jameswatkins!com on JonBenet murder, hurricane Katrina, sex-sex unions, demons, dell fire, plus free .mp3 music . . .

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JAMES WATKINS!COM:
HEAVY TOPICS WITH A LIGHT TOUCH

QUESTIONS STILL SWIRL ONE YEAR AFTER KATRINA

JONBENET MURDER CONFESSION CRUEL IF UNTRUE

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august 15, 2006

9/11

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welcome!

Thanks for stopping by! Hi, I'm Jim Watkins: author, speaker, threat to society. I hope you'll come back regularly for constantly updated material (click "Refresh" at the top of your browser to assure latest edition). And tell a friend. Thanks!
• Over 300 articles, columns, .mp3 songs, reviews, "top ten" lists and more
• Top ten sites from last month

Wednesday, August 30, 2006
mallard fillmore doesn't duck issues . . .

• Click for more Fillmore

Tuesday, August 29, 2006
in a tolerant society, why prosecute polygamists?

AP/CNN is reporting, "The fugitive leader of a polygamist sect has been arrested in southern Nevada. Warren Steed Jeffs . . . the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . . . has been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, with a $100,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture." But why, in a sexually "tolerant" society, has Jeffs been singled out?
• Why pick on polygamists?
• Is polygamy the "next civil-rights battle"?
• CNN coverage

Monday, August 28, 2006
passion controversy resurrected

Saturday actor-producer Rob Reiner ("Meathead" from All in the Family) demanded that Mel Gibson "come clean on Passion" and acknowledge that "his work reflects anti-Semitism." What Meathead apparently doesn’t understand—in accusing the film as “portraying the Jews as evil”— is that the hero, Jesus, is Jewish, the disciples are Jewish, Mary and the women supporters of Jesus are Jewish, and it was the Roman Pilate, a Gentile, who ordered Gentile soldiers to crucify Jesus.
• Reiner's rant (Associate Press)
• Gibson's rant during DUI arrest (that was anti-Semitic!)
• The polarization of the Christ (review of film)
• The passion—and controversy—of the Christ (essay)

Sunday, August 27, 2006
remembering katrina

One year ago, the 100-MPH winds of Hurricane Katrina not only devastated the Gulf coast, but stirred up questions that still swirl in the air today:
• Is God to blame for New Orleans destruction? (September 2, 2005)
• Was destruction of New Orleans prophesied? (September 7, 2005)
• Why?
• What are your thoughts?

Friday, August 25, 2006
my sympathies go out to pluto

As you know, Pluto just got voted out of the planet club. My heart goes out to the little fella, since he's a lot like me in junior high: small for his age and left out in the cold because he's not part of the inner circle. Astronomers can be so cruel!
• Report from the Globe and Mail

Thursday, August 24, 2006
latest (and last) 'jim shorts' column

After fifteen years of writing a weekly newspaper column—that's 780 columns—
I wrote my last "Jim Shorts" column which will appear in Monday's papers. I needed a break and so did my readers! The best columns are archived on this site and deal with family life, health concerns, holidays, politics, social issues, spirituality, and more.
• Click here for series finale

Thursday, August 24, 2006
praying for mahmoud ahmadinejad

I do hope this is not a) a Freudian slip or b) the true beliefs of the Presidential Prayer Team, but in a recent email:

The Presidential Prayer Team: is a nationwide, non-partisan, non-profit prayer team dedicated to following the Scriptural mandate in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 to pray for America's President and National Leaders. We intercede for those in office, regardless of their views, policies or political party, because God entreats us to pray for them.

I haven't checked the original Greek, but I'm reasonably certain Paul had a wider audience in mind than simply America. Unfortunately, that may be the extent of American Christians prayers. (I know I haven't prayed for Kofi Annan or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as often as I should. Shame on me.)
• What do you think?

