Cranky Bastard

We're All Sinners, Right?

2008-09-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

Priest Accused Of Selling Coke From Rectory - News Story - WNBC New York: "URBANA, Ill. -- A Catholic priest on the University of Illinois campus has been charged with selling cocaine from his church office and rectory.
The Rev. Christopher Layden pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of delivery of less than 1 gram of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a church and one count of possession with intent to deliver 1 to 15 grams of cocaine near a church.
The 33-year-old was arrested Wednesday at St. John's Catholic Newman Center after investigators found 3 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia while searching his home and office."

Is that what we are going to say to justify this one too? We never said we were perfect, blah, blah, blah. If there are guitar-playing priests, then we really can say the Catholic hierarchy is about sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Rock on!

Good Men Who Just So Happen to be Olympians

2008-08-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

NBCOlympics.com - Phelps' audacious dream completed in Beijing#phelps+audacious+dream+completed+beijing#phelps+audacious+dream+completed+beijing: "'The shame of it,' Hansen said a moment later, 'is that other athletes are not going to realize how hard what he did is.
'The world is fast at swimming now. The world was not fast when Mark Spitz did his seven.
'It's every part of sport,' Hansen said of the range that Phelps displayed here. 'It's endurance. It's strength. It's pressure ... he made the pressure putt in the U.S. Open, he won the Tour de France and he knocked out the best fighter in the world in the 16th round with an uppercut.
'He did absolutely everything sport is supposed to be and he did it with a smile on his face, and he's a good kid.'"

His teammate, Brendan Hansen, appropriately deferred the attention to Phelps just moments after the historic relay win. Of course, each of his teammates had an interest in this kind of press for their sport, because they are keenly aware of just how little airtime and ink the sport gets in comparison to nearly all others. However, it does not really matter why Hansen said what he said. What is important is that this does appear to be the kind of feat he describes. He did not say it in a jealous, uncertain or bitter way. He simply stated that the kind of preparation that goes into setting world records, one by one, and beating the best in the world race by race in this way should be included in the conversation for the best sports moment of all time. And indeed, he did this without saying the dramatic part of that, "the best sports moment of all time". It was also uplifting to see how genuinely excited each of these other men, to include the teammates from the two other relays, appeared to be to see Phelps realize his dreams. In contrast with the whiny weightlifter who threw his medal, only to have it rescinded, this too can make Americans proud. It simply felt good to live vicariously through these men last night. And to them, I give my sincerest thanks.

Hitchens Remembers Russert

2008-06-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

VF Daily: Christopher Hitchens Remembers Tim Russert: Online Only: vanityfair.com: "On the other hand, and especially with his own one-on-two interview program, The Tim Russert Show, he could be extremely generous and essentially get out of your way while eliciting your opinions. I most particularly remember him doing this for Newsweek’s Jon Meacham and myself, who had published competing books on the role of religion last year. Tim was much more than a “practicing” Catholic: he was a devout and highly serious one who attended church every day. It was very handsome of him, I thought, to offer a whole hour of more or less free publicity to one atheist and one Episcopalian. And he relished the discussion and the disagreements, on the set and off it, for their own sake."

For those that know me well, you know that I was eager to read or hear Christopher's take on Russert's death (still a strange phrase for such a lively man). I hadn't a doubt that Hitchens loved Russert for many of the same reasons that us, his viewers, did. I could also be sure that they knew one another well, and more than likely appreciated what the other brought to the collective American intellectual table. It's funny, even as I write that, the thought of Russert as an intellectual is a disjointed one. He clearly was an intellectual, but it seemed to me that he never fancied himself as such. He was much more interested in his friends and viewers knowing about his Buffalo home, Big Russ, and his faith than proving to all what he "knew".
Over the weekend, MSNBC both did tributes as well as played old interviews he did on "Big Russ and Me" and "Wisdom of our Fathers". In one interview led by Brokaw, he told a story from "Wisdom" about a 10-year-old boy walking with his father up to a Church. As they approach, Tim recounted, the father asked the son the time. The son, a bit baffled, answered the father and they stopped and watched a procession of people file into the Church for a funeral mass. Later, they watched the mourners file out of the Church, and the father asked, once again, for the time. The son obliged. The father said, "That person's life, as most, was reduced to 20 minutes." Russert went on saying that there are few lessons that so poignantly describe how important every action can be, and how they may have an impact on that twenty minutes.
Though he was only let in on that tale in the last few years, and even though I never met the man, I feel certain that he lived his life as if Big Russ had been the father in front of that Church. Another certainty...Russert's was a life that certainly cannot be summed up in 20 minutes.

Russert Remembered

2008-06-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

DRUDGE REPORT 2008®: "DIES FROM A BIG HEART"

Drudge's headline is perfect. Two days before Father's Day for the man who consistently reminded us of just what an impact our fathers have on us was the saddest of ironies. I bought three copies of Big Russ and Me, one for myself, one for my father, and one for my grandmother. I am not a big reader, not as much as I would like, but this was a cover-to-cover read for me. I felt like I was being educated on how to live a good life, to be a good person.
Not a religious Meet the Press viewer, I still watched pretty often. He really was one of the best interviewers on television. I think one of the things we all liked about him was that he was a lot like all of us. He was a normal guy who interviewed people in power in terms we could understand. He was rightly proud of his own ability to do that, and often gave credit for that approach to his father, Big Russ. In fact, he often gave credit for much of his accomplishment and particular wins to Big Russ and others.
I hope that his son, Luke, Big Russ, and his wife can take comfort in Tim's grand impact on the world far beyond politics. Through his books and his appearances, he made many of us better people.

On McClellan, Past and Present

2008-06-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

If you want to read a serious book about the intervention in Iraq, try War and Decision. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine: "I used to watch this mooncalf blunder his way through press conferences and think, Exactly where do we find such men? For the job of swabbing out the White House stables, yes. But for any task involving the weighing of words? Hah! Now it seems that he realizes, and with a shock at that, that there was a certain amount of 'spin' or propaganda involved in his job description. Well, give the man a cigar. Beyond that, the book is effectively valueless to the anti-war camp since, as McClellan says of the president, 'I consider him a fundamentally decent person, and I do not believe he or his White House deliberately or consciously sought to deceive the American people.'"

And from this very blog:
"Putting a guy like Tony there is what should've happened after Ari left. There was never a good excuse for McClellan. With access to the whole country, he picked Scott to speak publicly for him. An outsider would wonder if there was no better candidates available. This shows much better taste.
Monday, November 15, 2004
A Request, Mr. President?
While you are making all of these changes to your cabinet, could you do me one favor? Could you please replace McClellan? Unlike Ari, Scott is boring. Maybe you want him to be so that the presidential briefing does not so often end up on the 11 o'clock news, but you couldn't have picked a blander briefer."

As usual, Hitchy says it better, but also as usual, I agree. In fact, going back to see my words on McClellan, I was shocked to find my words were not sharper and more venomous. I remember cursing the decision. I suppose I was trying to sound more diplomatic or professional. Not sure why.
I simply never understood why we would choose him to follow Ari, who I quite admired. This is, however, pay back for such a stupid choice. He was never smart enough for the job, and he is clearly not confident enough to be loyal to those that gave him the job he never deserved in the first place. This is not to say that a person should be loyal above all, if there is something of value to share. McClellan, however, does not really say anything. Interestingly, I saw someone trying to defend him (can't remember who) by saying that the publisher "talked him into" a negative piece, using the carrot of bigger sales. That is terribly sad that a man who was the spokesman for the leader of the free world could be "talked into" something so stupid and that his defenders had no better explanation. They could've simply said, "Scott does not have a mind of his own. Poor guy."

Framing of the Wright/Pfleger Mess

2008-05-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

From a Chicago Tribune editorial posted May 30, 2008: "Obama said Pfleger’s words were “divisive” and “backward-looking.” Pfleger apologized for what he said at Trinity. “I regret the words I chose Sunday,” he said in a statement released by his church, St. Sabina. “These words are inconsistent with Sen. Obama’s life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Sen. Clinton or anyone else who saw them,” he said.If they offended? They offended. After everything that happened with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, how on earth does a priest, or any religious leader, take the pulpit and behave as Michael Pfleger did?Yes, race is a factor in this campaign. Some voters will tell you point-blank that they won’t vote for Barack Obama because he is black. But what has marked Obama’s campaign is his great ability to inspire people to look beyond race. It’s a shame that all of Obama’s supporters haven’t done the same."

What I fail to understand is how "leaders" of a Church, group or even family could espouse such views. I have always thought that you didn't go to Church to hear what you wanted to hear, but rather be led by a Church leader who told you what you needed to hear. What has been proven as of late (though I already knew it) is the fact that Church leaders are "playing to a congregation". This further proves that they are not "leaders" at all. They are panderers and much more interested in dollars in the plate than salvation. To be a person of any race and continue, in 2008, to fuel the basest of racial discussions and maintain a belief of powerlessness within a class of people who need personal power the most is a disgrace and an utter disservice. To those for whom these men were putting on this display, I say pick your leaders more wisely. Find leaders who tell you how to build yourself up, not stay in a bitter and defeated state of mind. All of us, regardless of race, gender or any number of other issues, can feel defeated. What we learn is that we often find in others reflections of how we view ourselves. To cheer a man who is preaching your inability to fuel your own fate is to cheer your own destruction. I wish for you more than that.

The Effect of the Liberationist Pastors

2008-05-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

Race - Presidential Election of 2008 - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Elections - Politics - Democratic Party - New York Times: "Even as Dr. Cone and others such as the Rev. William A. Jones at Bethany Baptist in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, crafted a theology of black liberation, Catholic theologians in Central and South America crafted their own liberation theology, arguing that God placed the impoverished peasants closest to his heart."

Michael Powell makes this point twice. If that is so, then what we can deduce is the Church's complicity in arguing for their congregants to stay in poverty. If pastors suggest on hundreds of Sundays that their parishioners are more loved by their god as a result of their poverty, there is no impetus to remove themselves in the eyes of god. I understand that the people in this article and others would fight that conclusion, but it is logical and quite sad. What this also does at its most organic is suggests that they could not ever have confidence in themselves, as they will always be viewed as "the impoverished, down-trodden". This kind of belief perpetuates a long wrong. What we should know now, these many years after King, is that anyone of any color, creed or nationality, has a birthright to freedom and access to self-worth and success. Now, what would our nation look like if that had been the message at the pulpit over the last fifty years?

Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says - New York Times

2008-05-08T09:22:00.001-07:00

Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says - New York Times: "“It is quite possible that, had Mine Safety and Health Administration known the full severity of the March bump, M.S.H.A. would not have approved the subsequent development and retreat mining of the South Barrier,” the report said.
This conclusion about the cause of the disaster contradicts Robert E. Murray, the chief executive of the Murray Energy Corporation, which owns and operates the mine. Mr. Murray has adamantly insisted that the initial fatalities were not foreseeable because the collapse was caused by an earthquake rather than by mining operations.
Federal mining officials, who have publicly expressed skepticism that an earthquake caused the collapse, are due to release their own investigation report in June."

What we all suspected as we watched that guy say and do extraordinarily strange things. The one thing that made me question him most was when Bob Murray questioned the geologists who were clear that no earthquake had occurred. These are the people we immediately want to hear from after the ground shakes. If they say no earthquake, most of us tend to believe them. When he was so adamant as to their mistake, I thought we had a major problem on our hands. He was also so self-interested while his people were irretrievably trapped. This is something that as we watch, we question how in the world he could be so detached. Apparently, that detachment was natural for him, or at least a long pattern.

Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says - New York Times

2008-05-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

An Unbelievable Pitch for the Presidency

2008-05-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

DRUDGE REPORT 2008®:
"HILLARY: WHITE PEOPLE SUPPORT ME... "

What? I am not quite sure how to appropriately respond to this. She certainly has to know better, but that almost makes a statement like this worse, knowing better and saying it anyway. Once again, we have the Clinton's raising race as a voting issue. That is in such stark contrast to the "dream" and to who Americans aspire to be. Really, it is just offensive. Also, this makes it very, very clear that she can no longer blame Bill's statements earlier on in the campaign on him going off on his own. I didn't buy that anyway as they are the king and queen of strategy. Not much is ever said that hasn't been weighed heavily, if not polled. This, it is clearer now, is their strategy. Sick.
I understand that, in desperation, people will say and do things that otherwise would be on the top of their list to condemn. In this situation, however, her better pitches to the American people have been dropped in exchange for this base and profoundly disgusting discourse. She should be discussing how she has been able to work with Senators of all stripes and each party effectively. In fact, those Senators who were probably more inclined to dislike her have spoken out in her favor over the last several years. No, no, she doesn't appeal to a country desirous of togetherness with her ability for it. No, she appeals to the much less evolved among us. Shame on the "first black president and the first black first lady".

"Experts" in Naivete

2008-05-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News: "Clinton fights on as prospects dim"

Last night, while waiting on the Indiana returns, the "experts" were opining on when Hillary would bow out. They asserted she would be "forced" out in the next couple of days, even as McAuliffe maintained they were not going anywhere. He said this, mind you, after the polls closed. I think many wildly underestimate the Clinton's desire for the White House. That is so clearly the only issue for them. I have heard so many times the whole "she doesn't want to destroy the party" argument. Do these people honestly believe she cares one bit about the party? Really? I don't. Her husband, the "first black President", made clear an at least latent disregard for African Americans in the run-up to South Carolina and other moments. That is to put it kindly, by the way. To think they have anyone else's interests at heart is to be naive and one who pays little attention to our recent history.

The Clinton's have long had the capacity to say, with straight faces, things that they absolutely know to be untrue. Most recently is the windfall profits tax to cover the gas tax holiday. She sells it to voters knowing full well that the windfall tax could never, ever happen in the next month to be in place by summer. Common sense is not an obstacle for their campaign.

What all of this tells us is that Senator Clinton is going to be with us until the convention. In fact, in a press conference just on television, she cited 1968. As I have believed for several months, she is in it to win it, regardless of the "will of the voters" or the nastiness of the tactics in their employ. She knows, like many of the rest of us, that politics is a minute-by-minute sport, with a change in wind direction only so possible at any time. She will await that meltdown for the next few months. And frankly, Indiana and North Carolina really didn't (though the newsies would have us believe otherwise) represent any real change in this race. We were in the same position after Pennsylvania. Two things didn't happen after Pennsylvania that was widely expected. 1) She didn't drop out. 2) The remainder of the uncommitted super-delegates did not stampede to the door of the Illinois Senator. You know why? Again two things. 1) They do not have the luxury of being wrong as they run for another term. 2) It has been an unwise wager when betting against the Clintons in the past. They have one hell of a good memory.

We should all sit and simply enjoy the drama, not expecting the players to change until August. That is because they aren't going to change. Now while I feel like that is an absolute, I am as yet uncertain as to the impact on the race, the Democratic party, or the Clinton legacy, among other things. I think a lot of that is determined by future events. One can't really argue that this is fun to watch and to ponder, so we should really just ready the popcorn and fire up the monster TV's.

Over-stepping

2008-05-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

PETA wants Eight Belles jockey suspended after filly's death: "PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was 'doubtlessly injured before the finish' and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles' death is investigated.
'What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?' PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. 'If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly.'
Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones said the filly was clearly happy when she crossed the finish line.
'I don't know how in the heck they can even come close to saying that,' Jones told The Associated Press on Sunday. 'She has her ears up, clearly galloping out.'"

The PETA folks could not possibly know what happened, and they make that clear by saying "doubtlessly" followed by an "if-then". They have no more understanding of what or how than the man on the moon. It was sad for many of us watching, but to blame the jockey or act like they could know any more than the rest of us is silly. That is my normal reservation with groups like this. They rush to the absurd.

What Rubbish!

2008-05-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Cover story: 'Christopher Hitchens' by Alexander Linklater Prospect Magazine May 2008 issue 146: "His main business, he claims, has been to ally himself with what was originally an underground movement of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds—all working towards the overthrow of a latter-day Stalinist monster. “I have felt like I used to in the 1960s,” he says, “working with revolutionaries. That reminds me of my better days.”"

His better days? He has simply gone mad. Maybe this is his strange version of a mid-life crisis, where he mourns a youth gone. Maybe he is reminiscing on a perceived greater clarity of thought and values as is common in one's idealistic youth. Whatever this is, Hitchens is unwise to believe that he is one minute beyond his "better days".
Alexander, the author, though stretching his understanding too much in places, does bring us one terribly interesting insight. He notes that when Hitchy talks of his mother, he falls to rather flowery speech. In fact, what he seems to do is talk about nature. He notes the color of the sky, olive trees, and such. What he may also be doing is holding onto those moments by remembering every detail. I would want to be able to do that as well.
Where Alexander goes wrong is his deep desire, like others, to claim some part of Hitchens' beliefs are "faith". It is a crackpot way of taking him down a peg, of scrapping the anti-theist argument with a single word. What Linklater does not understand about Hitchy and others like us is that we don't need a faith, a group or any sort of support for these beliefs. We don't need to be preached to every Sunday to be reminded of what is important. We do not need to be in fellowship to reinforce the "rightness" of our stance. The author also suggests that Christopher's main goal throughout his career was to be "right". One wonders to whom that does not apply.
Another interesting note was Hitchens recalling his early days at the Statesman. "By 1973 Hitchens was writing political columns for the New Statesman alongside a cultural team that included Fenton, Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan and Clive James. Later incorporating his friendship with Salman Rushdie, this period set him at the heart of what would become, and arguably remains, Britain's dominant literary grouping. Though his was already the most politically developed voice among this emerging elite, Hitchens was in his own words, “a secondary planet in this system, and not unhappy to be. I did a lot of listening.”" I simply don't have the ability to imagine him in a room with these men without interjecting opinion at every turn. I respect his desire to learn, but am unsure if he correctly recollects. It is not just that I would see them disagreeing. I would think that he would have then used argument as he does now, a way to "hone". I also believe that he has a rather compulsive desire to argue. For him, and I must admit for me, it is a wonderful intellectual exercise.
As an unabashed fan, I wish he saw himself the way that I so gladly view him. While flawed, occasionally wrong, and most certainly complex, Christopher Hitchens is the best mind of our times.

