George Will - For Obama Believing is Seeing

Published by
Rick
August 30, 2008 in Economics, Environment, Media, Politics and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

I doubt anyone on our street recycles as much as we do. We were the first to get one of the big recycling bins - and use it well. We recycle more than we throw away. I support strongly taking steps to conserve energy and explorer other sources of energy (besides petroleum).

But I also care about reality. And what works. And working in the real world.

George Will asks some hard questions about the relationship between Barack Obama’s stated energy policy goals and the space-time continuum we happen to inhabit. He concludes:

There never is a shortage of nonsensical political rhetoric, but really: Has there ever been solemn silliness comparable to today’s politicians tarting up their agendas as things designed for, and necessary to, “saving the planet,” and promising edicts to “require” entire industries to reorder themselves?

In 1996, Bob Dole, citing the Clinton campaign’s scabrous fundraising, exclaimed: “Where’s the outrage?” This year’s campaign, soggy with environmental messianism, deranged self-importance and delusional economics, the question is: Where is the derisive laughter?

Read the whole piece here. You do not need to register.

You want to vote for Senator Obama? Fine. Go for it. But I think we all need to be very clear and up front about just what his policies are. And what relationship they have with reality - or not.

Charles Krauthammer - Will anyone who knows Obama speak for him?

Published by
Rick
August 30, 2008 in Media, Politics and Society and Culture. 0 Comments

On that Baptist discussion forum I used to peruse there are many who rather like Barack Obama for president. Fair enough. What strikes me is how conservative forum participants would press back and ask “Can you tell me exactly why you like him so much? Can you tell me what he has done? Something specific?” And the response is almost invariably… silence.

Charles Krauthammer does it again in his column “Self-Made Man or Mysterious Stranger?” It includes the following:

Barack Obama is an immensely talented man whose talents have been largely devoted to crafting, and chronicling, his own life. Not things. Not ideas. Not institutions. But himself…

The oddity of this convention is that its central figure is the ultimate self-made man, a dazzling mysterious Gatsby. The palpable apprehension is that the anointed is a stranger — a deeply engaging, elegant, brilliant stranger with whom the Democrats had a torrid affair. Having slowly woken up, they see the ring and wonder who exactly they married last night.

Read the whole thing here. You do not have to register.

You like him. We can trust him. He inspired hope. Okay. But precisely what has he done? Precisely what specific policy proposals can you mention? (Let alone that bear up to scrutiny.) He talks a good game - but where is the evidence? Obama talks about “getting past partisan politics” yet he is one of the most partisan of all. McCain on the other hand has a known track record - of bucking the Republican party in order to play nice with Democrats.

Facts.

Oh no - here we go again?

Published by
Rick
August 27, 2008 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments

Hurricane Gustav

Gustav. Aw man.

I admit my first reaction was “oh no - not again”. I confess that after what we went through with Katrina my desire to engage in relief work is… not what it was. This is the single busiest time of the year for Church of the Nations. I already am tired and stressed out. And now the city and the church are gearing up for a possible hurricane / disaster relief. Lord have mercy on me for my lack of compassion toward those who suffer because of hurricanes.

Politics and religion

Published by
Rick
August 27, 2008 in Announcement and Personal. 0 Comments

A brief note about the “political” posts on this website.

Frankly I do not like to do that and feel such posts somehow “befoul” Live the Trinity. Because that is the name of the blog - Live the Trinity. It is supposed to be about the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is not supposed to be about Rick Wright’s personal social or political views. Such posts more appropriately would belong somewhere like www.ramawright.net/blog (which does not exist but could in about five minutes).

I want to make clear that the Christian faith does not require one to prefer this presidential candidate over another. Or to take this stand on abortion rights or same-sex relations or the environment or and so on. To even give such an impression is wrong.

Note for example how the excellent Fr Stephen at Glory to God for All Things never to my knowledge posts social-political opinions or commentary.

So either (a) I change the name of this blog to something more appropriate (that would encompass the political) or (b) I save this website for theology and create another for personal/political posts or (c) occasionally offer apologies for mixing politics with religion.

Rich Lowry - Obama and “crashing banalities”

Published by
Rick
August 27, 2008 in Law and Justice, Media and Politics. 0 Comments

So how does Barack Obama engage in moral reasoning?

Rich Lowry helps us see how not only is Barack Obama no centrist - but when challenged can release a cloud of “crashing banalities”.

Asked by Pastor Rick Warren when a baby gets rights, Obama said, “I’m absolutely convinced that there is a moral and ethical element to this issue.” This is a crashing banality couched as thoughtfulness. If Obama is so sensitive to the moral element of the issue, why does he want to eliminate any existing restrictions on the procedure?

Read the whole piece here. You do not need to register.

Readers of this blog can like and vote for Senator Obama. And can support abortion rights. I can live with both of those.

But let us be clear about not only where Senator Obama stands on this issue - but also how he addresses a highly divisive issue such as elective abortion. “I am convinced there is a moral and ethical dimension to this issue”. Really. Would never have guessed that. (”Genocide? Thanks for asking. I am convinced there is a moral and ethical dimension…”) Surely intelligent supporters of abortion rights can do better than that.

Cracks in the Plating - Isaiah 56

Published by
Rick
August 17, 2008 in Bible, Christian Practice, Hebrew Bible and Sexuality. 0 Comments

There has been an exchange of unusual quality over at TitusOneNine concerning the issue of same-sex relations and the classic “shellfish” argument. By this I mean those who take the more “liberal” view (same-sex relations are not inherently sinful and those who engage in such - especially in “committed” relationships - should not be disqualified from ordained leadership in the church) have done a better-than-usual job of explaining and defending their view. Ross and D. C. (their monikers) have made some cogent points.

