Paybacks

My mom tells me that my kids embarrassing me is payback for the times I embarrassed her. I got some payback today. I've been telling my daughters for a couple of months that I was going to take them to the bank to start a savings account for each of them. As it turns out, one of the teacher's aides at their school, Miss Ricki, works at my bank and told my daughters that I should talk to her because the bank has a promotion going on now.

So, yesterday I met her when I picked Erica and Shaena from school. She asked for my number and said that she would get an appointment set up for me and call me with the time. She did and this morning at 10:00, the girls and I went into Wells Fargo. We had to wait a little bit because the lady who was going to set up our accounts was still with another customer. While sitting in the lobby, we had this exchange.

Shaena: Dad, do you like Miss Ricki?
Me (knowing where this could go and groaning inside): Uh, she seems really nice.
Shaena: There's this girl at school who went over to Miss Ricki's for supper and she said that Miss Ricki is a really good cook. (Of course, my daughter's know that I do not like to cook.)
Erica (loudly): Shaena, do you think he's going to marry her?
Me (face turning red): Uhhhhh

Thankfully Miss Ricki was not nearby, though I'm sure a few other employees of the bank heard this. Kids. You gotta love 'em.

Joel Osteen's Message

An interesting article about Joel Osteen contains this gem:

“The reason [Osteen is] so popular is because of the spiritual infantilism of America. Not just spiritual, the infantilism of American culture,” Anthony says. “And he feeds the Paris Hilton, Britney Spears culture. It’s all me. Benefit me. What can I do for me? How can I feel better? What can I do about me? How you can get the best of your life? It’s all me-centered.”

Of course, Joel Osteen is popular. He asks nothing of you. Those sorts of people are easy to get along with. Unfortunately, if you surround yourself with people who accept the status quo and never strive for something better even when things may be pretty good, you will end up leading a shallow, empty life. Surround yourself with people who constantly say, "We can do better," and your life will be rich, the rich that counts and not the material wealth Joel Osteen wants you to have.

Bill Clinton's Desire

The truth comes out. I think this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one.

Heath Ledger Passes

Actor Heath Ledger has been found dead in his apartment. Drug overdose is the most likely culprit at this point. What a shame. I think he had a fine career ahead of him. I feel bad that one of my first thoughts was, "I hope he's filmed all of his scenes for The Dark Knight."

Star Trek Trailer

Paramount has released the first teaser for the new Star Trek film coming out this December. It's definitely a teaser, so there is little in the way of detail. A new beginning definitely seems to be what they are going for. There are lots of shots of the Enterprise being put together. Whether this is a refit or a new ship remains to be seen. Hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice was also very cool. As skeptical as I am, I couldn't help but get a little excited.

More Nevada Shenanigans

Another first-hand account of underhanded tactics by Clinton supporters in Nevada. Do you think we'll see either Clinton coming out against this? Yeah, right.

Weekly Music Video

A classic 80's video: a-ha with "Take On Me."

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Uplifiting Words

Check out this transcript of a speech Obama gave in Atlanta this morning. Just reading it gave me chills. It is exactly why I support him, because words can be an opening to something greater.

Clinton Tactics

A first-hand account of some underhanded maneuvers by Clinton supporters in Nevada.

One voter who hadn't even finished registering said that she was undecided, and the Hillary operative physically escorted her to the Hillary side. I went to talk to the woman, but she was immediately surrounded by 3 Hillary supporters who would not let me in, and I had to attend to others registering at that point (our operatives were outnumbered by hers 2-1).

This kind of crap makes me sick. No, I don't think Clinton gave orders for any of this, but I don't doubt that it was not discouraged either. Is this really the kind of leader we want in the White House?

Nevada Results

On the Democratic side, Clinton took the race with a 51-45 victory over Obama. The race is certainly not over, but this is not good for Obama. The more Clinton's name is in the headlines as a victor, the more chance she has of building up a solid momentum. The breakdown of voters is interesting and highlights what Obama is going to face in southwestern states. Latinos overwhelmingly supported Clinton. Obama did get a majority of the black vote which should help him in the South if he can continue his support there. Edwards only managed low single digits. He's vowing to stay in until the August Democratic convention, but unless he pulls off a victory or close second in South Carolina, he needs to consider dropping out.

Andrew Sullivan has a brief post about the Latino/Black split in Nevada and a video with some insight into the minds of the Nevada voters.

Romney won the Republican caucuses. This victory is beginning to give Romney a solid lead in delegates. South Carolina could catapult one of the others back into the race, but it is looking more and more like Romney's nomination to lose.

Star Trek Pics

Moviefone has a picture of the Enterprise from the upcoming new movie. It's not the best shot, so it's hard to make a judgment on it. They also have pics of all of the major cast members. Even though I like J.J. Abrams, my expectations remain rather low. I hope I'm proved wrong.

Arrogant Clintons

The extreme arrogance of the Clintons, Bill and Hillary, is one of the most off putting things about both of them and a large reason I would have trouble voting for Hillary. The linked story is about Bill getting quite upset with a reporter over a question regarding the suit brought by Clinton supporters in an attempt to stop the casino caucuses in Nevada. They, of course, did not have a problem with them until a union endorsed Obama, a union that provides most of the staff for the casinos that will be hosting caucuses. They really seem to be baffled that anyone would stand in the way of them getting back into the White House.

Please, Democrats of the nation, give Obama the nomination. It will be better for us all.

The Tomb of Jesus

The controversy surrounding the possible tomb of Jesus first discovered in 1980 just won't go away. Of course something this volatile probably won't ever completely die out. No matter how much evidence is amassed one way or another, someone believing the opposite will refute it and carry the fight on. I personally find the tomb very fascinating and no matter what secrets it may hold they will not affect my spiritual beliefs.

One thing I disagree with from the article, though, is this quote from James Charlesworth, a theologian at Princeton Theological Seminary:

After all, [Jesus's] followers believed he was the Son of God.

The disciples of Jesus and his followers for a few generations after his death did not believe Jesus was the son of God, at least not in the divine way we think of it today. They certainly believed that Jesus was the messiah, that he was chosen by God. They did not believe he was divine himself, however, as this would have been an infringement on their strict monotheism. It was not until later that belief in a divine Jesus developed.

Another Girl

My family's takeover by females continues with the birth of another girl. Earlier this evening, my sister gave birth to Brooklyn Rae. She is a few weeks early, but doing fine. I now have four nieces in addition to my two daughters, three sisters, a mother, and my ex-wife. What have I wrought to deserve such a fate?

