Christians in Hollywood

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is one of those actors I have always found very intriguing. There's just something about him. That's why I really enjoyed this story about him on Busted Halo. He directed a play called "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" and he talks about his own faith and the problems Christians face in Hollywood.

He noted that he is often defensive about the way that many actors react to the idea of evangelical Christians. Is there a bias, I asked, against that kind of person in the acting community?

"Absolutely!" he said. "It pisses me off that there is this knee-jerk reaction against them. There is certainly an antipathy against them in the acting world, just like there is an antipathy in the politically liberal world. And, as a result, the liberal Christian is not heard from as much. And, you know, a liberal person who has a deep belief in Christianity can be a very powerful influence on things."

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

World War III

Ron Rosenbaum over at Slate muses about the potential of a nuclear World War III, especially with the current crisis in Pakistan.

I don't want to be alarmist (actually I do, or rather I'd like you to share my sense of alarm), but I'm surprised there isn't a greater sense of concern about those Pakistani nukes. Forget Iran and Israel (Bush's hypothetical route to World War III). Pakistani nukes now represent the quickest shortcut to a regional nuclear war that could escalate to a global nuclear war.
...
And consider this: In recent years entire regions of Pakistan have become safe havens for al-Qaida and (quite likely) Osama. Is it not possible that instead of pursuing elaborate schemes to buy nukes on the black market or smuggle an improvised radioactive "dirty bomb" into the United States, al-Qaida has been biding its time, burrowing its way into Pakistan, waiting for the Islamic bomb to drop into Bin Laden's lap? (I know: not a great choice of metaphor.) Because he thinks long term, he doesn't have to try to scrounge up some "loose nuke" from the former Soviet "stans"; he can just wait. He's one coup—or one bullet—away from being handed the keys to an entire arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Scary thoughts.

Religion Fact of the Day

The Faylusufs were an Islamic group that arose in the ninth century. They attempted to blend Greek philosophy with Islamic theology in what became known as falsafah. The movement reached its pinnacle with Ibn Sina (Avicenna), a prodigy who was advising physicians when he was just sixteen. Ibn Sina believed that prophets and others who had mystical revelations had a better understanding of God, but that everyone could and should use reason to gain what knowledge they could of God. The movement only lasted a few hundred years as Greek philosophy and rationality began to fall out of favor with Muslims.

Congestion Pricing

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we see this start appearing in large cities here in America. They are trying it in London with excellent results. No doubt there will much wailing and gnashing of teeth at first. We Americans don't like anything that seems to impinge on our freedoms, even if it is better for everyone in the long run.

Torture and the Common Man

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that torture is authorized and condoned by our government when average joes wholeheartedly support it.

Afterwards, Luntz asked the group why they seemed to be in favor of torture. "I don't have any problem pouring water on the face of a man who killed 3000 Americans on 9/11," said John Shevlin, a retired federal law enforcement officer. The group applauded, appallingly.

The whole post is a fascinating insight into the minds of some average Republican voters. Anti-immigration. Anti-help for the poor. Pro-Iraq war. Pro-torture. One of many reasons I could never be President. I wouldn't feel inclined to lead these people so much as say, "You're batshiat crazy and would probably be happier living in another country. I hear China's nice this time of year. Here's a plane ticket."

"If math were a color..."

One more sign of how bad our education system is getting. A question from a fifth grade math test:

"If math were a color, it would be __, because__"

Wow. I don't what else to say. Just wow.

Keeping Up With the Joneses

A new study shows that we feel better about our own successes when others are not doing as well.

The study, by cognition experts and economists at the University of Bonn in Germany, looks at the brain regions that process reward. Nineteen pairs of subjects performed a series of tasks, estimating the number of dots on a screen, while their brains were scanned. Each time a subject answered correctly, he or she won a cash prize but the prizes were not always the same. Players could see whether their opponents had answered correctly, and how the prize money was distributed.

The researchers were especially interested in the set of outcomes where both players answered correctly. For any given prize value, the brain's reward response was bigger if the other player earned less. Players on average were more pleased with a 60 euro prize when the other player got just 30 euros, for example, than they were if both players earned 60 euros, or if the other player got more.

Very fascinating. Thinking about my own experiences, I do have to admit that it is true for me as well. I felt better about a good grade on a test when I knew that most of the class barely passed than when everyone did well. It sounds horrible and I suppose on a certain level it is. One more natural inclination to overcome in life, I suppose.

The Healthcare Beast

I definitely think that we need to rethink our healthcare in America, though, I'm not sure exactly how we should fix it. I'm not sure that mandatory healthcare is the best option. Perhaps tax incentives for employers who offer coverage...I don't know. I have not studied the problem enough to come to any concrete conclusions.

What got me thinking about this was that I found out today that I cannot put my Mom on my healthcare plan at work. She is not a "qualifying dependent." So, even though I claim her on my Federal Tax Return and could be considered her "primary caretaker" (even if I hate the phrase), I can't put her on my plan. That leaves her stuck with Medicare which costs far too much for the paltry coverage it provides. I have a great plan through my employer and my Mom could really use it. This really pisses me off.

Israel and Palestine

Today was the start of the major Mideast peace conference in Annapolis. Newsweek has an interview with one of the authors of the Roadmap, the outline for creating a lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. He is skeptical of the notion that a settlement can be reached before the end of Bush's term of office.

It is possible, but not necessarily likely. In a way, you have three parties in the region. You have the peacemakers, who really want to resolve the issues and create a Palestinian state alongside Israel. There are many Arab states in the region who will support and work for this. Then you have the peace breakers, who will say, "It's not in our interests to have this state, because our goal is push Israel into the sea." And they will use every means available to undermine this process. And then you have what I call the "conflict entrepreneurs," who thrive on keeping the conflict alive. What they believe is that a resolution of the Palestinian conflict will take away a weapon of ideology from their arsenal.

Time also has a story about this conference in the context of Bush's other attempts at diplomacy.

On all these fronts, however, Bush is making progress against those far-right interests. Bill Clinton's Palestinian negotiator, Rob Malley, argues that Bush stands a better chance than Clinton of creating a Palestinian state because he is starting nine months earlier, has full Arab buy-in and is one of the few people who could actually pressure Israel to make tough concessions if he chose to. On North Korea, Bush approved talks led by a top Clinton negotiator, Chris Hill, who promptly delivered a deal to dismantle the country's nuclear reactors. And through quiet discussions with the Democratic Congress, Bush has breathed life into Latin American trade deals most thought were dead after Democrats took over Congress in 2006.

It does seem that Condoleezza Rice has become much more influential in the White House over the past year, countering the rabid pro-war stance of Cheney. That is most certainly a good thing. I think it may be too little, too late, however. I do hope that Rice can guide the Israelis and the Palestinians to a settlement, but I agree with those that say trying to do it before Bush leaves office is hopelessly optimistic. This conflict has been going on for awhile and we've seen it on the verge of being settled a few times only to have it blow up. And it's not like the U.S. has a lot of credibility in the region right now.

I think the three most important steps that need to happen in order for peace to take effect is 1)Israel freezes all development of settlements, 2)Israel eases restrictions on Palestinians and fosters economic growth, 3)Palestinians cease all terrorist actions against Israelis. I believe the U.S. can apply pressure on Israel for the first two. In order to achieve the third objective, though, we need other countries in the area to stop their own terrorist activities and pressure the Palestinians to do the same. We are seen as too close to Israel to have a serious impact on Palestinian actions. We must have the support of other players in the region. I'm not sure we have the credibility or the diplomatic suave to gain this support.

We'll see how it goes. I am hoping for the best.

Computer Troubles

I think I'm going to have to buy a new laptop. The onboard power supply is acting up which means getting a new motherboard which means a new laptop would probably be much easier. My computer is not that old which makes this all the more aggravating. Ah, well. What's life without some things going wrong and making it all more exciting?

Kids Are Great

My three-year old niece, Alexis, came into my room last week and told me, "Uncle Shane, I had a dream about the coolest." She grinned and held up the Batman ("the coolest" natch) action figure I bought for her. I grabbed my Superman action figure and we proceeded to play superheroes. These small moments are wonderful.

Islamic Extremism

The story of the school kids who named a teddy bear "Muhammad" is making the rounds. This incident highlights one of the key issues Muslims need to address if they want to move forward culturally. Some things, like kids naming a toy Muhammad, are a non-issue. It's obvious that the teacher and the kids did not mean anything blasphemous by it. Not everything that could be construed as such is an attack on their religion.

