The Chief Source staff is encouraging readers to submit a post on any topic they choose between May 1st and Independence Day, at which point a winner will be crowned based on staff vote and your comments. The following is submission #7 from Andonstop:

"Robert, you once recommended I read Letter to a Christian Nation. Finally got around to doing that. Enjoyed it. Had a good chuckle about the discourse on evolution and God's apparent fondness for beetles and viruses. Thank you for the recommendation.

Sam's motives are unmistakably admirable, but it seems to me a book written similarly about a rose bush would go into great detail about the thorns, how many people they had hurt and how dangerous they could be; then grudgingly and in passing admit that the thorn bush occasionally has a rose; then declare that all thorn bushes should be eliminated because we could still have flowers without them.
Regarding God's omniscience and omnipotence, I believe Sam needs to consider that if one does not limit oneself to thinking things must be fair within each short human life, the temporal imbalances of mortal life within the holistic potentialities of eternal life begin to make sense. If one thinks of a human life as an "at bat" in an inning in a game in a season in a career in a well-balanced life, striking out isn't devastating and a home run isn't glorious. It is in our spiritual nature to seek challenges if they don't already exist. Courage comes only as a result of hardship; altruism comes only as a result of social inequality; loyalty is only possible in the face of betrayal. If mortal death is not the end, then every mortal experience for the faithful contributes to a growing perception of divine and eternal values.

In his quest to free humanity from spiritual bondage, Sam does not distinguish between beliefs and faith. I understand them to be different. Belief (doctrine) is a form of spiritual bondage, while faith is expanding and releasing. Belief fixates, faith liberates. Beliefs separate us, faith unites us. Doctrine is man made, faith is Godly. I agree that too many religionists and non-religionists equate unquestioned, unreasonable doctrine with faith. Real religion -- true faith -- exists on a much higher level; it is much more than a series of beliefs, it is a manner of being, a way of living, independent of doctrine. And it welcomes being challenged, knowing that challenge is a important method of determining what is true.

It is, after all, not what one knows which determines one's actions, it is one's faith. "Human things must be known in order to be loved; divine things must be loved in order to be known." There are some things which can only be known through faith -- real faith, not just beliefs. I detect from Sam's earnest desire to help humanity that he senses some of that..."

What a game by Daniel "Boobie" Gibson and what a finish by Lebron. A great night to be a Cleveland fan!

Moqtada Sadr, the radical Shia cleric (radical-crazy not radical-cool) is now calling for cooperation. That's good, right? Well, kind of. He's calling for Sunni-Shia cooperation in resisting the US occupation. After laying low for the past four months, he has now resurfaced with some bold, new posturing.

After a few years of playing substitute teacher to a class of rowdy high-risk teens, would we not be grateful to any strong man that could bring some semblance of normalcy to Iraq...to lay the proverbial smack down?

As the Iraqi government flounders, would we be willing to turn a blind eye to Saddam-esc brutality from the Mehdi Army if it started to successfully curb the chaos?

In the belly of the Pentagon, might they even be kicking around this unofficial contingency plan: for the next leg of the trip, let's let scary-Sadr take the wheel of this cursed crazy train.

The sad truth is that a strong man of Sadr's stature has the best shot at pulling Iraq back from the brink of collapse and shouldering the security burden that the fledgling government simply can't begin to bear.

My prediction is that all our sacrifice will end in history's most expensive (and ineffective) tyrant trade yet.

This Iraq War spending bill is an atrocious failure. It fails the troops, the American voter, and the Democratic Party. There are so many things wrong with this bill, it's hard to start.

First, the Dems should have listened to the American people, rather than the president. They should have insisted on timetables to get our troops out. Soon we won't be talking about benchmarks and timetables, but an evacuation plan. Better to make a little progress and bring our troops home. This will only continue the record violence against our young men and women in arms.

Dems once again allowed the Republicans and the media to define the terms. We allowed them to say "cut funding for the troops" when that isn't what this bill is about. "I say it's time to call anyone who uses the phrase "cut off funding for the troops" to describe that vote what they are: a liar" says Columbia Professor Joe Cutbirth. We cannot continue to cower in fear of '08 just because the American people are uninformed. We must educate them to the truth of our government. To do otherwise is to insult their intelligence - as if they are incapable of understanding the truth.

Voters chose Democrats in '06 because they saw no progress being made by Republicans on holding the president accountable for the war. Failure! Instead, they have shown that nothing will change. The leaders who wrote this bill lumped in money for Katrina victims, increased the minimum wage, and other stuff. These are important issues that should have been allowed to stand on their own. Democratic leaders forced good Democratic Senators and Representatives to choose between increasing the minimum wage and ending the war. Those are so unrelated that they shouldn't be considered in the same bill. It was wrong for Republicans to lump unrelated items in bills, and it's wrong when the Democrats do it too. It also blackmails the President, which I object to because, while our president is an utter failure in every possible way, our Democracy should not function under blackmail... 'if you want to keep your war going, you're going to have to approve a federal minimum wage.' That's crap!

