I leave with you with a well-put-together tribute to our troops from a USAF officer, and a message from one of the few spokesmen for freedom in Washington… Ron Paul.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

HOUSE #1

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern “snow belt,” either. It’s in the South.

HOUSE #2

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every “green” feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE #1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE #2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as “the Texas White House,” it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

So whose house is gentler on the environment? Yet another story you WON’T hear on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC or read about in the New York Times or the Washington Post. Indeed, for Mr. Gore, it’s truly “an inconvenient truth.”

Hit Snopes for more details.

Kan. abortion doc killed in church; suspect held

Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation’s few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.

[full article]

A Kansas abortion doctor was terminated in his church yesterday by a very-late-term gunman. I am saddened when a gunman chooses to permanently remove a church’s usher, and I would like us to work together to give gunmen everywhere more options. We all want to minimize the despair that befalls churches who can’t find good usher replacements.

Notice the callousness of the language of the left? Those same folks are crazy-spun about this shooting in Kansas… yet blindly look away when the shootee cuts babies into pieces, or dries them alive from the inside out with salt, or some other method that renders water-boarding a truly zen-spa massage experience (and a non-lethal one at that). So whatever, I guess… up is down… in is out… liberal logic, ho hum.

So, can’t we say – using the logic of the left – that the gunman was just executing his freedom of choice? Maybe he wanted to rock the vote? Okay, so he decided not to choose life for the usher… but he may choose life for the next usher, right? Isn’t choice beautiful?

The family said its loss “is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence.”

Might I humbly suggest that when women are cut into pieces after steel is punctured into their brain intentionally this doesn’t qualify as providing these unborn women “high-quality health care”.

Do we prosecute the gunman? Yes… and whatever punishment he gets we should then visit upon every abortion doctor on the planet, multiplied by the number of abortion-murders they’ve perpetrated, and multiplied again by the ratio of the innocence of the victims (i.e. the innocence of a baby versus the “innocence” of a mass-murderer… which I’d guess is around 15 trillion to one… without original sin it’d probably be infinite).

And, holy smokes, what the heck are they preaching at Wichita’s Reformation Lutheran Church where killing little babies is okay? What is this… First Church of Satan?

If anyone wants to lose their lunch Google “late term abortions”. You just may become a gunman, too… j/k … n/r …

A message from Steve Hayford of APAC New York:

As many of you may have heard, Kansas abortionist George Tiller was murdered yesterday while he attended a Lutheran church service.

Tiller was known for practicing late-term abortions–including partial-birth abortions–and was unsuccessfully prosecuted for violating state law in the conduct of his abortion practice. Tiller performed abortions since the early 1970’s. Tiller was a major supporter of the political campaigns of former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who now serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Obama. At the time of his death, Tiller was under investigation for medical ethics violations in connection with his abortion clinic.

APAC condemns the murder of George Tiller and expresses sincere condolences to his family. APAC also calls for Tiller’s murderer to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Further, APAC reminds Christians and other members of the pro-life community that we must never violate our Biblical convictions regarding the sanctity of life; we are not to fight evil with evil or take the law into our own hands. “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

However, APAC takes issue with the laudatory statement made yesterday by Governor David Paterson regarding George Tiller’s murder. The governor’s statement makes it appear that Tiller was an American hero. Governor Paterson’s statement praises Tiller for his alleged “fearlessness, compassion and commitment,” for allegedly protecting women’s rights, and for allegedly seeking “to ensure that his patients were provided with the medical, emotional and spiritual counsel they needed to make the right choice for themselves and their families.” The governor added, “With his murder, we are robbed…of a dedicated and courageous physician.” In reality, George Tiller took the lives of countless numbers of precious unborn children, and his actions in life demonstrated no compassion at all for these most vulnerable members of our society. Condemning the murder of George Tiller does not require our governor to pretend that Tiller was an honorable man, or that his work as a late-term abortionist was somehow praiseworthy.

While the murder of George Tiller is a morally repugnant act, Governor Paterson’s faulty moral compass is deeply troubling. It is also deeply troubling that certain organizations and members of the media are seizing on Tiller’s murder to foster a public perception that one person’s lawless act reflects on all pro-life people and organizations. These false and misleading portrayals of the pro-life movement say more about those who perpetrate them than they do about the pro-life movement itself.

http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/press_0531092.html

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/46584252.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tiller

Here’s a quick news short of an American soldier who’s telling a story with his he camera, and speaks of losing six fellow soldiers:

This is a particularly salient point in the capital of New York State. We recently ranked last (dead last… severely bottom-feeding last… at the extreme arse end of the scale last) on the Mercatus Center at George Mason University’s Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom. It’s crazy to me that moving to a state like California would be a big, big improvement.