Of course, those things that are critical of Islam, such as the Danish cartoons that caused such an uproar must also be dealt with in a better manner (i.e. not rioting). These extreme reactions only engender negative attitudes and confirm people's suspicions that all Muslims are backwards and intolerant. Granted, U.S. policy has not been very helpful in fostering better attitudes amongst Muslims, but playing the game of "He Started It" is not only childish, but wildly counterproductive.

More Christians Against Torture

Everytime I read something like this, I feel very heartened.

It is indeed the obligation of the government to prevent another September 11.

But it is also the obligation of the government to do so without torturing people.

Maybe there is a glimmer of hope for us.

The Oprah Endorsement

Much has been made of the fact that Oprah is endorsing Obama and will be appearing with him at some upcoming rallies. Some have signaled that this could be a nail in the coffin for Clinton because Oprah's fans will blindly follow her wherever she goes (or votes). Some are skeptical, though, that she will be that big an asset for Obama.

So yes, expect loud, rousing rallies in all three early voting states when Oprah Winfrey comes to town with her friend Barack Obama in early December, with gobs of media attention, raucous crowds, emotion and great pictures. But don't expect those events to do anything productive to allow Obama to get over the biggest hurdle standing between him and the White House. American voters are not looking for a celebrity or talk show sidekick to lead them. Obama is an intelligent and thoughtful potential President, but Winfrey's imprimatur is unlikely to convey those traits to many undecided voters.

Some decry the influence famous people have on the thoughts of the masses and I can't say I think it is a good thing that most of us are sheeples, gladly being herded one way or another. I think, though, that some things are never going to change, one of them being the human desire to listen and follow someone. I don't think we are independent rebels at heart. I think that most of us want to be told what to do or how to think. It's easier.

A New Space Race

I hope this jars us out of our malaise toward space exploration.

According to Cheng, the Chinese are now embarking on a systematic space program the world has not seen since the 1960's and for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is facing real competition. That may explain why the head of NASA, Michael Griffin, recently warned that "China will be back on the moon before we are . . . I think when that happens Americans will not like it."

I'm not holding my breath, though.

Emerging Adulthood

This is an interesting article about what the author dubs "emerging adulthood," the increasing gap between high school graduation and settling down with a family, and what it means to the Christian community.

There is a new and important stage in life in American culture, and it is not entirely clear that the Christian church understands or particularly knows what to do with it. I am talking about what scholars call "emerging adulthood." This is the time of life between ages 18 and 30, roughly, a phase which in recent decades has morphed into quite a new experience for many. Researchers in sociology, psychology, and human development have been investigating the contours of this new life stage and have recently published some fascinating books on the subject, whose findings are well worth pondering for their implications for church and culture.

To grasp the significance of emerging adulthood, it is necessary first to realize that life stages are not naturally given as immutable phases of existence. Rather, they are cultural constructions that interact with biology and material production, and are profoundly shaped by the social and institutional conditions that generate and sustain them. So, "teenager" and "adolescence" as representing a distinct stage of life were very much 20th-century inventions, brought into being by changes in mass education, child labor laws, urbanization and suburbanization, mass consumerism, and the media. Similarly, a new, distinct, and important stage in life, situated between the teenage years and full-fledged adulthood, has emerged in our culture in recent decades—reshaping the meaning of self, youth, relationships, and life commitments as well as a variety of behaviors and dispositions among the young.

I'd go farther and say that as a society, we don't know what to do about this. Everyone seems quick to say that things are different these days for kids growing up, but no one seems able to posit any solutions. Smith gets into it a little at the end of his article, but I do think one of the biggest changes we need to make is foregoing the "Me first" attitude. When you teach your kids that they are beautiful, unique snowflakes that can have everything their little heart desires, they aren't going to be too happy when they grow up and join the "real world." Sadly, you can't always get what you want (thanks, Stones).

Shhhh...Don't Tell the Kids

Mitt Romney criticized Senator Obama for revealing that he used drugs in high school.

"I agree with the sentiment that nobody's perfect and most of us, if not all of us, in our youthful years have engaged in various indiscretions we wouldn't want to have paraded in the front of a newspaper," Romney said. "On the other hand if we're running for president, I think it's important for us not to go into details about the weaknesses and our own failings as young people for the concern that we open kids thinking that it's ok for them."

This is most definitely not the thing to do with kids. You don't need to glorify your indiscretions, but you do need to be open and honest. Kids are not stupid. They know that adults were kids at one point and they are going to wonder about mistakes their parents and other adults made. If you try to cover it up, you're going to end up looking like a holier-than-thou hypocrite because nothing stays hidden forever. I have tried to be open with my daughters about mistakes I made when I was young. In fact, I think it helps me bond with them because they can see that I am not that different from them in that I was young once and faced similar choices and that I wasn't always perfect.

Tell Me Your Secrets

PostSecret

Gravity vs. Evolution

Which one has more evidence to support it? Hint: it's not gravity according to Gordon J. Glover.

So it might come as quite a surprise to many folks that, mathematically speaking, we can be many times more certain of common descent than we can be of gravity. What was that? Yes - that’s right! To some, this might sound ridiculous. After all, we can directly observe and measure gravity! The law of gravity is testable and repeatable science! Evolution is mere speculation! Common descent is only a theory! How many time have you heard this? Now, in terms of being repeatable: gravity beats evolution. Sorry. There is simply no way to repeat something that takes 3.8 billion years to unfold and only happens once. But in terms of being testable and measurable, scientists can measure evolution.

The problem is, of course, that gravity isn't a heated issue that people feel threatens their faith. Most of the opponents of evolution (whichever version of it you feel like bringing up) really don't understand the theories of it (none of them say we are descended from apes). They worry, though, that evolution and science will make their beliefs go away so they attack them out of fear. Science may not have all the answers, but it's not going away. These people are going to have to learn to live with it.

Some people probably never will come to terms with science, though. Like people who don't even believe in gravity.

James Madison

One of Andrew Sullivan's readers comes up with some quotes from one of our Founding Fathers pertinent to our turbulent political times including this gem:

“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”

Indeed.

Religion Fact of the Day

The Documentary Hypothesis is the most widely accepted theory for the origin of the Pentateuch (aka Torah, aka the Five Books of Moses). While it has come under increasing criticism in recent decades, it still stands as the theory against which all others are measured. In essence, it states that their were four authors called the Yahwist (J), Elohist (E), Priestly (P), and Deuteronomist (D). A fifth player, the redactor (R), brought these strands together into the Pentateuch as we know it. As mentioned in a previous RFoD, this happened in the postexilic period (6th century BCE).

Some Relief

I just finished my final assignment for my Intro to the Old Testament class. It was a five page paper on the Documentary Hypothesis. It's a bit of relief. I only have one class now, God and World, though that will keep me busy through the end of December.

I should be able to post more on here now. This blog has become like crack for me. I've been getting tremors and cold sweats with my minimal posting rate as of late. I need a hit.

Looking For Your Parents

An L.A. Times reporter writes about his journey to find his birth parents and deal with his alcoholism.

Babes. Mouths.

There's some things you shouldn't ever have to hear come out of your child's mouth. My daughter, Erica, tonight: "Dad, I don't think we should have been pulled out school to go to Ismay. I mean just so Mom could get pregnant and beat up. And we got spanked with a leather belt."

This is in reference to a few years ago, when their mother (with my daughters in tow) moved to some little town in the middle of nowhere with a guy who knocked her up and knocked her around. Sigh.

Giving Thanks

Rumor has it that today is some sort of day to "give thanks" for whatever it is one may be...well, thankful for. I suppose you could call it "Give Thanks Day" or "I'm Thankful Day" or "Thanksgiving Day" or something. Not being one to be different or stand out from the pack, I suppose I will offer some thoughts on what I am thankful for this year.



I am thankful that my relationship with my two beautiful daughters, Erica and Shaena, has really improved over the last year. As they grow older they seem to be questioning some of what their mother and grandmother spew if not openly at least subconciously. I hope it continues to get better.

I am thankful that our presidential campaign season is becoming longer and longer. It gives us more time to carefully evaluate the candidates which is what we do in this country. We don't vote based on bad rumors we heard. We don't vote based on who is the best looking. We don't vote based on a coin flip. Nope, we take democracy seriously in our great nation. I'm hoping that by the next cycle, the campaign season will be at least as long as the President's term of office. Four years to get to know the candidates seems about right. And, then the one we have rigorously chosen can serve us for four years. I like the symmetry.

I am thankful for the MS study I am participating in. I get $4000 worth of free drugs every month and, really, who isn't thankful for free drugs? Hmmmm...maybe the government should hand out free drugs ala Brave New World. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we could all just get high when we wanted?

