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.