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Questions

I'm fairly certain that this isn't an original list, but it's the first time I've seen these all together. Culled from a slashdot article I encountered in my travels.

Dear President Bush,
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them:
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not to Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states that he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that, even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there "degrees" of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them (Lev. 24:10-16)? Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws (Lev. 20:14)?
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Posted 09/24/2004 14:12 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack

No More Comments

Okay, I'm turning off comments by default. I'm tired of deleting the spammish crap that comes in and no one seems to be commenting anyway. If you have something to say, let me know and I'll either open up the specific entry (until it gets discovered by the crapbots) or post verbatim whatever you send me.

Posted 09/16/2004 07:05 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Grokster is Evil

I installed Grokster last night. Big mistake. I'd planned to work from home today, writing a document I can't seem to get done at work. Instead, I spent the whole damned day scanning hard drives, futilely deleting files, etc. I hope I'll be fully functional again in a week or so. /sigh.

Posted 09/15/2004 22:46 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Big Money, Stupid Laws

This one ain't even one of my yaller dawg complaints. There is (more) stupid legislation moving through the Congress now with the aim of completely obliterating what's left of our Fair Use rights. Ever tape a movie? Record a game to watch later? Go to that Town Council meeting because you knew you could record the last episode of Friends to watch when you got home? No more.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and cronies—including Senator Ernest "Fritz" "Disney" Hollings (D-South Carolina), to be fair—are moving forward with (a renamed version of) the INDUCE Act

This was just under 1400 when I (finally) signed up:

Update: The counter was at 4683 and growing when my time to call rolled around. Three calls in under 5 minutes to Congressman Tom DeLay, Congress James Sensenbrenner, and Senator Ernest Hollings. Woohoo!

BTW, I predict that the counter number will continue to grow over the coming weeks, long after today's call-in campaign has ended. Either that, or it will simply stop showing up as an image. We'll see.

Older Update: Read on for the message I'm not going to forward but that has the issue written up in language for the common reader.

Anyone who has ever used an iPod, taped TV shows, or made a mixtape for their friend needs to read this! Hollywood is pushing Congress to pass a bill that could make the VCR, CD-Rs, and iPods illegal.
http://savebetamax.org/
In late 70s, Hollywood tried to make the VCR illegal. Now they're at it again. Back then, Hollywood's lawyers argued that because *some* people might use a VCR to make illegal copies, they had a right to sue *any* business that sold VCRs.
Fortunately for the future of technology, the Supreme Court said that any new technology with "substantial non-infringing uses" was legal and should be allowed to flourish. That wisdom, known as the "Betamax decision" (after VHS's short-lived predecessor) was great news for the economy: dozens of markets sprung up that would otherwise have been smothered by the fear of litigation and liability. And it was good news for Hollywood too: soon they were making billions in the same video rental market they tried to litigate out of existence.
But now Hollywood (and the major record labels) are trying to undo "Betamax" with a new law that would let them sue any business that gave their customers freedom to make legal copies. The music and movie companies claim they only want to ban p2p filesharing software like Kazaa. But legal experts say that dozens of products--even Apple's hugely popular "iPod"--would soon find themselves under the gun. We need to stop this from happening, and the time to act is now.
http://savebetamax.org/
This legislation is called the INDUCE Act, and it's opposed by the mainstream technology industry (eBay, Google, Intel, Verizon, and Yahoo have all lobbied against it) along with public interest advocates like Public Knowledge and even librarian groups. These companies and organizations are all making their voices heard in Washington, but now it's time that members of Congress hear from the public (you!).
We're organizing a national call-in day. The plan is: Senators who are siding with Hollywood against the public interest will receive a steady stream of phonecalls for as long as it takes. Think of it like a consumers' rights march on Washington that you can do from your home or your desk at work. Hollywood and the record companies have millions of lobbying dollars, but all we have are our numbers. If you think keeping the VCR legal was a good idea, we need you to act now:
http://savebetamax.org/
And finally, if for some reason you can't participate yourself, please forward this email to friends or coworkers who can.
Thanks for your time, and we hope you'll join this historic and extremely important event.
Sincerely,
Holmes Wilson
Tiffiniy Cheng
Nicholas Reville
Rebecca Laurie
Downhill Battle Team

Posted 09/12/2004 22:12 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Return of the Digital Camera

My digital camera turned up at the school, so I've been able to catch up on pics from my birthday, our family vacation, and band pictures from last night's game and lining the practice field.

Fritz's Birthday 2004Family Vacation 2004

Posted 09/11/2004 11:23 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dead Horses

New link to the right here to get you to Firefox. You've heard me fuss and push. Just get the thing, all right? Get it and use it and not only will your browsing be easier but almost your entire exposure to crapware will go away. It's just better.

Posted 09/02/2004 17:30 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack