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	<title>Jack&#039;s Pipe</title>
	<link>http://www.jackspipe.com</link>
	<description>Pondering life in light of God&#039;s endless glory.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:39:19 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Man and person</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There is this commercial running almost non-stop during the Olympics entitled &#8220;The World&#8217;s Greatest Spokesperson&#8230; in the world.&#8221;  It&#8217;s supposed to be funny, but all I hear is that one word:  spokesperson.  
The great columnist, Joseph Sobran, noted how egalitarian usages like &#8220;person&#8221; instead of &#8220;man&#8221; destroy the simple vigor and beauty [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/02/28/man-and-person/</link>
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		<title>A crescendo</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Conservatives complain heartily about Barack Obama.  &#8220;Bush wasn&#8217;t the best, but this guy is spending us into oblivion.&#8221;  Obama believes, or so he says, that he has no other choice.
It&#8217;s necessary to see the larger picture before putting Obama on a special pedestal of infamy on the specific topic of government spending.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/02/13/a-crescendo/</link>
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		<title>Some thoughts on diet</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I am in the best shape of my life.  
I don&#8217;t diet.  I don&#8217;t count calories. When I&#8217;m hungry, I eat. When I&#8217;m full, I usually stop.  If my scale is to be believed, I currently have 11% body fat.  
I&#8217;ve written before about exercise. What follows are my theories on [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/02/06/some-thoughts-on-diet/</link>
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		<title>The age-old urge to &#8220;do something&#8221;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently I heard an author on a talk show.  The author correctly explained in great detail why the economy was in its current situation. He even implicated the Fed. Then the host asked what to do.  The author proceeded to explain that the government needs to spend a trillion dollars (!) rebuilding our [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/02/02/the-age-old-urge-to-do-something/</link>
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		<title>Highlights of last night&#8217;s skit</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I caught parts of the State of the Union (SOTU) last night.  That&#8217;s better than I did the past 10 years.  SOTU speeches are basically lists of proposed handouts delivered in a torrent of high-toned cliches (&#8220;We must answer history&#8217;s call&#8221;), accompanied by the Swiftian spectacle of Congresspersons (ahem) ostentatiously barking their approval [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/01/29/highlights-of-last-nights-skit/</link>
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		<title>Rock-solid Christians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Blind Side offers a kind of liberal Hollywood version of conservative values: all rock-solid valor, all the time.  -Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

I haven&#8217;t seen the movie, but that&#8217;s a very perceptive comment. 
We often see Hollywood portraying Christians as perverted hypocrites. When someone proclaims (i.e. repeats, based on the plain meaning of Scriptures) [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/01/24/rock-solid-christians/</link>
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		<title>Doubting our civil religion</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There are those who still think they are holding the pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are gazing in the wrong direction. The revolution is behind them. It went by in the Night of Depression, singing songs to freedom.  -Garet Garrett, 1954
I was at a children&#8217;s function [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/01/20/doubting-our-civil-religion/</link>
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		<title>The Shack</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m out of the loop with popular culture, but apparently a book called The Shack is very popular.  There are many articles and podcasts dissecting its errors.  For example, here and here.  
I first heard of The Shack when family members mentioned that it discusses the Trinity. Just a tip:  When [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2010/01/12/the-shack/</link>
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		<title>Those who really matter</title>
		<description><![CDATA[And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. -Luke 2:8
&#8220;How They See It: People Who Matter on What Matters [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/12/24/those-who-really-matter/</link>
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		<title>A right vs. a good</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Is anyone else tired of hearing that we have a &#8220;right&#8221; to health care?  Judge Andrew Napolitano explains the difference between a right and a good. 
Health care is a good.  This is a key concept to understand, because if you concede the premise of a &#8220;right&#8221; to health care or education or [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/12/20/a-right-vs-a-good/</link>
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		<title>Warring against limited government</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Conservatives would love to scrap the income tax.  Question: How do you do this and still support all the wars and defense?  
Look at the math. The government is slated to take in about $2 trillion in tax revenue this year. Around $866 billion of that is from the income tax, while another [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/12/12/warring-against-limited-government/</link>
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		<title>Thinking about Tiger</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s pretty clear that Tiger Woods, like Bill Clinton, has a frightful habit.  This man with a carefully cultivated image has been embarrassed nationally.  Assuming he possesses more self-awareness and less shamelessness than Clinton (which describes 99% of the population), what is Tiger Woods going to do now?  He knows that any [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/12/09/thinking-about-tiger/</link>
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		<title>The decline of secular Christmas music</title>
		<description><![CDATA[My wife tells me that most of the music played on the radio stations doing 24/7 Christmas music is pretty insufferable.  Bad jazzy renditions.  Edgy nonsense. Sheryl Crow.