I can only hope that my friend, Jeromy, will continue having boys and balance this out somehow.

Armor of God PJs

Wow. Whatever happened to a nice metaphor? I guess I just don't understand the desire for always being literal. Next thing you know they will be peddling plate armor and real swords (they're cross-shaped!).

Did NH Have a Problem With Its Voting Machines?

Lots of theories are being floated as to why there was such a discrepancy between poll numbers and actual results in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. One person has been crunching numbers and thinks there may have been a problem with the Diebold machines.

To my complete (and continuing) amazement, the "diebold effect" on Hillary's votes remains after controlling for any and all of those demographic variables, with a p-value of <.001: that is, there are less than 1:1000 odds for this difference occurring through chance alone, and that's after adjusting for variability in Hillary's votes due to education, income, total population, and population density.

I'm a big proponent of technology especially if it can improve something, however there are times where there cannot be a margin of error. Electing officials is too important for mistakes to occur in the counting of votes. It may not have happened here. Chris is getting feedback from some more knowledgable statisticians. I do think that voting machines need to have paper trails for now until they have a proven track record.

Babysitting Dad

It's not something you typically expect to have to do, but, hey, what's life without the occasional banana peel?

My brother, Shawn, and I took our dad out last night. We try to do it every couple of months at least. We shoot some pool, have some drinks (well, they do, anyway) and just try to have some fun. Last night proved to be more, uh, interesting than usual. When Shawn and I went to pick up Dad at about a quarter to seven, we saw that he had already started drinking despite the fact that Shawn told him to not have any drinks until we went out. Dad has never been able to hold his liquor and we didn't want him falling down drunk an hour after we left.

We went to a local bar and it seemed like it was going to be just a normal night. We played a few games. Shawn kicked both our asses at pool since he plays quite a bit. A few hours roll by. I'm thinking it's about time to call it a night because I'm feeling tired and I have to work in the morning. Dad looks ready to fall asleep. Then they came over.

There had been two girls playing at a table next to us. One of them, Kelly, came over and started talking to Shawn. She thought she recognized him and she said his name sounded familiar. After playing question and answer, she remembers that she knows our sister, Sharie. They did not go to school together, but met through some guys they knew. She brought the other girl over, her sister, Jessica, and introductions were had. Shawn asked them if they wanted to play doubles and they agreed to after they finished their doubles game with another pair of guys.

A few minutes later they came over. And Dad came to life. Now, my dad is charming, lady-killer when he's sober. When he's drunk, he's over the top. Suddenly there are two twenty-something girls at our table and turns his charm up to 11. Before I know it, he's smacking one on the butt, calling them endearments, telling dirty jokes, blowing kisses, and so on. Of course, the whole time he's smiling and laughing and clearly having a good time. He's 71 years old. My brother and I are apologizing to the girls, but they just laugh and say he's cute. Yeah, cute, because he's 71 freakin' years old! If I was acting like that I would have been slapped and thrown out by the bouncer.

I tried cutting Dad off a couple of times, but if I turned my back for a second, he managed to get himself another drink. I went through the rest of the night red-faced. I told Kelly at one point that I might have to have the "son-father talk" and I wasn't looking forward to it. Finally, about eleven-thirty everybody was getting tired and Dad was nearly falling-down drunk. He said he had to go to the bathroom. When I asked him if he could get there okay, Jessica offered to walk him there. I groaned and rolled my eyes. They both said over and over that they didn't mind him at all and thought he was "hilarious," "cool," "a hoot," and an assortment of other complimentary terms. I was thinking more "drunken, dirty old man," but, you know, different perspectives and all that.

Kelly said that she and her sister had fun and wanted to exchange numbers so that we could all hang out again some time. My brother and I dragged Dad out as soon as he got out of the bathroom. After we dropped our dad off, I told Shawn that if she calls, she's probably going to ask, "Is your dad coming?" and insist that he does. It is funny, but more so in retrospect. For most of the night I just felt embarrassed.

I suppose the other somewhat amusing anecdote unrelated to my father was shortly after Kelly and Jessica came over to our table. About the only words out of my mouth so far have been, "Hi, I'm Shane." I'm not the gregarious social animal my father is, far from it. I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt that says "I do all my own stunts." I'm fairly clean-cut, no strange tats or funky hair-do. Kelly pipes up and says, "So, are you one those, uhm, Dungeons and Dragons guys." A brief moment of silence passes as I think, what the hell? Nodding, I say, "Uh, yeah. I didn't think I had a sign on declaring it." "You just look like it," she says.

I didn't realize we D&D players had a "look." A little dorky or maybe average looking is what would come to mind if I had to describe myself, but I'm not sure my first thought if I saw me on the street would be "Roleplayer." I would have expected someone to hear me talk a little bit before they figured it out. Not that I'm embarrassed about it. I enjoy it and could care less what anyone else thinks about it. I just don't expect it to be the first question from someone who has just met me.

Music Likes

Messing around with iTunes a few weeks ago, I came across a feature called MyTunes. Apple has some code for a couple of widgets that allow you to display recent purchases and "favorites" (artists you've purchased) from their store. Being a big music fan, I thought I might add them to my page just for the hell of it.

It is not a comprehensive look at the music on my computer as any physical CDs I purchase are not listed. It's kind of cool, though, so check it out. And feel free to mock me for anything such as Whitney Houston or Josh Groban that you see floating across the screen. They're balanced by Metallica, Slayer, Priest, Iced Earth, and so on.

But you can still make fun of me.

Batshiat Crazy

My good friend, Jeromy, sent me a link to this video. It reminded him of someone and I had the same thought when I watched it. This lady sounds like my ex-wife.



Besides my ex, this video brought a few other things to mind:

A true "dark-sider" if ever there was one.


A thought on being crazy.
David Mills (Brad Pitt) in Se7en talking to John Doe (Kevin Spacey). "I've been trying to figure something in my head, and maybe you can help me out, yeah? When a person is insane, as you clearly are, do you know that you're insane? Maybe you're just sitting around, reading "Guns and Ammo", masturbating in your own feces, do you just stop and go, 'Wow! It is amazing how fucking crazy I really am!'? Yeah. Do you guys do that?"

Scandal's awesome song, "The Warrior."


A picture worth at least 997 words.


I know what I am going to say a prayer of thanksgiving for tonight.

Weekly Music Video

One of my favorite songs ever: "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure.

