Review of “The Rose Conspiracy” by Craig Parshall

One more post because I promised I’d do one for this book.

Upon receiving this book and looking at the blurb on the back cover, I was prepared not to like it. It has “conspiracy” in the title and mentioned the Freemasons in the blurb.

In addition, it was a Christian novel. I don’t read many of those because they tend to be romances (UGH ) and are usually very predictable, with a main character getting “saved” near the end.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Parshall has woven a nice little mystery around the Lincoln assassination, the Freemasons, the Smithsonian Institute, the Bible, greed, and man’s eternal quest for immortality.

The elements of conspiracy reminded me somewhat of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and the legal maneuvering made me think back to Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent.

Vinnie Archmont, a beautiful artist, is accused of killing the curator of the Smithsonian Institute and stealing the missing pages of John Wilkes Booth’s diary. Financed by a wealthy Freemason living in England, she hires J. D. Blackstone, a law professor and high profile lawyer, to keep her from the death chamber.

The key seems to be a cryptic fragment purportedly from the diary. Blackstone must crack this code before the lovely artist’s trial. His journey to unscramble the meaning takes him into the secrets of Freemasonry, the occult and personal danger, while he tries to deal with his own personal demons.

Then comes the day of the trial and a surprise ending. The last chapter almost ruined it for me, but was sufficiently vague as to keep Blackstone’s salvation in question.

In any case this is a worthy read.

Vote April 7th.

UPDATE: I voted today (April 3). The reasons I voted for these two should be obvious, but in case one is confused, let me spell it out. Their opponents are liberal whose views do not match mine.

OK, I had to come out of retirement to post my vote-getters next Tuesday.

Update

OK, now that I’ve got a little time, let me add some details.

First thanks for all the kind comments to the previous post. I am humbled.

Next, I will still be on Facebook. I will still get comments from the blog here, so you can contact me that way or e-mail me at thoughtfulconservative [at] yahoo [dot] com. I will still join the live blog at Blogs.4Bauer.com when “24″ is on.

I still will attend Drinking Right and Blog ‘n’ Grog when I can. I will still vote for conservative candidates. I will attend political events as I can. I might even write letters to the editor at the Freeman and Journal Sentinel.

Now, the reason. I am fine. Blogging and twitter were just taking too much time and other things (not work) were falling behind. So I decided I needed a clean break.

Is it permanent? I have no idea. I will owe a blog post after I’ve finished a book and post a review here and at Amazon.com.

But I’ve got to catch up first. Then we’ll see.

See most of you at the next Drinking Right (Lord willing).

The end of the line

What started 5 and a half years ago has come to an end.

This is my last post. I am quitting for personal reasons.

I will miss the friends I made here and on Twitter and Facebook, but all things must end sometime.

I thank those folks who stopped by to read my musings on different subjects. What started as simply an outlet for the words that churned inside me, became a small network of freinds. Maybe I will still run into you if I attend any political events in the future.

The blog will remain up, but I don’t plan on being back to update it in the near future.

I’ve had fun.

Farewell.

THE Right Side of Wisconsin Blog Network

An announcement from THE Right Side of Wisconsin

THE Right Side of Wisconsin, recently ranked by BlogNetNews “the most influential blog in the State of Wisconsin” for two weeks running, announces that it is relaunching itself as THE Right Side of Wisconsin Blog Network. The flagship blog THE Right Side of Wisconsin already boasts such contributors as Ambassador Mark Green, Jean Hundertmark, Senator Glenn Grothman, Representative Kevin Petersen, National Columnist Camille Solberg, Conservative Critic Andy Haaf and others, and will now open its doors to any conservative in Wisconsin that wants to become a political blogger. In addition, THE Right Side of Wisconsin Blog Network will host a weekly internet radio program called “from THE Right Side of Wisconsin” which will discuss the best blog content from the previous week along with interviews from Wisconsin’s political news makers…

“Any conservative who want to become a political blogger.” Here’s your chance if you’ve been wanting to blog.

“MRQ Coffee, Cigarettes and Vicodin”

Let’s continue easing back into this blogging thing. Monday Random Quotes is up at Real Debate Wisconsin.

Quote of the day 03/06/09

Nice date arrangement there.

Jon Stewart on The Daily Show (via The Swamp at the Chicago Tribune),

[I]f I’d only followed CNBC’s advice, I’d have $1 million today – provided I’d started with $100 million.

The whole rant against CNBC can be found at the link. Ouch.

Waukesha Carnival

Well, I had the carnival written and ready to post and somehow lost most of it. I’m tired and going to bed, which means this week’s carnival will probably go the way of last week’s, because I’ve got a class to prepare for, Blog ‘n’ Grog and choir practice, this week.

Quote of the day 02/17/2009

Today’s quote comes WGN part time radio personality Dan Deibert at his blog The D Spot. Speaking about the Kansas delay of tax refund payments,

This is like walking into Target… buying a bunch of stuff that comes up to $75, handing them a $100 bill and them telling you they are having budget problems and are going to keep your change.

Vote tomorrow [today]

Yeah, if you’re like me, you’ve only got one race, but it’s an important one, the primary for the position of Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction.

I’m endorsing and voting for Rose Fernandez. James Wigderson has some background.

“MRQ, it’s from the children.”

Three for the price of one as MRQ, DRQ and TRQ are together in one post which you can find at Real Debate Wisconsin.

“Justice Dept. defending Bush secrets”

From msdnc.com

Despite President Barack Obama’s vow to open government more than ever, the Justice Department is defending Bush administration decisions to keep secret many documents about domestic wiretapping, data collection on travelers and U.S. citizens, and interrogation of suspected terrorists.

