Everyone has an Opinion…

…and we all love to express it. I can recall at least two instances where I was told to shut up simply for expressing my opinion. (In my opinion, one of the people who told me to shut up had a huge chip on her shoulder, and the other was mentally unbalanced. Either way, they both disagreed with me. Most people can tolerate my verbal editorials. If they disagree with me they simply say so.)

So when I decided to put this web site together I thought, "What a great place to put a page with my opinions, where nobody can tell me to shut up!" If you decide that you just can't stomach my opinions, nobody is forcing you to visit this page. Simply click on the little X and it will go away. Otherwise, read on.

In addition to this page, I have put together what you might call an Op Ed page called Billiard's Commentary. The material on that page is more dynamic, being replaced at (somewhat!) regular intervals, either in response to events taking place in the world or to questions or comments I have received from others. Again, if you are interested in hearing what I think about current events and such, go read it.

The World according to Billiard on…

Atheism – If you know for sure that in all this entire vast, immense universe there is no God, then your level of knowledge implies that you are God, and thus invalidates your belief.

Bananas – When God cursed the ground He said, "Let it bring forth thorns, thistles and bananas."

Beautiful Girls – If you are not beautiful inside as well as outside, it ain't worth a hill of beans.

City Life – A self-justifying reason to prefer country life.

Civil Rights – The rights of individuals are the responsibility of society, and the rights of society are the responsibility of individuals. Too far one way leads to chaos, and too far the other way leads to tyranny. You have to have balance.

Drivers who don't use turn signals – Turn signals were invented for those of us among the human race who are not telepathic or clairvoyant. Please let us know what you intend to do at the intersection.

Drivers who tailgate – If my car were equipped with rear-mounted car-to-car missiles, you'd find out in a hurry.

Environmentalism – Nature is here to enjoy, not worship. Remember, balance…

Homosexuality – God is the one who has a problem with it. If you don't like that, take it up with Him, not me. After all, He's the one you will have to answer to for it someday.

Life on other planets – Who knows? Have you been out there to check it out? Any speculation is just that: speculation.

Linux – Absolute proof that Microsoft is not the entire world of computers.

Microsoft – Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. (Unless you switch to Linux.)

Mosquitoes – The only purpose they seem to serve is to suck blood and spread disease. Why were they put here in the first place?

National Forests and Parks – Whoever came up with these ideas ought to be made a national hero.

Night Life – God put the sun in the sky to give us light. Why sleep while it's up and then stay up all night under artificial illumination? Seems kind of backwards to me.

Saddam Hussein – Good riddance.

Smoking – If you insist on poisoning your lungs, do it where I can't smell it.

Star Trek – Star Trek is great entertainment. Star Trek is not the universe. If you are one of those people who live as though it were, get a life. (Of course, if you absolutely insist, there is always www.startrek.com).

The Death Penalty – If we refuse to put murderers to death, we are in effect saying that their lives are more valuable than the lives of their victims.

The Great American Road – Don't knock it. You probably won't find a better highway system on planet Earth. See Travels.

The U.S. Democratic Party – A good reason to vote Republican.

Toilet Paper – Roll it toward the front, please. Failure to do so can be considered grounds for divorce.

Windows Vista – A great reason to switch to Linux. (See Billiard and Computers.)

Windows XP – They finally did Windows right. Why change to Vista?

Billiard's Political Views

As you have probably guessed, I take the conservative position. Am I a frothing, right-wing radical? Actually, I do not consider myself so. In my own (humble?) opinion, I take what I call the "common sense" view.

Common sense. Is it "common sense" to have a welfare system that actually encourages people not to work? Is it "common sense" for our legal system to ban morality from our public schools and to find every excuse to turn criminals free? We sow what we reap.

America was founded on common sense. Liberty was never meant to become a license for every kind of deviant, even criminal, behavior imaginable. Our society has become so focused on so-called "legal rights" that we have forgotten about the right to walk the streets without fear. Or is it really our society? Perhaps it's just a vocal few, the radical progressives who make the noise. Sadly, as the saying goes, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

And what about economics? Is capitalism truly God's Gift to Humanity? Actually, morally speaking, the economic morals of communism are closer to the Biblical ideal. Heresy? Look at the early church. But is it truly feasible?

I am firmly convinced that the answer is a resounding "No!" The reason is quite simple. For all its faults, capitalism is the one economic system that is founded upon human nature. Communism, on the other hand, goes directly against human nature. The only thing that would possibly make it work would be a change in the human heart. As a Christian I believe that the only way that this is possible is through the work of the Holy Spirit. Karl Marx ensured that his system would never work when he integrated atheistic humanism into it.

Another issue often tied to conservative viewpoints is racism. There is really no need to have this be the case. Biblically speaking, racism is abhorrent. The view of associating racism with conservative political views probably stems from the different approaches that conservatives and liberals take toward resolving problems faced by minorities.

Let's face it. Thirty-plus years of "Great Society" politics has accomplished nothing. Affirmative action, forced busing, and minority quota requirements have had the same effect as putting band-aids on broken bones. It looks pretty, but it doesn't solve the underlying problem. Indeed, in many cases it has actually made the problem worse, by inciting resentment against minorities on the part of those who have failed to get jobs, been forced to travel across town to go to school, or been discriminated against in other ways by laws favoring minorities. Modern hate-crime laws are another case-in-point. When you begin to prosecute and judge people based upon presumed attitudes, you are getting dangerously close to thought control and other tools used by tyrants and despots.

So is there a solution? I sincerely hope that there is. But like economics, I don't believe that it lies in politics. The only true answer is a changed heart. Education may help. Public awareness may help. But the real means lies the work of God within a person. Sadly, our modern society has all but eliminated Him from the picture. Like Karl Marx, we are tossing out the one thing that would make it all work.

Does this sound like I do not respect the idea of "separation of church and state"? Perhaps. But what does the Constitution really say? "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…" This is a direct quote (read a copy of the Constitution available on this web site); what comes after the ellipsis is are the phrases regarding freedom of speech and the press. The Constitution says nothing about prohibiting morality or eliminating moral guidance. The Founding Fathers knew this. They included this phrase in the First Amendment because they feared what would happen if a particular denomination gained the power that the Church of England held at the time back in Britain. The whole idea of the so-called "establishment clause" was to protect the practice of religion, not eliminate it. Unfortunately, a new generation has grown up that does not understand this.

So what is my "conservative view"? Like I said above, I believe in common sense. And it is just plain not common sense to throw out the one thing that could work to change the human heart and would do far more to solve our social problems than all of the government money and laws imaginable. Sadly, there is a tremendous amount of social inertia in the opposite direction, human nature being what it is. So as a final statement I will say this: The best thing you can do for our nation and our government, even more important than being involved in the political process itself, is to pray. Pray for our leaders. Pray for revival.

Pray for yourself.