Surely couldn’t have said it better myself.

By Orson Scott Card

October 5, 2008

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?

An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:

I remember reading All the President’s Men and thinking: That’s journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.
…
This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.

If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe –and vote as if — President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.

If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats — including Barack Obama — and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans — then you are not journalists by any standard.

You’re just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it’s time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a daily newspaper in our city.

Read the whole article

Interestingly came across this article today & had to share it. For each of the last 14 years or so, we’ve heard that healthcare is the issue of greatest concern to the American electorate. “Healthcare” is a sector of the economy, or a profession, but is not sufficiently specific to be an issue.

First, let’s dispense with the ridiculous notion that anyone in America does not have access to treatment. We can probably agree that calling 911 for an ambulance as taxi to the inner-city emergency room for a cough is not a very efficient method of accessing health services. “Free” preventative care won’t eliminate such nonsense, it occurs now precisely because it is perceived to be free. Access in America is rarely, if ever, denied.

Failure to diagnose the real issue sure would seem to present a problem with finding a solution…unless your job is to be a government hack that “solves” anything/everything. Personally I think the problem most Americans want to be addressed in this area is that of the seemingly excessive cost. If indeed we citizens are offended by the cost of “healthcare”, what could possibly incline anyone to believe government can make it less costly? When has that ever happened?

I would submit that there is no specific issue to which government intervention, control, mandate, etc. can be seriously argued to bring about improvement. That’s precisely why we don’t hear the specifics, instead we get broad labels of “unfair” or “broken”. Fairness is something that is much more often & effectively achieved by markets than mandates. This is inarguable, the only thing a central power can do fairly is oppress & destroy. Sounds harsh, but what does imposing the lowest common denominator accomplish? Government “levels the field” by bulldozing whatever has risen above the mean. Climbing out of the abyss of average is best done with government out of the way, and it’s never achieved “fairly” because the only fairness is in opportunity, not outcome.

So what are we to make of the “broken” label? This is the point on which I defer to the afforementioned article “Health Care Broken? Who Broke It?”

More generally, we all need to ask why politicians assert that American health care is broken, and what agenda does it serve. We should ask, if health care is broken, who broke it, and how did they break it?

Enjoy, CR

It’s probably fair to say we’ve been inundated with “news” and “information” relating to the current economic situation, and the proposed “bailout/rescue”. My problem with with this deluge is that it has not been very informative as to the causes, possible actions, or the action undertaken as a remedy. To be informed these days, you really have to try to dig and research the issues yourself; it’s not enough to watch, listen and read the traditional sources.

This is not another attempt to address the issue of why or who’s to blame for this morphing of our traditional sources of news and information to what they’ve become. It is what it is, and it’s increasingly obvious. The result is that we must be responsible for informing ourselves in this age. “By the people, for the people” fails when the people’s money can be used to manipulate the people’s will. Thus, my purpose in writing is to inform, not blame. Read the rest of this entry »

If I’ve had the chance to talk with you for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me say that one of the most impactful sermons we’ve heard over the years centers on biblical decision making. Why? Simply because the breaking of fellowship among believers is perhaps one of the most painful experiences to us humanly, and I believe grieving to God. Yet, due to our human nature, conflict abounds within all our relationships as commonly as anything we know. How then to deal with conflicts that are sure to arise & not sacrifice the fellowship we are called to be in? Let’s start with humility, respect and understanding of what’s really important and what isn’t.

The decision grid and most of what follows is from Pastor Chris Robinson of Grace Bible Church in Marshall, VA. He gave this message at least two if not three times between 1996 & 2004, with the effect that the unity we experienced at GBC we took for granted as commonplace in Christian fellowship. As time went on however we came to realize that unity, humility & respect is not as common as we thought & perhaps an intentional, thoughtful reasoning process was missing. Indeed, as a culture I’ve come to believe the process of reasoning & debate is largely lost to the immediacy of emotional appeal & soundbites.

When asked to give the message to our fellowship on 6/29/08 this was the most pressing topic on my heart. You can listen to the message here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, the task of posting news or pictures to our site has been ignored for several months. Not because it serves no purpose (I hope), but rather because of all the unexpected turns life has taken since November 2007.