Sexist Laws Must Be Changed

2008-05-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News: "AP: Police say a woman they believe to be convicted Washington escort service operator Deborah Jeane Palfrey committed suicide."

David Vitter, one of Palfrey's long-time clients, didn't have to testify. She, however, was facing over fifty years in prison after being found guilty in her trial. I was upset by the verdicts, but we should all be upset by the fact that the laws are so sexist that it led to this woman's suicide. Frankly, I should have been this upset by the verdicts. I am a bit ashamed that I wasn't. Nothing at all happened to her service's johns, but she was facing over 50 years in prison. In fact, there was a lot of hand-wringing about the names and phones logs being made public as that would lead to the poor johns being outed. It's outrageous! Two to tango, two to break a prostitution law, right? Wrong. I am not in love with the idea of prostitution, but we need to make it fair one way or another. Either it is illegal for both parties or it is legal for both parties. Parsing this on gender flies in the face of equality. It should all make us sick to our stomach that this woman, in order to escape injustice, felt she had to kill herself. And this was, make no mistake, a true injustice!

The Choice Really is About More than Gender and Race, or at Least it Should Be

2008-05-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Trouble With Transcending Race Views TheRoot.com: "But the undeniable truth is that black celebrities and politicians are held to ridiculous standards of acceptability. As long as white people are defining those standards, 'transcendent' black leaders will continue to walk a racial tightrope, and everyone is destined to end up disappointed."

This is really not true. What happened to Obama was the realization that a man he called a mentor is actually aligned with a bigot and a racist (in Farakkhan). I don't think of wanting the man who leads the free world to not be aligned with bigots and racists as a "ridiculously" high "standard of acceptability". Nor should anyone. If the races were different in this equation, there would be no question but that the campaign would be over. What America is doing really is giving Obama a pass that would not be extended to a white candidate, male or female, who had such friends.

From the article and from a blog: ""The support of white women made Oprah her billions. While she has every right to vote and campaign for whomever she wants, she stabbed all women in the back. She used her clout against the first viable white woman. Hope she sinks into oblivion. I will never forget.""
Thank you, but I would like to go back to believing that this kind of thought did not happen. I would like to think that people vote on bigger issues, yea or nay, than color and gender. Stabbed all women in the back? What, for thinking beyond her nose? For believing in someone with whom she has been friends for years? For not simply pandering to keep ratings up? The idea that people think this way makes my stomach turn.

Also from the article: "They were supposed to reflect blackness in the way that made white people comfortable, a blackness that lacked any hint of anger, resentment, or dare we say it, "bitterness." They were also supposed to pretend their blackness didn't matter. Oprah could be the black girlfriend who white women felt good about themselves for having, Obama could be the black candidate they felt good for supporting."

This is also simply offensive. White folks don't like Oprah because it makes them feel good about having a "black girlfriend". That's stupid. There have been plenty of black men and women on the air that did not get ratings out of "white guilt". White women watch Oprah because she educates, informs, and entertains. White people were drawn to Obama, not because he "entertained", but rather because he inspired. Marjorie Valbrun should be ashamed of herself for painting all white folks as weak-kneed idiots whose white guilt rivals that of Catholic guilt. Of describing white folks as those that need to be "entertained by blacks" otherwise we vote for a white.

Whatever happened to..."one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!"? A reminder to Valerie...their blackness is supposed to be forgotten. That was the freakin' dream!

Obama on the Rev

2008-04-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Breaking News Latest News Current News - FOXNews.com: "Obama 'Outraged'"

As I said recently, it seemed to me that he would need to speak more forcefully. He did, and he did it well. Denounced. He brought up specifics, like Farakkhan and government infliction of AIDS on the black community. He said that he finds these statements appalling. While I feel he didn't have any choice, I suppose he could have stayed quiet. For the good of the Presidential race and for race relations, we should all be glad that Obama stood up, called it idiocy, and is on his way back to his unifying message. Again, I am not voting for the guy, but I think he has such an important role to play in this election cycle. I enjoy watching him and root for him to do the right thing. Now he has.

Proud of Shep's Show Today

2008-04-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Shepard Smith Studio B Shepard Smith FOX News - FOXNews.com: "Studio B w/ Shepard Smith"

Okay, so first of all, Shep talked about the biggest news story of today. That was sadly, of course, Rev. Wright at the National Press Club. Shep played many, many clips and had on Greta Van Sustern who was at the Press Club luncheon. She talked about the scuttlebutt among the journalists after the speech. She said that many of the listeners were made uncomfortable by his pronouncements and his buttressing of his formerly "misunderstood" statements. Shep was wise to constantly remind his viewers that Obama has distanced himself from the Reverend. He also had Marc Lamont Hill on the show.
Marc is a smart guy, well-read and all, but he worries me. Today was no different as he wanted very much to both parse the Reverend's remarks as well as to add meaning that I am still as yet unclear he had the authority to add. Most importantly, he left open the door to the possibility that the US government might well have ("since it clearly has the ability") introduced the AIDS virus to the African American community. Shep stopped him angrily, which made Marc change his stance, although I am not clear that he believes the latter statement.
Also, there is this desire by the Reverend to make the attack on his stupid sermons as an attack on all black churches. This means we would all have to believe that all black churches have ignorant and inflammatory pastors, and we would have to believe that all black church parishioners are stupid enough to get up early every Sunday to listen to that garbage. I don't. In fact, it feels like he is trying to forcefeed a race debate that is wholly unnecessary. He no more represents the black church community than the man on the moon. Or at least that is what makes sense to me. If he does, I just don't want to know it. I just don't want to believe it.
Also, on the Reverend...In his appearance with Bill Moyers, he said that Obama says what he needs to as a politician while the Reverend says what he needs to as a pastor. Why no one has translated this to 'Obama lies to get what he wants while I lie to get what I want' is a big miss to me. In no way, to me, does this really reflect on Obama, but Obama is unfortunately going to have to address this again. Someone should also ask the Reverend what it is he has to lie about to his parishioners. He is simply a disaster, and unfortunately for a candidate that could not be more interesting to watch. I wasn't going to vote for him or Hillary, but I love watching the two of them in this race. I hate that the Reverend is collecting on his 15 minutes right now as Obama and his supporters represent a better part of America than does this foolish pastor.

Freedom and Godliness

2008-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats - New York Times: "But minutes into the talk, the officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, began to berate Specialist Hall and another soldier about atheism, Specialist Hall wrote in a sworn statement. “People like you are not holding up the Constitution and are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!” Major Welborn said, according to the statement.
Major Welborn told the soldiers he might bar them from re-enlistment and bring charges against them, according to the statement.
Though with a different unit now at Fort Riley, Specialist Hall said the backlash had continued. He has a no-contact order with a sergeant who, without provocation, threatened to “bust him in the mouth.” Another sergeant allegedly told Specialist Hall that as an atheist, he was not entitled to religious freedom because he had no religion."

First, what about freedom do people not understand? I am certain that the soldiers that have behaved so sadly discriminatorily would, indeed, fuss and shout if someone openly called their religion into question. In fact, there are constantly stories about Christians fussing and shouting about how they are being "forced into their basements" with their religion because they can't have the ten commandments in the City Hall or the State Capitol. They much want their freedom and even special treatment against the very Constitution they want us to believe they love.
What is far more disconcerting is this "bust him in the mouth" thing. What? The godly are threatening to beat someone up because they don't believe in their god? I guess I should not be surprised as this is really not new, but I still would like to believe that we are considerably more evolved. Apparently, I am still learning. Seriously though, the soldier had to be sent home over this. This was a soldier who wanted to fight for his country in Iraq, but the Army, of all institutions, could not ensure his safety. I guess atheism will be the new homosexuality for the Service. Don't ask, don't tell.
What we should be doing while we train them to behave in combat is taking a bit of time to teach them how to behave with one another. We should be telling them that being a redneck in the worst of ways is not tolerated and that the man or woman next to them is to be respected and just as revered for "being there" as they would want for themselves. What a freakin' mess.

On Popey Dict's Visit Through the Eyes of an American Catholic

2008-04-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Confessions of an American Catholic - The Pope vs. Parish Priests - New York Times: "As Peter Steinfels, the Beliefs columnist for The New York Times, recently noted, there is nothing particularly new in this tension. He wrote that many American Catholics “honor the pope yet disagree with papal positions, whether about using contraception, restricting legal access to abortion, ordaining married men or women to the priesthood or recognizing same-sex relationships.” I would add to that list disgust, more than mere disagreement, with the way the church has handled the priest scandals of the last decade."

You may say, well of course, the atheist picks this passage with an accusatory "aha!". To be honest, I wouldn't even have read the article if I weren't so hopeful that a passage like this might be included. It must be there. Dan Barry is probably a good man who is trying to do the right thing by his community and his children. Any excitement over Dict's visit is lost on me as it was made clear when his brethren chose him that he was chosen because of his having handled Pope John Paul's affairs as he sank into illness. To make it even clearer, it was Popey Dict who "handled" the child sex scandals. Obviously John Paul did his fair share of deceitful shell-gaming of these convicts too, but when the shit hit the fan, Popey Dict was there to make the shell game continued to the best of his ability while never really offering to start protecting the children in the flock. I certainly never heard an apology for all of the pedophiles they failed to turn into authorities or for the money they still paid the pedophiles as they were in their waning years.
The biggest problem is that without better oversight and new policies, common sense tells us that we will have to face this monster again. There are victims today in that church, because this so "beloved" pope is failing to stop this psychological massacre. There aren't enough offended Catholics!
I did hear someone say the world's dumbest thing the other day. As people sit chins-to-floor listening to the story of the cult in Texas, they are remarking how this cult, marketed as a religion, is a way to systematically rape children. The reason why this can be seen differently is because there are fewer members and because people widely disagree with polygamy. The problem is that the issue with the children is not different than what we have seen in the Catholic Church. And sadly, few of the people wide-eyed on the FLDS want to ever mention the Catholic problem because it simply doesn't suit them. So, I guess the polygamists can take the beating while we stay silent on the Catholics...for exactly the same thing.
People who line up over the next week to exalt this man should remember that he is a leading reason why there are so many victims of priests. Remember that he did nothing to help them, resisted settlements, and still has not enacted policies that will stop the next generation of victims from this so beloved church. Look into his eyes and see if he gives a damn about those kids or whether it is about coffers and power.

Thank Goodness!!!

2008-04-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

SI.com - NFL - Gumbel gives up NFL Network announcer role - Friday April 11, 2008 5:48PM: "Bryant Gumbel has given up his role as an NFL Network play-by-play announcer after two seasons."

What a wonderful development! He was simply horrendous. Not only that, Cris is so good that it seemed, as time went on, he was actually annoyed with Gumbel. The had little or no rapport on air. Frankly, almost anyone would be better than Gumbel. Thursdays and Saturdays will be better!

The great John McCain story you've probably forgotten. - By Michael Lewis - Slate Magazine

2008-04-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

The great John McCain story you've probably forgotten. - By Michael Lewis - Slate Magazine

I intentionally decided not to clip words from the piece for this post as the article must be read in its entirety. Here's the thing: party affiliation makes not difference here. The promise that Obama brings to people is the very essence of this story, that we see each other as people and not walking political idiocy. I admit that this is often difficult to master, which is what makes this story so remarkable. Yeah, I am a McCain supporter, even with reasonable reservations about his ties to the powerful religious groups, etc. My hope is that he "mavericks" them. Their hope, of course, is that he is a maverick on their behalf. No one really knows how it will or would play out, but McCain is the closest to my political beliefs, certainly a great deal more than was Bush (whom I also supported). No matter.
What we all really want in a leader is a good person (not good man, but good person) who is as honest as one can be, loyal, smart, patriotic, kind, able, and charismatic enough to rally the majority to yield results. Often the last is more circumstantial than anything, as we saw so clearly after 9/11. He does, however, have the qualities that we seek in a leader.
Humility is another, but the ways in which that humility shows itself is all the more interesting. That is partially because it is incumbent upon them to show their strengths with confidence which cannot, by its very nature, be a humble moment. Several articles in major papers as of late have reminded the electorate of McCain's son who is currently serving in Iraq. The important word here is reminding, because McCain does not speak of it. Similarly, the way he speaks around the edges about what was without-a-doubt torture in his own life is a show of humility. If I think of a Clinton who endured torture, it feels sometimes like we would all have to relive it with them on each campaign stop in living color. Maybe I am much too cynical about the Clintons, but what is clear is that it is hard to be cynical about McCain. This story was just one of many that highlight the qualities about McCain that deserve respect.

Death Sentences for Gay Children...why no cry for a stop to THIS violence

2008-04-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

For Slain Youth, World Wide Web Of Mourners - washingtonpost.com: "Here's what we know: At E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., Larry wore purple eye shadow, pink lipstick and high-heeled boots. And Larry reportedly told Brandon McInerney, 14, a member of the Young Marines program, that he liked him. Then, on the morning of Feb. 12, during English class, Brandon allegedly walked into the computer lab with a handgun and shot Larry in the back of the head."

What we also know is that this wasn't covered. I heard that a kid was murdered because he was gay, but not the story. How can this not be "news"? I know how. There are an awful lot of people out there who would rather gay folks jump out of 11th floor windows than be gay. This line of thought is perpetuated by folks who fight against gay marriage. I saw a black family outside a store running a table to get petition signatures against gay marriage in California. I thought, of all people to inhibit the civil rights of others, a black family. Go figure. While inside the store, I saw a girl who was rather obviously a lesbian and thought how awful it must have been to walk in front of those tables of hate to go shopping, the signature-gatherers looking at her with those demonic eyes that said with no words that she was going to hell. This lesbian had no way of getting into that store without having those hate-mongers as they were set up at each of the two entrances. I was so sad for her. Frankly, I was too angry to be sad for the family who set up the table, although I did think how awful it must be to be raised in that environment. They had a kid or two there. Those kids know that if their lives at all veer off the norm, their parents will cut them off, neglect them. That is a very real fear. Their parents would likely confirm that, setting the ultimatum to instill fear and force those children on a course toward "normal". This, remember, is all in the name of God.

Funny!

2008-03-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Enquirer - 'Cats stopped by storm: "The thunder came first, booming claps of it. The sound of rain and wind followed, making the fabric roof ripple like waves rolling toward the shore.
'I thought it was just the Kentucky fans coming in,' Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said."

Since there were no fatalities, this is funny. Billy Clyde joking that he thought the tornado was simply the Kentucky fans storming cAtlanta. He really is our guy!

Praying in the Nude

2008-03-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pajamas Media: Iran's Eliot Spitzer: "Ardeshir Arian writes that Spitzer’s scandal pales in comparison to the talk of the town in Tehran — the police chief getting caught “praying” nude with six naked women."

Who needs the whole story when there is a headline like that? I just love it!!

What Country is This?

2008-03-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Atheist soldier says Army punished him - Yahoo! News: "He says the sergeant explained that Hall would be 'unable to put aside his personal convictions and pray with his troops' and would have trouble bonding with them if promoted to a leadership position.
Hall responded that religion is not a requirement of leadership, even though the sergeant wondered how he had rights if atheism wasn't a religion. Hall said atheism is protected under the Army's chaplain's manual.
'It shouldn't matter if one is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist,' said Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney whose firm filed the lawsuit. 'In the military, all are equal and to be considered equal.'
Maj. Freddy J. Welborn was named in the lawsuit as the officer who prevented Hall from holding a meeting of atheists and non-Christians. It alleges that Welborn threatened to file military charges against Hall and to block his re-enlistment."

Why is it that it seems normal to see stories where Christians, who are constantly feeling like their freedoms are "under threat" are the first to snatch freedom from others? As is also common is my cry of what year is this, what country is this, haven't we evolved from this sort of thought...? The clear answer is no. This is absolutely the strangest reaction to a person's beliefs in the year 2008. Another thing...it is one thing to not understand a person or to wrinkle a brow about something new to you, but it is quite another to disallow re-enlistment while in two very active wars. So, now we know that the two groups that want to fight for my freedom, your freedom and that of our family's and country's...are not going to be allowed...gays and atheists. Who's next?