I'm thankful that we are finally accepting torture in this country. I've long said that we do not do enough to degrade and harm people foolish enough to become suspects of a crime. "If you can't handle the torture, don't be a suspect," I say. I look forward to the day we've expanded it so that we don't just torture people with brown skin and a funny religion. Any person - man or woman, child or adult, white or not-so-white, right religion or wrong religion - deserves the sweet pangs of stress positions, simulated drowning, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, and solitary confinement if they don't know how to stay on the right side of the law. It's your own fault you became a suspect, Mr. Torture-Hurts-Cry-Baby-Waaah.

I am thankful that my MS progression is very slow and I am managing very well. Besides a few minor symptoms, I feel great and would not know I had the disease if I hadn't seen the MRIs of my brain.

I am thankful that my siblings are finally starting to realize how outdated the concept of "family" is. They are throwing off the trappings of this archaic institution and blazing a new trail of interpersonal relationships. Where this trail leads, who knows? It is exciting to see, though. Turn out for the family Thanksgiving meal was at a low this year. I'm confident that with their commitment to their new path, it will be even lower next year.

I am thankful for the new position I got at the hospital last December. It has been an enjoyable challenge and allowed me to flex some of my mental muscles that I didn't always get to use as a security officer. I also have to give kudos to my new coworkers. They have all been wonderful, but two especially have made a big impact on my life lately. Linda, my boss, is without a doubt the best supervisor I have ever had. She is willing to stand back and let me do my job and she supports me whether it is from angry people trying to blame me for something or from somebody trying to pawn off more work on me. Linda is also great about pushing me to do the best I can. She likes to call them "opportunities." I have very much enjoyed working for her. The other person is Brenda. She is the Volunteer Coordinator at St. V's. She has been a helping hand, a confidant, a matchmaker, a jokester, a friend, and in many ways a second mom. She helps me maintain my sanity and I can't be thankful enough to her.

I am thankful for the entitlement culture we have developed in America. Tyler Durden was wrong. We are all beautiful and unique snowflakes and we deserve to be treated as such. It gets to be a little tricky when more than one unique snowflake is in the same room (the temperature goes up threatening to melt both), but we're all special. I'm sure we can figure out a way to make it work. Just remember I am the most beautiful snowflake and you and I will get along fine.

I am thankful for my friends, especially Jeromy. Our friendship goes back nearly twenty years now and is full of wonderful memories. I feel blessed to have such a kindred spirit in my life.

I am thankful for blame-shifting. It is so much easier getting through life when you know that every time something goes wrong, you can just point your finger at someone else. Whoever came up with the idea of personal responsibility obviously did not realize what a pain it is. I bet if that person knew about blame-shifting, they would have dropped responsibility like a diseased monkey.

I am thankful for the fact that my mother has received a temporary stay of execution on the house and that she may be able to keep it. It is one of her dreams and the thought of losing it has caused her much grief. We may still have to sell, but she feels better that we are fighting it and if we have to sell now, it will be on her terms, not my brother's.

I could go on, but I'm sure someone will give thanks if I finally just shut the hell up now. Besides, now that Give-Thanks Day is almost over, I need to start preparing for the next holiday. Word on the street is that this one involves a visit from some fat man in a red suit with a sack of goods. Sounds weird to me. Why can't we just debase before this cool looking symbol I've seen? It's a giant "S" with two vertical slashes through it. I like that much better and it seems more suited to me as a beautiful and unique snowflake.

No Moon For Obama

Obama would delay our space exploration programs to pay for other programs. That's a black mark on his record as far as I'm concerned, though I still think he's the best candidate. Hell, Romney would probably put a rush on Moon exploration so he can make room for doubling Gitmo.

Outrageous

So, the Bush Administration sends our troops into harm's way for a ridiculous, unending war, gives people big enlistment bonuses because recruitment is getting harder, and then wants to take back bonuses for troops who get injured and cannot finish their commitment.

The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.

To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases.

Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.

WTF? How could anyone think this was a good idea? "Hey, kid, sorry you lost your legs, but that wasn't in your contract. You're going to have to give your money back." This better be stopped.

A Pick Me Up

For no particular reason, I'm not really in the greatest of moods today. A sing-along with Jesus seems to be the perfect way to lift my spirits.

Catholics and War

Fascinating excerpts from an interview with a Catholic veteran of the Iraq war. I found the most interesting part his thoughts on killing.

That’s the really nice thing about being Catholic; that you can make these blanket assertions, and also recognize the futility of being able to totally avoid sin at all times if you are in the world. I guess I am kind of an Augustinian in that sense. Yes, killing is evil. Killing is wrong. There’s no kind of killing that’s justified. And I don’t care about all the ‘interpretations’ in the Old Testaments where it really says ‘Thou shall not murder.’ I don’t care if that’s a distinction. I’ve seen killing. Killing is wrong. There’s no way to justify it. And I don’t care if the people that I was in some way participating in the killing of were innocent or guilty, I mean, both happened. They were human beings and killing them was wrong. It just is, and it always will be. I don’t think that we can apply some kind of temporal form of justice or legal system to human life and say ‘OK, in this particular instance, this is OK, this guy can be killed,’ or ‘in this particular instance, he can't.’

But I understand that sometimes the way that the world is killing is necessary. There’s just no way to avoid it. That doesn’t make it right. I don’t think there are too many people –too many soldiers –who would come away from the war and say, even if it were the cleanest war in history, who would still come away from it and say, ‘Yeah, that was all really good. All we did was really good stuff.’ It bothers you and it bothers you for a reason because it’s not the sort of thing that we ought to be doing. In an ideal world we wouldn’t do any of it.

Star Trek Critters

Wired has an article on the ten "cheesiest" creatures on Star Trek in honor of the HD release of the episodes. I, of course, take issue with cheesy. They're not cheesy, damn it! You can't say something like that about Star Trek, not unless you're referring to Voyager.

Okay, there was a lot of cheese in The Original Series. It's still the best show that's ever been on TV.

Torture and Christians

Sometimes I feel like I'm beating a dead horse (thanks, Axl), but I am so appalled that this is going on. We need more people standing up and voicing their opinion on this. We do not want torture in America, performed by Americans, authorized by Americans, or condoned by Americans. A great article in Christianity Today explains why it is always wrong.

As to the exact kinds of acts that constitute torture, there is no single definition, but this does not mean that the term is infinitely elastic. Almost everyone condemns the examples above. And international agreements have repeatedly sought to define torture as they have denounced it. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment." Article 17 of the Third Geneva Convention (1949) asserts that "no physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war," but, instead, "persons taking no active part in the hostilities … shall in all circumstances be treated humanely." The 1985 U.N. Convention Against Torture defines it as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person." The United States is a signatory to all of these international declarations and has historically incorporated their principles into military doctrine. For example, the 1992 (current, though under revision) U.S. Army Field Manual tells soldiers that "[Geneva] and U.S. policy expressly prohibit acts of violence or intimidation, including physical or mental torture, threats [or] insults, … as a means of or aid to interrogation."
...
Among the sometimes approved measures have been prolonged standing, removal of detainees' clothing, sensory deprivation, hooding (often with smelly hoods), prolonged interrogations, use of dogs, forced shaving of beards, grabbing, poking, pushing, sleep manipulation and deprivation, and waterboarding (which refers to a variety of techniques designed to make a victim feel as if he were drowning).

Among the unapproved but practiced measures have been punching, slapping, and kicking detainees, religious and sexual humiliation, prolonged shackling, exposure to severe heat or cold, food or toilet deprivation, mock or threatened executions, and letting dogs threaten or in some cases bite and severely injure detainees.

Read the whole thing. Get angry. Do something about it.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Religion Fact of the Day

The final book in the Christian Bible, The Revelation to John, more commonly called simply Revelation, was probably written in the early 90s CE. Most scholars do not believe that this John is the same John who was an apostle of Jesus. Revelation fits into the apocalyptic genre of writing which had been flourishing amongst the Middle East since about 250 BCE.

Revelation Was Written When?

Well, according to Bill O'Reilly, it was 5,000 years ago.

On the November 13 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, while discussing the "secularists" and their refusal to acknowledge the "holy war going on," Bill O'Reilly cited the Book of Revelation, the final scripture in the New Testament, saying, "This was written -- what? Five thousand years ago?"

That's right. Even though, Jesus lived 2,000 years ago and the New Testament (of which Revelation is a part of) was written after Jesus was around, the book of Revelation was somehow written thousands of years before that.