I'm a Warlock

One of the teachers at my daughter's private school is the cousin (or some such) of one of my sister's friends. She told my sister recently that my ex-wife told her that I am a warlock. Yes, she said this in all seriousness and honestly believes that I am an Satan-worshipping, magic-using, force of evil. I have to admit that it would be really cool to be that, but, alas, I am not.

Weekly Secret

An amusing one this week.



PostSecret

The Journey to the White House is Just Starting

The National Journal has an excellent piece examining the current state of the presidential race. Bottom line? "This could go on awhile."

Combined with the outcomes of the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire results leave the parties confronting similar situations. Each side faces the prospect of an extended nomination fight between candidates who have established clear demographic strongholds, but have not yet demonstrated enough strength to dislodge their opponents from their strongholds or to unite all the divergent elements of their party's coalition.

This has certainly been a fascinating election year. I can't wait to find out what the outcome will be.

Isn't Texas Great?

A Texas school wants to offer a degree in "Science Education" (read: Creationism). Now, if only there was some science behind creationism (the literal kind, i.e. the world was created in six 24-hour days 6000 years ago). Bah, who needs science? It's obviously a tool of Satan used to steal our souls!.

Great Expectations

Time has a sobering assessment of Bush's recent efforts in the Isreali/Palestinian peace process.

Bush capped the two days of talks Thursday evening with a restatement of U.S. goals for a peace deal as well as encouragement for both sides to pursue talks. But if it hasn't been already obvious, Bush's trip to Israel and the West Bank this week has made one thing abundantly clear: the Israelis and Palestinians aren't making peace anytime soon. Israel is as resistant to basic peace process concessions as it has always been and the Palestinians are alternately weak or violent, depending on which part of their territory you look at.

Perhaps I'm cynical (I am) and perhaps I am highly critical of Bush (I am, but it's not like he hasn't asked for it), but his current push for settling this conflict comes off as a half-hearted attempt to salvage some sort of legacy for his presidency. I don't think he's even put a whole lot of thought into this beyond "You know, it seems like them Israelis and Palestinians should get along. I bet if I sit them down together, they can work this little misunderstanding out."

This conflict has been going on decades. A half-hearted attempt by a President in his last year of office who has lost all credibility in the Middle East is not going to work. Sad but true.

Who Wants to Be Invisible?

Scientists are getting closer to making invisibility a reality. As cool as this is (and oh so ripe for abuse), though, my preferred super-power is flight. When is someone going to get me my own personal flying device?

Early Birthday Gifts

My birthday is not until tomorrow, but I have received a few gifts already. Yesterday, my co-worker, Brenda (or my "work-mom" as she calls herself), gave me Star Trek V and VI to round out my collection of the original series films. She said she wanted to wait until my birthday, but she saw I has having a bad day at work and thought I could use the pick-me-up. Brenda is also the type of person that has trouble waiting for something like this because she gets so excited. One of my tail lights was out in my vehicle and Brenda also had her son fix it for me.

Today, my mother took me to the bookstore (okay, I took her) and let me pick out a few books. She is very traditional and did not want to do it this way, but she hasn't had a chance to get a ride from anyone else, so it was up to me. I picked out The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker, the third in his Prince of Nothing trilogy. I haven't read the first two, yet, though they have received rave reviews. I also picked up Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook which collects the first trilogy of his Black Company novels. I have been wanting to read these for a long time and now I don't have an excuse not to.

Anyway, a big thank you to Brenda and Mom for my gifts. They are much appreciated.

People Are "Doing It"

A fascinating new study points to the liklihood of this happening right now somewhere, maybe even nearby.

Religion Fact of the Day

Belief in the Trinity as most Christians currently know it was not always so clear cut. Arius was a Christian pries in Egypt in the late 3rd/early 4th centuries. He stirred up a lot of controversy by claiming that Jesus did not exist from the beginning with God, but was created later and by implication less than the Father. Athanasius was the major opponent of Arianism as it became called. The Council of Nicaea in 325 was an attempt to resolve this dispute, but the wording of the Nicene Creed, specifically the word homoousios ("same essence"), only served to inflame the conflict. It wasn't until 381 when the creed was rewritten that the dispute was settled with Arianism losing out.

New Hampshire Makes Things Interesting

In stark contrast to all of the polls from the last few days, Clinton eked out a narrow victory over Obama in the Granite State. After looking very emotional and tired over the last few days, I'm sure this will invigorate Clinton. We'll see how things fall out, but I still don't think Clinton will go all the way.

On the Republican side, things become more confusing as McCain gets a solid victory. This looks to be shaping up as a Huckabee/McCain battle. Romney and Guiliani are fading in the polls. Thompson seems to have lost any ground he gained with his late-inning entry. That said, while the Democratic front-runners are clear, it is much murkier for the GOP. It could go anyway at this point and that seems to point to confusion within the party for the direction they need to go and to disillusionment with any of the choices this year.

An interesting year for politics to say the least.

Girls' Self Image

This is the sort of thing I worry about with my youngest daughter.

[Girls] who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular. Researchers said the study showed how a girl's view of her social status has broader health consequences.

Shaena is such a sweet girl, but her self-esteem is in the gutter. She thinks she's worthless and not as smart or beautiful as her sister. I try to boost her up, but it's so hard especially when her home environment is so negative. She needs to get away from that and she needs some positive female role-models in her life. I need to do more for her.

Why Campaign Coverage Sucks

Chris Hayes, editor of The Nation, explains why media coverage of political campaigns is typically poor and offers some solutions including this one:

2) Go more for features and less daily reporting. The Times has been doing this, though, their feature coverage has tended to focused on such burning issues as what Hillary Clinton wrote in letters to a penpal 35 years ago. But it also produced an excellent piece about Giuliani’s fraught relationship with New York City’s black residents. These kind of longer-form, non-deadline pieces are fun to read, and far, far more informative than the daily dispatch.

I think this could be extended to many news stories and not just campaign coverage. The 24-hour, instant gratification news cycle is tearing our media apart.

Religion Fact of the Day

The Southern Baptist Convention is the second largest Christian denomination (next to Roman Catholic) in the United States. It was founded in 1845 in Georgia in part as a reaction against other Baptist movements denouncing slavery. It was not until 1995 that the SBC formally renounced its racist origins.

Weekly Music Video

How about a little 90s flashback with the Pet Shop Boys and their cover of "Go West."

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

You Thought Your Day Was Bad?

I wonder what kind of bad karma a person has that leads to being struck by lightning in the, uh, crotch. My favorite part of the article was this quote from the unlucky bastich:

Thankfully, the doctors said that there would be no lasting effects, and my penis will function normally eventually.