On William F. Buckley

2008-02-29T12:16:00.001-08:00

Soon after the news broke, I read one of the obits linked on Drudge, though I can’t remember from which outlet it came. My Dad, a big Firing Line fan from way back, and me, a recovering Conservative, I was more than just familiar with William F. Frankly, though, he has been out of the picture as of late, so I hadn’t thought of him in the context of my current beliefs. So, I am reading this obituary that makes clear that while a very respected intellectual, he was also known (at least by the obit writer) as a bigot and a racist. Err. Now, while I am the one who often says that generations simply have to die off (yes, mine too eventually) in order for progress to occur, I did not think about a person with that kind of fame and influence being the kind that needed to die to allow for progress. It really seems counter-intuitive, given how I viewed him earlier in my life. Although, times were different back then. What is now considered redneck was more common among all socio-economic groups. As I often say, we cannot judge historical beliefs by today’s standards, and even the 70’s and 80’s were very different than today. Thank goodness. This really begs the questions though, first, was he really that lacking in humanity to begin with, and if so, did he evolve as he aged?
And will I? Am I simply being too demanding because I am young enough not to understand how difficult it is to change your long-held beliefs? Will it be my great challenge as I age to force myself to consider that I have held beliefs that were simply wrong all these many years? Or even if I can be okay with being wrong, this certainly does not mean that everyone can deal with having their own intellectual foundation shaken. Was his intellect built upon memory and lacking in problem-solving? Could it have been that we were so drawn in my his contemplative speaking style as to believe that he was being thoughtful, when he was really simply hiding his flaws?
I wonder if he would see his beliefs on women, minorities and gays as flaws now? What was it about him that drew people (that did not think this way) to love him? Was it his charisma that kept even a youngster like me interested, such a force that he was a must at parties and panels? Was he a center of attention or a mere novelty to which liberals stared and mocked? It certainly could be that the upper crust did love him flaws and all, genuinely waiting to hear what he thought as they gathered wide-eyed ‘round his socks. I do not know what to think of him. I do not suppose I need to think much of anything, but I feel torn.

Oh Ralph

2008-02-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

FresnoBee.com: California State Wire: Calif. Capitol chaplain says religious tolerance offends God: "An evangelical chaplain who leads Bible studies for California lawmakers says God is disgusted with a rival fellowship group that includes people of all faiths.
Capitol Ministries head Ralph Drollinger says the members of the other group may be pleasant, but that God is disgusted with them for allowing people to participate without requiring them to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
He made the remarks on the Capitol Ministries Web site.
Sacramento Sen. Darrell Steinberg, who is Jewish and will be the Senate president pro tem next year, said Drollinger's remarks were intolerant and troubling.
Drollinger has held Capitol Bible study for more than a decade. He is not paid by the state."

I absolutely love these stories. It simply proves how cooky all of this can get. This chaplain says he knows what God thinks, that god is disgusted. More troubling than his belief that he can read the mind of God is that he has been at the Capitol for that long. The California Capitol, the state known for its accepting of all kinds of people, for its leadership, and ahead-of-its-time status. And then there's Ralph. What to do with Ralph and the other Ralph's among us?

Catholic Numbers Stay the Same but Change Among the American-Born

2008-02-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Americans Change Faiths at Rising Rate, Report Finds - New York Times: "The Catholic Church has lost more adherents than any other group: about one-third of respondents raised Catholic said they no longer identified as such. Based on the data, the survey showed, “this means that roughly 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics.”"

I have often wondered, to myself and on this blog, why so many Catholics were not more upset by the myriad scandals. This data shows that they might be. The loss of Catholics to the Church could also be people who have simply decided against faith. Both are sound reasons to reject the Catholic Church. I am simply glad to know the Church is losing at least the American-born tithers.

Cincinnati's "Illegals"

2008-01-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

The Enquirer - Stop using illegal - and remember Cincinnati's history: "Perhaps because it has been close to 100 years since the last mass migration of foreign-born people arrived in Cincinnati, we have forgotten how mistreated and belittled the Catholic Germans were when they arrived. We have forgotten how the native Cincinnatians denigrated their culture, their religion and their language as they looked askance at Over-the-Rhine and winced at the possibility that these 'Dutch' might, someday, vote. The fathers of our city tried to outlaw Catholicism and banned the speaking of German. Yet, the immigrants came in spite of the hostility, and continued for several decades."

The Lady Bromberg makes a point here. Much the way that so many are avoiding looking at Romney's religion based on a lesson learned over forty years ago, Bromberg forcefully suggests that we remember lessons learned in the immigration debate as well. Many, at even the suggestion that the debate is more complicated than legality, shake their heads patronizingly. The truth, however, is that this debate is a great deal more complicated than the mere laws. We all know though that people are much more willing to take a stance that can fit on a bumper sticker rather than one that is "complicated".

A Fifty Hanky Movie

2008-01-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Columbus Dispatch : Actor wore his fame modestly: "What you see is a strapping 28-year-old with sleepy eyes, an amused crinkly grin and out-of-control blondish hair, dressed on this particular occasion in a hooded sweat shirt and ripped jeans.What you get is a lot less obvious: a serious but hard-to-pin-down actor disguised as a California stoner."

My initial reaction to Heath Ledger's death was strange, in that I wasn't terribly familiar with him. It was shocking, but I wasn't sure why I cared. Then I was unclear why the media was so, so very interested. I mean, it was one Oscar nomination for an indie film...what's the big deal? OK, he's a hot dude, but that didn't seem to explain this frenzy. Ironically, I had DVR'd Brokeback the week before, and had been all but avoiding watching it, assuming, as my Dad said, watching a gay rights film when I already know they love the same way everyone else. The problem, as the week wore on, was the constant showing of clips of a movie that I hadn't yet seen. I don't like seeing trailers and snippets when I intend to watch the movie, because it takes me out of it when I am watching (basically waiting for the part I have already seen). So, last night, I reluctantly turned on Brokeback Mountain, thinking I would watch the first fifteen minutes and then turn off what I fully expected to be a cheesy film.
You know, when the awards ceremonies were happening that bestowed the many awards on this movie, I remember thinking that the cheering was probably simple cheers for gays and gay rights. I was wrong, really wrong. To think that anyone could write that material is other-worldly. How anyone could put together those sequences, those words, that love is unbelievable. I don't even know how someone can imagine a love like that, that palpable, deep, longing love. I can't imagine anything like it in real life, and haven't a clue how someone could dream it in their wildest imagination. If this movie had been about a heterosexual couple, it would be a classic, as in Casablanca and the many beloved love stories over the years.
Ang Lee deserved his Oscar as well. The cinematography was another character in the film. Be it the clouds on a beautiful day or the snow-capped mountains, or a river that runs quickly past this love affair, the place mattered.
There were no bad performances in this film. The girl who is in ER took me out of it a bit, but she did pretty well playing the uneducated, vulnerable young girl who wanted a man no matter. She was that woman. We all know that woman.
And Heath Ledger and Jake Gylenhall are so their characters that the viewer is allowed to see the conflicted men and not the movies stars. The simplest scenes, with so little to say, say the most. That is what they always say on "Actor's Studio" is really acting. And saying those words in that dialect is as difficult for the well-educated as Shakespeare. The strands of words were uttered effortlessly. I am sure some of the scenes were difficult for straight men to portray, but those had to be easy in comparison to the type of preparation an actor would have to do to get these characters right. Both of these men got these characters absolutely right.
I have to say that I am a bit haunted by the movie. Maybe it is a reminder of some random feeling of loneliness, but I don't feel that way often at all. Maybe it is, well hell, I don't know what it is. It was powerful. That's what I know. It's a shame that so many think of it only as the gay cowboy movie, because it is so much more. So very, very much more.

Archbishop-Coach Clash Roils St. Louis - washingtonpost.com

2008-01-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

Archbishop-Coach Clash Roils St. Louis - washingtonpost.com: "ST. LOUIS -- A Roman Catholic archbishop's call this week for Saint Louis University to discipline its popular basketball coach for publicly supporting abortion rights has put the Jesuit school in a bind.
If the university takes action against Rick Majerus, no stranger to controversy throughout his career, it risks criticism for clamping down on the free exchange of ideas."

That's funny. I don't remember any public calls on the myriad priests raping kids.

And Kentucky Smiled With Him

2008-01-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

ESPN - Tennessee vs. Kentucky Recap, January 22, 2008: "Even Billy Gillispie smiled about this one.
Playing the kind of gritty defense that was the first-year Kentucky coach's trademark during his days at Texas A&M, the Wildcats smothered Tennessee (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 3 AP) 72-66 on Tuesday night, forcing even the perennially grumpy Gillispie to crack a smile as the final seconds ticked away.
'We're really getting tough,' Gillispie said. 'I'm telling you they were tired going into the game [but] our guys really fought hard. They dug as deep as they possibly could.'"

Who Wrote this Crap?

2008-01-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

Protest leads pope to cancel speech - Los Angeles Times: "Is the pope hostile toward science? Benedict is a strong intellectual who has emphasized the importance of reason in the practice of faith. Yet he also says evolution is the work of a divine creator, and helped defeat Italian laws that liberalized scientifically assisted fertility."

The author, Tracy Wilkinson, does not get it. "Emphasized the importance of reason"? Emphasizing its importance and employing reason are actually birds of a different feather. Working to disallow barren couples from having children is both hostile to science and to humanity. That is saying to the couple, "If God didn't make you capable of having children, suck it up." These stances should make a person angry. This Pope is no more a man of reason than the man on the moon. This Pope is hostile to science in a way that is dangerous to even those he attempts to lead. Once again, the LATimes is giving the Catholic Church a pass in a really dangerous and ignorant way.

More Catholic Sexual Abuse

2008-01-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

Sex Abuse in Alaska Church Newsweek National News Newsweek.com: "It is one of the darkest chapters of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. More than 110 children in Eskimo villages claim they were molested between 1959 and 1986, raped or assaulted by 12 priests and three church volunteers. Families and victims believe that another 22 people were sexually abused by clergy members but have since killed themselves. The Jesuit Oregon Province, which includes Alaska, has agreed to pay $50 million in damages. It is believed to be the largest settlement ever against a religious order...
Only three priests covered in the settlement are still living. They include Father James Jacobson and Father Jim Poole, both in their 80s. Jacobsen is accused of fathering a total of four children with four women, as well as impregnating a 16-year-old who had an abortion. Poole, who founded a popular Catholic radio station in Nome that can still be heard in the villages, also allegedly impregnated a girl. According to court filings, Poole told her to abort the fetus and blame it on her father. According to Father John Whitney, the head of the Jesuit Oregon Province, the priests are under close monitoring at a senior care facility run by the order in Spokane, Wash. Neither could be reached for comment.
Patrick Wall, a former Benedictine monk and Catholic priest who has served as a consultant to Roosa and other lawyers in the Alaska suits, said the Jesuits knew these missionaries were predators. These priests "had abused elsewhere," he said, "and then were unleashed in the most uncontrolled environment.""

I know that anyone who reads through the many rants on Catholic sexual abuse posted here probably understand why I stay so furious about this issue. I had not even heard of this set of cases in Alaska, and it felt overwhelming long before I heard about most of the ones that I post about on here. I ask again, if this were anything but a Church, would we ignore it so fully and unabashedly as a society? If this was an oil company, another non-profit, a hospital, a school, would we give them the pass that we have given the Catholic Church? Would we not stay outraged, each and every one of us, that a whole organization with the power greater than any government could intentionally send predators into communities all over the world to continue raping children over decades and decades? I know that there are some that say the worst is behind us, but I suspect that has been said before. After all, this is not new to the Catholic Church. This is age-old. Why isn't this a cover story? Why aren't there journalists there from all over the world, setting an example of these men despite their age and occupation? Why aren't we telling the next generation of priests that this will be met with jail terms? Why are we not using the Catholic pedophiles as examples of what will happen to ordinary pedophiles? The victims seem to experience the same kind of anguish. The public, however, seems to be just fine continuing to turn a blind eye, which unfortunately means that the new generation believe that this power given them through the Church will relieve them of any responsibility. I am not so sure parents won't hold some responsibility if they leave their children with priests now that we know the pattern. That is, of course, an entirely different matter. For today, I will limit my outrage to the Church, a filthy institution that has never rid itself of this evil.

LATimes is Bowing to the Catholic Church in Dangerous Ways

2008-01-13T09:52:00.000-08:00

Juan Arzube, 89; bishop was lauded as an activist but tainted by accusation - Los Angeles Times: "Arzube's years at St. Alphonsus were troubled in other ways as well. He was pastor there from 1971 to 1981; during that time, two other priests stationed at the parish with him were also accused of sexually molesting minors.

'Assignment histories show that several molester priests were closely associated with Arzube,' said De Marco, who took Arzube's deposition in 2006 while investigating his client's case.

'Several times in his deposition, Arzube acknowledged taking altar boys to his bedroom to train them,' said De Marco. 'That is how Arzube abused him,' De Marco said of his client.

'I believe that Arzube communicated an acceptance of that conduct to other priests,' De Marco said"

The headline is obnoxious. Why does the Times think it has to kiss the rear of the Catholic Church? If this was a CEO of an oil firm, would we talk about any of his accomplishments after there was accusations and admissions to colleagues of child sexual abuse? I can answer that. No, absolutely not. Never! The fact that this bishop was "lauded" could not be less important in the scheme of things. Everyone who reads this who cares about any children at all should be offended in every way! Any adult who takes "boys to [their] room to train them" should be imprisoned, plain and simple. And the LATimes should apologize for caring that others looked past this behavior and cared more about his good deeds than his devilish ones. Juan cared more about his deviancy than he did his faith, the Church, God or those little boys. The fact that so many people appear not to see that is, well, frightening.

On Matthews

2008-01-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Chris Matthews a target for Clinton fans - Yahoo! News: "However, she also said Matthews is the best political analyst on television for his knowledge, quickness and ability to be critical while anchoring a broadcast.
'Chris is relatively impervious to criticism,' she said. 'I think Chris does what he wants.'"

David Bauder, the writer of this article, seems surprised at Matthews strong comments. Uh why? He is a pol. Outside the election cycle, he can seem impartial and is indeed very, very intelligent. Inside the election cycle, however, he is never impartial and you always know what he thinks.
And the comment I linked above is wrong. He does care. He is a pretty sensitive guy. I watched him pretty much every day for a couple of years and I have read all of his books. One thing that is clear is that he does care how people think of him. He does say things that suggest otherwise, but I think it is errant to think he is that confident. I think they are mistaking confidence for ego in Matthews. It is easy for someone to make that mistake, but they should pay a little more attention.
He gets flustered when he has someone around that he respects. He gushes over those people in a very obvious way. He prides himself on asking tough questions but doesn't have the confidence to ask those types of questions when these heroes of his come on the show. You can go back years and see that.
It also doesn't take much to see his slumped shoulders, his reaching body language when he wants to convince someone that he respects, and any number of other obvious signs for those of us that watched him closely. I could not have been a bigger fan when I thought of him as a thinker. When the 2004 election cycle got into swing, however, I realized that I had really misjudged him. I was actually devastated, as you can read back on this blog and see. I wished that I was wrong, but knew that he was just another pol like the rest. I stopped watching for the most part. Occasionally, I will channel surf and listen for a few minutes, but he is not programmed on the DVR. He let me down, and I really never went back. And as it turns out, he is not the best analyst on television. I think she just wanted to be able to get booked after she criticized him.

NKY.Com - Sweet Alice grabs blues torch

2008-01-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

NKY.Com - Sweet Alice grabs blues torch: "And, with the recent passing of fellow Queen City blues greats H-Bomb Ferguson and Big Joe Duskin, Hoskins finds herself among the last of her generation of performers, still fussing and fighting to have her songs heard and teach a new generation about an art that she says makes up the very core of her life."

Sweet Alice and the Unfinished Business Blues Band were my introduction to adult blues. I say adult only because she has a tendency of smacking her rear and saying things that sailors would consider before uttering. She was (and probably still is) a great showman. My friends and I used to go see her at a BBQ place in Northern Kentucky when we were in high school. She showed us a side of blues that was rarely seen, and we appreciate her and remember her for it.

My First Grade Teacher: RIP

2008-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Enquirer - Kentucky obituaries: "DOROTHY C. MOORE
FORT THOMAS - Dorothy C. Moore, 84, died Tuesday at Highlandsprings of Fort Thomas Health Care & Rehabilitation Center.
She was a teacher for more than 30 years with the Fort Thomas School District, and member of Christ Church United Church of Christ, Fort Thomas.
Survivors include her brother, Herman Moore; niece, Linda Moore; and friend, Loyce Meadows."

Mrs. Moore was my first grade teacher. I wish I had gone and seen her to tell her thank you. She was indeed memorable enough that my mother saw the obit and rang me to tell me. I wish her family and friends the very best.

Stewart gets West Virginia job, thank goodness

2008-01-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

Stewart gets West Virginia job: "SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. --Bill Stewart was promoted to head coach of West Virginia on Thursday, hours after leading the Mountaineers to a stunning victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Stewart was introduced in the morning as he and his team were preparing to return home. He was appointed interim coach in mid-December after Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan."

I love hearing this. I got the sense that he is a leader last night as he greeted Pat White, the very talented QB, with the words "I love you, son" after White had a 40 yard scamper that set up a TD. Then White said, in accepting his Offensive Player of the Game award, that "Coach Stew" should be appointed head coach. There are many different personality types that are good for coaching, but Coach Stew's was obvious on my 50 inch flat panel. Congrats, Coach!

The Kentucky Post's Last Edition

2007-12-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

The Cincinnati Post - Readers give thanks, share memories: "I remember the highlight of my mom's days - the arrival of The Post. Mom retreated to her favorite chair where she read for an hour or so."

This woman, in saying goodbye to the Post, shares my memory. My Mom would take, does take, much more than one hour with a paper, but we have loved the Kentucky Post for many years now. It is the paper that tells us, even almost nine years after we moved from Kentucky to California, what is happening back home. I have so dreaded the end of the paper, although have been eager for this year to end, as my Master's program was finished just a week ago. My Mom and I have logged in each day to check the weather, the headlines, and the obituaries. It has always been a great paper for Northern Kentucky, and I can only hope that with a one-person staff and probably very little funding nky.com services us as well. We will miss The Post a great deal and appreciate what it has done for us so far away!