People like me, who have not joined a third party because third parties don't have any power or influence in government may have to change their priorities. The Dems have showed us that they're no different from the Republicans. I often compare Bush's presidency to the actions of the British on Bloody Sunday - the British drove more people to join the IRA that night than ever before. The actions of Bush made more people vote Democrat than expected (consider some of our readers who have confessed voting D because of the war). Now, the actions/failure of the Democrats on this bill will cause more people to join the Green party and others. I don't know what I will do. I don't think I can conscionably remain a Democrat. I cannot support making this war political, blackmailing democracy, and acts of cowardice.

All I know is that Bush won. He was bound to win, but this easy? Thinking of it in the context of a sports analogy, everyone knows the Cavs will lose to the Pistons, right? Well, at least they are going down fighting and keeping the scores close. That's all I wanted with the Iraq funding. But after a feisty first quarter of the game, the Democrats laid down and got destroyed. They did not even give LeBust to lose the game by scoring 4 points in the 4th quarter.

The House Democrats passed new ethics legislation yesterday that would penalize lawmakers who receive a wide range of favors from special interests, and would require lobbyists to disclose the campaign contributions they collect and deliver to lawmakers. This legislation is solid and was something the Republicans refused to pass for the last 14 years. Now its up to the Senate.....and Harry Reid.

Eight US troops died in Iraq yesterday. About 1000 troops have died since last Memorial Day. I just hope Congress enjoys their holiday. Perhaps Nancy Pelosi can go get some more plastic surgery with the extended vacation.

When I think about how the Democrats are now split on the war, I guess I should not be surprised. Half of the Senate Democrats voted for this dumb war in 2003. The party has a lot of political hacks, with no courage of conviction to stand up and say what's right. These "red state" Democrats are the worst, but you know they are just worried about reelection. That is why you need a good leader to keep them focused.....the Democrats have Harry Reid.

I am glad more money will get to New Orleans. Hopefully it all gets there, but I doubt it. Considering the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the govt hurricane resource) is spending $4 million to publicize a 200th anniversary celebration, while the agency has cut $700,000 from hurricane research. So putting Katrina money in Bush's hands will probably mean more money for the fiscally irresponsible Bush to piss away.

At least this bird that shit on Bush during Thursday's press conference had some courage to stand up to Bush.

The results are in and Obama and Clinton voted nay. They joined 12 other Senators in voting against H.R. 2206. In casting their vote against the supplemental, Hillary noted they also voted against funding to help those sickened in the aftermath of 9/11, additional relief for Katrina and Rita victims, homeland security funds for high-threat cities like New York City, resources to protect parts of New York affected by recent flooding, $650 million for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the first federal minimum wage increase in ten years. (shaking my head)

80 Senators voted for the bill including newly elected Senators Sherrod Brown, Jim Webb, John Tester, Claire McCaskill, and Bob Casey all voted yea. I found that interesting because many have sited the mandate of the 2006 election as the reason to vote against this bill. It seems that those Senators who got that mandate believed otherwise. In his explanation for why he also voted for the bill in the House, Democrat Jack Murtha hit the nail on the head:

"Some have suggested that since the president refuses to compromise, Democrats should refuse to send him anything. I disagree. There is a point when the money for our troops in Iraq will run out, and when it does, our men and women serving courageously in Iraq will be the ones who will suffer, not this president."

I agree with Jack Murtha. I am frustrated with Barack and Hillary. Their votes accomplished nothing and will be heavy baggage going forward. I need the weekend to think it over. Timing of this issue couldn't be worse seeing as how it is almost Memorial Day. I get concerned when certain elements of my party seem to be exerting too much influence. I remember the last time MoveOn.org was the spokes-527 for the Democratic Party was 2004. That turned out great.

The Chief Source staff is encouraging readers to submit a post on any topic they choose between May 1st and Independence Day, at which point a winner will be crowned based on staff vote and your comments. The following is submission #6 from Chandra:
"I am extremely concerned about recent changes proposed which would affect various forms of communication. I am not concerned so much because I am a regular listener to internet radio or because I am a regular subscriber to independent publications, rather my concern is simply that our options for receiving information are being limited, thereby limiting the diversity of ideas available to the American public.
First, new Internet radio royalty fees:
The Copyright Royalty Board has decided to increase the royalty fees for Internet radio providers from a percentage of earnings to a flat fee each time a user listens to a song. Not surprising, SoundExchange, a company established by the Recording Industry of America supports the bill. Large online stations such as AOL, Microsoft