"Eventually." I'm hurting just thinking about it.

Thanks to Jeromy for the link.

Wheel of Time Update

An author has been chosen to finish the final book in the Wheel of Time series. His name is Brandon Sanderson and he is a fairly new author to the scene. He only has four books under his belt, but Jordan's wife, Harriet, was impressed with his writing and personally asked him to do it. Fall 2009 is the target date for its publication.

It's got to be hard to step into this kind of situation. He is putting together the last book of a series that has been on best-seller lists and is very well known. I wish him luck and hope it comes out well.

Why Obama?

Andrew Sullivan answers the question. It comes down to:

Obama's legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an intelligent pragmatism. Prudence is a word that is not inappropriate to him.

Couldn't have said it better.

Obama Takes Iowa

The results are in and Obama has won the Iowa caucus. And not just slightly, either. He garnered 38% of the vote. Edwards was next with 30% and Clinton finished third with 29%. I am not surprised that Obama won, but I am surprised that he did it so decisively. I expected Clinton to come in a very close second.

This can't be seen as anything other than a major disappointment for her campaign. She has made a half-hearted attempt in the last two months to dial down expectations, but for the most part she has run with an arrogant, the-nomination-is-mine-no-doubt attitude. I believe this is one of the reasons she lost Iowa. Even if you liked her as a candidate, her condescending attitude is hard to get past.

The race is certainly not over, yet, but after tonight, I have a hard time seeing Clinton getting the nomination. Edwards managed to eke ahead of Clinton tonight, but I don't think he will be able to carry his momentum much further.

On the Republican side, Huckabee also scored a decisive victory. Despite Romney's incredible spending (upwards of $100 million I have heard), he succumbed to Romney in the end. I think this comes down to three factors. One is Romney's religion. However crazy one may think Mormonism is, it is certainly not fair to hold it against Romney, but it happened. Second, Romney really came off more as a soulless robot that would say whatever he thought people wanted him to say rather than what he really believed. Look at the things he was saying as the governor of Massachusetts and then look at what he has been saying during his presidential bid. It's like night and day. Third, the evangelical right is a major force in the Republican party these days and a Southern Baptist minister is going to be a lot more appealing to them than a Mormon who used to be pro-choice and support gay rights.

There's almost no way for Romney to get the nomination now. McCain has been seeing a resurgence in the polls and his respectable (relative to time and money spent) finish in Iowa should continue to help him.

Anyway, I am very glad to see Obama win. I think he is the best candidate in the race right now and I think the best person poised to move America forward after the disastrous Bush presidency.

A Dance With Dragons Update

Martin said in February last year that the next time he updated his site, it would be to announce that the next book in his series, A Dance With Dragons, was finished. Well, he has updated his site, but only to say that it is not done. Argh! I want my Song of Ice and Fire fix.

If you haven't read it, the first book is A Game of Thrones. It's one of the best series of books I have ever read. Political intrigue, massive battles, hints of magic, strange creatures, morally gray characters. Highly recommended.

Make Sure You Know Who You're Shooting...

...'cause you might shoot your wife. A Mississippi man shot and killed his wife when he mistook her for an intruder.

This is why gun safety classes are important. Not that they are a cure all by any means, but they do teach you not to shoot blindly at things. Maybe it could have prevented this tragedy.

Why Bhutto Was Assassinated

Counterterrorism.org has an article examining the motivations behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

But the return of Mrs. Bhutto to Pakistan sent a positive message to the public and a negative one to the radical Islamists. The daughter of a prominent leader, a member of a political family, a former prime minister in her own right — and, above all, a liberal Muslim woman — Mrs. Bhutto projected the possibility of a leap toward more balanced politics and greater steps toward pluralism — two ingredients for progress toward democracy. Her dialogue with Mr. Musharraf made possible the return of Mr. Sharif and the global march to new elections. The bickering politicians didn't let go of their sour feelings toward each other, but the political process was about to gradually return to the country.

I think this will backfire badly on the Islamists. Bhutto was popular and killing her like this is only going to highlight their brutality and drive moderates further away from the hard-line fundamentalist position. It has been said many times that ideas cannot be killed and it is as true now as ever. If the US and other nations can assist Pakistan in moving forward with democratic elections and prevent Islamic extremists from taking control of the country by force, then I think we can count on the Pakistanis moving away from the extremists on their own.

Iowa Poll Numbers

This has to make Obama feel good. The latest poll from the Des Moines Register shows Obama with a 7 point lead over Clinton who is locked in a statistical tie with Edwards. Still, the strange nature of the Iowa caucus means that anything could happen. It's also not likely that Clinton is going to have such a poor showing that she will be seriously damaged in future events. An Obama or Edwards victory will give them a serious boost nationally, but Clinton will not go down easily.

Bipartisanship

Steve Clemons writes about "fuzzy" bipartisanship. He is tired of politicians talking about bipartisanship and wants to see more "dissidents."

I don't believe that bipartisanship solves the challenges ahead. New policies might help restore some balance and the beginnings of a positive direction. But what is needed now are rebels.

I agree with Steve for the most part. Politicians are dealing with big issues and they shouldn't compromise their beliefs just for the sake of compromise. If they believe in something, they should make a stand. Their should be fiery rhetoric and impassioned speech in defense of whatever they believe in.

The problem comes, I believe, when it is not done with respect. I don't expect our Congressional representatives to be giving each other hugs, but I do expect them to come to the floor treating their fellow representatives with respect no matter which side of the aisle they are on. They are their to represent the American people and they can do that without resorting to attacking political opponents.

Jesus and Politics

This is the sort of thing that scares me about a Huckabee presidency.

Republican Mike Huckabee said Sunday he would not back down from a 1998 statement in which he said he hoped Baptists would "answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ."

I don't think he really stands a chance in the general election even if he does get his party's nod. Still, I think that the move toward an overt conflation of politics and religion in our country is not a good one. I don't remember Jesus telling his followers to get into politics. Other matters seemed to be of more import to him.

But that's just me.

Dragonlance Disappointment

I've known that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have wanted to do a big screen production of their baby for a long time now. A live-action version has almost happened a few times, but fallen through for various reasons. A while back, an animated version was green lit. Animation when done well can be awesome (see Pixar). When they announced the voice actors I became even more excited. Unfortunately, my anticipation has completely evaporated after viewing the recent trailer.