Security for Bhutto

2007-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

U.S. gave Bhutto intelligence on dangers she faced - Los Angeles Times: "Yet though acknowledging the danger, U.S. officials stopped short of providing direct security services, such as the private contractors they have arranged for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and for top leaders in Iraq."

This was another pressing question that I had as the news hit. Why weren't we helping with security? It is one thing to talk about it and do it in the open. It is quite another to provide security quietly, which is what I thought we did for people like Bhutto. Isn't that part, albeit a small part, of what our CIA does for political figures that have an impact in places like Pakistan? I am not an insider, but that is what I always figured. If it isn't what our intelligence and security agencies do for our allies in trouble, then maybe the question should be, "why not"?? I hope we don't find that we should have through an outcome that is even worse than our greatest fears.

Benazir Bhutto, 1953-2007. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine

2007-12-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

Benazir Bhutto, 1953-2007. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine: "How prettily she lied to me, I remember, and with such a level gaze from those topaz eyes, about how exclusively peaceful and civilian Pakistan's nuclear program was. How righteously indignant she always sounded when asked unwelcome questions about the vast corruption alleged against her and her playboy husband, Asif Ali Zardari. (The Swiss courts recently found against her in this matter; an excellent background piece was written by John Burns in the New York Times in 1998.) And now the two main legacies of Bhutto rule—the nukes and the empowered Islamists—have moved measurably closer together."

Please, first read the article. Now on this second day, following Benazir Bhutto's assassination, I had been rather impatiently awaiting Hitchens' take. You might ask if I have a mind of my own, with my constantly parroting of this hero. A reasonable question indeed. Hitchens, unlike others who speak so fondly of having met Bhutto, does not stand to gain a position of power and always speaks frankly of his first-hand experiences with powerful people. He has been blessed with many such meetings, and has the kind of insight that someone like me cannot draw from to make assumptions or conclusions on issues like "the future of Pakistan". I mean that's a rather complex matter that is so far above my pay grade as to not be listed, so to speak. So, I think it is incumbent upon me to find the people that speak most honestly about their experiences in order to at least have a better sense for newsmakers.
The question that came to me as the wall-to-wall coverage dragged on yesterday was the validity of the many charges against her and whether I would much care if I understood what those charges entailed. A brief description of them on Greta Van Sustern's show did not sound terribly serious, although that was a less than thorough account of those charges. I also wondered if her past much mattered given the state of Pakistan now. Is that country in such turmoil as to need a leader like her warts and all? There are seemingly many who thought so.
And then there are the image issues. Americans tend to like foreign leaders who speak English so well. We can better relate. And though this is not a reason to follow a person, it is rather incredible to think that a 35 year old woman could lead a Muslim country. There is also the issue of liking the enemy of your enemy. If she was that hated by the Muslim extremists, then there must be something I can admire here. She also seemed to have a good sense of the right things to say. When asked whether the fight against extremism in Pakistan was worth her life, she wisely said that it was not one person, but 160 million. I though at that moment that she (at the very least) said exactly the right thing. That is never a substance thing. It is an image thing, but a brilliant response nonetheless. It would take a great deal longer than a couple of days watching the news to get a sense of whether that is who she was deep down. I, for one, will never know.
The event was not surprising. She had been targeted her first evening back in Pakistan and pretty much every news outlet on the planet wanted a few minutes with her knowing her fate. She clearly seemed to oblige, as there were no shortage of interviews between May of this year and several days prior to her assassination. What will be interesting going forward is how the world changes in the wake of her death. Most seem to say that changes to the future of Pakistan and the broader Middle East is inevitable, but no one's crystal ball is very clear. So the coming days will both be interesting and a little frightening as Pakistani's decide who will fill her shoes in the PPP, and if Musharraf is allowed to remain in power.

Baseball Will Be Unchanged as a Result of the Mitchell Report

2007-12-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Commissioner Vows to Act Swiftly on Mitchell Report - New York Times: "This report is a call to action,” he said, raising his right index finger. “And I will act.”"

Yesterday, prior to the press conference, I was trying to think of what Bud could say that would convince me of his genuine desire to rid, really rid the game of this influence. I thought for quite awhile and decided that the only real way was to make each of these instances a legal matter going forward, coupled with a sincere nudge to lawmakers to up the fines and other penalties for both trafficking and using anabolic steriods and HGH. In my mind, the penalties would have to be high enough financially to bankrupt the biggest in the game and put into hock the up-and-comers along with serious jail time. Anything short of that would be ineffective. I say this because I was thinking in terms of being that talented kid in high school who had a legitimate shot at playing in the big leagues. If I were that kid, what would the penalty need to be to convince me that these drugs were actually not worth the risk. After hearing Bud and George yesterday, I can without question conclude that the kid in high school knows with certainty that the risk is still worth taking. There is no real penalty. There is no real risk to a career. In fact, it is still helpful. It won't likely keep anyone out of the record books, as the representative of Sporting News made clear yesterday (they are the owners and publishers of "the record books"). This report comes without any cross examination, so it is far from conclusive and would not stand real scrutiny. Because of that, these men cannot be kept from the Hall based on these simple allegations alone. The current players on this list are still in baseball, and are unlikely to be jettisoned from the game as a result of this investigation. In fact, a couple of the named players got huge contracts in the days leading up to the release of this report. This is very simple. While it was interesting to see the names listed in the report and to watch the parade of press conferences on the matter, there will indeed be no change in the number of users or the impact of drugs on baseball.

Lowry Calls it 'Huckacide'

2007-12-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

Townhall.com::Huckacide::By Rich Lowry: "Democrats have to be looking at Huckabee the way Republicans once regarded Dean -- as a shiny Christmas present that is too good to be true."

Very true. He is too religious for moderate Republicans which he will need in the general, and he is the least intelligent and charismatic of the entire field. If the American public have a hard time rallying around Bush for more than three months after an event the magnitude of 9/11, there will never be rallying around the Huck. His rise in Iowa simply reminds me that Iowa does not appropriately represent the rest of the country any more than San Francisco or Miami. Can we please move on without religious fervor as part of our leader into an age where we concentrate on what is really important, Islamic extremism and the fallout of their threat? That is still the central issue. One cannot truly care about the economy or domestic programs more than extremists if they are serious candidates. The economy is dependent, whether we like it or not, on our ability to continue our success over terrorists and eventually win. Without a healthy economy (stemming from a long period without major homeland strikes), a President cannot introduce domestic programs or continue those that Americans currently depend upon. To say that these clearly secondary issues are central to your decision in the next election neglects common sense. Ask yourself who is most prepared to handle a national security crisis and who will represent this country's values in those moments, hours, days and months after to the best of his or her ability. Remind yourself of the fear, sadness and anger you felt in those days and months after 9/11. Remind yourself of that uncertainty. Who could you really rally around knowing that they could lead a practical, smart, cohesive response to disaster? One thing I know for sure...even Huck's supporters would have a hard time rallying around him in those moments. He is not the guy for this country at this time. I certainly hope that primary voters come to that conclusion in short order.

Romney Vows Not to Serve Atheists

2007-12-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Gov. Romney's Religious Speech Today - HUMAN EVENTS: "'We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong. 'The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust. 'We should acknowledge the Creator as did the Founders – in ceremony and word."

In a way, I feel for Romney. Whatever he said today was going to be picked apart. There are going to be plenty of aha's to come on what he has said and mostly from people that were not or would not support him. I am of that ilk. This, however, is not a reason to fail pointing out some of the core problems with him and his speech.
Saying with that kind of pointedness that secularists are wrong tells me what I already knew deep down. Romney could not possibly be my leader. He may end up leading this country, but he cannot be my leader, because his core belief is that my beliefs are wrong and simply don't count. As Romney went through the list of religions for which he had respect, anti-theism was not mentioned. I actually was hoping, for his sake, that he was actually going to be inclusive of the entirety of American beliefs. That seemed to be the course of the speech. I was wrong. Not only was he not going to acknowlege an anti-theists Americanism, but was sure to denounce another's beliefs even as he stood to gain respect regardless of his own.
He, on the one hand, lauded separation of Church and State and on the other, suggests religion's rightful place is in the "public square". How a man who was Governor of a very powerful state could not see that these are conflicts is stunning.
He says: "Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin."
Then he quotes the bible and says the following: ""My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the self-same as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency."
If you first believe in this faith, believe in its weekly teachings, follow its holy law, and expect it to 'inform [your] presidency, then the former is in conflict with the latter.
Again, I make no pretenses about my distrust of him on many issues, of which this is simply one, but any person wanting to lead the free world should be smart enough to want to lead those of all beliefs when seeking a pardon for his own. It appears Governor Romney and his speech writers don't agree with me on this either.

Albert Terney, 103, Survivor

2007-11-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Cincinnati Post - Albert Terney, 103, police officer: "He survived a childhood bout with diphtheria, then spent four years in a Price Hill orphanage after his railroad-worker father, Joseph Terney, died in a train accident. His mother, the former Julia Toth, was a native of Hungary who didn't speak English and had no relatives close by. The orphanage children didn't have enough to eat, and Mr. Terney talked of being beaten by a priest for talking. The priest also sexually abused him, said Mr. Terney's niece, Virginia Beck. 'I think the priest preyed on children whose mothers couldn't speak English,' Beck said."

The above is from an obituary of a man who was a police officer in one of the towns in which I spent part of my childhood. Price Hill, where the orphanage was located, is about twenty miles north in a suburb of Cincinnati. Can you imagine that life and that the people who said they had the voice of God, who were supposed to be caring and protecting you, beat and sexually abused you? His death this week, at the age of 103, reminds us, once again, that this advantage taken by powerful priests has been going on for ages. It is ashame that Popey Dict today came out with a writing blasting atheists as the root of evil, when it appears he did very, very little to contain and eradicate the problem of sexual abuse in his own organization. Maybe someone should send this obituary to him for the necessary reminder of the problems he should be tackling. Of course, he shouldn't need a reminder to rid his Church of sex offenders. Imagine that.

'Marlboro Marine'

2007-11-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Cincinnati Post - 'Marlboro Marine': "'Marlboro Marine'"

Take the time to read this Pulitzer-worthy story about the real war and its real impact. For all of us that are lucky enough not to have to live through this, we owe it to the ones who do to know what they endure.
Note: Make sure to read both the part I linked here and part II on the November 27th Kentucky Post front page.

No Hurry to Execute

2007-11-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Court rejects Ala. death row challenge - Yahoo! News: "In April, Arthur's lawyers sued the state claiming that the inmate was being deprived of his rights and was entitled to DNA testing of critical pieces of physical evidence, including a rape kit, bloodstained clothing and hairs aimed at showing that someone other than Arthur committed the murder. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta affirmed a federal judge's dismissal of Arthur's lawsuit, citing the authority of federal courts to dismiss such claims that are speculative or are filed too late in proceedings. Arthur filed his claim five days before the state of Alabama moved to set an execution date. The case is Arthur v. King, 07-397."

While I know that these things are often more complicated than what you can get in a story of a few hundred words, I would hope that it actually is. This story seems to say that an arbitrary deadline is what is keeping a man waiting for execution from DNA testing. I don't see the harm in allowing the testing even if it proves his guilt. Can't most of us agree that when killing someone, there shouldn't be a hurry for that event? Also, I am just not a fan of this precedent. The public should want DNA testing for just about everyone in prison regardless of their sentence or execution date. We should want it if for no other reason than if it were us or a loved one in that position. If this story is right, I say delay the death.

What Year is This?

2007-10-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

They love to do their homework -- chicagotribune.com: "This fall, the internationally known seminary -- a century-old training ground for Southern Baptists -- began reinforcing those traditional gender roles with college classes in homemaking. The academic program, open only to women, includes lectures on laundering stubborn stains and a lab in baking chocolate-chip cookies. Philosophical courses such as 'Biblical Model for the Home and Family' teach that God expects wives to graciously submit to their husbands' leadership. A model house, to be completed by next fall, will allow women to get credit toward bachelor's degrees by learning how to set tables, sew buttons and sustain lively dinnertime conversation."

I wonder if the wife has to "graciously submit" to beatings when the she "gets out of hand"? Is that what God meant? Couldn't it be seen that way? Does the wife have to "graciously submit" to an allowance? This is wrong in so many ways. This should gain the ire of everyone. It is indeed a free country. This is just a bad way to exhibit freedom...by shackling yourself to your husband through your education.

Iraqis divided by constitution's treatment of women - Los Angeles Times

2007-10-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

Iraqis divided by constitution's treatment of women - Los Angeles Times: "Edwar said her organization had appealed for help from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) but had not received a reply to a letter it sent in May."

Read this article. It is terribly interesting as it highlights some of the very complex problems with early governance. I still firmly support this war, so this does not at all deter me from my original beliefs, but tells of how, even with models of "best practices", there are still questions as to how to treat women. Many in the West think that this is a long solved issue, but this article proves that, even as this body can look to the West for guidance, they can also choose not to see what is right there in front of them. Pelosi should be active as should our male legislators and other leaders as this is a major issue. One way this will come back and bite us is in making Iraq seem, and quite frankly be, backward to western nations. It is hard to think of a contemporary society, a Democracy, where it is still lawful to stone a woman to death. This will hamper the country's ability to do business, and will reap a greater cultural divide than is healthy as they begin to rebuild. That isn't the best reason. The best reason not to enforce Sharia law on women is that it is inhumane and disgusting, but clearly that opinion is not shared. Again, this is something our country should be negotiating on behalf of all of the women of that country.

Another Very Simple Answer

2007-10-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

News for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa: "He says, “At Roosevelt we have young Democrats club, we have the young Republicans club and they were asking for a young Socialists club and so I saw it as an equity issue and the students talked to me about some of the things they were going to research and I also saw it as an educational club.” "

Kids should be encouraged, as it seems they are, to explore most anything. I am nothing like I was in high school, and many people aren't. They learn more. They change their minds, and get smarter. To try and stifle their ability to have a socialist group just makes no sense. Just let the kids gather, learn, explore, and speak freely. That is the best part of school.

Free Speech Even For Speech You Don't Like

2007-10-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

CSU newspaper editor keeps job, admonished for profanity : Breaking News : Boulder Daily Camera: "CSU newspaper editor keeps job, admonished for profanity"

I am not loving the way this young kid decided to express himself either, but this is rather simple. He has both the right to feel this way and to say this. We should be looking to protect the least admired speech. That is the truest test of our freedom.

On Columbia and All Things Dictator

2007-09-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Columbia Still Reeling Over Visit - New York Times: "“President Bollinger was caustic in his criticism of Ahmadinejad, but anything else would have been inappropriate and troubling,” said Ms. Steinberger, of Teaneck, N.J. “Bollinger repeatedly said that his invitation in no way represented a condoning of Ahmadinejad’s worldviews and policies, and yesterday he proved that.” Columbia’s provost, Alan Brinkley, said the controversy “was of a magnitude we hadn’t seen before.” "

Prior to his appearance, I had not come to any passionate stance on Mamoud's mic'd lectern. I could see from both sides. If I were Jewish, a soldier, or an Iranian-American, this would be a terrible slap in the face. If I were an academic or someone who just hated the Bush Administration, I could see where this may seem instructive. I am not so sure about the free speech argument as I am not sure it was truly meant to extend to non-citizens, but we seem to have always allowed it that way. That point notwithstanding, I just wanted to hear Ahmadinejad try to make sense of his beliefs. He simply could not. As the event began, I was relieved by Columbia's President Bollinger's remarks. Though I understood that they may have and probably did result from political pressure, I was still glad that he was saying what he was saying. For one, it is the truth. For another, the young people who were getting ready to listen to the tyrant speak needed to be aware that he is indeed a tyrant. So, after it all, when I went to the news channels to see the post-speech reaction, you can imagine my surprise at MSNBC's saying that this introduction was "unwelcoming" and in bad taste. I have rarely seen, and did not that day, harsh words be much of a silencer of speech, especially with heads of state who are adept at dealing with such things. Mamoud still had plenty of time to ramble, lie, and woo the audience. Was not the invitation welcome enough for a man who condones the stoning of women and aids in the deaths of American soldiers?

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself...

2007-09-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

Elation: UK 40 - UofL 34 • Cat Scratches - FOX Sports Blogs: "For the first time in 30 years, UK beat a top-10 ranked team by dispatching their arch-rival, the University of Louisville Cardinal, 40-34... Tonight, I'm going to go get BLEEP drunk. FYI, when the victory was decided after Brohm's pass, I felt like I had an orgasm. Be safe Cat fans. Don't burn Lexington down."

The University of Kentucky has a great sports history, but until last year, it had never been in football. In fact, we looked at football schools as if there must be something wrong with these people who got excited about college sports a couple of months too early. Now, here we are, Kentucky fans far and wide, talking about football using sexual metaphors. Who knew? It's a great day to be a Cat's fan! Go Blue!!

Donald Graham Should Be Asking For His Money Back

2007-08-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines: "On your way out of the White House, don't let the screen door hit you where the dog should have bit you."

Eugene Robinson was paid for this line. Paid money. He gets paid to write that while I am still writing for the "joy" of it. Seriously though, this is awful and published in the Washington Post, one of our lauded and respected institutions. It is fine to dislike the man and even to write that you dislike him, but this requires a refund.

