James' Journal on the Web

Recently, I wrote what was intended to be a two-part Easter message, dealing with the Jesus' crucifixion, then with the historical evidence for His resurrection. Unfortunately, when Part One was published, it received some complaints accusing the Beacon of favoring a particular religious viewpoint. As a result, the editor chose not to run Part Two.

Let me begin by stating that I hold no hard feelings toward our editor, Mr. Thurman, for his action. He is an upstanding individual and he made that decision based on what he felt was in the best interest of the paper. I can certainly respect that. Furthermore, I fully agree with him that as an entity, the Beacon should not promote any partisan political or religious agenda. However, my article was not a news piece, it was an editorial and should have been interpreted as such. Neither I, nor any other member of the editorial staff, can claim to speak for the Beacon in any official capacity. Our respective views are our own.

In any good newspaper, the editorial department is deliberately made up of individuals from a wide variety of perspectives. Whenever one turns to the editorial page, he or she knows in advance that it may contain views that he or she may strongly disagree with. Whether or not to accept, reject or even to read the information offered is entirely up to the reader. Why then, does such an innate phobia surface if those perspectives happen to reflect the writer's religious beliefs?

In recent semesters, numerous columnists have trumpeted the "Christians are idiots" mantra ad nauseum. Although I found their characterizations to be nonsense, I never attempted to have their views censored or silenced. Rather, now that I have my own column, I simply used it to present the other side: That the Christian faith is based on what we believe to be very credible historical evidences. I also stated quite clearly that, regardless of the reader's own religious beliefs, I hoped that the columns would deepen their appreciation for the events that have shaped our world so dramatically.

The fact is that a proper education in Western culture is impossible without a working knowledge of the Bible and the Christian religion. Whether it be history, art, music or countless other areas, the Christian influence is virtually inescapable. For example, The writings of William Shakespeare contain roughly 1300 biblical references. Bach's "Passion of St. Matthew" and Handel's "Messiah" are some of the most cherished musical works ever produced. None of these great works can be fully appreciated apart from the faith that inspired them.

This is why there is a growing bipartisan effort to reintroduce nonsectarian Bible courses into our public school systems. Professors at Harvard, Yale and Princeton all affirm that "Students need to know the Bible." Many high school teachers also proclaim that Bible knowledge is crucial to a good education. For more on this movement, see www.bibleliteracy.org. Every person, regardless of their own faith, will benefit from a better understanding of what Christians believe and why we believe it. For this reason, I felt that my column on the resurrection was entirely appropriate.

You might say, "But you are speaking as a Christian. Would you want to extend this courtesy to people of other faiths?" Absolutely! If a Jewish student wanted to write a column about the significance of Passover, or if a Muslim student wanted to do the same for Ramadan, I would have no objection to that at all. In fact, I would welcome the opportunity to learn from their perspectives.

The free and open exchange of ideas, including religious ones, is something all of us should hold as sacred. To challenge ideas one may disagree with is the right of every American. However, attempting to silence those ideas is called censorship, which most of us will agree is never a good thing.

"While the other side is out bombing clinics, we'll be electing candidates!" This quote, from the late California senator Alan Cranston, reflects a very destructive trend in the abortion wars. All too frequently, the attempt is made to generalize the entire pro life movement as being a group of far-right fanatics bent on using violence and coercion to enforce their agenda. Of course, such fallacious logic ignores two important facts:

1. These tactics are thoroughly denounced by 99.9% of the pro life community, and

2. Violence and extremism occur on the pro choice side as well.

Between 1994 and 1998, when abortion related violence was at its peak, there were seven reported murders performed by self styled anti-abortion militants (I will not call these criminals "pro life"). While this is certainly seven too many, there have been far fewer abortion providers killed on the job than in many other professions. It is also noteworthy that when pro life President George W. Bush was elected, the numbers dropped even more dramatically. Nonetheless, in every case, the true pro life movement forcefully and universally condemned these heinous acts. In the words of pro life liberal Jim Trageser:

“I have vehemently condemned these attacks for the exact same reason I condemn abortion -- we do not have the right to take another's life…To suggest I am guilty or share the blame for these abominable attacks is to stretch the meaning of personal responsibility beyond all reasonable recognition. By this logic, Martin Luther King Jr. was responsible for the Black Panthers because both sought equality for blacks. Extend this argument to its logical conclusion, and Abraham Lincoln shares the guilt for John Brown's terrorism because both opposed slavery…Any effort to stigmatize the entire pro-life movement because of what a few terrorists claim as their motive is nothing more than emotional blackmail.”

Furthermore, pro lifers are often the very ones involved in bringing the perpetrators to justice. When a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic was bombed, it was a chapter of Feminists for Life who offered a reward for the guilty person’s arrest. Similarly, Priests for Life, under the leadership of Fr. Frank Pavone, has also offered substantial rewards for fugitives in clinic violence cases.