Aargh! What the hell is that? The bizarre mix of 2D and 3D. The 2D animation that would be right at home in the 80s. It's horrible. Did they find some bored junior-high kids just out of art class for this? I just can't believe that Weis and Hickman looked at this and said, "Yes, this is what we want." The Chronicles trilogy was one of the first fantasy books I read when I was young and it still has a special place in my collection. Sure this cartoon is not going to take that away, but it's still painful to see something so beloved being turned into crap.

Music Video of the Week

Witness the awesomeness that is Apocalyptica. It doesn't get much cooler than heavy metal cellos.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

I can rather relate to this one.

School is Out

The last day of my last class for the year, God and World, was yesterday. The last few days were a rush to finish my final assignments. Between computer troubles and a lot of chaos at home, I hadn't kept up on my work as I should have. My paper certainly was not as good as it could have been, but I can live with that. I'm happy to have a week and a half off before I start up again with two classes, Middle Eastern Literature and International Relations II.

The Captain is Back

All right, for my two or three (one?) regular readers, the Captain is back from his extended tour of duty and should be posting more regularly around here.

Blame the Computer

So it's been quite sparse here lately. Much of that is the fault of my computer. It became harder and harder to keep it running. I wanted to wait until I got my tax return next year, but it got to the point that waiting any longer was not really feasible. I have to do homework and such on here and and I have to have my computer fully operational.

So, I splurged and got another one now. Like my previous one, it is an HP. It came preloaded with Vista and I'm not sure what to think of it so far. It sure looks nice, but is clunky in some areas, such as user level security. It asked me five times while I was installing iTunes if I was sure it was okay for the program to run. I finally figured out how to turn that pain in the ass off.

Anyway, I'm back in business. I do have a ten page paper that I need to do (start!) which is due by the end of the week. After that I have a break for a few weeks and should be posting more regularly then.

Jesus: Too Liberal for America?

Oh, so bad, but oh, so funny.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Quote of the Day

We are in danger of becoming so adverse to risk we will lose sight of common sense.

Said in response to a couple in the UK not being allowed to take pictures of their kid in the park.

Progress on the Feminist Front

This change should definitely bring about some real movement towards equality.

Musings on Iraq

Jeromy over at Seeking Goliath has posted some thoughts about the war in Iraq. He notes that he did support it at the beginning, but is not quite sure how he feels now. While I was never sold on this war, I can understand those who did think it may have been justifiable in the beginning. What I cannot understand are those people who think the war has gone swimmingly and think any criticism of it is not just wrong, but blasphemous (*coughNormanPodhoretzcough*). Jeromy certainly does not shy from questioning and he brings this point up in his post as well as some others.

1. Constitutional rights were created to be upheld in difficult times, not done away with. It is precisely those difficult times that reveal the constitution’s merit. Freedoms cannot, primarily, be forsaken in the name of “national security,” whether they be our freedoms or those of another nation. Nor can we take away the rights of non-Americans and simultaneously demand the rights of Americans either domestically or on the foreign stage without staring squarely in the face of our own hypocrisy.

Of all of the problems from this conflict, I think this is perhaps the most troubling. Torture, warrantless wiretapping, stripping habeas corpus. This is America. The one thing we have been able to rely on for a long time in foreign policy is our reputation as a bastion of morality. No more. That has been flushed down the toilet. And it is not just our current President and his administration. It is everyone in Congress who has only given lip service to the notion of standing up for this. It is the American people who have been complacent or even applauded these acts. It has only taken seven years for our reputation to be demolished. It will take far longer to rebuild it.

2. You cannot wage a global war and simultaneously expect no consequence to a global economy.

I don't think this administration honestly thought about most of the consequences of their actions, not just any economic impact. In fact, I think their only thoughts on economic impact were "Overthrowing Saddam and replacing him with someone friendlier to us will help us maintain access to oil."

3. War solely for the sake of peace is not justifiable. For centuries wars have been fought in the name of peace, and for centuries no war fought in the name of peace has resulted in peace. The two concepts are innately opposed to each other. It’s like saying I’m going to build a tree house by digging a hole.


"The aim and result of war necessarily are not peace but victory, and any victory won by violence necessarily justifies the violence that won it and leads to further violence. If we are serious about innovation, must we not conclude that we need something new to replace our perpetual 'war to end all war.' -Wendell Berry

War is peace.

4. There is a time for war. Ecclesiastes bears this truth. History provides evidence as well- there is a time to fight. However, if I am being completely transparent, I have to admit that I don’t yet know when that time is.

Perhaps at this time it might be helpful to review some of the criteria for entering war (jus ad bellum) as laid out by such thinkers as Augustine, Aquinas, and others.

1) Just cause

Did we have this going into Iraq? I don't believe so. Even if the intelligence had born out and Saddam did have WMDs, I don't think that gave us reason to invade. The notion of preemptive strikes is tricky, but I think there needs to be and imminent, clear and present danger to justify preemptive action. Saddam possessing WMDs does not meet this criteria. Satellite imagery showing Saddam fueling long-range rockets might.

2) Legitimate authority

We had this, sort of. Many nations did buy into the President's story (thanks, Colin Powell) and supported us. Many did not, however, and we did not have a UN Resolution to support us. Now, I do not think that the US needs to have UN permission to take action to protect its interests. That said, it is helpful to have such, especially when your primary case for going to war turns out to be a dud. We do not need anyone's permission to take action, but we should be very cautious if we do not have it. We may be the most powerful nation on the planet, but events in Iraq certainly demonstrate that we are not invulnerable.

3) Right intention

This is certainly a gray area and the answer of whether we had this or not probably depends on how partisan one is. Personally, I do not believe many in this administration had right intention. I think that many supporters of the war (at least at first) had right intention. Leaving the whole oil issue aside and even WMDs, I want to talk about "bringing democracy to the Middle East." This was widely touted as a good reason for invading Iraq, especially after the absence of WMDs. Is this a reason to go to war, though? I do not believe so. There are other, better ways of encouraging democracy. We have only served to inflame many people in the Middle East against us. Our arrogant, we'll-bring-democracy-to-the-backward-Arabs has made the task of spreading freedom harder, not easier. Democracy isn't something you can give to a society. They have to want it enough to take it themselves.

4. Probability of success

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the US military machine was astronomically superior to the Iraqi military. No one doubted that we would be able to go in and thwart them without breaking much of a sweat. It is one thing, though, to defeat an army that a bunch of Girl Scouts could have smacked around. It is another thing completely to rebuild a nation. Sadly, our administration showed a stunning lack of planning on this and has bungled it horribly. Even if it had been planned better, though, it is hard to say whether we could have succeeded in this.