The Fuss Over Rove's Walk is Not Very Well Thought Out

2007-08-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

Marc Ambinder: "I could be wrong here, but I distinctly recall conversations with Rove friends who've told me that his struggles with faith did not lead him to Jesus Christ. Yet he knew and understood how to interact with (and manipulate, at times) the standard-bearers of the evangelical right and the Catholic conservative intellectual elite; he studied them like a sociologist; he knew their language, totems and insecurities, and in the White House, he used the powers of government to give them their voice and to fill their ego-needs."

I awoke this morning to Chris Matthews huddling with David Gregory about what could have "pushed" Rove out at this particular time. Citing the investigations and the country's mistrust, the two ignorantly pondered his motivation. Guess what? The campaign strategist is getting out of the White House just before the campaign season. Any other supposition is moronic. Does he want more time with his family? Probably, but he probably wants to get someone else elected more.
The best part of his press conference today was when he was hitting all of the religious g-spots as he said goodbye. It has been more than publicized that he does not think that way, yet he knew how important it would be to the "next chapter" of his life. Whoever he chooses to assist will need the votes of the churchies just as W did.

When You Dislike the Collective Judgment of Voters…in Iowa

2007-08-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Iowa Republican straw poll Saturday and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had a surprise second place showing, giving both presidential candidates a boost six months before the state holds its first-in-the-nation caucuses. Romney received 4,516 votes to Huckabee's 2,587, while Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback came in third place with 2,192 votes of the 14,302 ballots cast."

In other elections when people were upset by the outcome, I was always a bit taken aback by the sound of superiority. What were those people thinking? How could they be so stupid? I knew, though that complaining about the way they sounded may come back to bite me since there would no doubt be outcomes in the future that I would dislike. Here is one. I am now forced to tone down my distaste, but I still feel uncomfortable with this outcome.
I liked Romney okay when he dealt with the Salt Lake Olympics, but that is not the Presidency. His present day image, and I suppose his image then, is stiff, superficial and too conservative. Really, he just doesn’t come off as an intellectual. I fear problems that he can’t possibly think through. That sounded a bit harsh, but it really will be difficult for a person of faith to look at all sides of an issue. Many sides of the important social arguments are thrown away in religious context. This just further alienates many of the citizens for which he has sworn to work.
Another trap I find myself in is thinking how stupid it was for people to dismiss JFK for his Catholicism, yet now feeling quite comfortable with dismissing Romney for his Mormonism. I am doing it from a different stance as they were Protestants who disliked Catholics, where I am an antitheist entirely. Unfortunately, the trap is still there as I attempt the high-wire act of trying to stay consistent. As just an ordinary citizen, it really doesn’t mean much for me to be inconsistent, but I do want to take into account the lessons that I once felt I was learning.
But can Romney be the JFK-like inspirational leader to the vast majority of the country? Is it possible when social issues are so important to all of us? Will, for example, abortion rights folks be able to take Romney seriously? Will lesbians and gay men be able to see him as their leader? Will antitheists be collectively shut out of the political process? Really, I suppose the question is who can be broadly inspirational?
We also know that leaders select teams that are similar to them. No, that is not just a 43 issue. That is a company down the street and company in China issue. People hire people that are like them and that they can deal with easily. But who are Romney’s sort of people? With whom does this man identify?
Then there is Huckabee. It seems so, so wrong that Mike Huckabee could win anything over Giuliani, anything at all. I am indeed missing something here, something big. I cannot find anything attractive about his delivery or what he is saying that would explain more than two random Iowa widowers taking pity on this political traveler.
The other problem with this outcome is that I think national security should again be the main issue. Neither of these gentlemen have national security bona fides. I can understand folks wanting to think about other issues, but the desire to focus on other things does not lessen the likely danger of once again being hit by those that are indeed promising to hit us. Romney and Huckabee both seem like the kinds of guys that would have “Brownies” in their cabinets, but we really need Keriks.
I guess this problem is not for me to solve, but I certainly hope that moderate Republicans can and soon. It seems that the last thing this country needs is another less than stellar thinker in the White House.

Unpopular Bush Opinion

2007-08-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

Bush Rejects Gas Tax as Way to Shore Up Bridges - New York Times: "Asked about the gasoline proposal, which could amount to an increase of 5 cents a gallon under schemes floating around Congress, Mr. Bush said, “Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities.”"

A friend of mine and I were having a conversation on whether I take unpopular stances just to be a renegade. I am, after all, one of three who still support this war. I, of course, said no, that sometimes it isn't so fun being at odds with nearly everyone. He interrupted that I seemed to enjoy it, bask in it. I have to admit, if only the process of arguing out all of the competing points in my head, that sometimes it is fun to feel like a rebel. Boy, is that a ridiculous word to describe me? Do they get any further from my reality? Contrarian is much more like it. I saw an old Berkeley-produced interview with Hitchens the other day, presumably done soon after "Letters to a Young Contrarian's" release. He argued that 'contrarian' was a term that the publishers preferred but that he thought had too negative a connotation. I quite dig it. Seeing as rebel and renegade do not suit me, this is a word that suggests a person who is vetting even their own ideas where most would naively listen and agree. I am proud of that.
With Bush, I am one of the few that allows myself to agree with him when prudent. On taxes, and on gas taxes, in particular, he is right. The Congress, and even state legislatures, have for too long gravitated toward the sexy and away from ordinary and necessary. I understand why, but couldn't possibly excuse it. Bushie is just saying that they shouldn't be asking for more money when they haven't handled the money they have wisely for some time. That is a perfectly appropriate response, and one for which he should be getting more accolades.

Bonds is the King Now. Get Over It.

2007-08-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Opinion: Like Bonds or not, this night was a blast - Barry Bonds - MSNBC.com: "But at the very least, Aaron's endorsement of Bonds' status as the new home run king takes Bonds to a place he couldn't have reached on his own. It did the same for the fence-sitters, and even some who may have thought they'd made their minds up about Bonds and his place in history.
It was an exceedingly classy act, and it was received in kind by Bonds. It infused the night with an unexpected vibe, an unanticipated touch of magic."

Well, I watched. After having heard one of the greatest sports minds, Bob Costas, talk about it last week, and, quite frankly, not being able to get away from the steroids discussion, I realized that I just didn't care. Costas, though very ardent in his belief that this bulky body came from no other place than "The Clear", did say that it can't be cheating if there is no rule. He also says that baseball has been far too lax for far too long in its drug testing. What that says to me is that baseball, meaning the leaders in baseball, like it when people like me, October-watchers, pay attention to McGwire and Bonds. They like it when we get drawn in. Well, I was. I liked it too. Chris Rock on the same Costas episode, made the point that no record, obviously not talking about the Aaron record, prior to baseball's integration could be taken seriously because some of the best were disallowed professional play. There is a point. I would add to that the idea that many of the sports writers and chatters are not athletes at all, wannabes, many of them. Their job is to report in such a way as to get readership or watchers, which often means finding controversy. Though this was placed in their lap, it seems they ran a bit far with it. Truth is, they couldn't have done it themselves, with or without "The Clear", so I am happy watching the man who did do it. I am happy being happy for him, the way we applaud American Olympians and other sports greatness.
I think too that the folks who have said that Bonds has much done this to himself may have a point. He is a cranky bastard, by all definitions, both good and bad. He is difficult to read, even in the moments after the hit, he sat in the dugout alone, no smile, chewing on sunflower seeds, much the way he had done the inning before. Ordinary folks don't understand that or him. To me, he seems fragile, not outwardly. He comes off to me as a guy that has never really understood himself. Instead of saying the wrong thing, and in fear of that, he has chosen to say nearly nothing. And after years of taking a beating on the issue of steroids, you can't really blame a guy who meets that conversation with ire and coarseness.
Bonds is the king now. People can do with that information as they please, but I, for one, enjoyed it. If there was no rule, then Bonds was no cheater. Seems simple enough.

Broadcaster Tom Snyder Dies At 71 - Entertainment News Story - KNBC | Los Angeles

2007-07-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Broadcaster Tom Snyder Dies At 71 - Entertainment News Story - KNBC Los Angeles: "His catch phrase for the show was: 'Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air.' Snyder smoked throughout his show, the cigarette cloud swirling around him during interviews.
He gained more fame when Dan Ackroyd lampooned him in the early days of Saturday Night Live.
In 1995, he returned to late night television as the host of 'The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder' on CBS. The program followed David Letterman's 'Late Show' until 1998, when Snyder was replaced by Craig Kilborn."

Just thinking of him the other day, this was so interesting and, well, sad to see. Snyder was a casual professional, something I quite enjoy in people. His show was really simple, kind of similar in set design to Charlie Rose. He was the always smiling, jovial late night guy whose personality made up for some of his guests' lacking. I have since quite missed his show, and wish his family well.

We Are All Sinners

2007-07-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Episcopal Priest Faces DUI, Public Indecency Charges - News Story - WLWT Cincinnati: "GLENDALE, Ohio -- An Episcopal priest faces several charges, including driving under the influence and public indecency.
Robert Hufford, 63, a chaplain and faculty member at Bethany School in Glendale, was arrested July 14 in Monroe.
A caller told police that a man was seen fondling himself in front of a car around 4 a.m. at a rest stop near Interstate 75."

No comment.

PepsiCo to disclose water supplier: tap - Los Angeles Times

2007-07-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

PepsiCo to disclose water supplier: tap - Los Angeles Times: "PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry.
According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog group, the world's No. 2 beverage company will include the words 'public water source' on Aquafina labels.
'If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do,' said Michelle Naughton, a Pepsi-Cola North America spokeswoman.
Pepsi's Aquafina and Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani are both made from purified water from public reservoirs, as opposed to Groupe Danone's Evian or Nestle's Poland Spring, so-called spring waters shipped from specific locations that the firms say have notably clean water. "

When I have said to tap water drinkers that I don't like Aquafina, they always say, "water doesn't have taste". Uh, yeah, it does. If you have ever had water from a well, and then had water from a spring and then had water from a public tap, then try to tell me that the three didn't have very distinct tastes. They do. Years ago, when visiting a friend here in a small town in Central California, the tap water was so brown and disgusting, I didn't even want to brush my teeth in it. Public water is not always so healthy. I have been bottle fed ever since. Pepsi's admission is only surprising in that they admitted it, not that it was tap water.

Pot smoking linked to psychotic disorders?

2007-07-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Pot smoking linked to psychotic disorders - Los Angeles Times: "The mood disorder studies were less successful in filtering outside factors, so the increased risk may be unrelated to smoking marijuana, Zammit said.
Dr. Victor Reus, a psychiatrist at UC San Francisco who was not involved in this study, said he was unconvinced by Zammit's conclusions for both psychotic and mood disorders.
Too many outside factors contribute to the disorders, and the studies Zammit used were too vague to draw hard conclusions, he said.
'There's a limit to what you can do with the data that's in these studies,' he said."

We talk all of the time about how many psychological disorders go undiagnosed, yet these researchers think that it is just the higher dose of pot. That is so misleading, and makes me wonder if they are just cozying up to the Administration in order to get their next study funded. I mean, they didn't even do a new study. These researchers used old studies to come to this conclusion, presumably having never met or talked to the subjects. They would also, I would asssume, not have had access to the psychiatrists who were examining these some 61,000 people. In fact, to be clear on this issue, they would have both needed 61,000 people who had been under psychiatric care for most of their lives and would have needed access to all of those early psychiatric healthcare providers in order to make determinations. Even that could be called into question, but it is better than this very questionable study of studies.
People who tend to enjoy large amounts of pot over many years seem to, from my experience, have other things going on. They may have other addictions, rocky pasts, or any host of other problems. That tends to be true for alcoholics, sex addicts, and meth users seemingly, for that matter. To single out the most inocuous drug makes me question these "researchers" more than the drug itself.

No Wonder People Come To Hate The Government

2007-07-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

On Base, a Plea to Give Each Death Its Due - New York Times: "FORT LEWIS, Wash. — Twenty soldiers deployed to Iraq from this Army base were killed in May, a monthly high. That same month, the base announced a change in how it would honor its dead: instead of units holding services after each death, they would be held collectively once a month.
The anger and hurt were immediate. Soldiers’ families and veterans protested the change as cold and logistics-driven. Critics online said the military was trying to repress bad news about deaths. By mid-June, the base had delayed the plan."

Who was the idiot that came up with this plan, and then who were the idiots that approved it? This is so obviously offensive that I cannot even imagine what these people must be thinking other than the expense, which is not an issue to be pondered after the serviceperson has died in combat. In fact, what if a company had people dying every month and they decided that they should only hold monthly memorial services? People would find that outrageous too. I do not think it is about repressing bad news. I do think it is about money, but that just cannot be an issue here. These dead are our dead. They are American service people, among those that we should hold in highest esteem in life and death. That means you give them full military honors individually. There should be no question about this.

Trusting the EPA Seems a Big Risk

2007-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Airborne Asbestos Hazard Minimized, but Debris Shows Contamination - New York Times: "A small army of workers in coveralls, rubber boots, helmets and, for at least a time, respirators swept away mud and asphalt yesterday from the vicinity of Wednesday’s steam pipe explosion as health officials and environmental experts continued to play down the danger from asbestos that was spewed by the blast and later settled to the ground.
Michael R. Bloomberg said that 12 air samples were taken throughout the day by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection and that none showed evidence of asbestos.
But 14 of 56 samples of debris collected near the blast contained asbestos. Most had just trace amounts of less than 1 percent, Mr. Bloomberg said, but two samples, believed to hold pieces of the pipe insulation, did contain what he called significant amounts of asbestos. Con Edison officials said their own sampling produced similar results.
One sample, from 41st Street and Lexington Avenue, was 8 percent asbestos, while the other, taken at 150 East 42nd Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues, contained 16 percent, according to Charles G. Sturcken, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. Results from tests on 15 other samples were pending."

The same EPA that is splitting the ridiculous hair of the asbestos being in the dust but not the air is the same one who continues to insist that the 9/11 air was safe. First, it does not take much of anything to kick up this asbestos-laden dust. Therefore, what is dust is in the air. The fact that our Environmental Protection Agency at the State or Federal level allows this kind of rubbish to be disseminated to a trusting public is really criminal. Christine Todd Whitman was just on the Hill in the last couple of weeks reasserting the sad and very dangerous claim that the air in Lower Manhattan after 9/11 was absolutely safe. Let me just take one little bit of that and run with it. When we go to the airport and board a plane, there are signs all over the outside of the airport walls that have warnings about fuel hazards. These are air and flammability warnings among others. That day, we had two fully fueled jetliners crash on one city block which fueled a fire that lasted at least a day or two. Jet fuel smoke is perfectly safe? If so, then why are smokers America's red-headed step-children? I mean seriously, if flaming jet fuel is safe, then cigarettes seem hardly the public safety issue that it is made out to be as parks across the country ban it in open air. And the jet fuel is but one of the many issues of that air in those days. I can't be the only one who think the EPA is the very stretched rubber band readying itself for a very public break. I just hope that someone wo knows more about this than I do speaks up...loudly!!

TSA Allows Lighters on Planes

2007-07-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

U.S. Will Allow Most Types of Lighters on Planes - New York Times: "Federal aviation authorities have decided to stop enforcing a two-year-old rule against taking cigarette lighters on airplanes, concluding that it was a waste of time to search for them before passengers boarded."

Good thinking. Question: Why did it take so long? Why wasn't this seen as a major waste of time to begin with? And in all of this, I saw no apology, no real mea culpa, just a change. I guess the apology does little for all of us, but you would think that wasting the flyers' money by throwing lighters away and the taxpayers' money for the time it takes to search is worthy of a "we were so very stupid, and promise not to be that stupid in the future" type of statement. Although that may be dangerous as they are quite likely to be thick in the future as well.

On Sontag: The Benefactor

2007-07-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me today just how difficult it is to flush religion. To say it is so surface level and feels freeing, but to do it, to really free yourself takes work. After her death, there was no shortage of praise for Susan Sontag, also not any shortage of reminders of her unedited moments. The praise made me wonder, so I found the cheapest copy of one of her works on eBay and had it sitting for some time. I picked it up recently, not having a clue what to expect. The Benefactor can only be described as one totally fucked up novel. As I was reading Hippolyte describe how he remodeled his mansion for Frau, I realized that misogyny has overcome me be it through culture or as a natural matter. In fact, its genesis is not at all important. Here I am having lunch, being talked to by the bartender to whom I can hardly reply as I am so dumbfounded, offended by this anti-hero allowing himself another assault on his victim. I wasn't so offended when Amis took us into the Gulag where they tossed men in the air to count the number of broken bones from one to the other. In Amis we collectively see the many dark crevices in his mind that he is doubtlessly eager to lead the tour. No, in this, I was offended that a woman had this dark place, that she was so willing to explore and exhibit it. I thought how she must have been so embarrassed to take this to her publisher, realizing quickly that my daydream for her was probably far from true. I wondered who in hell liked this stuff. I mean, I read the reviews printed to sell the book. I am reconciled to finish the book to be able to say that I finished the book, that I read the book to have insight to her success, of which this novel gave me little. I am okay with those that will charge me with thickness or immaturity for my lack of appreciation. That's alright. Really. It is true to say that I don't get it. If I do, I will update this post later today when I finish it. I will be happy to be on to the next.