Why is it that people who scream loudest about any topic seem to know the least about it?

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my oldest daughter, Erica. She turns eleven today. I can't believe she is that age already. No longer can I see a young girl in her; she is becoming a young woman. It is scary and thrilling at the same time.

I hoped to talk to her today, but, unfortunately I did not. I called her house a couple of times, but, unsurprisingly there was no answer. I will see her and her sister on Friday, though. We're going to go rollerskating and then have cake and ice cream. I can't wait.

Waterboarding

If Mississipi could figure this out in 1926, why are we having so much trouble today calling a spade a spade. Waterboarding is torture. I'm not typically a black and white kind of guy, but in this instance, there is certainly no gray. It is abhorrent and everyone who has done it, authorized it, or stood by and let it happen should be held accountable.

Religion Fact of the Day

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, destroyed much of Judah in the late 8th century BCE in response to Hezekiah allying with Egypt against Assyria. Jerusalem was spared but Hezekiah had to pay Sennacherib large amounts of gold and silver, cede some of his territory, and return to a vassal state. The account in Isaiah and 2 Kings credit the saving of Jerusalem to an angel of God which slew 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night. Sennacherib's non-Biblical records mention no defeat of any kind.

Spirit of Men

The hospital I work at sponsors an organization called Spirit of Women. As you would expect, it is all about celebrating femininity and so on. They have all sorts of meetings and events. It seems to me a little sexist to not have a counterpart group, so I have taken it upon myself to create a recruiting poster for when they realize the error of their ways. I used a SoW poster as a template and came up with this:



What red-blooded male wouldn't want to be a part of this?

Wordsmiths at the Onion

Where else are you going to read such awesome sentences as this:

On this occasion, Baumer removed the tea bag from the dainty brew and added one dollop of honey made by his friends the honeybees and a splash of milk straight from his mama's precious teat.

Read the whole article here.

Multiple Sclerosis - Year One

It's been one year now since I found out I have MS. It's the strangest thing in the world hearing your doctor tell you that you have an incurable disease. As I've said before, I wasn't really surprised. My symptoms were strong and I knew there was something wrong. I expected the worse. Still, when he said, "Shane, you have multiple sclerosis," I sat in shock for a moment, unsure what to say.

My first thought was, this changes everything. My next was, no, it doesn't. I could have let this disease change my life, but I was determined to not let it get the best of me. I've been blessed in that I was diagnosed very early. Many people go years before their doctor figures out what it wrong. Being that it is so early, the MS has not progressed enough to give me any noticeable signs. In fact, other than fatigue and susceptibility to cold, I don't feel any different.

I have also been very lucky in that there just happens to be a study going on right now for MS drugs. I met the qualifications and so I signed up. The study is testing whether Copaxone and Avonex work better together rather than individually. Both drugs are already tested and proven. There are three groups in the study, two get one drug and a placebo, and the third group gets both drugs. Obviously, I have no idea which group I am in, but no matter which I am getting something. Because I am in the study the drugs are free. If they weren't, I'm not sure I would be able to take either. At my last appointment, the study coordinator told me she had just checked the market price for the drugs and they were both $1800 for a one-month supply. $1800! I have great insurance through the hospital, but I don't think I'd be able to afford either of these.

The shot I take weekly, Avonex (or placebo), is not much fun. For the first month or so, I would have flu-like symptoms for up to 24 hours after I took the shot. I felt horrible. My body has adapted to it, though, and it is not as bad now. I take the shot on Saturday night and typically until around dinner time on Sunday, I fell a general malaise. Some days are better than others, but I don't usually feel really good on Sundays. The daily injection, Copaxone (or placebo), is much nicer in this regard in that the only side-effects I get are occasional redness and itching at the injection site.

I struggled with how to tell people at first. I debated keeping it to myself and not telling anyone. I didn't want anyone's pity, nor did I want anybody's first thought of me to be "He has MS." In the end, I decided I didn't care what people thought and just told friends and family and work. My Mom knew something was wrong because she had seen me stumbling during my flare-up last summer and so I probably couldn't have kept it from her anyway. Reactions were, of course, mixed with lots of tears and disbelief. Overall, though, everyone was very supportive.

Overall, though, it has been a strange experience. Other than my initial flare-up last July and August and a minor flare-up in February, I have no major signs of the disease. I still feel like the same person I was before I was diagnosed. Not that I would be different if the disease was progressing more rapidly, but it would have more of an impact on my life. As it is, I can still run around and do everything I could before. I am very lucky in that regard. I know that the disease is going to progress and I will eventually become limited physically. I don't sit around praying for a cure. If one comes, great. If not, I know I will manage just fine. That's how I roll.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Obama and Iran, Part III

My discussion with Jeromy continues from here.

You know I had to respond to this one. :)

I would have been disappointed if you hadn't.

1. Diplomacy is not like going out to dinner with a buddy. Every action, every word, every small iota has serious insinuations. Just sitting down at a public table with another country speaks volumes about the relationship with that country.

Hmmm...I don't think the mere fact of opening a dialog with a nation says anything other than "we are willing to talk." It doesn't mean we agree with them on anything. It doesn't mean we like or condone their actions. It just means we're not above talking to anyone, nor should we be.

Reward them with positive changes in behavior? That's no different than not sitting at a public forum with them because of previously bad behavior. Same attitude, different tact.

I disagree. Not talking with them gives us an arrogant, "better than you" posture. That's not going to make matters any better. Rewarding good behavior is also a better tactic than punishing bad behavior.

3. Regarding Obama personally- Although I probably would pay attention to a 500- page dissertation on American-Iranian relations, I would settle for a two-page document with just a couple of specifics. Just three years ago Obama was singing a different tune , talking about missile strikes, sanctions, and the unpredicability of the Iranian government. Three years ago it was popular to take a "tough stand" against Iran, now its popular to play the diplomatic card.

I don't think Obama was really "singing a different tune" then. In the link you gave, Obama talked about using missile strikes as a last resort if Iran was on the verge of getting nukes. He talked about going through the UN and using economic sanctions first. In the story I originally linked to, Obama talks about using "carrots and sticks" in working with Iran. Sounds like the same kind of thing to me.

And you're right, the argument I made could be said about most politicians because that's the nature of the game. And yet you said in your post after the quote that you support Obama exactly because of the kind of this kind of statement. If statements like this ARE generic and meant to gain favor, is it wise to base your support for him on such rhetoric?

If I said I wasn't going to support any politician who played the game of politics, well then I'd never support any politician. I try to look at their track record and listen to them. From what I have seen, Obama does not seem to be the same kind of pandering pol as we usually see. I don't think he's perfect by any means. I definitely have my disagreements with him on issues. However, I think he is by far the best candidate in either party running right now.

Do we "take our ball and go home" because Iran's not playing by the rules? Absolutely not. But do we formally sit down at the world trade and commerce table with them without recognizing the oppression, torture, and hatred that flows from the hands and mouths of the Iranian government? How is it that the same people who are ready to throw Bush out for water boarding (I count myself in this group) are also willing to legitimize a man and government who openly admits, even glorifies, decades of atrocities and torture?

Cold shouldering is not the answer, but a koom-bay-a session, as Obama seems to suggest, is not the answer either.

Obama is not talking about legitimizing the Iranian regime. He is talking about "changes in behavior." He is also talking about using "carrots and sticks." That doesn't sound like Kum Bah Yah to me, but like realpolitik.

As for Obama- I hope he gets the Democratic nomination, because I still think he's the lesser of the many mistakes that we could make. But I am absolutely not convinced of his true intent and goals. His speeches are simply pages ripped out of the JFK and MLK, Jr. playbooks, which sound great....but are they backed by conviction or merely a ploy to win an election? Time will tell...

I thought I was supposed to be the cynic. As I said, I don't think Obama is the Second Coming or anything like that. However, there is absolutely no way to be sure of any candidate until they are in office. We have to make our best judgment and pray it is correct. I've been trying to pay attention to all of the candidates as best I can and right now, I am convinced Obama is the best one. Time will tell, eh?

Religion Fact of the Day

Early Israeli culture was not monotheistic, but henotheistic (belief in multiple gods with one being supreme). There are many mentions of other gods besides Yahweh such as in Psalm 95:3, "For Yahweh is a great God, a greater King than all other gods" or in the Ten Commandents, one being "You shall have no other gods before me." It's also not likely that so many Israelites kept reverting to worship of Baal if they did not believe he was a real god.

I've Got Wheels!