This is where it becomes important for the society to want the democracy for themselves. We have opened up a nasty can of sectarian strife where too many sides are striving for their own ends and not the interests of the nation as a whole. It doesn't help that many Iraqis do not view themselves as such, but as members of one tribe or another or a Sunni or Shi'ite. Violence is down, whether because of the surge or not, but there has been little to no progress on the political front. We can't force the Iraqis to come to terms with each other.

5. Last resort

Some will say that we gave Saddam more than enough chances to comply with UN Resolutions requiring disarmament and that he (and the world) were laughing because we showed no spine. I tend to side with those who say we didn't use force as a last resort, especially since it has come out that the administration has been less than honest with the intelligence we had and many inspectors at the time were clamoring for more time, saying they believed the WMD story was being blown out of proportion. Sure it is easier to say after the fact (no WMDs? Whoops), but I have been against this war from the beginning. I do not think this was a last resort effort. Bush was talking about provoking Iraq by dressing up a plane in UN colors and flying it over their airspace hoping Saddam would shoot at it. This is not the actions of someone wanting to use force as a last resort. This is the action of someone determined to use force and just trying to find an excuse.

I think that based on these criteria, our military action in Iraq was not justified. We could get into the jus in bello, too, (ah, torture, how I miss thee), but that's another post.

5. There is a difference between patriotism to the ideals that the constitution upholds and patriotism to the current ruling government. Thomas Jefferson felt that skepticism was an important part of being a citizen,

"for nothing can keep it right but our own vigilant and distrustful superintendence."

Patriotism has been manipulated by those in power of both parties who are simply seeking the favor of the masses. Patriotism is defined (though “patriots” would not put it this way), as a blind loyalty to the actions and motivations of the presiding regime. What America wants, America has a moral right to, and if you disagree you are an unpatriotic, ungrateful coward.

Few things are more aggravating than ridiculous, blowhard rhetoric about patriotism. My kneejerk reaction anymore is to think "pompous dickhead" when some pol or pundit starts bloviating about what it means to be patriotic. Occasionally, its someone with some sense, as Jeromy above, but, unfortunately, most of the time it's verbal diarrhea.

I think that the Iraq war and its fallout may become a defining cultural moment for us as Vietnam was for a previous generation. We need more sane discussion of it so we can come to terms with it.

Memories

Last Saturday I talked to Joyce, Patrick's mother. She said that she had been going through Patrick's things with his father, Dennis, and they had some things that they thought I might want. On Monday night, I went out to their house.

It was hard looking through it, a lot of memories came back. We role-played a lot and most of the things they had set aside were his RPG books. We played so many games - D&D, Shadowrun, Ars Magica, L5R, Battle Tech. So many good times. I want so badly to go back and have those experiences again. If only...

I ended up with five boxes of stuff, mostly RPG books, and a crate of DVDs. Dennis told me they still have more of his stuff to sort through, but he knows there are a lot more books and games. They want me to have them and are going to call me when they have dug them out.

I'd trade it all for five more minutes with Patrick.

A Set Back

I talked to my friend, Ken, yesterday and he says that he cannot afford to move in now because he is just starting to pay his school loans back. The payment is over $400 a month right now. I offered to make the rent lower and he said "maybe," but even so it wouldn't be until after Christmas.

The problem is that 1) he's not sure and 2) Mom and I can only afford everything through January. Mom obviously doesn't want the house to be foreclosed, so we would have to get the house sold in January so we don't have to worry about the February payment. Ken said he has asked a few people he knows and one of them has said they would think about it.

Unfortunately, time has now become very critical. I have by no means given up hope, but I am less confident.

Sex Education With My Daughters

Kids say the darndest things, of course, but sometimes it seems my daughters do it better than most because of their crazy home environment. This weekend they mentioned that their Mom's brother, Doug, had been making fun of their other brother, Dale, for still being a virgin, "just because he's never had sex!"

Oh, I do so love these opportunities. I talked to my daughters then about sex and marriage (not our first). I told them that I thought it was a good idea to wait until you are married before you had sex, but that everyone has to make their own decision about it and it is not right to judge someone for making a different decision. They seemed to agree with this and it isn't anything we haven't discussed before. Then I get this from my sweet, youngest daughter, Shaena, "Dad, if you believe that, why did you and Mom have sex before you were married."

Shaena, the one who is usually quiet and doesn't say much during our "serious" talks, asks me this question. I was shocked for just a second, but then recovered and tried to answer. I told them that it was a very fair question and they shouldn't be afraid to ask me about anything. Sometimes people make mistakes, but the important thing is that they learn from their mistakes is the gist of what I told my daughters.

Of course that's not all. I asked them if their Mom had talked to them about any of this stuff. Erica says, "No, not really. But she did say that sometimes if you get a crush on someone, it can be Satan lying to you."

"What?" I asked.

"Well, Mom said that she had a crush on you and thought you were going to take care of her for the rest of her life," Erica answered.

I tried to explain that feelings are not sent by Satan, they are part of being human. Erica tried to say, "Not all the time, Dad, just some of the time," but I told her I didn't agree with that, either. There is nothing wrong with getting a crush or "liking" someone, I said. It is only a problem if you stop thinking and do something stupid because of your feelings. Bringing it back to their mother and I, I explained that there was nothing wrong with their mother and I having feelings for each other when we met. The problem was that we stopped thinking (well, I'm not sure she had ever started, but I digress) and did not make good choices.

Whew. Being a father certainly is not easy. I'm certainly not looking forward to their teen years.

I was also thinking about the fact that "Satan makes people have crushes on other people." I may have to talk to him about that and see if we can't work out some arrangement whereby I can give him a list of women that I wouldn't mind having a crush on me and he can make something happen. I'm sure the price wouldn't be too high. I'm not really using my soul anyway.

Weekly Music Video - Meat Loaf

The one and only Meat Loaf performing "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." I would love to catch one of his concerts. He has so much energy. This performance with Karla DeVito (who is just lip synching, but still good) is awesome. And I'm not sure there's a better ode to teenage love/lust than this song.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

New Cosmology Findings

New research about the happenings of the universe in the immediate moment after the Big Bang.

Physicists announced Thursday that they now have the smoking gun that shows the universe went through extremely rapid expansion in the moments after the big bang, growing from the size of a marble to a volume larger than all of observable space in less than a trillion-trillionth of a second.

The discovery -- which involves an analysis of variations in the brightness of microwave radiation -- is the first direct evidence to support the two-decade-old theory that the universe went through what is called inflation.

Very cool stuff.

