My Crazy Times

I read the following article this morning:

Bodies of Hamas leader’s children paraded as group promises ‘painful’ revenge for their deaths

Alright, so it would seem like the Israeli government is being led by a bunch of testosterone driven males with an overwhelming desire to get their rockets off.  Is PM Olmert and the rest of the Israeli government simply incapable of devising a military strategy that doesn’t involve launching a missile into a home filled with women and children?  Maybe what it is, is that the Israeli government simply doesn’t care how many “gentiles” they kill regardless of if they are military combatants or not.  What’s ironic is that Iran and Palestine are perceived as evil because of a desire to eliminate Israel (which for the record I do not agree with), and poor little Israel is the victim surrounded by enemies.  When in fact the Israeli military attacks of this past week undoubtedly show Israel’s own blood thirsty desire to rid the world Palestinians.

In response to the number of innocent people that have been murdered this past week government leaders offer up the excuse that Hamas militants seek refuge in neighborhoods populated with innocents.  I don’t deny that this is the case, but what I absolutely take issue with is that the Israeli government lacks any sort of integrity and compassion for any human being that is not a Jew.  Perhaps that statement is a bit hyperbolic but it seems to be the only logical conclusion when yesterday they dropped a one-ton bomb on the home of a Hamas leader that killed four women and ten children.

But hey, at least the killed the leader right?  I mean after all what’s a war without a little collateral damage.

The problem is, that as the lifeless bodies of TEN INNOCENT CHILDREN were paraded today in Palestine, Israel has given them just one more reason to keep fighting and deepened their resolve to extinguish the Nation of Israel.

“Hate begets hate, violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness.   We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love; we must meet physical force with soul force.”

- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Consistently throughout our marriage, Lauren and I have had some of our heavier discussions late into the night…actually how it tends to work is that just as I’m about to drift off into sweet dreamland Lauren will ask, “Hey, you want to talk?” and then a bedtime of 12am turns into 2am.  Let me also note that while I will at times give my wife a hard time (in the most loving of ways) about these talks and release one of my trademark sighs when I hear that question penetrate my ears as my head rests comfortably on my pillow, I would not trade any of the talks we’ve had for a moment of rest and I look forward to the talks that wait ahead…as long as they’re scheduled according to our predetermined “Talk Time Table”.

A couple months back we had one of these late night discussions, and while this instance is an exception to the typical scenario I still give Lauren a hard time about it for bringing up politics at 1am, as we laid there for a few minutes just going over our day Lauren began to tell me of an interview she heard on NPR with William Ayers…yes that Bill Ayers.  Without going into all the sordid little details I’ll just say that our point of contention lie in the difference of what we each consider an “act of terror”.

I thought of our heated little debate when I read the following A.P. story yesterday:

Bush: Hamas attacks on Israel an ‘act of terror’

As of yesterday more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in this latest round of attacks.  You know how many Israelis have been killed?  Wait for it…….four.  Yeah that’s right, four…as in “I could count on one hand…”.  My question is, how are Israel’s attacks, that are killing innocent children, women and men, not acts of terrorism and how can the American government claim an ounce of moral authority when they choose to not even denounce Israel’s clearly disporpotional response.  For a good lesson on proportional responses check out this clip from The West Wing Season 1, Episode 3…(brief summary: an American relief plane has been shot down over Syria and on board was the military doctor who was going to be assigned to the President…hell hath no fury like Jed Bartlet scorned):

and then you have this:

Man, if only we had a person like Leo in the White House over the last eight years who would have talked to President Bush like that.

I love it where the President asks Leo if what they are doing is good (as a form of retribution) and Leo responds with “Of course it’s not good…there is no good, it’s what there is.  It’s how you behave if you’re the most powerful Nation in the world.”  Far too long has the Nation of Israel operated under the misguided assumption that they could gain respect and credibility or at the very least invoke fear through the might of their military.  When in reality all they have done is perpetuated the cycle of hatred, bitterness and violence that has enslaved that entire region for thousands of years.

And in attempt to practice my own bit of proportionality…I’m not of the opinion that Hamas is the guiltless victim in all of this, they adhere to the same faulty logic that through violence they will find peace.  The true victims are the women and children murdered by an irresponsible government and those that will now only know a life of hatred and revenge because their father, mother, child, brother, sister were killed when a rocket slammed into their house.