Hmmm. I wonder why. No, really, I do. Do any of my left-of-center friends want to take a shot?

Republicans, are you paying attention?

WisPolitics Budget Blog: Cabinet members give up pay hikes.

Previously, on this subject:

Wage increases for legislators – Part 2

Three Wisconsin legislators plan to refuse pay raise

Waukesha’s part of the stimulus

Top on the list is fixing Accordion Arcadian Ave.

Except voting is currently against it.

Can they overturn Congress?

More here.

Things we wouldn’t know unless Bill Maher told us

Obama’s bright but still has learning curve.

Amazing. No wonder this guy still makes news with earth shattering punditry like this.

Democrats who have called for the ‘Fairness Doctrine’

Coninually pooh poohed by the left, nevertheless there’s a growing crowd advocating for the reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine.

The list, which will grow, no doubt. The links are followed by the Democrats mentioned in the news item.

Via FOXNews.com

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, whose

husband, Tom Athans, is and has been an executive at several liberal radio talk groups.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who only wants to

ensure that there are a few liberal shows on the air.

I guess he’s can’t get Air America, either.

Former President Bill Clinton wants ‘more balance’ on airwaves.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

defended the so-called Fairness Doctrine in an interview on Fox News, saying, “I think we should all be fair and balanced, don’t you?”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), told The Hill in 2007,

“It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine. I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to make a decision.”

Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman

“I believe very strongly that the airwaves are public and people use these airwaves for profit. But there is a responsibility to see that both sides and not just one side of the big public questions of debate of the day are aired and are aired with some modicum of fairness.”

Senator John Kerry

In a radio interview on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, excerpted on YouTube, Senator Kerry said he thought the doctrine should return. Calling it one of the “most profound changes in the balance of the media,” he said conservatives have been able to “squeeze down and squeeze out opinion of opposing views. I think it has been a very important transition in the imbalance of our public dialog,” he said.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)

I guess my thought is that talk radio and media generally should have a higher calling than just reflect a particular point of view. I think they should use their authority to try to – their broadcast power to present an informed discussion of public issues.

Are there more?

Cause and Effect?

Does this [Emphasis is mine throughout]

Twenty-six percent (26%) of American voters say the nation is moving in the right direction, while 66% say it is heading down the wrong track, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

The number of voters who think America is moving in the right direction is down slightly from last week’s high of 29%, but it marks the third straight week in which over a quarter of voters share that opinion despite increasing bad economic news.

stem from this?

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, fell to a new record low for the second straight day on Thursday. Just two days after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s presentation of the White House financial rescue plan, the Consumer Index fell to 56.2, surpassing the all-time low set the day before. During 2008, record lows for consumer confidence were recorded on a regular basis. Consumer confidence is down two points from a week ago and one point from a month ago.

Rasmussen pegs the low to Geithner’s presentation of the rescue plan, but couldn’t it simply be the downturn/recession/depression that’s making folks nervous and causing low approval ratings?

I suppose we won’t know until we start to pull out of this mess.

“Group threatens to sue schools that use Elmbrook Church for commencements”

UPDATE: Tim points out in the comments:

In addition, at past graduations, the church displayed banners reading “Leading Children to a Transforming Life in Jesus” and “Lord of Lords,” and church personnel distributed religious pamphlets and other materials to graduating [public school] students and their families.

That would seem a bit more of an issue, don’t you think?

Indeed it would. But I found the above quote only in the story at the Americans United web site and at none of the news stories which reported the story.

That’s not to say, the AU version is wrong. And it does show the kinds of problems which can occur and Elmbrook Church should be mindful of.

But it is contradicted by the superintendents, who may also have their own agenda.

Via NewsWatch on JSOnline.com

A national organization that advocates separation of church and state is threatening to sue three Waukesha County school districts and a technical college if they do not stop using Elmbrook Church for their graduation ceremonies.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent letters to the Elmbrook, Mukwonago and New Berlin school district as well as Waukesha County Technical College, asking them to move graduation ceremonies to secular locations this year.

You know, I get the separation of church and state thing. I don’t want Christianity, or any other religion, for that matter, to be the official religion of this country.

I also understand that some people might be offended by different things that people would like to do, Nativity Scenes on City Hall grounds, prayer in class, etc., even though my personal beliefs say that this would be beneficial.

I can’t quite get around this, however. Here’s is a large auditorium, centrally located, ideal for holding commencement services, but unacceptable. Why?

Moving graduation to the church from Mukwonago High School’s gymnasium means more family members have been able to attend the annual event.

But I suppose someone, sometime might see a picture of Jesus, I guess.

You’d think that by the time they graduate, their parents would have sufficiently taught them so that they would be resistent to the temptation to convert just by having a commencement inside a church.

Americans United sued four public high schools in Florida several years to try to get their graduation ceremonies moved from a church. A judge refused to move the ceremony, arguing the lawsuit was filed too close to the ceremonies. The schools later settled the lawsuit with the organization and moved their graduations to non-church locations.

So it will happen here, too.

What am I not seeing here?

Gee, I wonder why?

Politics – Senators found unwilling to share tax info

Most U.S. senators are unwilling to share the kind of personal tax information they demand to confirm Cabinet appointees, a survey indicated.

Even as such senators as Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, grilled Obama administration appointees on lapses in paying their taxes, they were among 55 senators who either failed to respond or gave generic answers to Politico’s survey asking all 99 senators whether they or the Internal Revenue Service have ever discovered an error on returns they’ve filed, and whether they’ve ever had to pay back taxes.

Let’s try something novel; hold every one to the same standards.

Drinking Right Alert

From Real Debate Wisconsin.

I’ll be there about 7:30.