Reading With My Daughters - Ender's Game

After my daughter's told me that they no longer wanted to read Dragonlance because it was a book that could lead a good Christian astray, I was frustrated for awhile and struggled to find something to read. Finally, I settled on Ender's Game.

For those who do not know, Ender's Game is the Hugo and Nebula award winning novel of Ender Wiggin. In the future mankind faces annihilation at the hands of the Buggers, fierce insect-like aliens who have only been narrowly defeated twice before. The hope of the world rests with gifted children who are sent to Battle School to become warriors and leaders of the human armies preparing for the final conflict with the superior alien forces. Ender is the smartest and most talented of the group, but the rigors he faces in the school may break him before he is through...

It happens to be one of my favorite books and I hoped that my daughters would enjoy it as well. It was a fantastic success. We ended up staying up until nearly 2 a.m. last night finishing it. Erica had tears in her eyes at the end. Shaena loved it, too. I'm very glad that with the exception of one or two bumps, I have been able to share my love of reading with my daughters.

Next up: Tarzan of the Apes

Media Bias

Jeromy over at Seeking Goliath recently wrote about problems with our news media. He mentioned the issue of bias and how it is his, in his opinion, a myth.

2. Objectivity is a myth. Most reporters will readily admit that objectivity is an impossibility in reporting. One simply cannot step outside of their own bias completely. This is not to say that we don’t attempt objectivity. But to hold it up as an ideal and brazenly disregard it in the culture of your news organization and reporting is dishonest and deceptive.

Ed Brayton also posted about media bias recently.

My new gig with the Center for Independent Media has been quite interesting, if for no other reason than to stimulate my thinking about the differences between blogging and journalism and how to find a balance between them that maintains integrity. Notice that I say integrity, not objectivity; the concept of objectivity has become so attenuated that it is no longer useful at all in such discussions.

Sometimes that balance can be difficult to strike, but here's one thing I am absolutely certain of: the mere repetition of "both sides" in a dispute is not "objectivity", nor does it have any integrity.

I think that a large part of the problem with the media, which Jeromy touches on in his post, is the audience. If we accept that there is no true 100% objectivity, then we have to learn how to recognize what biases may exist and how to understand how they may influence whatever news story we're listening to. The problem is that I think most people are either incapable of doing so or unwilling to do so.

When I say people are incapable, I don't mean that they are stupid and can't do it. I mean that I don't think most people have the education and skill sets required to process this stuff. I don't think enough critical thinking skills are taught in school, certainly not in this age of teaching for the test (thanks, NCLB!). I would much rather kids came out of school with a bare minimum of facts and a well-honed ability to think critically than the reverse.

As for the second problem, people being unwilling to parse the news properly, well, we are a very lazy country. People would rather think, "Lou Dobbs says he's looking out for the American people, so even though he comes off as a racist prick, I'm going to take him at his word all the time." It's easier than having to read multiple news stories about an issue, do some other research, and come to your own conclusion. And, really, it takes time away from America's Next Top Model. Who wants that?

Florida Cop Gets Her Just Desserts

Back in October, I wrote about the Florida cop who sued a family at whose residence she fell and broke her knee while assisting in the rescue effort of their drowning three-year old. She has now received her comeuppance. The department has fired her for filing the suit saying that she "brought ridicule to the agency and damaged its reputation." You think?

Happy Birthday

It's not just the holiday season here in the Noble household. It's the birthday season as a good chunk of the birthdays in our family seem to fall between September and January. Today was the birthday of my niece, Alexis. She has been talking about going to Chuck E. Cheese for awhile now, so that's where we went. In an abstract way, I'll be one of the first to say that I can't stand the place. However, seeing the joy in her face, watching her dance in front of Chuck E., and playing with her on the games made it a wonderful experience. Here she is riding horses with her cousin, Bryanna.



One of the best moments of the night was when Alexis took a ride on the Batmobile. When she saw the Bat symbol, she cried, "It's the coolest!" After that she hopped on another ride, a boat, and another girl got into the Batmobile. Alexis and I looked at her and I told my niece, "I don't think she's cool enough to ride in Batman's car." With wonderful earnestness, she told me, "She's not a lieutenant. I'm a lieutenant!" She's such a wonderful girl.

Happy Fourth Birthday, Alexis!

Aww...Aren't Cats Great

Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan.

Golden Compass and Faith

Golden Compass is opening in theaters this week. Sure enough there are many religious people up in arms about it because the book supposedly has a strong anti-religion (anti-Catholic, specifically) slant. Now, I have not read the books by Phillip Pullman, so I am not qualified to say one way or another whether they are or not. I do like this quote from a nun in the linked article, though:

"If we have faith, what are we afraid of?"

Indeed. The faith that many people claim to have does not seem to have a very strong foundation. The slightest hint of criticism leads to howls of anger and calls for someone's head. Typically, this simply justifies the criticisms. Most of the time, these people haven't even read the book or seen the movie that is getting them so fired up. If they are concerned about its message, they should check it out for themselves. Get a group of fellow church-goers together and watch the movie or read the book. Talk about it. Figure out what the criticisms are. Are they justified? Could this be an opportunity for strengthening the faith and opening a dialogue?

Critiques or attacks should be viewed as an opening. Obviously if someone is just being petty and name-calling ("Christians are poopy-heads!") they do not deserve a response. But, if someone is saying, "I don't believe in Christianity because how can a good God let evil happen?" or "The Catholic Church produced the Inquisition. How can it consider itself a bastion of morality?" or "Islam is a sexist religion because of its rules for women," these are valid questions that deserve valid answers. Sure not everyone is going to accept an answer, but no religion should be afraid of having to answer tough questions. If it tries to dodge them or hide from them, then it cannot be upset when people criticize it.

Religion Fact of the Day

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the miracle of the burning oil. After the Maccabean revolt and the defeat of Antiochus IV in 165 BCE, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to light the Temple flame for one day. Miraculously, however, the flame stayed lit for eight days, long enough to consecrate more oil. Now, Jews light a candle on each day of the eight-day holiday to remember this event.

Hitch on Hanukkah

Christopher Hitchens has become famous for being a vocal opponent of religion. Not just an opponent, in fact, but a harsh, antagonistic critic. He has an article on Slate today about Hanukkah. He says:

When the fanatics of Palestine won that victory, and when Judaism repudiated Athens for Jerusalem, the development of the whole of humanity was terribly retarded.

It's good to see that he's looking for a polite dialogue on religion. Of course, if he was doing that he wouldn't be getting big book deals or asked to appear on news shows, now would he?