After nearly a month of being without one, I finally have a vehicle. My sister had a Toyota 4-Runner that she was not driving as she had bought another vehicle. She wanted to dump it, so I got it for the cost of getting it fixed ($2600) which is probably a better deal then I would have been able to get from any snake-oil salesman at a car dealership.

It's funny how we take things for granted. Certainly I did with having a car. Going a few weeks without one will remind you how nice it is to have one. I'm not holding my breath for this vehicle to last long, but it works now and I am grateful to have one again.

Thanks, Shawna.

Facts About the Amish

A.J. Jacobs, mental_floss writer and the man who attempted to live Biblically for one year, has written a post with some interesting tidbits about the Amish.

Amish have beards in accordance with Leviticus, which forbids the shaving of the corners of your beard. But they do shave their moustaches. The moustache was thought to have military associations by the early Amish, who came over from Switzerland in the 18th century.

There's more including an amusing story about baseball.

Distracted

I haven't posted much in the last few days because my life has been rather hectic. I'm not sure how regular I will be over the next few months, either. The holidays are coming up. I just started another class, God and World, that is going to keep me very busy with lots of reading and writing. I need to be looking for a roommate for the house so my Mom and I can keep it.

I'll try my best to be regular, but no guarantees.

But, But, They Do It, Too!

I didn't think this was a proper defense for anything, but to see it applied to torture as Cal Thomas has is appalling.

There is a double standard when it comes to this subject. We in the West are supposed to adhere to certain rules so we "won't be like them." But if the other side adheres to no rules and sees our standards as a form of weakness, such things are counter-productive to our objectives.

Yes, it is a double-standard. That's because we're America and we're supposed to be better than that. I can't believe that our great nation has descended to this. How can a terrorist attack, even one as brutal as 9/11, bring us to this, to saying torture is okay.

Fear.

We let our leaders and the media whip us up into a panic over the "Islamofascist threat" and subsequently we resort to our most primal instincts. Do anything to survive. Don't think. React.

Unfortunately, this puts on the same level as animals. We need to take a step back and really examine ourselves, our morals, our principles. We need to think about what kind of nation we want. Do we want a country in which we suspend individual liberties and support policies such as torture? I don't. What makes it even worse is that it is a well documented fact that torture does not work. People being tortured will say anything - truth or not - to make it stop. We're degrading ourselves with a horrifying act that doesn't even work.

Just because our enemies use a tactic does not mean we have to do the same. We're supposed to be better than that.

Religion Fact of the Day

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are known as Abrahamic faiths because all three religions trace their roots back to Abraham. For Jews, he is the one Yahweh made a covenant with to grant them the land of Israel and the father of Jacob later named Israel and the prodigal father of the Jews. For Christians, Abraham is the father of the Davidic line that culminates with the birth of their savior, Jesus. In the Muslim tradition, Abraham's first born son, Ishmael, cast out by Abraham's jealous wife, Sarah, becomes the father of the Arabs.

More on Obama and Iran

My friend Jeromy had some comments in response to my post about Obama and Iran.

How much do we legitimize actions like the one cited here (and the hundreds that have been reported like it) when we sit down to the table with a guy like Ahmadinejad?

See, I've heard this argument before and I just don't get it. We live in a world with people who see things much differently than we do here in America. We live in a world where not everyone likes us. We need to learn to live with that and effectively deal with it. If we take the stand that you have to do what we want before we will even talk to you, then we are only going to make more enemies. Ahmadinejad is not popular in his country as can be seen by recent protests. If we tell Iran we won't talk to them unless they do what we want and constantly beat the war drum, we are only going to whip up a national fervor there. Those people protesting Ahmadinejad will rally behind him against the arrogant American threat.

Dialoging does not mean condoning. We should never be afraid to talk to anyone. In fact, we will accomplish much more through meaningful discourse backed by incentives and the threat of a stick than we will through arrogant posturing.

On Obama himself, Jeromy said:

I think Obama's intentions are decent, but realistically he's positioning himself for an election, which means the rhetoric about foreign policy, while it sounds good, is not nearly as simplistic or practical as he makes it sound.

You can make that argument about any politician running for any office ever. Of course they are going to say things that may sound simplistic. No one would pay attention to Obama's 500-page Dissertation on American-Iranian Relations. Especially in our sound-bite era, politicians break things down as small as possible. That's the way our system works.

The reason I like Obama is because (with the exception of Ron Paul), he is the only candidate that really comes off as genuine and different than most every other politician. He's not afraid to tell people things they aren't going to like (e.g. his speech to Detroit automakers). He's not talking about sticking it to the Republicans or doubling Gitmo or torture being cool or giving free money to everyone. No, he's talking about coming together and making a better America.

Yeah, yeah, he's saying that to get elected (like every other person who runs for office). Well, it sounds good; he sounds like he genuinely means it; and it sounds better than what the other candidates are saying. That's why I support Obama.

Hitch on Islamic Radicals

Christopher Hitchens has harsh words for people who think that the only reason there are terrorists in Iraq is because we are there.

After all, if the usual peacenik logic were to be pursued, and it was to be assumed that "we" are chiefly responsible for magnetizing "them," then it would follow that if we were to leave, they would either give up or go elsewhere. Is there anybody who can be brought to believe anything so fatuous? Well, then, if this logic is self-evidently false in the case of Afghanistan, why should it be any more persuasive in the case of Iraq?

Unfortunately, Hitchens does what he accuses "liberals" of doing and simplifies the issue to much. First, it is true that al-Qaeda did not exist in Iraq under Saddam. Our failed attempt to bring stability and order after overthrowing Saddam did create an opening in which al-Qaeda elements could move in and start a splinter faction we now call al-Qaeda-in-Iraq (AQI). However, it is also true - and Hitch gives several examples - that America is not responsible for creating all of the Islamic terror cells in the world. Terrorists are not going to go away if America suddenly withdraws all its military forces from foreign soil and brings them home.

It is true, though, that even if our presence does not automatically create terrorists out of thin air, the actions of this administration have driven more people to become terrorists and have violently inflamed emotions to the point that many Muslims, even if not terrorists themselves, silently condone violence against Americans. It's more than the fact that we have botched the Iraq war. It's the horrible rhetoric, calling the war a "crusade," and saying things like "dead or alive." It's the lip service paid to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It's the beating of the war drum with Iran. It's the botch we made with Afghanistan by declaring victory too early and allowing the Taliban to regroup.

In short, Hitchens is correct to say that America doesn't magic up terrorists out of thin air. He is wrong to imply that our actions have no effect on terrorists or those who choose that lifestyle.

Music Sampling

For someone who had a huge hit, "I'll Be Missing You," heavily based on "Every Breath You Take" by the Police, you'd think Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy would be doing more to protect artists who sample music.

Foreign Policy Sanity

From Obama regarding Iran:

Take notice: on Iran, at least, Obama is speaking a new kind of language for mainstream American politics. For nearly 30 years since the Iranian revolution kicked out a shah who had been installed by the CIA, American leaders have been too timid to engage in a constructive dialogue with Iran. That includes Hillary's husband, whose curiosity was aroused by the moderate Khatami but failed to rise to the challenge of how to achieve a diplomatic opening for the good of both countries. Now Obama says he's willing to go to Iran to talk without preconditions, reward Iran with positive changes in behavior and demonstrate that the U.S. is not hellbent on regime change.

It's exactly for reasons like this that I have become an Obama supporter. He's not spouting the same tired rhetoric that other pols are. We need a desperate change in our foreign policy tactics after the current administration has destroyed our standing worldwide. I don't see any other candidate (save maybe Paul) being able or willing to make the necessary changes.

God Doesn't Like Cell Phones

Well, at least his representatives here on Earth aren't big fans.



Obviously the lady was being very rude by letting her phone ring in church and even answering it. However, I'm not sure that this guy took the right tack in breaking her phone. I think I would have made a crack about rude people being sent straight to the brand new tenth circle of hell, but that's just me.

No Rift in the Evangelical Fold?

David Sessions writes over at Slate that there is no breakup of Evangelicals because of the Bush Presidency.

This is a highly significant trend within evangelicalism—arguably the evangelical story of the moment. But it doesn't quite have the political implications that the media suggest, namely new stirrings of affection for the Democratic Party. Young Christians are interested in more than "two or three issues," as left-leaning pastor Bill Hybels contends in the Times piece, but they are smart, educated, and usually swing conservative for reasons much deeper than the Big Two (abortion and gay rights). In my time as a student at Patrick Henry College, I have witnessed countless students moderate from "Republican politics is next to godliness" to "we shouldn't be blindly following a specific party or leader." Despite that transformation, not one of them has ever campaigned or voted for a Democrat. They are disenchanted with the GOP for its abandonment of fiscal conservatism and limited government, but they'd consider voting for Democrats an even bigger step back. If there is a political trend to be reported here, it's the fact that increasingly progressive young Christians will almost certainly balance the Republican Party, insisting on a broader focus than clichéd morality battles.

