actively defended Wal-Mart in the face of accusations regarding the environment, slave labor, poor wages, etc., but the recent decision by Wal-Mart to stock the abortion pill has put me in a position where I can no longer do so. The decision to carry this abortifacient marks, for me, the final step in Wal-Mart’s seemingly concerted effort to strip itself of every ideal that Sam Walton stood for. That the world’s largest retailer and private employer would cave in to pro-abortion groups and assist in the death of millions of pre-born children is unconscionable. My wife and I almost always have a “Wal-Mart list” going on our refrigerator. Now, it appears that my wife, my son, and my unborn child will have to make that a “Target list.” I’ll grant that they, too, carry this horrid pill, as do many other major pharmacies, but it’s not a question of the bad being bad. It’s a question of the “good” becoming bad, and Wal-Mart has just crossed that line. Please, for the sake of the millions of silenced voices, reconsider your position on this pill. Ultimately, you, as the CEO, will be held responsible for the infanticide in which your company is assisting. You can change the course of your company, should you choose. I beg you to do so.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Should we as pro-lifers call for a general boycott of the company?  I don’t know.  As a general rule, boycotts are rarely effective in any tangible sense, though I can see the value in the statement it makes, even if it doesn’t markedly impact the target’s bottom line.  Though I would probably stop short of calling for such a boycott, I have no hesitation in suggesting that those who care about pro-life issues to prayerfully consider if they should refrain from doing business with the company, and, if they do so, to let the company know.  It may be like spitting in the wind, but we will all be called on to give account for our deeds done in the body, whether good or bad.  Our actions will be judged, not their results.

For those that buy the line from Plan B’s manufacturer, let me quote from their web site on “How Plan B works“:

Plan B® works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B® may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B® will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.

Here, we have a very convenient and subtle redefinition of pregnancy.  To them, and to countless others, pregnancy starts at implantation, but what’s significant about implantation?  Morally, not a thing.  The location of the fertilized egg (or, more accurately, baby) has changed, and it’s now attached to something, but the baby itself is basically unchanged from this process.  Duramed is correct in making their statement only if their definition of pregnancy is correct, which it’s not.  It’s deceptive and self-serving, and, ultimately, infanticidal.

Privacy Schmivacy

Privacy Schmivacy

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There’s been much furor recently over President Bush’s allegedly illegal wiretaps without a court order.  My brother has even voiced his concerns over the issue.  Though it is likely to get me flaid, I just have to say that I can’t find the energy to get worked up over it.  Sure, there’s probably a reason for concern, but there’s not a camera in my bedroom, nor are they tapping everyone (that we know of, right? ;), so I just can’t summon the moral outrage to pick up a pitch fork and torch and demand impeachment.  No scratch that, censure.  No, wait…

One could easily argue (and probably will) the slippery slope, and, despite that that is considered a logic fallacy by people smarter than I, there’s probably some truth there.  Still, I just can’t do it.  For me, there are issues far more important than the Chief Executive ordering the FBI to wiretap known and/or suspected terrorists.  With millions of babies being slaughtered each year before they ever take a breath (and some just before they do) and homosexual activists trying to tear apart a foundational element of civilizations since the beginning of time, just to name two big ones, I don’t see why eavesdropping on criminals should be a high priority for me.  If you want to debate the issue, to gain a legal clarity and punish those broke the law (if any did), that’s fine.  I just feel compelled to donate my miniscule efforts to what I see as a far important fight.

Losing Face(s)?

Losing Face(s)?

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I’m a bit torn at work.  I’ve long described our shop as a JSF, Spring, and Hibernate shop, a designation with which I am perfectly happy.  Last week, however, after pointing my boss to a blog entry by a someone I “know”  (I quote that, because he’s someone I talk to on IRC ;), I have been asked to investigate a framework called Wicket that could supplant JSF in our stack.  While I’m not opposed to learning Wicket (so far, it’s been pretty cool), I’m just a little leary/weary of the technology treadmill, where we constantly reevaluate our technology choices.  While a certain amount of that is healthy, too much of it paralyzes your organization, and, personally, I’m a little burned out on research and ready to get some actual work done.

