Sign that the Econony Is Not as Bad as We Think

Actress Scarlett Johansson had a cold when she appeared on the Tonight Show earlier this week. Jay Leno had her sneeze into a tissue, then he put the used tissue in a baggie, had her autograph the bag, then announced that the "prize" would be listed on E-bay, with the proceeds going to charity. As I write, the bid for Ms. Johansson's used tissue is more than $3,200.

I'd like to think that some wealthy people are simply using this as an excuse to make a donation to her designated charity. Otherwise, it really makes you wonder, doesn't it?

On my list of things I'd like Santa to bring, a pre-owned tissue is way down the list, no matter whose bodily fluids are decorating it. Perhaps this is just further proof that even in a bad economy, there are still numbers of people with more money than sense.

Firing MSNBC Anchor

If I suddenly found myself boss at MSNBC, the left-leaning cable news channel, I would probably clean house of all the on-air personalities.

I'd take great pleasure in giving the axe to the likes of Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. In my totally "unbiased" opinion, these fellows are disgraces to journalism. The world would be a better place if their faces never disgraced another television screen. Now, do you want me to tell you how I really feel?

However, I would find no pleasure in giving a pink slip to "Morning Joe" Scarborough. I have been an admirer of Joe's since 1994 when he first ran for Congress in the 1st Congressional District in Northwest Florida. Scarborough resigned his seat in the House of Representatives several years ago. Like a number of other rising young stars in the "Republican Revolution" of '94, he chose to get out of Congress and go for the big bucks available in other places. First, he associated himself with a high-powered West Florida law firm headed by noted litigator Fred Levin (the law school at the University of Florida is named for him). Scarborough's talent before the camera soon led him to host programs on MSNBC, first in the evening, then after the Don Imus fiasco, taking over the early morning slot.

As that network has trended further and further left in openly advocating candidates and positions, Scarborough has become MSNBC's version of Elizabeth Hasselbeck, the token conservative on ABC's daytime gabfest, The View. Ms. Hasselbeck ventures bravely into the lion's den Monday-Friday mornings when she confronts Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, and seemingly a cast of thousands. Scarborough isn't quite as alone as Hasselbeck because he routinely staffs his show with some cohosts and guests who are either conservative or genuine moderates. However, Joe has been the most outspoken conservative voice on his network.

It's obvious I've continued to be a Scarborough fan as he moved from politics into television. Since I now live on the west coast where Morning Joe airs from 3-6 AM, I have a "season pass" on my TIVO to record his show every day. So why would I want to fire Joe?

Because one day last week, he showed that he has neither the self-control or respect for himself and his audience to control his tongue. On live television, he became so agitated that he dropped an "f-bomb." His network has instituted a seven-second delay to prevent such a thing happening in the future [article from New York Times ].

That's not good enough. This isn't radio shock jerks trying to shock and offend. A national news program (even on MSNBC) needs to have hosts who can live up to higher standards than Scarborough has exhibited. This kind of thing ought to be a ONE-strike-and-you're-out proposition. Sorry, Joe, you don't deserve a second chance.

I'm not the boss at MSNBC. But I can treat Scarborough just like I treat Olbermann and Matthews -- by not watching him. So I'm deleting my season pass to Morning Joe and I'm surely not going to get up at 3 AM to watch a potty mouth like Scarborough.

How a Bull-headed Doctor Saved the Newsman's Life

David Brinkley was one of the best known and most highly respected newsmen of the 20^th century. From NBC’s Huntley-Brinkley Report to ABC’s This Week With David Brinkley, he was a regular face on television news for nearly 50 years. However, if it had not been for bureaucratic stubbornness, Brinkley probably would not have been around to experience that successful career.

In the fall of 1940, Brinkley was set to start his studies in journalism at the University of North Carolina. The clouds of war were hanging heavily on the horizon, though. He was well-informed enough to understand that the United States would eventually get involved in the war already raging in Europe. Rather than wait to be drafted, Brinkley joined the army. America was not yet involved in the fighting, so he spent a dull year in the stateside army waiting for the inevitable. However, before his unit was sent overseas, army medics decided that Brinkley had a kidney ailment. He did not believe anything was wrong with his kidneys and he never had a problem afterwards. Nevertheless, the doctors insisted and sent through the paperwork for him to be medically discharged. Brinkley went back to his home town of Wilmington, NC and got a job as a reporter with the local newspaper.

His unit was part of the D-Day invasion at Normandy and continued to fight the Germans as they advanced into France. A few weeks later, a fleet of American bombers flew out of England to bomb German positions. Due to the weather, they were unable to drop their bombs on their targets. They had to unload the bombs anyway and it just happened that the place where the bombs fell was right on top of the 120^th Infantry’s Thirtieth Infantry Division – the unit with which Brinkley had served. 245 of 250 men in that group were killed by that tragic friendly fire mistake. The probability is high that David Brinkley would have been among the fatalities if the army medics had not insisted that he had a phantom kidney ailment.