I'm glad that Evangelicals seem to be branching out beyond their primary focus and looking at the bigger picture. That seems to be more than can be said for many other groups.

Still, it concerns me that there is a spirit of "GOP or Bust!" within the Evangelical fold. I don't think it is healthy politically for anyone to stick with a party whether or not it has drifted from its roots. Work toward fixing it, yes, but if it doesn't get fixed, why not vote for a moderate from the other party? That may send the message to the pols that they need to get their act together if they want votes. I also think the Republicans would be much more successful if they did get back to their core issues of small government and fiscal responsibility. They need to renounce torture and empire-building.

Religion Fact of the Day

Early Israelites were no different from many other cultures in that they practiced human sacrifice. When Joshua led his armies into Canaan, enemy cities were put under herem or "ban." Every man, woman, and child was killed in the name of Yahweh. This was done because Yahweh said the Canaanites practiced child sacrifice and would act as tempters leading the Israelites away from proper worship to worshiping Baal. Whatever the reason behind it, killing humans in the name of a supernatural figure is human sacrifice (cf. Aztecs, Celts, Chinese, Scandinavians, etc.).

Obama on the Attack

Barack Obama has certainly been more forceful lately about the difference between himself and Hillary Clinton. Here he is in a Newsweek interview:

Look, watch the videotape. She said that she was for the [New York Gov. Eliot] Spitzer plan and in the span of two minutes said she wasn't for the Spitzer plan. That wasn't something that was prompted by me or anybody else but it was characteristic of her answers on Social Security and her answers on the papers from the Clinton years. Look, I actually recognize that this sort of straddling is oftentimes considered politically savvy in Washington … It's been rewarded. Her ability to finesse her vote to authorize the war during the course of this campaign is something that she has been complimented for on the front page of The New York Times as being politically deft. So I understand where it arises from. The perception is that if you don't allow yourself to be pinned down, then you're making yourself a smaller target in the general election. That's the conventional wisdom. I think it is the wrong way to govern. I think it is not what we need right now.

Is it enough though? He has been taking a lot of flak in the press for not attacking her enough and he is lagging in national polls. Personally, I have found it very refreshing that he is not running a campaign of demonizing her or any of his other opponents. Is that what the country wants? Sure the media says Obama needs to be "getting tough," but I'm not sure whether or not the typical voter wants that. I don't know enough people who are even paying attention to the race, yet, to get a feel for how they are feeling. I don't know.

I do know that putting Clinton in office is a vote for keeping the same divisive politics we have had for awhile now. It would be nice to see something different.

Secrets Are Things We Give to Others to Keep For Us

PostSecret

MS Fatigue

Since I have been feeling very good lately and my last MRI showed "dramatic improvement" I've been trying to go without my pills for staying awake. I was taking a 200mg tablet of Provigil every day and I did need it. Without it, I was a zombie by dinner time. Lately, though, I've felt pretty good even when I haven't taken it. Some days I still take half a pill, but for the last couple of weeks I've been getting by without it for the most part. It's saving me money and I feel a little less like a walking pharmacy. We'll see how long this lasts.

Pakistan and the Neocons

Joe Klein wonders why the neocons aren't concerned with recent events in Pakistan. Joe suspects it may be Israli influence. He may be correct, but what amazes me more is how the neoconservative movement seems to revolve around war. It's the first option they put on the table for any sort of international problem as if America should be an empire throwing its weight around militarily wherever we feel like. I guess they don't realize that this is one of the reasons we are much less respected in the world these days and why our soft power has seen a sharp decline.

But, back to Pakistan. I think we should be much more worried about events there than in Iran. After all, we know Pakistan has nukes.

Jesus Doll

Some people will stir up controversy over anything. A Jesus doll now available at Wal-Mart can recite Bible verses and tell the story of feeding the multitudes. This has some people fired up. No, not atheists, but Christians who fear that this will "trivialize" Jesus.

That's right parents. Don't buy your kids toys that will teach them about Jesus. Get them Barbie dolls so they learn how to objectify females and GI Joes to instill in them a love of violence. That's what Jesus would do.

Okay, slight hyperbole, but I can't believe the things some people get worked up over. I can't imagine the reaction these people would give to this Jesus toy (with the best commercial ever).

America Divided

Andrew Sullivan has an insightful article over at the Atlantic. He examines the source of the growing divide in America.

Given this quiet, evolving consensus on policy, how do we account for the bitter, brutal tone of American politics? The answer lies mainly with the biggest and most influential generation in America: the Baby Boomers. The divide is still—amazingly—between those who fought in Vietnam and those who didn’t, and between those who fought and dissented and those who fought but never dissented at all. By defining the contours of the Boomer generation, it lasted decades. And with time came a strange intensity.

The professionalization of the battle, and the emergence of an array of well-funded interest groups dedicated to continuing it, can be traced most proximately to the bitter confirmation fights over Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas, in 1987 and 1991 respectively. The presidency of Bill Clinton, who was elected with only 43 percent of the vote in 1992, crystallized the new reality. As soon as the Baby Boomers hit the commanding heights, the Vietnam power struggle rebooted. The facts mattered little in the face of such a divide. While Clinton was substantively a moderate conservative in policy, his countercultural origins led to the drama, ultimately, of religious warfare and even impeachment. Clinton clearly tried to bridge the Boomer split. But he was trapped on one side of it—and his personal foibles only reignited his generation’s agonies over sex and love and marriage. Even the failed impeachment didn’t bring the two sides to their senses, and the election of 2000 only made matters worse: Gore and Bush were almost designed to reflect the Boomers’ and the country’s divide, which deepened further.

He then talks about the only '08 candidate he thinks can bridge the divide and bring people together - Barack Obama.

But if you sense, as I do, that greater danger lies ahead, and that our divisions and recent history have combined to make the American polity and constitutional order increasingly vulnerable, then the calculus of risk changes. Sometimes, when the world is changing rapidly, the greater risk is caution. Close-up in this election campaign, Obama is unlikely. From a distance, he is necessary. At a time when America’s estrangement from the world risks tipping into dangerous imbalance, when a country at war with lethal enemies is also increasingly at war with itself, when humankind’s spiritual yearnings veer between an excess of certainty and an inability to believe anything at all, and when sectarian and racial divides seem as intractable as ever, a man who is a bridge between these worlds may be indispensable.

We may in fact have finally found that bridge to the 21st century that Bill Clinton told us about. Its name is Obama.

Sullivan has made it clear that he disagrees with many of Obama's more liberal positions, but supports him because of his character. Matt Yglesias notes that Sullivan's analysis is "more personality-driven than is wise," but that it also seems to be the way many voters are. I find myself agreeing with Sullivan on this in that I find my support for Obama more to be because he seems a genuine person willing to say tough things and wanting to unite people more than for any of his policy positions.

Religion Fact of the Day

The Fourth Crusade in the early 13th century to retake the Holy Land actually took a detour. The crusaders hearing of riches in Constantinople stormed the city in 1204 and sacked it. They took their newfound riches and returned home ending the crusade. Most of the crusaders never even made it to the Holy Land. This tragic event sealed the division between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church and remains a point of contention even to this day.

School Voucher

Megan McArdle has been arguing vociferously on her blog in favor of school vouchers. She is confident enough in the free market to solve the problems public schools have not been able to fix.

I find myself very ambivalent on the issue. It sounds good in theory to give parents the ability to get a voucher and pull their kid out of a struggling school. I haven't seen any plan, though, that addresses all of the problems that arise from this. One, in a free market system, schools may find it prudent to not accept troubled kids or mentally retarded kids because they will cost more to educate. Two, kids who don't move will be stuck in a school that is getting less money and thus less able to pay for necessary supplies. Three, a free market system opens itself up to corporate influence and I'm not sure that is a good idea. Four, such a system is going to need a lot of oversight and if it is going to be so heavily regulated what is the point of contracting it out anyway? Five, many issues in public schools stem not so much from problems with the schools, but with socio-economic factors beyond the schools control. It won't matter where kids go to school, these issues are not going to just disappear.

I believe that society benefits from mandatory public education. I think we have problems in our current education system, but I'm not sure that vouchers are the solution.

Senate on the Verge of Caving In

Mukasey has picked up the support of key Democratic Senators. Does no one have integrity anymore?