There&#8217;s a reason for this.
Consider this list of of classics that I compiled as they came to mind. The year of the (arguably) definitive recording is [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/11/28/the-downfall-of-secular-christmas-music/</link>
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		<title>Speaking of Peter Schiff&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
This is my favorite snippet of his.  It&#8217;s the funniest way you can spend three minutes learning how politicians think.  Republican ones, too.  
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		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/11/23/speaking-of-peter-schiff/</link>
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		<title>Preparing for the health care debacle</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
That&#8217;s Peter Schiff on how the health care bill will destroy the private insurance market.  The proposed bill doesn&#8217;t take effect until after 2012, conveniently bypassing the next presidential election.  In 2016, when the scope of the disaster is dawning on people, they probably won&#8217;t tie it back to the 2009 bill.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/11/20/preparing-for-the-health-care-debacle/</link>
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		<title>The ER problem</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s an odd thing to sit and watch the country you grew up in being dismantled piece by piece. Some of this, like the end of the U.S. empire that grew up after the World Wars, is likely a good thing for America. However, the reason that the empire will end&#8211; massive debt&#8211; is not. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/11/11/the-er-problem/</link>
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		<title>The bad steward</title>
		<description><![CDATA[But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business&#8230;  1 Thess 4:10-11
Those who are busy-bodies, meddling in other men’s matters, generally have but little quiet in their own minds and cause great disturbances among their neighbours.  -Matthew [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/10/30/the-bad-steward/</link>
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		<title>Animal rights and the binding of weak consciences</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  -1 Cor 10:25
In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis talked of us peopling the earth with nymphs and elves to express a desire to be united with the beauty we see.  Today, we people our animals. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/10/19/animal-rights-and-the-binding-of-weak-consciences/</link>
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		<title>The meaning of &#8220;collapse&#8221; and &#8220;tsunami&#8221;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As my wife will tell you, one of my favorite statements now is:  &#8220;Nothing will change until the collapse.&#8221;  In other words, the irresponsible spending will continue until the government cannot do it any more. The voters are deluded and/or economically ignorant, and won&#8217;t believe that the merry-go-round is going to stop until [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/10/15/the-meaning-of-collapse-and-tsunami/</link>
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		<title>The church will never perish</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Two stories hit recently:  the coming end of don&#8217;t ask, don&#8217;t tell and the extension of &#8220;hate crimes&#8221; protection to homosexuals.  Expect the latter to be used eventually against a recalcitrant (i.e. faithful) church.  
This came to mind again while reading a recent Baylyblog post on Derek Webb. I&#8217;ve never cared for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/10/14/the-church-will-never-perish/</link>
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		<title>Obama&#8217;s prefabricated henhouse</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m not a fan of George Will, but he has hit on what seems to be Barack Obama&#8217;s defining trait:  arrogance.  
Will also hits on the tiresome political-speak, a feature of every presidency of my lifetime.  It&#8217;s a reminder of what Orwell said in Politics and the English Language:
[Political p]rose consists less [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/10/06/obamas-prefabricated-henhouse/</link>
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		<title>Capitalism means freedom</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Michael Moore has been on various shows flogging his new movie.  He criticizes capitalism as &#8220;evil.&#8221;  However, when he describes &#8220;capitalism,&#8221; it turns out that he&#8217;s really criticizing fascism. 
The health care and banking systems are examples of economic fascism, which is the whorish entanglement of government and big business (with government playing [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/10/01/capitalism-and-freedom-are-the-same-thing/</link>
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		<title>The other side of the &#8220;choice&#8221; coin</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This article hits it on the head.   Hollywood always treats abortion with plenty of dishonesty and euphemism. Usually the woman is raped or abused, or at worst she&#8217;s a teen who commits a youthful &#8220;indiscretion.&#8221;   She earnestly ponders her situation, glad she has a choice.  In the end she heroically [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/09/25/the-other-side-of-the-choice-coin/</link>
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		<title>Influence people now for the post-tsunami world</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Government is good at one thing: It knows how to break your legs, hand you a crutch, and say, &#8220;See, if it weren&#8217;t for the government, you wouldn&#8217;t be able to walk.&#8221;  -Harry Browne
There was a town hall event a few weeks ago where it transpired that one of the people who was there [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/09/24/what-hope-is-there-for-freedom/</link>
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		<title>A Republican landslide won&#8217;t mean much</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Conservative talk radio is already abuzz about the 2010 mid-term elections. The hope is that Barack Obama is self-destructing, and a massive wave of discontent will lead to a great victory for the Republicans.  Hopes are often dashed, but let&#8217;s assume the Republicans do sweep into Congress in 2010.  Then what?  
Here&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.jackspipe.com/2009/09/18/a-republican-landslide-wont-mean-much/</link>
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