Israeli Rabbi Should Consider the Effects of his Misogyny

2007-07-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

Chief Israeli rabbi denounces career women: "Israel's chief Ashkenazi rabbi has denounced the 'phenomenon of women who make their careers on the backs on their children,' the tabloid Maariv reported on Thursday.
'The principle role of the Jewish mother throughout the generations has been to take care of the home and the children,' Yona Metzger told a religious assembly earlier in the week, the daily said.
'It is important that this principle be respected,' he said, adding that 'a prolonged absence by women from home is damaging for children's education.'
The rabbi said he was not against women working, on the condition that they 'don't build careers.' "

I suppose, on this line of thought, that it was better for my grandmother to go without clothes and eating beans and bread three meals a day just so her mother could take care of the home. And, sure, a confident woman who "builds a career" is a home-wrecker? It would be horrible if a woman had a career of her own when her husband keeled over from a heart attack at forty, right? It is better for a woman to be a stay-at-home Mom dependent on that man even if he is unfaithful and beats her, her children, right? Yona, some of us believe that women have more to offer than the mere capacity to dust the living room.

Pelosi is Funny After All

2007-07-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Leveling the Praying Field - TIME: "'We talk about ways people of faith have gone wrong in the past, what they have done right and where they see it going in the future,' says [Obama's] faith-outreach adviser, Joshua DuBois. Speeches on everything from the budget to immigration to stem-cell research are carefully marinated in Scripture. 'Science is a gift of God to all of us,' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a debate on increased embryo-research funding, 'and science has taken us to a place that is biblical in its power to cure.' "

This is hysterical. To hear politicians parsing faith to get attention is dreadful, especially when you are mixing the idea of science and faith, which have been so ridiculously at odds. If I can see through this, chances are 'life'ers will too. They do not like the idea of science taking life, no matter how minute and it is unlikely that they will take their moral guidance from a politician.

Best Line of the Day

2007-07-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Flynt, Palfrey target D.C. 'hypocrisy' - Jeanne Cummings and Anne Schroeder - Politico.com: "How nice and what a remarkable state of affairs, a whore and a pimp are going to clean up Washington."

The Renewal of the 2nd Vatican Council

2007-07-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Vatican Says Other Christian Churches "Wounded" - New York Times: "The document said the Council's opening to other faiths recognized there were 'many elements of sanctification and truth' in other Christian denominations, but stressed only Catholicism had all the elements to be Christ's Church fully."

I think when Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens talk about the idiocy of man-made religions, they are specifically striking out at lines like this one from the 2nd Vatican Council (1962-1965). This strange superlative is now being dredged up by the current Pope, Popey Dict, in what can only be a shot across the bow at other believers.
In fact, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Fox News had Father Jonathan on saying that the sex abuse by pastors in Protestant Churches was just as widespread without the relentless coverage. I found it interesting that it could be true, but I found it absolutely disgusting to hear a man who remained a member of the Catholic Church do one of those, "Mommy, they're doing it too!!" whines. And Mommy says, "If the Protestants jump off a bridge...".

Vitter's Statement is Stupid

2007-07-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

My Way News - Senator's Number on Escort Service List: "'This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible,' Vitter said in the statement. 'Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there - with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way.'"

What we know for sure is that Vitter likes naked women to rub around on him or for someone to suck his toes, as was the case for the honorable Dick Morris. While I am certain I understand the need to put out such a ridiculous pile as this statement, I wish it were entirely unnecessary. I wish people could just say that they enjoy a romp occasionally whether it is socially acceptable or not. Again, I really do understand that this was the piece of garbage that had to rain from his office, but I like my little dreamworld better, where honesty trumps feel-good apologies. I mean, have you ever, in your life, read anything this hollow?
There are going to be others that have to "apologize" for this nonsense. What we should be saying is that we don't care whether the men call the escort service and we don't care that women work for them as long as it is done freely, without force or cercion. The problem, of course, is that our law, much like the religion that Vitter references, does not see the two as equal. Men, under most laws, are immune to punishment on the matter, while women are carted off to jail for what is, in essence the very same offense. We should see with the number of men and the rank of many of them that this is a part of our lives whether we like it or not. I suppose I will sit alone with this take.

DC Madam is Finally Being Treated Somewhat Fairly

2007-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Alleged DC madam can distribute records - Yahoo! News: "A woman accused of running a prostitution ring in the nation's capital is free to distribute thousands of pages of phone records after a federal judge lifted a restraining order on Thursday. "

This should not even be a question. Not one for big feminist rants, I am apalled by the situation where the woman is looked at as dirty, shameful and an outsider, but the men who used her service are considered worthy of court protection. I mean, that is the argument, right? It is not rare on "Cops" to see women locked up for walking the streets while men are sent on their merry way. Women have no shot at equality in a system where that is still the norm. Either it is wrong for both sides (it isn't) or it is wrong for neither side. Remembering that not everyone has access to meaningful procreative sex at the snap of a finger, it seems we might just need to get over our superiority complex about prostitution. And really, I am not advocating their use, merely that it is not a criminal offense.

Billy Clyde is Already Taking a Beating...

2007-07-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Sidelines: Gillispie making life tough for old friend: "if clyde wins 20 games i won't like him at all. if he wins 25 i will tolerate him. if he wins 30 i will like him. if he goes undefeated and wins the national title i will love him like one of my children. i am not a fanatic, just a typical big blue fan."

The story was about Billy Clyde Gillespie recruiting against his old and dear friend Bill Self. People's comments, like the one I linked on, are interesting. Why can't we support our team until there is no reason as opposed to wrinkling our brow until they do it right. I mean, UK is our team. These are "our boys". They will succeed or fail wearing our colors, listening and reading our cheers and jeers, and will find us the most supportive of fans (when they win). In fact, we are supportive even when they don't in many ways. We watch with anticipation during the preseason. We watched when they were suspended from the Championship even. We love basketball, and feel no shame in it whatsoever. Let the man coach. Let the boys play. Then if they do not show progress, make up your big signs and march outside of the practice facility to let them know how you really feel. Until then, I am thrilled to have a firecracker in a suit and tie as a coach. And seriously does it get any better than Billy Clyde for a Kentucky coach's name? I didn't think so.

A Kentucky VA Leading in PTSD Treatment

2007-06-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Cincinnati Post - War of nerves: "When they got her out, they moved her first to New York and then to the Fort Thomas residential women's clinic in Northern Kentucky, one of six in the huge VA system. Blackwood was admitted so quickly because Bowersox knows the director. When he called, there happened to be a vacancy.
'I don't know whether I could do this without my friends helping me,' Blackwood said.
Fort Thomas offers intense, highly personalized care, and its program has proved to be one of the most effective in the country, the other side of the spectrum from what Blackwood experienced in Washington. The grounds hug a hill high above the Ohio River and are surrounded by hiking trails. Only 10 patients are admitted every seven weeks. They attend 25 hours of group sessions and two to four hours of individual therapy each week. The program's director, Kathleen Chard, is considered to be in the vanguard of PTSD treatment and will be training mental-health clinicians across the country for VA over the next 15 months."

For one year when I was young, I lived across the street from this very small and old installation. It shocked me when I was older to learn that there was real work going on there. We occasionally saw weekend warriors in humvees and things, but it was a seemingly out-dated place to me as a kid. There is a great park and a beautiful overlook to the Ohio River, but I didn't think of it as much more than that. Even as a teenager, I would go to dances at the Canteen. Again, just a gathering spot, but very little more. My ten year high school reunion was held on the grounds even. Other than the VA hospital which stands just behind the pre-school my parents sent me to and the very few homes that dot the acreage, it just seemed desolate and lonely. I have always pictured that area in black and white, save the very green grass. You know, even the homes seemed quiet. People lived in them, both the small homes as well as the larger officer's homes, but I remember it as without much life. In my mind, as I was reading the article, without realizing it, the VA, that was once a mere backdrop for my pre-school naptimes had a light shining from it.

Government In On the Fatwa

2007-06-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Rushdie fatwa looms again amid new protests: "Earlier Pakistan's national assembly -- the lower house of parliament -- unanimously passed a resolution again calling for London to revoke Rushdie's honour. It issued a similar call on Monday.
'This house again demands the British government take back the award from blasphemer Rushdie and apologise to the Islamic world', said the new resolution, moved by parliamentary affairs minister Sher Afgan Niazi.
And a legislator from the party of exiled former premier Nawaz Sharif called for Rushdie to be murdered. 'Whosoever kills him will be the hero of Muslims,' Khwaja Saad Rafiq told the assembly."

I wasn't surprised to see the headline, thinking that I would be reading of idiots in the street with mini-torches and signs, but the Lower House of Parliament? In fact, it doesn't matter that it is Pakistan's so much as it is ridiculous for any governmental body in any land on this Earth to be taking time to denounce a man who wrote a novel. Granted, Rushdie has been critical of their religion, but this situation reminds us of just how in defiance of freedom our enemies are.
When the time passes on these things, we sometimes get cozy with the thought that we have learned something, turned over a new leaf, begun a new era, where we will all know a little better, be a little smarter. We like to think those things can't happen again, that as the world modernizes and as we all get to know each other a little better that mistakes like fatwas for a novelist are useless and only serve to make the people who issue them seem backward. Really backward. That clearly is not the case here.
Is there a way to symbollically support this man? Is there a way to show solidarity?

Blog Link to Dawkins Site

2007-06-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

RichardDawkins.net - The Official Richard Dawkins Website: http://crankybastard.blogspot.com/2007/05/on-hitchy-book-tour.html

Maybe this week has been short of really good news, but it made me feel quite good to see that I had been linked to Richard Dawkins website. Spose' I'll need to read his book now...

With Nothing More Important Going On, The Vatican Urges Parishioners to Get Tune-Ups

2007-06-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Vatican: Motorists' 10 Commandments Issued - Automotive News Story - WLWT Cincinnati: "An unusual document from the Vatican's office for migrants and itinerant people also warned that cars can be 'an occasion of sin' -- particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution.
It warned about the effects of road rage, saying driving can bring out 'primitive' behavior in motorists, including 'impoliteness, rude gestures, cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility or deliberate infringement of the highway code.'
It urged motorists to obey traffic regulations, drive with a moral sense, and to pray when behind the wheel."

Are they serious? The article goes on to suggest doing the sign of the cross before and after driving. Aren't some of the thousands of road deaths each year people who do the sign of the cross? Did that help them or is it just that God works in mysterious ways?
The spokesman also says that saying the rosary isn't a distraction because of its calming rhythm. We have how many wars going on simultaneously and the Vatican is worried about men picking up prostitutes? Really, this is the evil you felt needed to be covered today? Really? Nothing more important out there? Notice they are not issuing daily apologies to the hundreds, if not thousands, of little boys being molested by their Church's leaders. No. They are issuing Godly Rules of the Road. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't take these people seriously. And cursing, really, that's a sin? Maybe a show of lower class, although I have found it rather common in those with high morals and good ethics, but whatever, not a sin! And car maintenance is now under the purview of their deity? He cares that you get oil changes and tune-ups? What would Jesus do? He'd get the air filter changed apparently. Won't QuikLube be excited? This is crazy. If I were a Catholic, I would be so incensed, so angry, so appalled, even if they weren't hiding child rapists for decades. Things like this make an absolute mockery of what others believe so strongly. It makes them feel stupid for following a Church that their parents believed in and wanted them to believe in too. Things like this give fodder to people like me. In fact, I thought about not writing about it, because it was just to freaking easy. These people are a damn pity.

Lawsuits: What Would Jesus Do?

2007-06-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Kentucky.com 06/17/2007 Museum group sued by fellow creationists: "There is trouble in paradise, with a fight of biblical proportions raging between a Kentucky-based creationist group and the Australian group from which it sprang.
Three days after the Memorial Day opening of Answers in Genesis' $27 million Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky, a group called Creation Ministries International filed suit in the Supreme Court of Queensland.
Among other things, the suit claims the Kentucky group stole subscribers for its Answers magazine by claiming that the Australians' Creation magazine was 'no longer available.'
The suit is the most public move in what has been a growing rift between groups that are spreading the same Garden of Eden creation message on opposite sides of the globe.
Both groups believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, that the earth and everything else was created in six days around 6,000 years ago.
But in the last several years, they have increasingly feuded about finances and power."

Whether it is true or not, the allegation is hilarious! And either way, somebody is lying. Oh, how fun is this?? No matter what happens, one thing is for sure...these creationists will have to spend money on a lawsuit that would otherwise have been used to spread this dopey message. Not to mention the fact that it will bring negative publicity to the brand new "museum". This makes me happy!

Watching Strippers is Not a Crime or a Moral Wrong

2007-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

Duke Player Testifies in Hearing on Prosecutor - New York Times: "Durham County district attorney Michael B. Nifong admitted today that he “crossed the line” of ethical standards in some of the public statements he made about the Duke University lacrosse players he charged with rape.
Reade W. Seligmann, left, testified at a hearing on whether Michael B. Nifong violated ethics standards in pursuing the case against the three Duke students. But he said other mistakes made in the case, including mishandling evidence and not turning favorable DNA tests over to defense lawyers, were based on his inexperience in handling felony cases and oversight."

I am so very, very tired of listening to people say, "Nifong is a bad guy, but these boys hired a stripper. They aren't choir boys." There are strip clubs in every little burg in the world frequented by believers, atheists and even a church leader from time to time. This does not have anything to do with godliness, morals or anything at all like that. Whether you believe or not, sexuality is literally a part of our beings, and not everyone has a chance at missionary position when their partner happens to not have a headache a couple of days a week. It is really stupid and disgusting to try to cast aspersions on these guys for wanting to look at naked women. It's beyond me how anyone can be upset by that. Putting aside for the moment that they are college age, they are sexual beings. To look at naked women is a very natural desire for men of all ages, and we need to just get over our superiority complex when it comes to these types of issues. I don't think wanting to look at naked women should be a class issue anymore either. They are no less white collar for wanting to see skin. White collar or collarless, paying a woman who likes to show herself off is just not abnormal or immoral. Can we please stop saying that what has been done to them is horrible, BUT...

FT.com / Companies / Media & internet - CBS blames sexism for bad ratings

2007-06-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

FT.com / Companies / Media & internet - CBS blames sexism for bad ratings: "Leslie Moonves, CBS chief executive, on Tuesday suggested that sexist attitudes were partly to blame for the faltering performance of Katie Couric, the news anchor he recruited to the network with a $15m annual pay package.
“I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling,” Mr Moonves said of the audience’s reaction to Ms Couric, who this month brought ratings for the CBS Evening News to a 20-year low."

I strongly doubt that Couric's ratings have anything to do with her gender. In fact, it is probably that they liked her more when she was more herself, playful and funny, on the Today Show than her seemingly unnatural starched persona on the Nightly News. I wondered about that when she took the job. She was ever so popular for a very long run at the Today Show, but this is really a shift for folks to see her this way. To think that Average Americans don't want news from women is dopey and ignoring the fact that we get a boatload of news from women all over the place. There is no shortage of women on news channels and women who are foreign and war correspondents. And we all need to take a deep breath and remember that people generally don't choose to like or dislike people for the big buzz issues. Generally the choice to like or dislike is based on more human concerns like relatability and whether or not the person is or seems genuine. Katie seemed more genuine and people had long related to her as her more casual self. Now they have rejected her as a back-straight-no-smiles person in the evening. Another problem is that CBS is trying to get key demographics from this newscast, a demo that has never had big numbers on any of the top three network newscasts. The 18-40 demo doesn't watch the evening news and never has in large numbers. These are people who work late, read their news on their Blackberries on the train or on the computer, and DVR their favorite shows at night. If Dan Rather did anything right, he targeted the people who had always watched the evening news, the grey-hairs. To do anything else seems wildly unwise.

Broadcasters Win Profanity Ruling - WSJ.com

2007-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Broadcasters Win Profanity Ruling - WSJ.com: "Broadcasters scored a major victory as an appeals court ruled that inadvertently airing profanity didn't violate decency standards."

Everybody did.

Let Me Translate

2007-05-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Cincinnati Post - AIG museum debuts: "James Martus of Mason, Ohio, came with his son's family and clutched his grandson's hand as he waited in line.
'When they're young they're more impressionable than when they get older,' he said."

What this man, waiting in line with his grandson for the Creation Museum, was really saying was 'tell them stupid stuff while they are still too young to know better. When they get older, they will challenge you in ways that are impossible to answer'. As a person who grew up in this part of the country, I can be somewhat reassured by the 200 protesters (though there should have been ten times that many). It, as I have blogged before, is one of the most embarrassing things about Northern Kentucky now. We have quite a few things vying for most embarrassing, but this is now at the top of the list. One hopes that the science teachers and others in positions of power will teach children in responsible ways such that they will understand that the biblical explanation of the beginning of time is not scientific and not a proper explanation. My fear is that they will take the argument too far, unnecessarily, and come under fire when the whole of their argument is correct. That is a difficult line when passion about science and passion about religion are at odds. In fact, I was thinking last night that it would be good to go and see what they are saying, if only to be able to make fun of it more specifically. The problem, though is that I would have to pay them to get in. Giving folks money to keep something like this open is against everything I stand for. Plus, I work hard for my money. This would be among the last places I would want to see have it. Anyway, thank goodness for the protesters who let the world know that Kentucky is not all rednecks.

On the Hitchy Book Tour

2007-05-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

ContraCostaTimes.com - Debating value of religious faith grows contentious: "The tipoff came before the debate between authors Christopher Hitchens and Chris Hedges started: The emcee asked the Berkeley audience to restrain from heckling."

