Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 315
July 23, 2014
Contradictory court rulings on Obamacare subsidies
One federal appeals court threw out the Obamacare subsidies, but hours later, another federal appeals court upheld them! The Affordable Care Act promises government subsidies for qualified applicants who sign up with insurance exchanges set up by “states.” It says nothing about subsidies for those who sign up with insurance exchanges set up by the [Read More...]
Accounting for the “pause” in global warming
Scientists admit that there has been no global warming between 1998 and 2013, even though the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has continued to increase. A new study claims to account for this so-called “pause” in global warming. It turns out, there are “natural fluctuations” in the climate. Who knew? The scientists claim [Read More...]
July 22, 2014
Six things not to say at a funeral
Chad Bird lists six things that he does NOT want said at his funeral. From Chad Bird, Please Don’t Say These Six Things at My Funeral |: 1. He was a good man. Don’t turn my funeral into a celebration of my moral resume. For one thing, I don’t have one. I’m guilty of far [Read More...]
Marked with an “N” for “Nazarene”
Some are saying a “Christian holocaust” may be on the verge of breaking out in Iraq. Reportedly, the Islamic State/ISIS is painting an “N”–for “Nazarene”–on the homes of the Christians remaining in Mosul to mark them for whatever is going to come next. Douglas Farrow is going to paint an “N” over his door in [Read More...]
Religious liberty vs. LGBT Discrimination
Gordon College, a respected Christian institution, is under fire for asking for a religious exemption from the president’s executive order that no one doing business with the government may discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. The Hobby Lobby decision allowing a religious exemption for Obamacare contraception coverage explicitly said that the ruling did not [Read More...]
July 21, 2014
Effects of churches that teach vocation?
A Baylor study has found that people who attend churches that teach God’s presence in the workplace and the like have better job satisfaction, higher commitment to their work, and a stronger entrepreneurial spirit. But is this really what the doctrine of vocation is all about? From Want to Love Your Job? Church Can Help, [Read More...]
What percentage of Americans are gay?
According to the first large-scale study of the question, only 1.6% of American adults identified themselves as being gay or lesbian. Almost half as many, .7%, said they were bisexual. It had earlier been assumed that the percentage of homosexuals in the population was at least twice this number. From Health survey gives government its [Read More...]
Evidence about the Malaysia Airlines shoot-down
As Vladimir Putin blames Ukraine for shooting down the Malaysian Airliner and conspiracy theorists blame the Illuminati (all those “7s”: A Boeing 777, flight MH-17, on 7/17), the evidence is building that ethnic Russian amateurs were playing with the toys that Moscow had sent to them to disrupt the Ukrainian government. Also, the Russian separatists [Read More...]
Islamic State’s ultimatum for Christians
The Islamic State–formerly known as the ISIS insurgents in Iraq–gave Christians in Mosul an ultimatum. Any who had not left by Saturday would have to either convert to Islam, submit to the dhimmi contract (the tax and set of restrictions on non-Muslims according to Islamic law), or be killed. From Convert, pay tax, or die, [Read More...]
July 18, 2014
Putting “ethical governors” on killer robots
Drone warfare makes some people squirm for the ethical issues it raises, but right now drones are still controlled by human beings. The upcoming technology, though, would make them autonomous, allowing them to make their own “decisions” about whether or not to kill. To meet the moral objections in giving machines the option to kill [Read More...]