It’s probably not worth documenting in detail, but we at least owe a brief explanation. It was at the end of November that we were sure the business opportunity I was pursuing in the Rochester, MN market was not a good fit for our family. It took a bit of wind out of our sails to abandon that path, but the Lord is true to His ways and soon revealed a better opportunity that allows us to not only stay in the Winona area, but build a business centered here while still serving a broader area of MN and WI. We are so thankful that this opportunity came along, and are continually amazed at how it is so much of a better fit for what I am called to do. See the newly launched ChrisRengert.com to learn more!

Then, just after getting going in that endeavor we found out we still owned the house we thought was sold last summer. Due to some very unfortunate circumstances the buyer was unable to obtain the planned financing & had to default on the purchase. That turn of events got us to thinking strategically about the new business & where we intend to be in the next several years. Instead of putting the house back on the market or renting it, we felt that it would be financially prudent to move back into it…and stay put for a while! It also serves the business plan with a nice office to which clients are welcomed.

There’s plenty more news to come, but for now we are settling in once again in Gilmore Valley and quite busy with all that entails. We really enjoyed the two years we spent on the farm, are thankful for it and miss several things about it, but are blessed and very happy to be making this our home again.

So often lost in our culture’s current dialog is the real reason for Thanksgiving. Let’s not forsake our roots, our true source of freedom.

Founders Give Thanks

Following the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress recognized the need to give thanks for delivering the country from war and into independence. Congress issued a proclamation on October 11, 1782:

By the United States in Congress assembled.

PROCLAMATION.

IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:—– Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.

Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleveth day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh.

JOHN HANSON, President.

Charles Thomson, Secretary.

Ben Stein’s recent post on Yahoo Finance hits the mark…IMHO!

Yes, America’s oil companies, besieged by foreign dictators, attacked endlessly in the media, mocked and belittled in the academic world, are vital to the survival of this country. Just try to imagine America without oil — we’d be embroiled in “Mad Max”-style chaos within a week. We would be living in complete anarchy.

Instead, we have a rich, advanced nation where the whole society and its progress float on liberally supplied, bargain-priced petroleum. And, like surly teenagers who hate their parents because they’re totally dependent on them, we respond by hating the oil companies.

This is a sure way to commit national suicide. The oil companies aren’t run by rich conspirators out of some Oliver Stone movie. They’re not monopolists illegally fixing prices the way Rockefeller did more than a century ago. They’re owned by people like us, employing people like us, saving the rear ends of people like us.

I think it’s summed up best in the next paragraph:

If they’re making a legal product that we can’t live without in a legal way and selling it at a legal price, let’s lay the heck off of them and let them do their jobs. If you think the oil companies make too much money for their stockholders, then buy their stock for your retirement.

Saturday night through Sunday morning August 18th & 19th, our area of SE MN suffered a significant disaster. We measured over 12-inches of rain here on the farm in Witoka! This picture of the road washed out is just down the hill from us.

Here’s a video report of the scene from wcco.com. This clip has Grandma Aldinger being interviewed about the neighbor couple that died driving into the chasm Sunday morning.

This video report has Grandpa Aldinger.

We are very thankful to be safe up here on the top of the ridge. Many of the valley areas around us have been devastated.

wcco.com has posted a slideshow of damage in the surrounding area.

Go to this page for the gallery/slideshow.

A visit from Grandpa Rengert is becoming one of our summer rites, as he likes to stop in for a few days before hitting the Oshkosh air show. This year he brought Uncle Ron with him too, and we had a great visit. For the last two years, Papa and the boys have also met Grandpa Rengert in Brodhead, WI for the antique fly-in in September.

One of the things that always makes me smile in wonderment is when I hear Allan (Coleen’s dad) or Roger (Coleen’s brother) encounter something in the day-to-day operation of the farm & say:

“I’ve never seen that before!”

Well neither of them have ever seen the corn grow this high. I guess we got enough rain at just the right stages - Praise the Lord! As I’ve driven through the area I have seen a lot of stressed and even brown withered corn, so clearly the results are more localized than regional. There is pretty heavy soil up here, which tends to retain the moisture pretty well. About the time of this picture the corn was measured at 11 feet, 8 inches. Wow!