Help is on the Way

I got a call yesterday that the aid I requested for my mother was approved and the check was being mailed out. I am very grateful to the St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation for this. This means a lot to me, but more importantly it will help my mom keep her house.

The AG on Torture

Mukasey won't say whether or not waterboarding is torture. Andrew Sullivan comes down hard on Mukasey and Congress if they go ahead and confirm him.

Alas, the president almost certainly will never be prosecuted for the war crimes he has committed. He has already seen to that and so, shamefully, has the Congress by passing a law that retroactively granted him immunity. Surely that is bad enough. To compound that by allowing an attorney general to take office by refusing to say whether he will uphold the law in the face of the Cheney-style Protector-Presidency is inexcusable. This is history in the making. Who will defend the rule of law?

Write your Congress and tell them that you don't support torture. This is America. Let your voice be heard.

Religion Fact of the Day

The Albigensian Crusade was one of the darker periods in the history of the Catholic Church. The Cathars were a group of Christians in France who came to believe a heretical doctrine with roots in Gnosticism. They believed the God of the Old Testament was evil and actually Satan. In the early part of the 13th century, Pope Innocent III initiated the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars. Over a 20 year period, up to 200,000 people were killed during this crusade. The heresy was for the most part crushed, although small pockets of it remained for the next one-hundred years.

Holding Out For a Hero

Jeromy writes about being tested or finding your "Goliath moment" on his blog.

I think at some level we all seek a “goliath” moment. The untried person carries a nagging question about how he will respond in a moment of clear conviction. To be placed in an insurmountable situation, have the courage to face it, and by grace, overcome, is the heart's desire. In my own life, I inwardly long for just such a challenge- not for the challenge itself, but for the transformation that results, as in David’s life.

I know that ever since I was little I have had this desire, although mine has been in the framework of reading Lord of the Rings, watching Star Trek and Star Wars. I have always had a burning desire to be a hero, to find myself suddenly faced with a situation of insurmountable odds, of desperate times, where everything hangs on a knife's edge. I want to face that situation and rise above it to become a hero.

Unfortunately, things like that really only happen in stories. Most heroes only get their status after a lifetime of serving people and doing small things that add up to something big. It's very noble and admirable. It's also not the romantic story-book stuff I have always wanted to be a part of. Ah, well. You can't always get what you want.

Losing Faith

William Lobdell, a reporter for the LA Times, wrote a very moving article this summer on his loss of faith. He was the religion reporter for the paper and fiercely devoted to his Christian beliefs. In the course of his reporting, though, he saw so many horrible things - the Catholic abuse scandal, people desperate for healing from televangelists who never did, priests becoming fathers and getting out of child support - he lost his faith.

My problem was that none of that surprised me anymore.

As I walked into the long twilight of a Portland summer evening, I felt used up and numb.

My soul, for lack of a better term, had lost faith long ago — probably around the time I stopped going to church. My brain, which had been in denial, had finally caught up.

Clearly, I saw now that belief in God, no matter how grounded, requires at some point a leap of faith. Either you have the gift of faith or you don't. It's not a choice. It can't be willed into existence. And there's no faking it if you're honest about the state of your soul.

William mentions the theodicy problem. It is a hard, perhaps the hardest, question for any believer who attempts a serious examination of their faith. There are many answers, but no one that seems to satisfy a majority of people. In my own mind it comes down to a combination of having free will (and the baggage that comes with it) and being given tests in order to learn and grow. We learn nothing if we are not challenged and I think one of our purposes in this earthly existence is growing.

Read the whole article. It is a moving look at a person's journey to faith and then away from it.

Do We Need An Air Force?

Robert Farley doesn't think so.

But it's time to revisit the 1947 decision to separate the Air Force from the Army. While everyone agrees that the United States military requires air capability, it's less obvious that we need a bureaucratic entity called the United States Air Force. The independent Air Force privileges airpower to a degree unsupported by the historical record. This bureaucratic structure has proven to be a continual problem in war fighting, in procurement, and in estimates of the costs of armed conflict. Indeed, it would be wrong to say that the USAF is an idea whose time has passed. Rather, it's a mistake that never should have been made.

He makes a good argument while conceding it won't happen anytime soon.

Mental Health Break

The last few weeks at work have been rather crazy. We upgraded our access control software and it has been nothing but trouble since. I think we got all the bugs worked out yesterday finally. My boss said she thought it would be a good idea if I took a few days off and I wasn't going to disagree. So, I am taking today and tomorrow off for a four-day weekend. It feels great already. I slept in until 9:45 today. I have plenty of homework and chores around the house to take care of, but I don't have to go to work so it's all good.

Religion Fact of the Day

More people are familiar with the sweeping reforms made by the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) in the early 1960s, but the First Vatican Council also made some important changes to the church. It was called by Pope Pius IX and begun in 1869. The most notable change was to officially declare the doctrine of papal infallibility. It had been an unwritten rule up to that point, but in a controversial move, the church made it official. Papal infallibility means that in matters of the church and faith, the Pope can not be in error.

Funeral Music

I don't deny that I have a somewhat morbid mindset. It's just how I am. Even though I know I am going to live for a very long time, I have been thinking about my funeral and what I want it to be like. Yeah, I may not physically be there, but it's my funeral, damn it, and I want it conducted how I want it.

On that note, I've been thinking about the music to be played. This is the playlist I have come up with so far. I've got another hundred years of life, though, so it's bound to be tweaked a bit.

1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
2. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
3. White Shadows – Coldplay
4. Hero of the Day – Metallica (S&M)
5. The Likes of You Again – Flogging Molly
6. Come Sail Away – Styx
7. Dead Boy’s Poem – Nightwish
8. “Moonlight” Sonata – Beethoven
9. Fur Elise – Beethoven
10. Into the West – Annie Lennox (Return of the King soundtrack)
11. On Earth As It Is In Heaven – Ennio Morricone (The Mission soundtrack)
12. Amazing Grace – Dropkick Murphys (Live on St. Patrick’s Day)
13. God U Tekem Blong – Hans Zimmer (The Thin Red Line soundtrack)
14. Hallelujah – Handel (Messiah)
15. We Are the Champions – Queen
16. Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo
17. Book of Days – Enya
18. Angels Fall First – Nightwish
19. Also Sprach Zarathustra – Richard Strauss
20. A Final Dream – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
21. Son of Pain – Rhapsody of Fire
22. Cry to Heaven – Meat Loaf
23. The Breaking of the Fellowship – Howard Shore (The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack)

It's not in order or anything, yet. I've got time to decide things like that. Some of the songs are here because I really like them, others because they're amusing, others because they move me. They all mean something to me, though, and that is why they are on the list.

Are there other 28-year-olds out there who are planning their funeral?

Now We're Not Moving

First we were. Then we weren't. Then we were. Well, now we are definitely not moving.

Shawn still wants to get out of the house. This has been tearing Mom up and I've been racking my brain for a solution. I'm not really sure I have one, but I have decided that we are not going to sell the house. Shawn has said that as long as he can walk away free and clear, he won't worry about his share of the equity at this point. Mom and I were sure we couldn't make the house payment on our own, though, so we thought we were going to have to sell. Well, I have been really looking at my finances and some options and I think I can make it work.

I'm going to defer one of my student loans that I have been paying. I'm going to talk to a friend about moving in. I've applied for some assistance from a program through the hospital I work at. It's going to be tough and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. What it boils down to for me, though, is that my mom's dream is being crushed. I would feel like a shitty son if I didn't do everything in my power to prevent that. This may be a failed venture, but at least I won't be able to say I didn't try.

Fear

Some Halloween thoughts from Bill Maher.

And finally, New Rule: This Halloween, every time you see something that's supposed to scare you, like a skeleton or a severed head or a gay wizard--take a moment and think about fear. What are you afraid of? What should you be afraid of? What's really scary this Halloween is that the same group of idea-free losers who won the last presidential election could win the next one, by making us afraid of the wrong things. Which is why this year for Halloween, I'm going as something truly horrifying: a melting polar icecap. And I have the costume right here. [he puts "Melting polar icecap" on his head] What do think about it? Hmm? That's going to be my Halloween costume.

All right. Now, this week, as every week, all the Republican candidates talked about was who was the toughest in the war on terror. While the country's most populace state literally burned. The Democrats, as usual, said nothing, because they didn't want to offend fire.

The Republicans, including the "Scaremonger in Chief," sell themselves as our protectors. But it's always from fears they made up, like Iran. [with mock horror] "And their leader in Iran, who is pure evil. Ahmadinejad! Terror has a new name...and it's nearly unpronounceable."