However, here in America we don’t question our allies…especially evangelical Christians because after all Jesus was a Jew, and that means Israel can do just whatever the hell they want.   Israel should reconsider their approach to dealing with the world, because the whole childish bully thing is really unbecoming.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Visit any news website right now, and you will certainly see headlines pertaining to the financial crisis, the President’s prime-time address & McCain wanting to delay, postpone, or cancel the first debate of the Presidential race that is to take place this Friday.

Here’s my question: “When is the time to debate Senator McCain? “

This country has been teetering on a financial breakdown for some time and it should be a crime that this impotent administration and inept congress have waited until this point to fully address the issue.  Nevertheless here we are anxiously waiting to see what the next day will bring, and just over forty days away from electing our new leader who will inherit the mess of the last eight years.  Now is the time for the public to hear from these two candidates.  And not just another stump speech given in front of thousands of supporters, but rather an intelligent exhange and defense of their ideas and policies.

Perhaps the two campaigns need to be discussing having more debates.   Hell, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had seven different debates, all of which were on the one topic of slavery, and that was just a campaign for a Senate seat.

Regardless of who is elected in November it is all to clear that the next President will have a monumental task of cleaning up after the disastrous debacle that has been the Bush/Cheney Administration.  Once again, NOW is the time for America to hear from the two men who desire to lead this country.

So, to Senator McCain I say this, “don’t be a coward and hide within the walls of Capitol Hill.  Have the courage of your convictions and share and defend your position on the economy along with Senator Obama this Friday.”

Popularity: 4% [?]

In the small, but don’t call us bitter, town of Jonesville, SC the Rev. Roger Byrd and his congregation at the Jonesville Church of God have decided to throw their, anything but intelligent, hat into the current political debate.

Last Thursday, April 18, the Rev. Byrd placed on the church sign the message, “Obama, Osama, hmm, are they brothers?” Either Byrd has missed the countless times Sen. Obama has discussed his faith as a Christian or Byrd is simply incapable of understanding a Presidential candidate that can actually speak intelligently. Perhaps, Byrd is so in tune to the Divine that he has been chosen to be the only human being with the ability to know a person’s heart.

In an interview with the local NBC affiliate Byrd said, “It’s simply to cause people to realize and to see what possibly could happen if we were to get someone in there that does not believe in Jesus Christ.” Now that makes me go “hmm?”, because for the last eight years we have had a President who claims to believe in Jesus Christ and he has continually made decisions that have killed thousands upon thousands of human beings. In that case I certainly hope Sen. Obama’s faith is in a different God than that of Byrd and the current President.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I begin to feel a pang of guilt. Are my words just as cruel as Byrd’s, am I refusing to show him the love of Christ that he all too brazenly withholds from Sen. Obama? Of course I would have to answer yes, and tonight I’ll ask for forgiveness and seek to understand how I should respond. But at this moment I’m just angered and sickened at this poor example of faith and intelligence.

Here’s the link to the original story:

Small Church’s Obama Sign Causes Big Controversy

Popularity: 8% [?]

Preface: I began writing this piece before the tragic events at Virginia Tech. My heart aches for the families and friends who lost loved ones. Why that person chose to massacre all those innocent people is a question I don’t think anyone will be able to answer. Nevertheless, there are many who will offer up their opinion and in giving their opinion seek to blame someone or something for this senseless evil. In just 48 hours some of those being blamed were Charlton Heston, video games and homosexuals and in time that list will grow to contain conservatives, liberals, gun companies and on and on it grows. Wanting an answer is natural, I just don’t think the truth can be contained in a sound-bite.

H.L. Mencken said, “For every complex problem there is an easy answer, and it is wrong.” What is easy, though, is the answer of how we respond to God and others in the midst of this complex existence. Micah 6:8 (The Message) states:

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what GOD is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously -
take God seriously.

*****************************

Why do junkies continue to stick needles in their arms?

Why does the prostitute sell her body, and why does the husband and father solicit it?

Why do many Christians condone the killing of men, women and children through war and yet base their voting decision on whether a candidate is pro-life?

Why can we not consider more than one way to solving a problem?

Why does the husband beat his wife and the father beat his children?

How can the last become first, and the meek inherit the earth?

Why do we do those things we know we shouldn’t and often times don’t even want to do?

Why can’t we be faithful, honest, peaceful, loving and merciful to all persons regardless of age, sex, race or religion?

