richard's notions.

i heard this bit on the raidio this morning about racial profiling on the new jersey turnpike. apparently, some civil rights group was making accusations that NJ state troopers were singling out blacks for speeding on the highway. charges of the all too popular 'racial profiling'.

so there was a study done, where they placed cameras along the turnpike that would take a picture of anyone going 15 mph over the speed limit. what did the study show?

that blacks were almost two times more likely to be going 15 mph over the speed limit than whites or hispanics. and instances where they were going at least 90mph (which is 25mph over the limit) was an even larger ratio of blacks to other races.

of course, the civil rights group dismissed the results because of bad weather, windshield glare, and claims that the cameras were placed so as to take more pictures of black people. one wonders if they would have mentioned these 'problems' had the results gone their way.

here's an article: http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020322-9927740.htm

posted by Richard Okimoto at 07:42.

eat your peaches and shut up. stupid little lives. amen.

posted by Richard Okimoto at 10:34.

sovereignty and responsibility.


God is sovereign over all things. A sparrow doesn't fall without our Lord's decree. Nothing happens without God ordaining it to occur, and being intimately involved in it.

Does that include our sin? Surely it does, for even the most heinous of sins ever commited, the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was ordained by God from before time.

So can we say that we are not responsible? How can we resist that which God has ordained? "Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will?" God gives us a clear and definite answer to this objection, "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" Of course we are responsible.

So we see clearly that even though God has ordained what we do, we are responsible for it.


Now, what if we changed this around a bit? Instead of questioning sin, let us use righteousness.

We are to proclaim God's truth and live in obedience to Him. Let's say in doing this we have a conversation with an unbeliever, and, as a result, God saves this person. Who is responsible? Surely it is God working in His creation to make His foreordained will to come about in history. But does that mean we have nothing to do with it? We have something to do with our sin, right? We are responsible for it, correct?

So why do we pretend that our behavior has nothing to do with whether or not someone believes? Why do we fool ourselves into believing that we bear no responsibility whatsoever for the spiritual status of our neighbors?

Because we are a hard hearted people, that do not want to believe God's word.

posted by Richard Okimoto at 11:43.

Father, Your holy ways are inscrutable to us. We like to think that we are quick to learn, when in fact we are exceedingly slow. We ought to be teachers by now, and yet we find ourselves having to go over the basics of our faith again and again. We are Your people, yet we have not yet shaken loose of the idolatry that surrounds us and so You continue Your chastisements. Open our eyes, we pray. We want to learn from Your Scriptures, and not from the rod. But if the rod is necessary to drive Your Church back to the Scriptures, then we pray that You would continue to apply the rod. Father, cause us to open our Bibles, but open our hearts also.
In Jesus' name, our Lord of hosts, amen.

link

posted by Richard Okimoto at 09:17.

I am pleased with my bank, bank of america. I used to have a Wachovia account, and over a period of about three years they numerous insignificant, little errors. it was easily fixed every time, but it was still annoying to find all these little things.

we've used bank of america for about a year now, and are perfectly satisfied. just now, i called in to open a savings account, and in five minutes it was done. quick and simple.

and they're pretty much across the country, so whenever we go out, the people always shout.. i mean, there's always a bank of america atm right around the corner. that's nice.

posted by Richard Okimoto at 09:02.