Hitch seems to have a lot of anger. I wonder how much of it stems from this messy incident.

Poetry Time

Bright Star

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.

John Keats

Florida Update

I don't get to go to Florida this week, darn it. Securing sponsorship is such a pain in the ass and it did not get done in time. Our security director swears, though, that he will start working now to make sure everything is lined up for the next class in March. I was really looking forward to getting out of town for a couple of days, especially to sunny Florida, but, alas.

Going in March might be a little awkward. If I went this week it would be by myself. If I go in March, though, I will be in all likelihood going with a girl from work that I asked out a few weeks ago. She got very embarrassed and said she was seeing someone. She probably won't think anything of it, but I already feel a little awkward with her at work now. Going on a trip to Florida with her isn't going to make it any better. Isn't life amusing?

Life of Pi

I managed to sneak in some personal reading in the last two weeks and I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I hadn't heard much about it before I read it other than it was "good." After I read an interview with Martel at the A.V. Club, though, I became very intrigued and picked it up. Reading the back, I expected it to be slightly surreal, but it turned out to be anything but, except for...well, I don't want to spoil anything.

Life of Pi is about a boy who is fascinated by religion and animals. His father owns a zoo and Pi takes great pleasure in caring for the animals there. He is also drawn to religion, but not just one religion. He becomes a Hindu, Christian, and Muslim. On a trip to Canada, the boat they are on sinks and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with an orangutan, zebra, hyena, and a Bengal tiger. Before long, only the tiger and Pi remain.

It is an incredible tale of survival and spirituality. Martel has a gift for a dry wit. One of my favorite passages:

It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion.

Life of Pi definitely gets the Captain's approval.

What's In a Name?

The Muhammad teddy bear story has been getting a lot of attention lately and rightly so. This is an example of the issues Muslims need to face and deal with in their religion. Is the name of a teddy bear really the biggest problem they face. As my friend, Jeromy, put it on his blog:

Come to think of it, I haven't heard of any riots over the fact that nearly 500,000 people have been killed in the country's recent genocide efforts.

I think that if Mulims really sat down and thought about it, maybe read their copy of the Koran, they would find that a teddy bear's name is not the sort of issue Muhammad would have cared about.

On the issue of names, Slate writes about what actual rules Muslims have about naming. Hint: not many. And nothing about teddy bears.

Florida, Here I Come...Maybe

GE puts on a class for the software we use at the hospital for access control. Being the sysadmin for the program, I've been wanting to go to this class for awhile now. It's not cheap, but the hospital approved it. The problem is that you have to have sponsorship from a GE certified dealer. That is proving to be a major hassle because both of the companies we purchase GE products from are not GE certified. We are trying to go through the parent company of one of the vendors, but it's taking time. Time we don't have because the class I am supposed to attend (with one other person from the hospital) is Wednesday and Thursday this week.

I'm imagining a phone call tomorrow. "Shane, we got sponsored. The plane leaves in an hour; I hope you're ready." I'm sure that if I can't get to this class, I will be able to attend the next one in March, but that's a ways off. I want to get away from Billings and the snow/cold now. *crosses fingers*

The Insane Primary Calendar

The Democrats have finalized their primary calendar. Of course, Iowa and New Hampshire are keeping their status as the front runners and other states who try to move up are being punished. Our primary campaigns have become asinine. Can anyone make a serious argument that IA and NH are representative of the nation as a whole and should always have the first say in who our President is? The one argument I usually here is that it should be this way because of "tradition."

I'm not one to buck tradition just because, but if we can examine a tradition and find it wanting, then I think we do need to make some changes. I believe a version of the rotating regional calendar makes the most sense. Rather then one entire region being first, though, I would have one state from each region be first. That would rotate for each election. Two weeks later, another state from each region would hold their primary/caucus/whatever. This would continue in two-week shifts until all states had gone. This seems to be more fair (and sane) than what we have now. Unfortunately, every state is looking out for their own interests and not considering what would be better for the nation as a whole. Not surprising, I suppose, but certainly disappointing. I hope that after this nightmarish calendar, someone steps up to take the lead on making some sensible changes for the next election.

Relativism

Pope Benedict XVI has released his latest encyclical. The old beast of Communism may be defeated, but the Pope sees its successor in what he calls "relativism."

Defeated, Marxism is no longer the incarnation of evil in our midst, but rather the perfect (vanquished) foil in Benedict's ongoing intellectually driven sermon that Christian faith is history's only true answer. But the Pope is not ready to declare victory. The Church's current foe, as he sees it, is still in the heart of Europe and still atheist in nature: a sort of post-Socialist, anything-goes brand of Utopia that Benedict calls "relativism" — and disparages as the root of everything from loose sexual mores to a breakdown of the traditional family to runaway capitalism.

I think Jeffrey B. Russell, professor of history at U of C, Santa Barbara, would agree. He wrote about his experience with relativism amongst his students.

I first encountered radical relativism in a classroom in the early 70s, when I was showing pictures and photographs of violence. Among the pictures was one of a soldier kicking a little boy to death. One of the young women in the class argued strongly that we had no right to make a value judgment about the soldier's act. After much time in discussion, she finally allowed that the soldier's act might have been wrong--but NOT because the boy was suffering. Rather, her reason was that the soldier "might have enjoyed the boy's company if he had got to know him." She allowed that from the boy's point of view things probably looked different. But the only judgment she would make on the soldier was on the basis of the pleasure he might have deprived himself of. There is no GOOD; there is only feeling good. The pleasure principle. Good and evil depend on how you happen to feel. Note the phrase "Happen to feel."

A few years later, at UCSB, while teaching philosophy of history, I encountered another variety of radical relativism. I tried in vain to get the class to admit that the Sistine Chapel was better than a stick figure I scrawled on the board, that a Bach cantata was better than my toneless humming, that King Lear was better than Roses are Red, Violets are blue. No way. Some people, they replied, might prefer the stick figure or the greeting card sentiments. One young woman in the class was particularly bright and later went on to a successful career as a lawyer. She was an oboe player in the Santa Barbara Symphony. She had been practicing oboe for seven or eight years. I had never done more than look at one. I challenged her to bring her oboe, and we'd see whether it was possible to determine whose playing was better. "Some people might prefer the way you played," she responded. Then why practice at all, let alone seven years? At the end of the term, the young woman turned in the best paper in the class. I gave her an A, of course, and she was delighted. But what if I had taken her at her word? What if I had told her, "You are getting a C along with everyone else, because there is no basis on which to judge one paper better than another?"

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.