Ben Stein - This is well worth your time
> >
> > If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben
> > Stein is just a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a
> > monotone. He's also a
> > very intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas
> > and words
> > together in such a way as to sway juries and make
> > people think clearly.
> >
> > The following was written by Ben Stein and recited
> > by
> > him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Herewith a few confessions from my beating heart: I
> > have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I
> > see them on the cover of People and Us constantly
> > when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I
> > often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They
> > never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are
> > they? Will it change my life if I know who they are
> > and why they have broken up? Why are they so
> > important?
> >
> > I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do
> > not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I
> > going to be called before a Senate committee and
> > asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have
> > no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what
> > it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.
> >
> > Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one
> > of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother
> > me even a little bit when people call
> > those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas
> > trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel
> > discriminated against. That's what they are:
> > Christmas trees.
> >
> > It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry
> > Christmas"
> > to me. I don't think they are slighting me or
> > getting ready to put me
> > in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows
> > that we are all
> > brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of
> > year. It doesn't
> > bother me at all that there is a manger scene on
> > display at a key
> > intersection near my beach house in Malibu If people
> > want a
> > creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah
> > a few hundred
> > yards away.
> >
> > I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew,
> > and I don't
> > think Christians like getting pushed around for
> > being Christians. I
> > think people who believe in God are sick and tired
> > of getting
> > pushed around, period.
> >
> > I have no idea where the concept came from that
> > America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't
> > find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it
> > being shoved down my throat.
> >
> > Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the
> > idea come from that we should worship Nick and
> > Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we
> > understand Him?
> >
> > I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.
> > But there are a lot of us who are wondering where
> > Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we
> > knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send
> > to one another for a laugh, this is a little
> > different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's
> > not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
> >
> > Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early
> > Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let
> > something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)
> > Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and
> > insightful response. She said, "I believe God is
> > deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for
> > years we've been telling God to get out of our
> > schools, to get out of our government and to get
> > out of our lives.
> > And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has
> > calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us
> > His blessing and His protection if we demand He
> > leave us alone?"
> >
> > In light of recent events...terrorists attack,
> > school shootings, etc. I think it started when
> > Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body
> > found recently) complained she didn't want prayer
> > in our schools, and we said OK.
> >
> > Then someone said you better not read the Bible in
> > school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou
> > shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.
> > And we said OK.
> >
> > Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our
> > children when they misbehave because their little
> > personalities would be warped and we might damage
> > their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed
> > suicide). We said an expert should know what he's
> > talking about. And we said OK.
> >
> > Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no
> > conscience, why they don't know right from wrong,
> > and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,
> > their classmates, and themselves.
> >
> > Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough,
> > we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal
> > to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
> >
> > Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and
> > then wonder
> > why the world's going to hell.
> >
> > Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but
> > question what
> > the Bible says.
> >
> > Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and
> > they spread
> > like wildfire but when you start sending messages
> > regarding the Lord, people think twice about
> > sharing.
> >
> > Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles
> > pass freely through cyberspace, but public
> > discussion of God is suppressed in the school and
> > workplace.
> >
> > Are you laughing?
> >
> > Funny how when you forward this message, you will
> > not send it to many on your address list because
> > you're not sure what they believe, or what they
> > will think of you for sending it.
> >
> > Funny how we can be more worried about what other
> > people think of us than what God thinks of us.
> >
> > Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then
> > just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if
> > you discard this thought process, don't sit back and
> > complain about what bad shape the world is in.
> >
> > My Best Regards .. honestly and respectfully,
> > Ben Stein
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