We must also note that violent extremism is certainly not exclusive to the pro life side. There have also been many criminal acts performed by pro choice radicals. In fact, Human Life International (www.hli.org) has documented over 7000 incidents of criminal activity by pro choice extremists. They include 880 homicides and other killings, 86 attempted murders, 23 arsons and bombings, 787 assaults, 1,798 sex crimes (including 169 rapes), 59 kidnappings, 420 cases of vandalism, 270 drug-related crimes and .1,577 medical crimes. Some examples:

In 1993, pro choice activist Eileen Ornstein Janezik shot and killed Jerry Simon, who was a minister, radio host and pro life activist. Janezik then continued to hold police at bay for six more hours.

In 1994, abortion provider Alicia Ruiz Hanna was convicted of murdering her patient, Angela Sanchez after Sanchez died at her clinic. Hanna then attempted to stuff Sanchez's body into the trunk of her car, as Sanchez's four children looked on.

in 1998, pro choice activist Alfred E. Smith was convicted of murdering his ex girlfriend, Deena Moody, specifically because she refused to have an abortion.

Regardless of which side of the abortion debate you happen to be on, we should all be horrified by these sort of tactics. How we view the abortion issue largely reflects how we view life, sex, religion and many other "hot button" topics. While meaningful dialog and debate are to be encouraged, we should all find common ground in denouncing violence and extremism wherever it is found. No matter how noble one may perceive their cause to be, violence is never a justifiable way to promote it. To do so is the very definition of terrorism.

The famed culinary writer Brillat-Savarin observed that “The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.” For those of us in the “Chile Head” community, these discoveries are a regular part of our lives. Chile peppers and hot sauces are a real passion of mine. I eat them almost every day in some form or another. A touch of heat will add an entirely new dimension to meats, vegetables or even desserts!

After dealing with some pretty intense subjects these past few months, I thought this might be a fun way to round out the semester. For those of you who are “uninitiated” and want to learn more about the subject of fiery foods, a good place to begin is to simply recommend a few of my favorite sauces. If, once you have sampled some of them, you decide to pursue the hobby further; you are in for a fun ride! Whatever your food preferences, hopefully you will find at least one you like. So fasten your seat belts, put a roll of bath tissue in the freezer (you’ll need it later, trust me) and give some of these a try!

1. Melinda's XXXX Special Reserve- A simple, but delicious habanero sauce, this is great on burgers or tacos. Melinda’s is a good starting point for those who are new to the hot sauce world. If you want to sample the flavor of the mighty habanero in a more “controlled” setting, this one is for you.

2. Busha Brown's Pukka Sauce –This is a Jamaican sauce made from the fiery Scotch Bonnet pepper, which is a relative of the habanero.

3. Blair's Original Death Sauce- Blair Gardner invented this legendary sauce to rid his Jersey Shore restaurant of annoying late night drunks. It has an excellent habanero flavor with smoky chipotle undertones. Although there are hotter variations available (i.e. “Sudden Death,” “Mega Death” and “New Jersey Death”), none of them come near to the original in terms of quality and taste. It makes a great dipping sauce for chicken tenders or seafood.

4. San-J Schezuan Sauce- Oriental foods, especially Thai and Schezuan Chinese, are well known for their fiery potency. In my experience, San-J is the best sauce of its kind. It adds an excellent fiery flavor to any Asian dish.

5. Krakatoa! by CaJohn- Pure Red Savina habanero mash. Need I say more? Legendary sauce maker John “CaJohn” Hard does a great job of capturing the intense heat and wonderful, fruity flavor of one of the world's hottest peppers. It goes great in a bowl of chili on a cold day!

6. Tabasco-An American icon for over 130 years, I would be remiss if I didn't pay tribute to the sauce that started it all. Sure it’s not overly hot, but its sunny flavor compliments most any dish, plus you are tasting history every time you use it!

7. Dave's Original Insanity Sauce-No collection is complete without this legendary creation. Made with pepper extract (the key ingredient in pepper spray) this sauce was actually banned from a fiery foods competition, and is responsible for a whole new category. It is probably the most influential hot sauce since Tabasco.

8. Marie Sharp’s Fiery Hot Habanero Sauce-Although not quite as “fiery” as the name suggests, this unique, carrot based sauce still has a nice flavor which will compliment a wide variety of foods. It is a little too salty for my taste, but its versatility will make it a worthwhile addition to your collection.

9. Vicious Viper- In the tradition of Dave’s Insanity, CaJohn offers this brutal, extract based creation. Yes, it is incredibly hot, but it also has a tropical fruitiness which will quickly prove to be addictive!

Unfortunately, some of these might be a bit hard to find in store shelves. Here in the East Tennessee area, by far the best source is the Pepper Palace in Gatlinburg (www.pepperpalace.com). In Knoxville, the best selection I have found is at the Gourmet Market in Bearden. Regardless, you should easily be able to find all of them on the internet. Happy hunting, and have a great summer!