Having said all of that, as cool as Wicket is, my inclination is to stay with JSF.  For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth I’ve seen about how “hard” JSF is, and that you can’t do it without good tool support, I’ve not had much problem with it.  It’s certainly not easy, but it’s a far cry from the impossible mountain to scale that some make it out to be.  It does have its warts, to be sure, but I like it, and it works well for us.  Add to that the momentum JSF seems to be building (especially when compared to other frameworks) makes me more hesitant to drop.  It is a truism that popularity doesn’t make something better, but, in this case, JSF works for us, and I don’t want to adopt something that 1% of the rest of the world is using.  Technical superiority (assuming Wicket has it) is meaningless if no one knows how to use the tool.

Now, to be fair to Wicket, I’ve been playing with it for just a few days.  I like it well enough (despite the problems I’m having with Spring and Hibernate with it, which are my problems and not Wicket’s), but I’m not sure I have the energy or desire to dig much deeper into it.  I’d really like to get some real work done, so Wicket may lose out to practicality.  Time will tell.

South Dakota’s swinging for the fence

South Dakota’s swinging for the fence

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Anybody that follows abortion laws even loosely will know by now that South Dakota has passed into a law a bill that will outlaw all abortions except those done to save the life of the mother.  Christianity Today has a pretty good article describing many groups’ disappointment with the bill.  Even President Bush differs with the bill.  The differences seem to coalesce around two things:  strategy and scope.

Those that take issue with the strategy of the bill (which is explicitly and openly aimed at generating a court challenge to Roe) prefer an incremental approach.  They feel that it would be better to continue slowly chipping away at abortion “rights.”  They have a point:  if the legal challenge to this bill prevails, at best we’ll have another pro-abortion precedent but no clear victory (i.e., the Supreme Court refuses to hear the case), or, worst case, a punch-in-the-face loss (i.e., the SCOTUS firmly strikes down the law and upholds Roe).  That certainly is a legitimate fear, and I do hope that we’re not disappointed in this regard.  However, i think State Rep. Roger Hunt is correct in saying, “After a while you can only chip away so much.”  At some point we have to stop passing laws that say, in the words of my friend Brian, “if you do this, this, and this, then you can kill your baby.”  So, while I am a bit nervous, I think this is the way to go.

The second source of unease for some is the scope of the bill:  abortions will only be allowed to save the life of the mother.  There are many in the pro-life camp, including President Bush, who feel that there should be exceptions made for rape and incest.  I could not disagree more.  While I think rape is a horrible, horrible thing, I think it is just as monstrous to kill any child resulting from abortion just because it was conceived in such an ugly manner.  What that boils down to, basically, is capital punishment for the other victim of rape.  (As an aside, I think I’d be pretty comfortable with capital punishment for the rapist.)  Of course, those that oppose any restrictions in this particular scenario will point out issues with adoption, etc., and, while those are valid concerns that need to be addressed, I fail to see how that justifies killing an innocent human being.

Overall, I’m pretty happy that South Dakota passed this bill and that several other states are considering similar measures.  In the end, black-robed tyrants may disappoint us and uphold murder, but that’s the risk we have to run.  The time for bunting is past.  It’s time we step up to plate, boldy call our shot and swing for the fence, and South Dakota is leading the way.

Best Friends

Best Friends

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Tonight, we were getting Andrew ready for bed.  Angela was working with Andrew who was more interested in doing something other than getting ready for bed.  Knowing that it is effective to give a young child a choice between two or three options, she asked him, “Do you want Mother to help you, or do you want Daddy to help you?”  Pushing past her, he said, “Daddy.  He’s my best friend!”  That sure will make you melt to hear your son say that. 🙂

Brace Yourself!

Brace Yourself!

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Today, I went to the orthodontist to have more stuff put in my mouth.  He bonded my “upper 3 to 3” which means he put brackets on my upper teeth from canine to canine.  He then took a “zip strip” and wound it in a figure eight pattern around/between the brackets on my front teeth.  This string will pull my teeth back together and fill in the gap that this past month of palatal expansion has created.  It’s pretty amazing stuff.

When I got home, Angela wanted to see what they did, meaning, of course, Andrew wanted to see to, so I picked him up so that he could get a good look.  After a little bit of looking and pointing, Andrew proclaims, “That wooks weawwy odd!”  Floored us. 😛