The tip-off, as the writer says, wasn’t actually when the moderator, if you can call her that, forbade heckling. The tip-off came when Hedges, who followed Hitchens’ introduction, tried to do a point-by-point rebuttal of Hitchens’ book as opposed to presenting his own. Look, Hitchens is under no illusions. He doesn’t allow the audience to be either. He is there to sell his books. Hedges was there to try to debate, but by starting with a rebuttal, instead of an introduction during the time with that title, he put himself on the immediate defensive, a stance from which he could not wiggle. Also completely unfair for the lackluster Hedges was a monotonous tone that proved that it was his father, not him, who was the Presbyterian minister. Hedges could not fill a room, much less a sanctuary full of people to listen to his boring drivel.

Here we all were, in a middle school auditorium, strangely absent the smell of most middle schools, to listen to one of the best living minds and, as it turned out, one of the most boring voices of our time. I am not sure what I should have expected, but I was right disappointed by the lack of attention to detail by the folks putting this together. Granted that an evening like this is not supposed to be a feast for the eyes, but I could see all of the clothespins holding the rather ugly quilt up behind the men that we were told was there to signify contradictions. Nope, just bad taste.

Because the two of you that read this need to go see Hitchens at one of these appearances, I will focus less on him than on Hedges, partially because Hedges gave me such good laugh-out-loud material. Take for example, his assertion that “God is better as a verb than a noun”. Where in the Holy Hell did they find this guy, and who was the person who thought that he could hold a candle to my Hitchy?? I believe, in an attempt to try to deflect some of Hitchens’ ire (but really only to make him gleefully more “inhumane”), Hedges said that “to argue whether or not God exists is futile”. Uhh, that is why you are here, right?

See, it was at moments like this that I found fault in my own pseudo-intellectual religious stance. Hedges and I had some things in common. One was that I thought that I could cherry-pick beliefs, that merely thinking about it and not taking it all at face value made me a thinking person. It’s hard to maintain that after reading Hitchens’ book, because he says that first, you aren’t really thinking that deeply about it and second, that it is the height of egoism to think that your take of “God’s Word” is the take. Well, there’s a point.

I wasn’t the only one who thought this way of Hedges. After his weak introduction, a man sitting behind me who would probably ordinarily want to agree with Hedges on some of his points said he was “full of bullshit”. I could toast to that.

Because this seems to be somewhat atypical (from the videos I have seen), I will describe Hitchens that evening. First, I love the many ways his confidence reveals itself. Though he wore a nice suit, he also had on worn tan shoes, complete with scuff marks. Those shoes were firmly planted on the edge of the coffee table, Hitchy trying to recline, as if to say “Bring it on”. That stance, in and of itself, told the story of the evening, and fully intimidated his opponent just as intended.

Hedges is merely a well-read and well-traveled man, but lacks any ability to put those experiences in proper context as was on full display when he dopily proclaimed that “biblical literalists do not exist”. Uh what??? He also fueled the flame heartily when he told the crowd, some of whom were actually there to see him (although just a couple), that “once religious stories are written, they decay into literature”. You would have thought he had just done a ghetto “Yo mama” line. Hitchens, with all of his energy and passion, reminded Hedges that to say anything “decays into literature” is to not fully understand the value and power of the written word. Hedges went on to prove his selective memory with this humorous sentence, “Jesus never talks about starting a church”, as if churches were just a random later-follower’s idea. Even I, who has one of the worst memories of anyone I know, remember the holy texts better than that.

The conversation did not get truly twisted until Hedges went on his anti-corporation, pro-Palestinian suicide bomber rant. He asserted that these idiotic suicide bombers who blow up civilians are “affirming themselves through death”. He said that they were woefully unemployed, to which Hitchy replied “God forbid a KKK’er (also a Christian organization) be unemployed”, for Hedges would think it okay to noose black folks. Hedges’ argument made me physically sick to my stomach. I found it hard to believe that anyone could feel comfortable putting out this kind of nonsense in front of other people. It is one thing to be a dope in the comfort and privacy of your own home, but quite another to take it to a stage in front of paying patrons.

At this point in the event, the crowd became right unruly. I couldn’t figure out where all of these Churchies had come from. This wasn’t Berkeley, Missouri, after all. This was Berkeley, California, home to Janice Joplin and a sanctuary city for the homeless. But it was during this and a couple of points on the war that I began to see that many anti-war folks had shown up to pump their fists in solidarity with anyone, clearly just anyone, willing to take on Hitchens. It wasn’t necessarily that they agreed with Hedges, just that they hated that Hitchens was a vocal war advocate.

Another point in the evening that I found shocking was when there was a collective gasp when Hitchens cursed. Have these people never seen him before? Did they really think that after they had heckled him that he would think them polite company, worthy of a watchful tongue? Part of Hitchens allure is his uncanny ability to curse at just the appropriate moment, in a way that makes him real and, quite frankly, downright sexy. Of course, he followed that “fuck off” with “the bird”. A little less sexy, I suppose, but they deserved it.

Oh, and the not-so-majestic use of euphemism…Hedges must have realized that he had used the word faith 4000 times that evening, so he started to find other terms, not the least of which was “accept mystery”. If that doesn’t make you laugh, you are dead!!!

Toward what was feeling like the end, Hitchy asked the “moderator” if we were nearing the end. She said yes, and he started fumbling around in his pockets. Out came a cigarette. Another collective gasp from an audience that must have really thought he would light up in a California public space. He is a rogue, but not an unlawful one. As soon as he heard the last word, he jumped out of his chair, as did I, to go puff ourselves into calm.

In signing for strangers, Hitchy gives a show. He is funny, as if to say, the least I can do is make you laugh since you just gave me your money. Hedges gave all of what seemed like two signatures. I waited in the middle of the line for about fifteen minutes for Hitchens. When I got up to him, I was shaking. Though confidence may be one of my favorite topics, this was another moment where I was reminded just how far I have to go. He signed my already-read copy. I asked if he would pose, and he replied, “what do you think I am doing?” He did pose, only after I lost my balance and elbowed him in the shoulder. (The picture is of a rather droopy-eyed Hitchy, but no complaints here.) I then remarked that he didn’t have to say “Mr. Ratzinger”, that he could call him “Popey Dict”. I am proud to say that generated a genuine smile. Lastly, as I was trying to get out of his way, as not to be a bother, I asked if he was still doing his Kepler’s bookstore appearance the next day. He said, and I am not kidding, “Be there or be square”, to which I responded with a ‘did you really just say that’ look. He went on that he would be more humane, that he had gotten angry during this appearance. I was kind of shocked, wondering what it was about me that would cause him to think I would need that kind of reassurance. Really, it probably had absolutely nothing to do with me at all. My narcissism did not stop there, however. I will get to that later. Anyway, I responded that I dug his passion or whatever. That is why I was there, to see him be him, in whatever form that took.

The next morning, I awoke like a four-year-old on Christmas morning with that first morning thought that this encounter with my hero was not yet over. I could still bathe in it for a little while. Kepler’s is a small bookstore, so the place was packed with forty or fifty people. There wasn’t enough floor space for all of the chairs, so several of us stood, even in my seriously uncomfortable shoes. I was, after all, there to see him. Watching a man think is one of the greatest joys in life. Listening just doesn’t do it for me. Though a little late, he started his appearance as he so joyfully has in the last weeks, “My fellow Americans”. This was a much kinder and giddy crowd than the one the evening before. These were fans. There was really only one obnoxious, unwashed anti-war fruitcake. After asking if Hitchens would take questions on the war, Hitchens said he would if the young man could produce a receipt for the book in the book-signing line. Somehow, I think the wild-haired fellow did not have any extra cash stashed in his cardboard box home.

This was a truly entertaining appearance. Because he so often uses the same lines from appearance to appearance, I won’t quote his zingers, but suffice it to say that there was real belly laughter. I did note that even though this stop was at noon on a weekday, he seemed well-rested and ridiculously sober. I think that was the only thing I didn’t get to see was the Penn and Teller’s Bullshit-like show, where he is slobbering drunk and still making better sense than about ninety percent of the planet’s people.
At the end of this appearance, after my smoke, of course, I got in line again for some of Hitchy’s ink. This time, however, I had brought some ink of my own. Admittedly, I wanted him to see my fawning over him and my amateur attempt at writing, maybe oven comment on it, since eventually I would like to get paid for it. I wrote him a note saying not only that he needn’t be humane to his debate adversaries on my account but also that he was the part of the reason I named my blog Cranky Bastard. I know, I know. Narcissism. Here’s the thing. I am still learning, and still trying very hard to gain confidence, trying heartily to avoid the stage that I know has to happen prior to real confidence, ego. I have never liked ego in others because I was clear that it is not real confidence and yet, I am avoiding, like the plague, a phase I know I have to enter.

Also, I shouldn’t be embarrassed that I have him as a hero, even after reading that he does not take on heroes. I am not him. I am not of that level. Also, heroes have often been the ones to inspire me to read and research things in ways that I wouldn’t without them. I promptly returned home last night only to get the computer fired up so that I could log into encyclopedia.com and dictionary.com to look up some of his references that I didn’t understand. I had some left from the book that I needed to know in order to go back and read the book again. I downloaded the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, a text he refers to often. I copied several entries on folks that he references, like Voltaire, Bertrand Russell, and Lucretius, among many others. There are few people on this planet, my father included, who inspire me to learn the way he does. I feel smarter and more confident for merely having such good tastes in heroes. That is truly a mark of a good teacher, something I have been blessed with over the course of my education. They are those that don’t speak down at your level to make you more comfortable. They are people that speak at their own level and inspire you to attempt to rise to theirs. I hope that when I teach I will have that kind of effect. In fact, as a teacher, that is what you are there to do. So, not being in New York, or a student at New School, I get more detached lessons from Hitchy, the kind from his books, his articles, and his TV show appearances that force me to reference material and self-reflection. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Book Review: God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

2007-05-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - Christopher Hitchens - Books - Review - New York Times: "And God should be flattered: unlike most of those clamoring for his attention, Hitchens treats him like an adult."

Kinsley wrote the above line to close out a chummy review of Hitchy's latest release. Hitchy does, however, deserve a great review. The book is fantastic. I have joked every since he announced it a couple of years ago that it would only be a small matter of time before he would get death threats from the Churchies for writing a book advocating atheism. He says in the book, in effect, that he has gotten used to death threats over the years from various kinds of zealots.
I was wondering as I read the book what kind of impact it might have on me. It doesn't take a reader long on this blog to see that I hold this man in far too high esteem. I know that and wanted to make sure as I read it that I was processing it. I wanted to read with the same kind of wrinkled brow that I read others' works. I never want to become the person that just repeats someone else's argument as my own because I am too lazy to think through it for myself. I know I have done that, but I don't want to do it in the future.
Prior to reading the book, I was somewhat resigned to the fact that, even though I am not religious and certainly see religious texts as literature, that I tend to religiosity at difficult times, ie 9/11. Another thing readers of this blog will no doubt know for sure is that I have never and will never get over the Catholic Church and Popey Dict's handling of the Child Rape Scandal, and really his handling of the issue before there was a scandal. Having read the book and having about a week to process it, I think that the book gave people like me a feeling of solid ground from which to believe the things we were already believing. Here's what I mean. My Dad and I talk about a guy he went to college with who posited, "Would it be so bad if we just died?" The answer to that question right after a loss is yes, because we don't want to lose loved ones. At a time when emotions are not so high, when we can be more practical, just dying is actually okay (and certainly better than risking eternal hell).
This book is practical and brings up a ton more reasons and evidence to further his opinions than I ever could have. Just another good Hitchens read. Go figure.

People are Stupid, 244th Edition

2007-03-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

A Flood of Pleas to F.C.C.: No Phones on Planes, Please - New York Times: "Never, never, never ever allow cellphones on planes. It’s bad enough on earth to hear people babbling all day, no matter where they are. Flying is miserable enough without those added egotistic talkers. Have a heart.
— Posted by Esther Whitaker
It’s a terrible idea — bound to lead to rage among already stressed passengers. Why not allow (silent) Internet use, including instant messaging?
— Posted by Marilyn Showalter"

Here are just a couple of the pleas, on the NYT's website, to disallow cell phones on planes. I can't even begin to explain how stupid I think these people are, as one child in a plane is far worse than ten adults with cell phones. We can't ban children, but sometimes I daydream about it when I am unable to sleep on my flight. Cell phones have become the new thing to hate. It was the overweight and smokers, but cell phones have really drawn a very strange ire lately. Here is one thing I know. I don't leave the house without it. Why? I remember that on 9/11 across the continent from where the horror actually was, I was on my cell phone getting solace from my parents. More importantly, the victims, some of them, used their cell phones to have their sacred last words with their families. I never realized the importance of them until that day. I haven't forgotten either.
Many of us only use our cell phone. Our landline is merely a means to internet access and gate entries. I do my business strictly on a cell phone. I have closed deals that pay the bills in grocery stores, pack and ship places, and other odd locations. Having the convenience of being able to talk to the parties just as they are able and willing to make decisions is a very powerful tool. The freedom my phone allows me is priceless, really.
So, I can be what all of those cranky (er, than even I like) people who hate smokers and cell phone users. I smoke while celling. What do you think about that?

Kentucky.com | 03/23/2007 | Race still an issue for UK basketball

2007-03-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Kentucky.com 03/23/2007 Race still an issue for UK basketball: "'There will be many black people who will say they're glad to see Tubby get a decent offer from elsewhere,' he said. 'It looks like people outside of Kentucky had a greater appreciation for his ability.'
The Rev. Louis Coleman, head of the Louisville-based Justice Resource Center, said 'UK doesn't have the greatest practices in the world when it comes to true diversity.' Coleman said his group will meet with the UK administration following Smith's departure."

I am white. I am from Kentucky. I was fascinated by stories of the Northern Kentucky area being the gateway to freedom when I was very young. I was then, and am still, proud of that heritage of the area. I know the other side too. There are still rednecks in Kentucky. In fact, after getting out of Kentucky, I have found them to be nearly everywhere else too. Those rednecks, their feelings about black people, are not why there was pressure on Tubby. It really never was. Kentucky, for all of its failings, never thought of Tubby as a black coach. We thought of him as our Coach. Just like Pitino, Hall, and Rupp before him, Tubby became a part of our collective Kentucky family. Up until the tenth year, many of us wanted him to succeed. I didn't want to hear about letting him go. I wanted him to return our Cats to glory the way I thought he could. It didn't matter who he was. We just wanted the basketball team to win. Both of my grandfathers thought of this that way too, even though they were white and lived in a different, and somewhat disgusting racial era. In fact, my great uncle was asked by my grandmother what he thought of Tubby as the first black member of his tony Lexington country club. His response? "It's about damn time." You see, like my elder family members and thousands of other Kentuckians, we didn't care about our Coach's culture as long as he held the program to the level of success that we have long enjoyed. Unfortunately for Tubby, he could not. As my Mother said, "We love Tubby and Donna, and wish them well, but this is better for all involved". Let us all be smart about this and realize that color was never the issue. It is all about success.

Against God's Work, When it Suits Them

2007-03-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Homosexuality May Be Based on Biology, Baptist Says - New York Times: "The president of the leading Southern Baptist seminary has suggested that a biological basis for homosexuality may be proven, and that prenatal treatment to reverse gay orientation would be biblically justified.
The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and one of the country’s evangelical leaders"

No designer babies, right? We get this direction mostly from Protestant and Catholic religious leaders. They now say that prenatal treatment to reverse homosexuality would be just fine, because it would still be a sin, even though they believe it is genetic. I saw the headline and thought, 'oh they may actually be getting it'. Wrong! Churchies can screw any reasonable belief up given just a few minutes. Shouldn't we be more worried about the babies with dreaded genetic diseases or those predisposed to addiction, etc.? The Baptists have decided to be gay is more of a problem. Wouldn't God be a little disturbed by their priorities?

Death Rate Higher For Weekend Heart Attacks - Health

2007-03-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Death Rate Higher For Weekend Heart Attacks - Health: "In an editorial in the journal, Drs. Donald A. Redelmeier and Chaim M. Bell of the University of Toronto wrote that research has shown surges in patient complications on weekends.
'If the patient dies on the weekend, no heroics on Monday will suffice,' they wrote.
Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a Yale University School of Medicine cardiologist, said differences in staffing levels and communication may play a role in the different death rates. His research team in 2005 found that heart attack sufferers waited 20 to 30 minutes longer for angioplasty on weekends or after hours.
'This may be a quality challenge, for our health system to ensure no matter what time you come to the hospital you're going to get outstanding care' after a heart attack, Krumholz said."

This article reflects a trend in healthcare that is often overlooked. Doctors want to do as they please. If doctors don't want to work weekends, they won't. The administrators feel they have to give in, because doctors are very hard to recruit. The same goes for the labs and radiology. It is expensive for a hospital to keep these departments at full staff levels on the weekends, often because there is lower traffic. Now, however, this study shows that they are increasing, by an average of 5%, the number of deaths of heart attack victims each year. This is a graphic reminder that hospitals are not a 5 day a week, 8 hour a day operation. I certainly hope they listen.

People Should Fight Required New Medicine

2007-03-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Texas lawmakers vote on cancer vaccine - Yahoo! News: "AUSTIN, Texas - Texas lawmakers are fighting to block the governor's order requiring that sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer, with the House giving final approval to a bill to make the shots strictly voluntary.
Gov. Rick Perry's executive order has inflamed conservatives who say it contradicts Texas' abstinence-only sexual education policies and intrudes into family lives. Some critics also have questioned whether the vaccine has been proven safe."