At the Republican debate this week, Mike Huckabee said, "Islamofascism is the greatest threat we ever faced." Really? More than the Nazis, and the Russians and the Redcoats? In his latest ad, Mitt Romney warns eerily that Muslim jihadists want to establish an Islamic caliphate covering the whole world, including America. Yes, and I want to be adopted by Angelina Jolie.

And you thought the people who were scared of gays and Mexicans were paranoid. Islamic terrorists taking over America? They can barely get across the monkey bars. Our defense budget is $600 billion a year. They're using guns they took off a dead Soviet in 1981. I think we can hold Charleston.

We are the most powerful nation on earth, with the largest economy and the best military. And we're made to act the fool by a few thousand cave dwellers who still put out their video on VHS!

And that's the problem. Because of the incompetence that goes by the name George Bush--we have become the most insecure, paranoid superpower ever. We don't think we can get anything right anymore. We can't take care of our own citizens after a hurricane, or plan for our wars, or maintain our infrastructure. And our celebrity rehab facilities obviously aren't working at all.

As a species, we are failing at survival trick number one: prioritize the threats. Environmental catastrophe is going to visit all of us in the coming decades in one way or another, and when it does, I hope people like - oh, I don't know, Lou Dobbs - says to himself, "Huh, maybe if I was going to spend my whole career obsessing about one issue, it should have been global warming. My skin just fell off my face, and it turns out that really wasn't the fault of a Mexican."

Poetry Time

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

For Cat Lovers

Time has an interview with Tracie Hotchner, a feline expert who has a show on Sirius called Cat Chat. Here is something I was not aware of:

My big campaign is to get people off of dry food. The message of Cat Chat is: Think outside the bag. Dry food is kitty crack. It's addictive, and incredibly harmful to your cat. Of course, that goes counter to everything your vet tells you, and everything that advertising tells you. But when you start to feed cats wet food, their personalities will change, anywhere from 10% to 100%, toward affectionate and relaxed.

I've checked a few other cat sites and they are all saying the canned stuff is better. I guess Tiberius is getting a change of diet.

It's Not My Fault!

I'm glad to see that blame-shifting is not just the province of us lowly peons. Hillary Clinton is blaming her poor debate performance...on Tim Russert. I think she's feeling a bit nervous with the the fact that the Iowa caucus is rapidly approaching and she is not pulling ahead of the pack.

New Blog on the Block

My good friend, Jeromy, has finally started his own blog, Seeking Goliath. He's always got something thought provoking to say, so check it out.

Spam Humor

Everybody who has passed within shouting distance of the internets knows about spam. It's a fact of life, unfortunately, but we always find a way to cope such as turning it into poetry.

Me? I just try to laugh. For example, the headline of one spam email I got today was:

My friends ask what my secret is and I say it's in my pants!

This gave me the image of some skinny dork (not resembling me), call him Steve, going through life and no matter the question, his answer was, "It's in my pants!"

"Hey, Steve, how's it going?"
"It's in my pants!"

"Steve, how do I fix my computer?"
"It's in my pants!"

"What are you doing tonight, Steve?"
"It's in my pants!"

"Steve, have you seen stapler?"
"It's in my pants!"

As much as I hate spam, a part of me would be a little sad to see it all go.

Strange Associations

There is a cool music website, Pandora, that lets you build your own stations. You put in an artist and it will play a song from that artist and then play music from similar artists. Most of the time it seems to work well; the artists make sense. I put in Metallica and I got Maiden, Priest, etc. Flogging Molly gave me a bunch of Celtic punk music.

Today, though, I got a rather odd selection. I put in Jim Steinman, he of Bat Out of Hell fame (the first two). First up, it played a song from his solo album, Bad for Good. Okay, good. Next, though, it chose a song from Dragonforce.

WTF?

I happen to like Dragonforce. They are an awesome European power metal band with some crazy fast guitar work. But they really are in a different category from Steinman's Wagnerian rock. Both are good and both are over the top, but that's really where the similarities end.

Religion Fact of the Day

Satan was not always the cosmic force of evil he is usually portrayed as now. In the Old Testament, Satan makes very few appearances and he is a member of God's court, as in the Book of Job. There it is clear that he is one of God's functionaries, tasked with roaming the Earth and testing human morality and faith. The tempting serpent in Genesis is just a snake. It was only much later that people linked Satan with the serpent. Not until the Intertestamental Period (200 BCE - 200 CE) does Satan become the eternal opponent of God.

Happy Birthday

Happy 29th birthday to my dear friend, Jeromy. I believe that this is the 20th birthday of his that I have known him. I certainly could not ask for a finer friend. Actually, I don't even think of Jeromy as a friend any more. He is a brother. I feel lucky, blessed in fact, to have someone like him in my life. We should all be so lucky. I know that if I ever need anything I can count on him to help me out no matter what. I also know Jeromy will accomplish great things in his life and I am excited to see where his path lies. So, Jeromy, I hope you had the best of days.


Jeromy having some quality time with his son, Elijah.

By the way, Jeromy, your present is in the mail, though it will probably be a few weeks before you get it. Sorry.

Magic is Real

At least that's what my daughters tell me. I had another talk with them this weekend about why they don't want to read any more fantasy books. I asked them where they got the idea that magic (even the fictional kind)is bad. They told me they had never heard anything about it at church; only their mother and grandmother had ever said anything about it. I asked them if they were told why it was bad. "Because it opens a door for demons to come in."

Sigh.

I asked them if they had ever seen me doing anything evil (aside from reading evil books). They had not. Whew. I then grabbed my copy of the Bible and set it in front of them. I asked them to find a passage in there that said magic is evil. Amazingly enough, Erica was able to find a couple that she said supported her. Both of them were in the book of Acts. First up:

Acts 13:7-12

7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. 8But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10and said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Erica was adamant that Elymas was bad because he was a "magician." I asked her if the problem was that he was a magician or that he was opposing Paul and trying to "turn the proconsul away from the faith." She said both, but I said that magician is just his job description. It could say "the blacksmith Elymas." The problem isn't that he is a magician. It is that he is trying to lead people from the faith. She grudgingly agreed.

Her next example was Acts 19:13-19

13Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.’ 14Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15But the evil spirit said to them in reply, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ 16Then the man with the evil spirit leapt on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. 17When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. 18Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. 19A number of those who practised magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books* was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins.

I told her that the problem here seemed to be that these people were claiming to have powers that they didn't have. I also said that many of these people who claimed to be magicians deceived people and conned money out of them. I said magic wasn't any more real then than it is now, but that people would make fraudulent claims about magic (or anything else) to deceive people. Erica and Shaena both agreed that the problem was deceiving people and taking their money. However, Erica hit me with this:

"I believe magic is real."

What? She didn't know anyone who had done "real" magic. She didn't know anyone who knew someone who had done "real" magic. She didn't know any stories of "real" magic being done. But, she "knows" magic is real. I told her that aside from one or two crazy people in the world, no one believes magic is real (yeah, yeah, I know that there is a lot more than one or two. I wasn't going to get into that with her).

I also tried to explain to her the difference between faith and reason. She tried to tell me that it is "obvious" God exists. When I told her that there is no proof for God's existence, she just reiterated her point that it is obvious because "how could everything be alive" if it were not for God. I tried to say that you can't prove God exists and that if there was solid proof there would be a lot fewer atheists in the world. I told her you have to take it on faith that God exists, but that faith is not a bad thing. I told her that my friend, Jeromy, has said he has grown more through faith than reason. She nodded and seemed to think about that.

I left it at that. The whole talk probably lasted a little over an hour. These conversations always seem to leave me mentally drained. Erica was crying a little bit by the time we were done, but she doesn't seem to have hard feelings over these talks. Two minutes later, she gave me a big hug and said, "I love you."

I love you, too, Erica. That's why I won't give up on you and your sister.

One Hip Daddy-O

I mentioned a few months ago that I went to a 1950s theme party for our summer student volunteers at the hospital. I believe I posted a picture as well. Well, one of the adult volunteers, Doug, who was there took a bunch more pictures.

Here I am with my boss, Linda.



And here I am with Linda again and Doug.



This is my co-worker, Jamie.



It was a lot of fun. Many of the kids dressed up and they had some great costumes. I think next year I'll suggest a Star Trek theme, though...

Learning HTML

I am not an HTML expert by any means. I've picked up a few bits here and there, just enough to get me by. I've been wanting to figure out how to add a background color to blockquotes to better set them apart and today I finally learned how. I think it looks much better. Let me know what you think about it.