Well it’s no surprise to any New Yorkers that we’re in the pits. This state loves to spend, spend, spend… tax, tax, tax. No responsibility. No long-term vision. We reinforce the entitlement mentality of an ever-growing pustule of dependent special interests.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if there were government agents in the crowd paying attention to who was there… what with Janet Napolitano releasing a report on “right-wing extremism” naming various traits to watch for in citizens such as:

• Opposes abortion
• Opposes restrictions on firearms
• Opposes lax immigration
• Opposes the policies of President Obama regarding immigration, citizenship, and the expansion of social programs
• Opposes same-sex marriage
• Opposes one world government

I guarantee you this tea party was ripe with honest, hard-working, God-fearing, conservative, patriotic folks who would associate with most of the traits listed above – myself included. I guess according the Janet (who later had to tuck her mangy tail between her legs) anyone with traditional values is a potential threat. Hey Janet… come and get me!

Some cell pics of the event:

And as always you can see all my tax day photos in my gallery here: http://stevemooradian.com/gallery

He tends to shy away from politics, but he voiced his discomfort with this video and what it means for Christ-followers. Let me share with you the same thoughts I shared with him (edited slightly for clarity):

As Christ-followers we are called to be engaged in our culture, and that includes politics. It’s messy out in our culture, but engagement is part of following Christ’s example so it’s really not up for debate. Christ called us to love, help, and protect the “least of these”… and none are more “least” than the unborn – innocent, fragile, voiceless. To stay away from politics… to avoid helping stop (with a pro-life vote at the ballot box) the brutal slicing of unborn babies into pieces is the same as walking past the beaten man in Luke 10:25-37.

You will hear some neo-Christians (even in our church!?) who try to muddle the notion of civic political involvement and dissuade others from paying attention and getting involved. Don’t listen… it’s a lie from the devil.

There are wolves in sheeps’ clothing out there, my friend. Be on your guard. Be bold to speak truth. Be engaged in our WHOLE culture… not just the parts that look like American Idol.

theForgotten.org | Never-Again.com

From the Genocide Education Project:

Armenians around the world observe April 24 as the day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide. On this date in 1915, the Turkish government arrested close to 250 Armenian leaders in Constantinople. They were sent to prison and most were executed. Across Turkey, community leaders were rounded up and executed in the coming months as the remaining population (mainly women and children) were sent on death marches. By 1918, 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians had been murdered–half of the Ottoman Armenian population. The rest were summarily forced from their historic homeland.

This year, Peter Balakian, a premier scholar has translated his great uncle’s (Grigoris Balakian) memoir– “Armenian Golgotha.” Grigoris Balakian was one of the intellectuals imprisoned on April 24, 1915. He was a priest in the Armenian Church and important leader in the Armenian community. He was able to escape and endured years of adversity as he tried to stay alive during the first modern genocide. “Armenian Golgotha” brings us accounts from an eye witness that saw the brutalities inflicted on innocent Armenians across Anatolia. He records atrocities committed against the Armenians as well as his experiences with Turks and foreign workers who risked life and limb to keep him alive. At first glance it seems an extraordinary read–except that millions of people have perished as a result of genocide. Sadly, the extraordinary aspect of the memoir is not what happened, but that Grigoris Balakian survived.

Elie Wiesel, noted survivor of the Holocaust and Nobel Peace Laureate said “whoever reads or listens to a witness becomes a witness.”

Become a witness. Remember the Armenian Genocide.

Here’s a resource for teachers: TeachGenocide.com

Prejean was asked by the boisterously homosexual judge Perez Hilton if she believes in gay marriage. She answered kindly and openly… speaking of both the joys of personal freedom and her own family upbringing and convictions.

Article here:

Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton was crowned Miss USA on Sunday, but the big story to come out of the normally politics-free telecast was Miss California’s comments regarding gay marriage.

When asked by judge Perez Hilton, an openly gay gossip blogger, whether she believed in gay marriage, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, said “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

She was asked her personal view… and she gave it (and well spoken, too)… and for that was summarily attacked. Let’s face it, the left hate everything about Christians and the Christocentric worldview… and they hate tolerating the views of others, so now they don’t. Gone are the days when classic liberals respected, even championed, free speech and the open exchange of ideas.

The entertainment industry is pockmarked with gossip debris like Hilton (who once “broke” the story that Castro was dead – we could have been so lucky), and having a conservative Christian view… scratch that, having any view from any faith-based or common-sense-based perspective that doesn’t pour gushing bowls of tear-filled support all over every manner of homosexual lifestyle is considered the worst form of intolerance to Hollywood.