Look, we find out all the time that a drug that has been tested and on the market for some period of years has problems unknown when it was introduced. Of course, we don't want women to get HPV. Of course, it would be great if we knew the vaccine was safe to have it as an option the family discusses. The government, however, should not be requiring it. This is not a public safety issue like Mumps for example. Those are required, because they can be contracted so easily. They can cause small epidemics in schools and communities. This, however, is a private matter, and could impact these women in their later (maybe even child-bearing) years in ways that we cannot now predict. Availability for those that want to take it is lovely. Forcing it is quite another matter, especially when most of the people that are making this decision are not of the gender affected and often far beyond child-bearing years. Whatever happens will happen to others. I could not be more against the law requiring it, and it may become another of my soap box issues like the Catholic priests.
Update: My Mom actually spoke to one of the reps for the pharma producing this vaccine. He told her that there is an opt-out on the legislation, meaning that the actual mandate is to offer the vaccine, not to force little girls to get the shot. Families will still have the ability to think through, one way or the other, whether this is a course they would like for their daughter to take. I suppose the question now is why the folks reporting on this story left that nugget out.

Feds Value Consistency Over Ending Human Suffering

2007-03-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dying woman loses marijuana appeal - Yahoo! News: "SAN FRANCISCO - A California woman whose doctor says marijuana is the only medicine keeping her alive is not immune from federal prosecution on drug charges, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The case was brought by Angel Raich, an Oakland mother of two who suffers from scoliosis, a brain tumor, chronic nausea and other ailments. On her doctor's advice, she eats or smokes marijuana every couple of hours to ease her pain and bolster a nonexistent appetite as conventional drugs did not work."

We should all be a little freaked out that our drug laws are so out of whack. There are a great deal more dangerous drugs on the market, given after a tooth pull, than marijuana. To suggest that marijuana is that dangerous and not at all medicinal is factually incorrect and a pure lie. I don't use it anymore, but it was one of the best ways to increase my appetite when I would lose it for a couple days or more. Lack of appetite for over several days is really pretty dangerous. Half a joint to correct that problem should not be illegal. It was always a relief when I felt hungry, wasn't sick to my stomach and could scarf down some pizza. This woman clearly has it much worse, a condition to which the phrase human suffering actually applies, and the Court was worried that if they ruled the other way, it would be an "in" for pro-drug groups. At some point, we have to come to grips with reality on drugs, especially ones like marijuana.

2007-03-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

TheHill.com - McCain draws heat from vet group, Club for Growth: "The anti-tax group Club for Growth yesterday released a review of McCain’s record on its top priorities and cautioned against electing him president. Meanwhile, a new “527” advocacy group, similar to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, has pledged to expose McCain as a communist apologist who turned his back on prisoners of war.
In the Club’s review — its third “white paper” of the 2008 presidential election — the group concluded “the evidence of [McCain’s] record and the virulence of his rhetoric suggest that American taxpayers cannot expect consistently strong economic policies from a McCain administration.”"

Okay, a couple of things to think about here. First, The Club for Growth had good intentions initially. It was about holding Congress accountable to a small government ideal. I liked them before the last campaign, and still get their emails, just so I can see how out of touch they continue to become. And to this, well, what do you call it? The Swift Boat guys trying to convince America that John McCain "is a communist apologizer and turned his back on prisoners of war". I would like to know how much time each of the idiots that so boldly said that spent as a POW. I would like to know how much time those idiots have spent in government trying to fight for soldier's benefits and VA expansion. McCain is a smart, well-intentioned Patriot. I probably won't vote for him, as he has said things recently to appease the religious right, a reason I have become more and more disillusioned. If Bush's second term taught me anything, it is that I want far less religion in government.

Isn't it Okay to Say, "I Don't Know"

2007-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

From a Rapt Audience, a Call to Cool the Hype - New York Times: "Kevin Vranes, a climatologist at the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, said he sensed a growing backlash against exaggeration. While praising Mr. Gore for “getting the message out,” Dr. Vranes questioned whether his presentations were “overselling our certainty about knowing the future.”...Richard S. Lindzen, a climatologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, who has long expressed skepticism about dire climate predictions, accused Mr. Gore in The Wall Street Journal of “shrill alarmism.”
Some of Mr. Gore’s centrist detractors point to a report last month by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations body that studies global warming. The panel went further than ever before in saying that humans were the main cause of the globe’s warming since 1950, part of Mr. Gore’s message that few scientists dispute. But it also portrayed climate change as a slow-motion process.
It estimated that the world’s seas in this century would rise a maximum of 23 inches — down from earlier estimates. Mr. Gore, citing no particular time frame, envisions rises of up to 20 feet and depicts parts of New York, Florida and other heavily populated areas as sinking beneath the waves, implying, at least visually, that inundation is imminent."

Someone, and I do not remember who, recently said that Environmentalism has become a religion. I have felt that way about it too. Friends of mine kinda intimate that I am an idiot if I do not believe as they do that warming is an immediate issue that must be dealt with straight away. My response has been primarily two-fold. First, I don't see Gore as a good messenger. I wasn't fond of him before, and he hasn't done anything to make me more comfortable with him as of late. Secondly, it seems to me that the Earth has gone through many major climate and weather phenomena through the ages that could not have been blamed on industrialization, because there was none. I mean the breaking of the continents and the floods that helped form our beautiful mountains were not a result of human interference. So, while I am a very consistent recycler and very rarely drive, but in a two-seater when I do, I am not yet a true believer in the dire predictions and the immediacy of the problem. I can see that this could be a natural progression (certainly faster as a result of human's impact), that will swing back into a more normal climate era. I really believe the panel that said that climate change was a slow-motion process. That makes a great deal of sense to me. They are not saying that these things are going to happen in the next ten years, for example, they seem to instead have a more reasonable view of how these changes take place. I have to try and find the arguments on both sides that make sense. I have to take part in the effort to be a good steward of the Earth, while still not taking every alarming idea to heart until it makes sense to me and comes from a messenger I can believe in. It seems all of these people agree that humans cause damage to the climate. The extent of the damage and the time frame for the damage to materialize into catastrophe are still what I am fleshing out.

Halliburton Gets Out of the U.S.

2007-03-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

Halliburton's Dubai move sparks US political ire - Yahoo! News: "Does this mean they are going to quit paying taxes in America?' asked Clinton, a US presidential candidate.
'They get a lot of government contracts, is this going to affect the investigations that are going on? Because we have a lot of evidence of misuse of government contracts and how they have cheated the American soldier and cheated the American taxpayer,' Clinton, speaking in New York, said of Halliburton."

Halliburton is moving from a country where their name has been villified and been accused of all matter of cheating, stealing and fraud to a country that wants that business there, is welcoming them. And isn't it a hoot that the biggest Democratic face asks whether they will continue to pay U.S. taxes and voices concern that it will be more difficult to investigate them? If they really have defrauded the government, they really should be punished for that, but at this point, it all seems a bit more headline that heart of the matter. I can't fault them for moving to a place that will value the size and kinds of services Halliburton provides. I'm not sure who the U.S. government would turn to if they didn't have Halliburton to call on. Anyway, well wishes to them in their new abode.

Is It An Apology the Country Wants?

2007-03-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Gay advocates demand apology from Pace - Yahoo! News: "A gay advocacy group Tuesday demanded an apology from the Pentagon's top general for calling homosexuality immoral.
In a newspaper interview Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had likened homosexuality to adultery and said the military should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces.
'General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces,' the advocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement on its Web site."

Look, I know there are a lot of people out there that still think that anything but missionary for the purposes of procreation is "unfavorable in the eyes of the Lord". Pace seems to be of the churchmen that show their religious and masculine worth or whatever with these kinds of statements and beliefs. Here's the problem. Having General Pace apologize for the statement does not change the belief. I know it is a first step and apologies are generally requested so that the offender feels humiliated. In this case, I fear that there are just a whole lot of people that will support him so that he doesn't feel so humiliated for his belief. I realize there have been great advancements for gays and all of the associated groups, but I still fear for the folks that don't fall into those categories, without a voice that will and are also so easily tossed aside. You know, the women who choose not to use their perfectly good uterus. Or the people that find sex unfulfilling, so they just stop having it. Most people want to encourage the people around them to be like them. Single people want their friends to stay single. Married people want their friends to get married and rarely hang out with single folk. Ok, I'm off track.
What we all know to be true is the boomerang of such stupid statements. People will start digging around on the General, and no doubt, he will have had several affairs or have some fetish that is administered by a very vocal woman-of-the-night. His glass house is bound to crash soon.

Really, Let's Picture How This Must Have Happened

2007-03-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

California law violates gays' rights, ex-priest says - Los Angeles Times: "Baker confessed to Mahony his interest in children 20 years ago. He was sent for treatment, allegedly molested more children, and was defrocked by Mahony in 2000."

Regardless of this man's discomfort with the law that will hopefully put him away, this passage just angered me. So this young priest goes to an elder priest and admits a sexual interest in little kids. The elder priest says that there is religious therapy for such problems, sends him away, and after therapy welcomes him back into a position of power. My suspicion is that the therapy was not a big chunk of the twenty year period, thus leading me to believe that this Baker was molesting children for much of that time.
Now, was it that Mahoney had such faith in the therapy, or was it that he understood this problem? Does he himself suffer from the desire for youngsters? Or maybe Baker presents this in confession where Mahoney had no choice under religious law but to keep this a secret. Whatever the circumstances, we would like to at least think that Mahoney would have reassigned a man who has this affliction or watched his every move after the therapy. I just can't understand how you know something like this and put the person back in a position of authority, with parents and children alike believing that their interests are served by this religious leader, knowing full well the danger they actually pose.
These were extremely dangerous secrets the Church kept. As time has gone by, more of these secrets have been exposed, but I fear that the people that come forward represent a whole lot of victims that will not come forward, silent victims.
You know, it also worries me that this problem, scandal, travesty has not hurt the infrastructure of the Church more. It pains me that people, knowing what this Church allowed to go on would still put ten percent into the collection plate every week. I know the Church does some things that we all value greatly (shelters, kitchens for homeless, etc.), but I haven't seen one church close or have to really change the way they do things. I guess I just feel sorry for those that had the awful experience, because they can drive through any city and see a Catholic Church that has not had to change a thing as a result of a now visible corrupt organization from the very top to the very bottom. How must that feel?

Let's Get Real About the "List"

2007-03-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Feds Seek To Gag D.C. Madam - March 7, 2007: "MARCH 7--Federal prosecutors want to gag an indicted former Washington, D.C. madam who has recently threatened to go public with details about her former customers. In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, investigators are seeking a protective order covering discovery material to be provided to Deborah Palfrey and her lawyers. Palfrey, 50, was indicted last week on racketeering and money laundering charges stemming from her operation of the Pamela Martin & Associates escort service, which closed last summer after 13 years in business. In their motion, a copy of which you'll find below, government lawyers claim that some discovery documents contain 'personal information' about Palfrey's former johns and prostitutes that is 'sensitive.' "

We would not be hearing about gag orders and the like, if the list were merely of the prostitutes. The gag orders and the tizzy to shut this woman up is all about the men in Washington not wanting people to know that they were both against prostitution, yet cutomers of prostitutes. This is as old a story as there is. Why do we think that the prostitution laws only concern the prostitute? The john walks away as if he's done not a thing wrong. The woman goes to jail. If the laws concerning these things were fair, then I would have no problem. Given that they aren't, I am fine with these men being embarassed. It's not like they will be charged or anything. The women on that very same phone record might be. No one is looking out for them. I am fine with legalizing prostitution. I am not okay with the laws being ridiculously unfair. While the phone records may be in Federal custody as evidence, I think it is this woman's prerogative as to who sees or writes about those records.

10 Year Anniversary of my Flood Experience

2007-03-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

The Cincinnati Post - It began with a drizzle: "It was 10 years ago today that a steady rain swelled the Licking River and sent water creeping, then rushing through the streets, swamping cars, covering porches, washing houses and trailers off their foundations and eventually covering 95 percent of the town.
The river level rose from 4 feet to 52 feet in two days. Five people drowned. Most of the 2,500 residents had to flee their homes. Nearly 500 buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged.
When the water receded, residents hunted through the mud to find something familiar and wondered how the city would ever survive. There was even brief talk of not rebuilding at all there, but moving the entire town to higher ground."

I lived and worked in Cincinnati in 1997. When Falmouth needed volunteers, I went down. I went to be nosey, to see in person what I had seen on the news. There were an embarassing number of rubber-neckers in town that day. After that drive through town, I went back to the school where the Red Cross had set up their operations. They directed me to the town library on or near Main Street. I, in my favorite Army boots, blue jeans (maybe black), and another favorite red plaid button down too big for me, I took difficult steps in the tacky mud covering the dark library floor. There still wasn't electricity and no one knew how long it would take to get it back. In many ways, it didn't matter, because no one who lived in town could stay there at night anyway. I distinctly remember what I was wearing that day, because I had to sadly throw away clothes that I so treasured. Thinking back on it, I didn't have enough smarts to know that the people I had met that day would have to throw away everything. My one outfit was not an issue to worry over. I had more clothes, more books, and my home intact.
I remember the librarian being a bit annoyed by my offer of my books, as I had a good softback Shakespeare collection and other childhood favorites. She was in an extremely stressful situation, so I understood when she explained that there would be government money and publisher's donations. She, in the midst of her annoyance, thanked me, but I remember thinking that she didn't mean it. I think she wondered why a kid, early twenties, would be there other than to gawk at their very personal tragedy. As dusk approached, they shut the doors of this one-room library, only to go sleep on cots at the school.
My lasting impression of that experience was from the gawking. I am so blessed that I chose to do what everyone had hoped we wouldn't. I saw the power of water. I thought of water as showers and spigots. This reminded me that water was also flowing rivers that can move 18-wheelers city blocks away from its parking spot. It can rip from an old lady all of the pictures of her kin and take them downstream guiltlessly. The water rose, stole, and left dangerous conditions that it took years to clean. A friend of mine with family in Falmouth told me her grandfather had a heart attack. The family and doctors believed that it was brought on by the stress of the flood, rinsing them of their possessions as well. It was amazing to have the flood there to put things in perspective only to have the health of a loved one put the flood in perspective.

Sharpton's Letter is a Must-Read!!

2007-03-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

My link to Strom Thurmond - Los Angeles Times: "My great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton Sr., and his family were owned by a white woman named Julia Ann Thurmond shortly before the Civil War. They lived in, of all places, Liberty, Fla. Before that, they were the property of the white slave owner Alexander Sharpton of South Carolina. Sharpton's son, Jefferson, had married Miss Thurmond, and died in debt, so Sharpton sent my great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, and his family to Liberty in 1861 to work off the debts. Julia Thurmond Sharpton inherited my great-grandfather. Julia Thurmond's grandfather was also Strom Thurmond's great-grandfather.
When Coleman Sharpton finally shook off the chains of slavery, he became a turpentine dipper — work so awful that, when you finished a day's work, you had to wash yourself in gasoline to get the stickiness off your body. But the grim reality of my ancestry, and the ancestry of millions of African Americans, is that I am sure even the torturous job of turpentine dipping gave my great-grandfather joy because he was finally free and recognized as a man, no longer the property of someone else."

He has written a piece to remind us of our American ancestry. There is little doubt but that I am a descendant of owners. I'd like to think that I also have a progressive back there somewhere that aided in getting slaves to the North. I may never know that, but I have daydreamed of it since I was little. My Dad said something this morning that was brilliant (while maybe said before)... that whites knew the potential of their slaves. That is why they denied them education. I am sure some owners denied education out of a belief that the slaves were incapable of learning, but I think as time went on, there was a fear of their potential. We know now that the fear they had was justified. Every American, despite color, can be educated and show the same amount of potential that turns into success as white folk. We see amazing leaders, brilliant minds, role models, and heroes from this race that has come from adversity to, in many ways, thumb their noses at my ancestors. I stand with them and thumb my nose too.

"On the Record" Language and Other Political Dreams

2007-03-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

McCain rejects CPAC invite - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: " 'It was a classical McCain move, dissing us by going behind our backs,' said William J. Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union."

I am amazed that any serious person speaking on behalf of a serious organization would use the word "dissing". Look, McCain has already lost my middle-of-the-road vote by saying that Roe should be overturned. I believe him to be a serious man, a hero, and a statesman, but he can't get my vote with that outlook. I think Gingrich is the same for me. I see both of them as real thinkers who really do want to effect change in a positive way. I see their motives for office as purer than most. I also believe, however, that the power of the religious right needs to be congregational and not governmental going into the next Presidential term. I think that is why we see this cross-party support for Giuliani. Yes, part of it is that we haven't forgotten who he was on that day, but part of it is that he does not seem so far one political direction or the other. Of all of the candidates so far, given what they have said so far, Giuliani strikes me as the most likely to pull a "West Wing" and invite a candidate from another party to complete his ticket. It is something the Clinton's would never do. It is something most far-right conservatives would never do, which is part of why we are so divided as a country. I know, I just suggested that a real Presidential candidate take a note from a television show. I also realize that the move was pure fiction, but I still see Rudy as the most likely to have the conviction of his abilities to make some of our wrongs right through that kind of move. Why can't our political dreams come true?