Sometimes seemingly stupid and bullheaded notions thwart our ambitions and leave us frustrated. However, those apparently random detours to the courses we have planned for our lives can lead us to a far better place than where we would have originally ended up. Instead of filling a body bag in France, Brinkley went on to a distinguished and influential career. Who knows where our disappointments may lead us?

Christians naturally see the finger of God in many of these apparently chance events. Such divine intervention is impossible to prove, but we do know that God loves us and that He wants things to work out for good in our lives.

Presidential Mamas

If John McCain is elected as our 44th president, he presumably will continue a trend of having his mother alive on his Inauguration Day. Presidents Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43 all had living mothers when they first took office. George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton lost their mothers during their presidencies. We pray that former first lady Barbara Bush will survive long past the end of her son's presidency in January.

If Barack Obama is elected, the string will end. Senator Obama mentioned in the debate last night that his mother had died of cancer.

Debates

It is frustrating watching the Presidential Debates, isn't it? Each candidate has his talking points and certain lines of attack he is determined to follow. Charges are made, but not documented with evidence. Charges are denied, but not refuted with evidence. It becomes little more than, "he says/he says" and viewers have no way of know who is telling the truth.

Debates seem to encourage voters to make choices based on how glib the candidates are with quips or how polished they are as speakers. All things being equal, I'd prefer to have a good communicator in the Oval Office, but a polished public speaking style is hardly the number one qualification for an effective president.

A couple of off-the-cuff observations based on tonight's debate:

1) McCain seemed focused and direct talking about foreign policy, but fuzzy on other matters.

2) McCain's idea about the government bailing out all homeowners who have lost value in their homes because of the fall of housing prices is scary on several levels.

3) I really wish someone would teach Obama how to pronounce the name of Pakistan. If he's not from Boston, he ought not be saying "Pockistahn."

Foreign Policy Experience

A lot of attention is being given to the fact that presumptive GOP vice-presidential nominee lacks any foreign policy experience. I thought it might be useful to list recent presidents who lacked any significant foreign policy experience before being elected President:

George W. Bush (2001-2009)
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

In other words, four of the last five presidents were (or had been) state governors who never held federal office until their election as President.

This post is not an endorsement of Sarah Palin for I am not convinced that she is ready to be President. However, this is a call for honesty. Before Ms. Palin's opponents dismiss her as unqualified because she lacks foreign policy experience, they ought to explain how being governor of Georgia or governor of Arkansas qualifies one to be president, but being governor of Alaska does not. If they can't make the case with reason and logic that Governors Carter and Clinton were qualified to be President, but Governor Palin is not qualified to be Vice-President, then their complaints are nothing more than political hypocrisy.

Governor Palin's Daughter and Teen Pregnancy

Alaska governor and presumptive GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin released information on Labor Day that her 17-year old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. The young woman plans to marry the baby's father.

I don't expect this news to have much effect on the presidential campaign. Senator Obama responded quickly by stating that criticism of the Governor's family was off limits. He threatened to fire any of his staffers who were found to be spreading accusations against Palin's daughter. Obama's statement has not kept some partisan voices from heaping criticism on Governor Palin and her stand in favor of abstinence-only sex education. CNN, in particular, has been guilty of some low blows in their handling of this story. Former education secretary Bill Bennett was incensed at CNN reporting by a female staffer who admitted that she had gone to Alaska looking for dirt on Palin. If anything, vicious comments by far-left zealots might provoke a favorable backlash toward the Alaska governor's campaign.

On this one, I agree with Senator Obama. Bristol Palin needs to be accountable to the Lord for her actions, but she does not deserve to have her private life opened up to the prying eyes of the media. That is especially true when shameless partisans are eager to use those details for political advantage.

Leaving young Ms. Palin aside, this issue does raise important considerations about how Christians should deal with the unpleasant reality that a certain percentage of young people from even the most moral of families do have sex with pregnancy being the result. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind.

1. Getting pregnant is not a sin. The sin comes with having sex and the wrong committed is the same whether or not pregnancy results.

2. When pregnancy does occur, young women who choose life for their babies ought to be commended. Not commended for having sex, but commended for dealing responsibly and morally with the consequence of the sinful behavior.

3. The goal should always be restoration (to the extent it is possible). Teenagers who fornicate (to use the old-fashioned biblical word) cannot have their virginity restored to them. Many aspects of their lives inevitably change after teens become sexually active. When pregnancy ensues, the complications are multiplied. While clocks cannot be turned back, the souls of the young people can be rescued. Repentance and forgiveness are always possible and that should always be the goal of anyone who has an opportunity to influence the thinking of teens who have slipped from the moral standards they have been taught.

4. Marriage is not necessarily wise when teenagers conceive a child. "Shotgun" marriages should not take place because a couple of kids got caught misbehaving. Marriage is intended to be a lifelong commitment. Thus, those entering marriage need to be mature enough to make that kind of lifelong decision. All things being equal, it is better for a child to grow up in a family with mom and dad living together in harmony. However, when teenaged parents aren't ready to marry, it is better to let a child be born out of "wedlock" than to wed prematurely.