Another article:

“This is why we have judges at Miss USA, so we find the girl to rep us ALL,” Moakler Twittered after the pageant.

“I don’t know how you can call a gay man or woman your friend and not want them 2 have the same joys as yourself. In my family we believe in equal rights for all, I am sad and hurt, I agree with Perez 100 [percent]. It’s one thing to have an opinion I am very opinionated n have dealt with backlash from it, it’s another to alienate people who cared about u.”

[...]

“Hollywood isn’t just liberal, it is fearfully liberal. It is easier in Hollywood to say you’re a drug addict or to pretty much anything than to admit to being a committed Christian,” media expert and longtime Hollywood publicist, Michael Levine of Levine Communications, told FOXnews.com.

[...]

“It is unfortunate that Miss California, who we note did not win, is so out of touch with the overwhelming majority of people her age that she wants to deny loving, committed couples the rights and dignity that come only with marriage,” said Geoff Kors, Executive Director of Equality California.

Prejean has garnered a lot of support nonetheless.

“The majority of California’s voters — more than 7 million people — voted to protect traditional marriage, and we congratulate Miss California for her conviction to speak her beliefs,” Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com Coalition, said.

I love how all these leftist elites show such shock, dismay, and disgust at an opposing viewpoint… that you’d think affirming traditional marriage was something unseen in years, like yellow fever or a grateful teenager. You’d never guess that the ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA just voted on and passed Proposition 8 defining marriage as an opposite-sex union. So in actuality Miss California is more accurately representing her state that anyone seems to realize. More importantly, she was being frank and sincere… being considerate and honest. All these traits befit this would-be pageant winner… someone with inner beauty to match her outer beauty. And all those traits, adding in morality, decency, TRUE tolerance, and love, are completely missing from Hollywood, the radical left, and almost every homosexual activist I’ve heard or read. Shock.

More from Hollywood:

The way Hollywood has piled on Carrie Prejean online since the Miss USA pageant on Sunday, you’d think the Christian college student had called for a tax on botox!

[...]

Even Miley Cyrus had something to say to Perez Hilton on the issue.

“[I] am a christian and i love you – gay or not. BECAUSE you are no different that anyone else! we are all gods children! i am not saying this so would be nice on your site (though that would be nice jk;) but because the LORD has spoken “love cuz god loves” hey!!! what about me??? would i make a good miss usa?? ”

Heidi Montag, another committed Christian, also twittered her thoughts.

“[L]esbians should have the same government rights that Spencer and I will when we get married. So, yes, this blonde Christian believes in gay marriage. God says not to judge and I would never try to judge ANYONE! Nor should our “free” country,” “The Hills” starlet wrote.

Oh, so instead of committed Christian #1 supporting her fellow sister in Christ (who was attacked for kindly and humbly sharing her feelings), Miley instead ingratiates herself with the attacker!?

And so-called “committed Christian” #2 supports homosexual marriage!? Umm… sorry folks, not a Christian.

Trump defends.

This guy from Breitbart.TV explains this whole thing better than I ever could. [article link]

Blogging as a personal tool for expression has waned in the shadow of Facebook, Twitter, and any number of new digital tools of personal mass-communication. Unless someone can blog full-time as a profession or committed hobby it is difficult to maintain steady and meaningful content… making the maintenance of such a beast more trouble than it’s worth.

I have had this conversation with several blogging friends within the last few months. As more and more of our friends and family get on Facebook, for example, it’s much easier to maintain interactive and up-to-date communication with them within Facebook, rather than a blog. And since most folks I know started a blog to (mostly) broadcast happenings to family and friends… well, you can see the conundrum.

Infrequent posting can be minimized by emphasizing RSS feeds. Today, it’s impractical to keep up with more than a few blogs without subscribing to their feeds (for example: here’s mine). Once you have a site’s feed you can effectively “combine” them using tools such as Google Reader into a one-stop shop of all your favorite blogs’ latest posts.

Now, I’m not saying that blogging is gonna fade out very soon. Indeed, the number of blogs on the internet is still increasing. What I’m saying is that – with every medium – there is a natural cycle… and the “personal” blog is waning. The “topical” blog is still a strong format, and won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

As such, I may be turning Negative99 into a topical blog in the near future. I will first – probably – set up my personal website, SteveMooradian.com, to be more of a personal “portal” that will contain a aggregated blog feed, Twitter feed, Facebook feed, Flickr feed, and other details. Whereas my blog, Negative99, will host content directly related to what I’m most passionate about… being a Christ-follower who’s conservative, unashamed, and too discerning for his own patience. I’m not sure exactly when this change will occur… but if you SUBSCRIBE then you’ll be the first to know!

UPDATE: Yes, yes… I figure I’ll keep the flash games up…