"A committee can make a decision that is dumber than any of its members." - David Coblitz

NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg has decreed - and that's the appropriate word here - that there will be no prayers at the memorial service to be held on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks next month. He says his reason is to avoid any religious partisanship and the hostilities it would bring, but that's clearly bogus. There are far too many examples of ecumenism in all areas of public and political life in NYC for that to ring true. Mayor Bloomberg has an agenda: the secularization of that public ceremony or, one may say, the purging of any hint of religious faith. It's hard not to see this action, which has raised the eyebrows of almost everyone, including the NY Times, as connected with his recent actions re. gay marriage. It's also another illustration of the vast divide between the two coasts and the center of our country. Can you imagine a mayor of any city in between NY and CA doing this?

Triple-teens through next Tuesday. Ugh.

Several people at Pathway are at critical junctures right now and/or under particular stress because of life circumstances. I sure wish I, we could do something more than pray - a statement that betrays bad theology but a pastor's heart. You understand, right?

I made a run down to the VW boneyard in south Phoenix and got some used parts. Scary section of town and an interesting character who owns the place, but a great source of parts much cheaper than buying reproductions new online. As a result of that run I now have the rear drums on the axle and torqued down to 185 ft. lbs. I also got most of the parts I need to convert Ilsa from her factory 6v system to the 12v they introduced in '67. It means swapping out the generator and it's stand, the blower assembly, the voltage regulator, all the bulbs, the wiper motor, the flasher unit, some of the wiring and some other misc. pieces. But the benefits are worth it. Those 6v batteries are hard to find and expensive, the 6v headlights are dim and the wipers anemic. This 6v to 12v switch is so common that it doesn't affect the value of the vehicle like most departures from straight stock would. And I'll save all the original parts if the next owner wants, for some silly reason, to put it back.

IMHO, FWIW, MPVO*, and AORD**
We're quickly nearing the point where I will prepare to write off 2012 and hope for better options in 2016 (should the Lord tarry). (And if he doesn't, I have nothing to worry about.) (They'll have much bigger problems than who's President.) Unless an appropriate candidate jumps into the Republican race soon I don't see any reason for optimism.

Politico observed that the Republicans haven't yet fielded a candidate who is thoughtful and intellectually sophisticated. I disagree.
I concur re. Bachmann and Perry. Bachmann has the formal education that should put her in that category (law degree) but she makes silly statements too often. All of us who ply our trade in large measure through public speaking commit gaffes. Promising $2 a gallon gasoline is way beyond the gaffe and is just the latest example. Most candidates would have hired handlers to keep them away from that kind of foolish talk, so what does it say that she continues to make those blunders? The Democrats will tear her apart for that kind of thing.
Gov. Rick Perry compares the Fed chairman to a traitor and talks about treating him "ugly" if he were in Texas. (Am I the only one who thinks Ned Beatty and hears banjos at that kind of statement?) He carries a gun when he goes jogging?? And the boasting about what he's done for Texas in the areas of job creation and education turn out to be questionable upon closer examination. Minimum wage jobs are not going to fix our economy. Again, the Democrats smell red meat when they imagine running against Perry.

I do think Mitt Romney is very, very smart. And slick. That is, he's smart enough to be a great politician and say whatever his audience at the time wants to hear. On pretty key issues like abortion and health care he's done a 180. How? Why? We've got enough politicians in Washington. No, we have more than enough. I don't know if Romney has mastered the complex issues of the economy, foreign policy, immigration reform and the like because he so rarely makes definitive statements about his views. Too clever by half.

Ron Paul? He's not a Republican. Despite his most recent party affiliations Ron Paul is still a libertarian and that involves positions on social issues I can't get behind.

Rep. Paul Ryan says he's not getting in. Gov. Christie hasn't shown any inclination to join the fray. And it's probably too late anyway.

I am so very thankful my citizenship is in heaven, my future secure and my present in the hands of a good and sovereign God. I enjoy politics as a diversion and have thoughts about what is and isn't good for our country. I vote. But I don't put my hope in any administration regardless of its party.
Whew!

*My Personal View Only
** All Other Relevant Disclaimers
And to end on a decidedly lighter note, I'm liking headstones in Mexico!