Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.
- Sir Winston Churchill

So, I wasn't planning on putting anything together until after the New Year, but I couldn't resist. In my last post, I gave the ACLU credit for actually protecting the rights of a Christian. A reader from Oregon commented that the ACLU is "still a good foundation, but other times, I wonder just what they're thinking." I don't exactly agree with his assessment, but I'm somewhat biased, perhaps, by the fact that I hold different political and religious views than the ACLU. Then I found the article linked to above. Perhaps Mr. Reese Lloyd could give us his opinion.

This links to a blog that covers an interview of Mr. Lloyd, a former lawyer for the ACLU. You may be interested to hear his opinion of what the ACLU has become (as in whether it is still a good foundation or not), what their stated and unstated goals are, and what they mean to us as Americans..

Here's one quote from Mr. Lloyd to give you an idea of what he has to say:

The ACLU is an elitist organization bent on the social engineering of our Country in defiance of both the legislative and executive branches. What they are involved in is secular cleansing of American History.

Hmmm. And I thought they were just trying to protect my rights.

Read the full text of the article to find out what else Mr. Lloyd has to say about his former employer.

The Wittmann Family Christmas Letter, v. 1.1

So, anyway, Merry Christmas! I probably won't post anything new until next year, unless the ACLU or Ted Kennedy do something really stupid and I can't wait until 2006 to vent about. Speaking of our good friends over at the ACLU, I almost fell out of my chair the other day when I read that they stuck up for a second-grader's right to sing "Awesome God" in a talent show (read their press release here) at her school. That's the first time I can recall the ACLU standing up for "free speech" that also happened to be "Christian speech." Good for them. I can only hope it's a turning point for the organization, and that they will make a habit of protecting the religious rights of all Americans, including Christians. I'm not holding my breath, however, as I'm fairly certain the 10 commandments displayed down in Town Square and "In God We Trust" on the dollar bill in my pocket are still in the crosshairs. But, giving them credit for getting one case right seemed like the right thing to do. Fair and balanced, you know.

One final little side note: while shopping at Target today (don't tell Amanda), the clerk wished me a Merry Christmas as she took my money. So much for the war on Christmas, huh?

This is an interesting article from the Lincoln Journal Star that compares how former players feel about the current direction of Nebraska's football program. I was glad to read that Broderick Thomas hasn't changed a bit.

Here's where I stand: I remain optomistic about the future of the program, as I have since Callahan came on board, and I think that we will begin to see the fruits of the new "administration" over the next two seasons. The program was gravitating toward mediocrity, as Pederson put it, and a change was necessary. I'd rather have 5-6 with the possibility of a Big XII championship in 5 years or less than 9-3 and guaranteed losses to Texas, Oklahoma, and (what used to be) K State every year. As Bob Devany put it, "the most important thing a coach can do is recruit well." I guess that would mean the biggest flaw a coach could have is not recruiting well, which is the most basic and accurate description of Frank Solich's tenure as head coach. It was time to cut our losses with Frank, and transition takes time and can be brutally painful. But, I think we would have suffered more and more under Solich, only delaying the pains of transition, not eliminating them.

I know some will disagree with my optimism (Waite… Dittman… Micah Heibel…). That's fine. Use the comments section to let me know if you agree or not, and why.

Go Big Red!

This links to an article that gives a pretty good summary of two major views of regeneration, synergism and monergism. It's an interesting read, and it might be helpful for anyone trying to understand the relationship between God's role and man's role in regeneration. The article does have a bias to it (you can probably figure that out on your own), but it is one of the most "fair" portrayals of both sides that I have found so far.

For extra credit, read this excerpt from one of C.H. Spurgeon's sermons to see where he stood on the issue.

You may not care what Spurgeon had to say about this, but you should probably develop a position of your own if you haven't already. Sadly, I think most people who warm pews in most churches don't know what the Bible says about this issue and probably don't think it matters much. In my opinion, this question and the "What does the sovereignty of God mean?" question are among the most important ones a person should attempt to answer as he grows in his theology. They get to the very nature of who God is and what his role in his universe is. I'll leave well enough alone now and be glad if anyone reads the articles I've linked to. Of course, I will probably take this issue on before too very long myself.

Happy reading!

Then, today I found this article, and this one as well, about the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, one of the founders of the Crips. He was found guilty of murdering four people in 1979. During his trial he referred to one of his victims, saying, "You should have heard the way he sounded when I shot him." Williams then proceeded to laugh about it for around 5 or 6 minutes. Williams maintains his innocence, which also has prohibited him from apologizing for it or showing any remorse for what he did.

The stepmother of one of his victims thought that his execution was "a just punishment long overdue." However, many thought that his execution was unjust, including Jesse Jackson, a throng of Hollywood celebrities, and death penalty opponents. Their opinions were based on the changes in the way Williams lived his life since his imprisonment.

Williams has spent much of the last 24 years working to end gang violence. He wrote a children's book series, Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence, has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature and peace, and was the subject of a movie starring Jamie Foxx, aptly named "Redemption."

Should Williams have been executed? The Governator had the final say, denying Williams' request for clemency. In his decision, Schwarzenegger wrote, "Is Williams' redemption complete and sincere, or is it just a hollow promise?" Again, this idea of redemption comes up.
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