Tuesday, August 22, 2006
'church teacher fired for being female'

ABC News is trumpeting the story of Mary Lambert, 81 of Watertown, NY, who was "fired" as a Sunday school teacher after 54 years of service to First Baptist. "The letter referred to her sex as one of the reasons for her dismissal, quoting the Bible's First Epistle to Timothy, which states: 'I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.'" ABC went on to report, "In many conservative evangelical churches, women are not allowed to teach men in Sunday school." Two points: a) if fundamentalists are going to take all Scripture absolutely literally, then First Baptist is one of the few that is actually being consistent and b) not all "conservative evangelical churches" limit women's ability to teach and preach.
• Why this "conservative evangelical" supports women in all levels of ministry
• What I believe the Bible is actually teaching in 1 Timothy 2:12
• What ABC News is reporting
• What do you think?

Friday, August 18, 2006
confession to jonbenet murder despicable, delusional if untrue

If John Mark Karr's confession to the murder and rape of six-year-old beauty contestant JonBenet Ramsey proves untrue—and several inconsistencies cast doubt on its validity—he is either a) despicable (he’s doing this simply because of his obsession with the case and is cruelly raising the Ramsey family’s hope for justice or b) deeply disturbed and delusional, believing he actually committed the murder. Either way, it’s disturbing that a DNA match or miss-match wasn’t determined before announcing Karr’s arrest and producing the current media circus.
• Some thoughts on responding to sexual allegations
• Some thoughts on reporting sex crimes

3:00 PM EDT The AP is now reporting the Tai police official, who said Karr picked up the six-year-old girl at school (she was on Christmas break) and drugged her (no drugs were found in Ramsey's body), is now retracting those statements. Meanwhile, CNN reveals that Karr knows details of the murder scene known only to police officials.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
judges thinking 'straight' on same-sex unions

Seven court decisions in July ruled in favor of those supporting "traditional" definitions of marriage, contrary to those working to legalize same-sex unions.
• Christianity Today's court coverage
• My thoughts on marriage v. same-sex unions

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
joan of arcadia creator casts out new drama

Barbara Hall produced the critically-acclaimed (and commercially ashamed) Joan of Arcadia wherein a teen talked with various manifestations of God. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hall is now creator of "an exorcism-theme drama . . . inspired by the real-life experiences of Bob Larson, an expert on cults, the occult and supernatural phenomena." The CBS drama should prove, well, dramatic on several levels. First, Larson, is not viewed in the most positive of light by most Christians, and second, many Christians dismiss demons as superstition. It will definitely be interesting to see how it plays out!
• Both sides of the Larson controversy from CanadianChristianity.com
• My thoughts on demons and excorcisms

Tuesday, August 15, 2006
dell fire and brimstone

Computer giant Dell warns that some of its computer's batteries could suddenly burst into flames!
• Click here to see if your computer is at risk

August 1, 2006
last issue's hot topics

Brits foil terrorists, Shiites v. Sunnis threaten civil war, "raunchy" music leads to teenage sex, students head back to school and the personal computer turns 25.
• Click here to go back in time

July 2006
month's top ten sites

I have in my right hand, direct from my home office, last month's top ten sites . . .

• 1 Home page

• 2 "The Platypus Players"' billabong page

• 3 "Jim Shorts" on sex

• 4 Quips and quotes of encouragement

• 5 Falling in love . . . and getting back up

• 6 "Adult site" for adults

• 7 Top ten reasons I'm not divorcing my wife

• 8 "Jim Shorts" on issues

• 9 Writers' resources

• 10 "Jim Shorts" on health issues

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Read a book excerpt, then go to amazon.com and buy them for yourself, family, friends, co-workers, next door neighbor, paperboy, dentist, pastor, . . .

sandy cove writers conference

Refine your writing and speaking skills, be mentored by editors and professional writers, network with editors and professional writers and expand your vision of how God can use you. On the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay in Northeast, Maryland.
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1. Email the contact info (referal's name, address, email, phone) to me at jim@jameswatkins.com

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• ACW Press

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