There are no easy answers. Sure it would be convenient to be able to give a ten-word response to all these questions, but we wouldn’t be seeking after truth. Truth can be difficult to see, hell, Pontius Pilate couldn’t even see it and it was standing right in front of him, but it can be found. We must be passionate and diligent in our search, but truth is available to us all.

(more…)

Popularity: 100% [?]

By: Holden Jeerson

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, those who help to run this great country of ours:

It has been a few days since the annual White House Correspondents dinner and this video has been viewed and posted on many times. I’ve been debating about whether or not I was going to write anything but I just can’t keep silent about this. This administration continues to embarrass the country with each passing day.

The Correspondents dinner has become a staple in D.C., coming off as a ridiculous publicity stunt where politicians attempt to show they have a sense of humor. It’s no wonder why most of the civilized world has no respect for America’s leaders. Our leaders wage unnecessary wars, refuse to listen to anyone who has a differing idea, help multi-millionaires become billionaires while innocent men and women continue to perish and then honor their mistakes with a special dinner where they joke about how they’ve fucked things up.

Many argue that by continuing to do the meaningless yet traditional events we show the terrorists that they haven’t disrupted our lives. How about this though; how about the Commander in Chief act with a little dignity when he has ordered troops into a war zone. It wouldn’t take much, just politely decline these asinine events out of respect to those who are away from their families.

But then again, this is America.

Popularity: 60% [?]

Four years ago today my wife and I were visiting Florida and had been invited to a friends house for dinner. We enjoyed a nice dinner and some wine, and then just as we were sitting down after the meal it was announced on the news that the U.S. military had begun to attack Iraq. I remember this so well because at the time my brother was stationed in Kuwait and obviously I was concerned for him.

There have been many debacles by the current administration throughout this war, but perhaps the most idiotic of them all was the President declaring “mission accomplished” from aboard that carrier. I can’t imagine that those involved just don’t cringe and hang their heads when they see this.

Further reading:

Christians Worship, March in Protest of Iraq War

Popularity: 28% [?]

I’ve been debating over the last couple of days to whether or not I was going to write an article concerning Ann Coulter.  My dilemma is that I’m not sure I could write without coming across as hypocritical, because my words would be of my flesh and my utter disdain for this woman.  I just can’t get around the whole idea of loving your neighbor as yourself…this is one person that is just so damn hard for me to love.

All that to say, read this article by Salon’s Glenn Greenwald…it says a lot of what I’ve been thinking.

The right-wing cult of contrived masculinity

Popularity: 20% [?]

By: Joel Henderson

Twelve-years ago when I graduated high school I was given, as a graduation gift, the book Life on the Edge: A Young Adults Guide to a Meaningful Future by Dr. James Dobson. This was my first “adult” book and the first book I completely read because I wanted to and not because it was a school assignment. At that point in my journey it was relevant and caused me to think about issues I hadn’t given a second thought to before.

A few years after that I began to grow leery of Dobson after he went before the Republican leadership and threatened them with pulling the vote of the Christian right if they didn’t pay more attention to their issues. I felt this to be a grotesque display of power and feared that Dobson was slipping from atop his ministry of Focus on the Family into the power game of American politics. It’s one thing to be a concerned and active citizen, it’s quite another to seek out and exploit power in an attempt to push your issues.

(more…)

Popularity: 15% [?]

By: Holden Jeerson

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” - Voltaire

Unless you’ve been holed up in a shack in the middle of nowhere for the past few months, I’m sure you’ve seen the Michael Richards tirade where he repeatedly used the word “nigger” to verbally attack a couple of hecklers during one of his stand-up routines. Richard’s spectacle has resurrected the debate concerning the use of this word, especially it’s use by entertainers.

I’m all for debate and discussion, I believe that is how true change can come about. But the direction this debate is beginning to take is quite concerning. On February 1st, the beginning of Black History Month, Leroy Comrie, a Queens NY Councilman, along with others held a press conference to urge the passing of a “symbolic” non-binding resolution urging New Yorkers to “abolish the n-word”. What, you might ask, could I find concerning about a “symbolic” non-binding resolution? Well, first I find it a complete waste of time, energy and money to pass a “symbolic” non-binding resolution. Those people who still choose to use this word as an instrument of hate do so because of a lack of love in their hearts. This issue of the heart cannot be changed by a “symbolic” non-binding resolution.

(more…)

Popularity: 8% [?]