The bottom line is still this:

#67 Rick in Louisiana makes a very thoughtful reply, including among other things:

(Do those who say such also concede that the Bible never ever teaches that same-sex relations are fine? I hope so. I hope they have the honesty and intellectual rigor to say “the Bible does not support us on the matter of homosexual behavior - we just think the Bible is wrong on this point”. And to their credit some do say this.)

Yes, I’ll concede that.  When the Bible speaks explicitly about homosexuality, it always speaks against it.  You can quibble a little about definitions and cultural practices and so on, but when all is said and done, the Bible condemns homosexuality. [emphasis added]

That is not entirely correct. (And this is quibbling but the point must be made.) The Bible does not condemn “homosexual-ity” but more precisely same-sex relations. (The Bible does not condemn heterosexual-ity but does have some things to say about adultery.)

I occasionally discern in Scripture… I am not sure quite what to call them… little hints? vectors? that perhaps somehow - exactly how we might debate - those who (a) experience same-sex attraction or more precisely (and less clearly) (b) engage in same-sex relations just might somehow be welcome in the covenant community.

Cracks in the plating. The metal plating of my conviction(s).

To whit check out Isaiah 56:4-5:

For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant– 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.

The passage as a whole is about how those who have been excluded from the covenant community (or people of God) will no longer be excluded. This includes (a) foreigners and (b) eunuchs. Focus on eunuchs for a moment. Men who (looking back at the Torah) have had testicles and/or penis removed. Sexually… damaged? Such that among other things they cannot produce children.

We might legitimately (and perhaps correctly) note that eunuchs are not the same thing as homosexuals (again to be more precise those who experience and act upon same-sex attraction). Eunuchs do not engage in same-sex relations. They do not normally engage in any kind of sexual relations. But I could not help but think of gay-lesbian-bisexual persons when I read this text. And more importantly note the vector of the prophecy. That those who have been excluded will one day be included.

This is not the only time or place I have noticed a verse or two that just might subvert the larger sexual ethic. I do not deny or reject the sexual ethic. But honesty requires me to note those places where at least I pause and wonder.

REVIEW - “The Dark Knight”

Published by
Rick
July 22, 2008 in Art, Fun and Geek Stuff, Media and Society and Culture. 0 Comments

The Dark Knight movie posterI admit I was biased going into the film having looked forward to it greatly.

Even so… I was astounded. “The Dark Knight” deserves perhaps the attention it is receiving lately in the media. It is phenomenal. Many of us celebrated “Batman Begins” as the antidote to the silliness of the first few (modern) Batman films with Michael Keaton then George Clooney. Dark and edgy. Batman/Bruce Wayne as a tortured soul.

“The Dark Knight” is more than a worthy sequel to “Batman Begins” - it is perhaps an apotheosis. A “cinematic triumph” to use the tired but here appropriate cliche. The story. The writing. The sets. The action. The directing. Even the music. But the characters - who are part of the drama. (And is not drama a crucial part of effective art? What will happen? And how will the characters change?) And the acting.

I do not like to jump on bandwagons. I was never a big fan of Heath Ledger. (Not that I ever disliked him either.) But he dominates this film. Nay Heath Ledger does not dominate but rather a being called the Joker dominates. There is almost no Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” - there is only a personification of Chaos who borrows the body of Heath Ledger (who can only be seen beneath the makeup for a couple brief moments - appropriately enough when the Joker for brief moments is restrained).

In his first extended scene the Joker enters a room - actually a scene - with about two dozen criminal bosses and their lieutenants. Within seconds they turn into background against which the Joker manifests his dark and chaotic energy. His “magic trick” is one of the most brilliant moments of the entire film.

Collectively “The Dark Knight” evokes basic issues - it could take days to work through all the implications and arguments and insights. Social order versus social chaos. How to fight evil and crime. By the rules or not? And what happens to those upon whom we rely to fight evil and/or restore social order? What is the true nature of human beings - especially when under extreme stress? Terrorism versus civilization. The answers - rather the suggested answers - sometimes shock and surprise.

That is part of why the Joker is so evocative and disturbing. The criminals of Gotham City have rules - even sociopaths have a kind of code. The Joke has none. He has no rules. No code. He does whatever he wants. He does whatever he can. Efforts to promote “order and security” work partly - the film suggests - only because even criminals in part observe the rules. What happens when you face someone who does not?

See it.

Various reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.

Indentured servitude right here in America

Published by
Rick
July 16, 2008 in Economics, Internationals and immigrants, Law and Justice, News, Personal and Society and Culture. 0 Comments

I had a most remarkable experience last night.

For weeks I have heard on occasion news reports about foreigners being brought to the United States with promises of good paying jobs - the sponsoring “agency” providing safe housing and so on. And then these foreign workers get shunted around from what was promised to something less, their “agency” or supervisor keeping their paychecks, the poor guys are basically broke and stranded and at the mercy of their employer/supervisor/agency.

I trust you have heard these stories too right?

Met some last night. Oh yeah. An agency offering employment with good pay and opportunities to learn English and American culture. Pay them something like $1400 in fees. Pay another $1000-2000 for your air tickets. Arrive in America - no one picks you up at the airport like promised (although I did see the fine print) so they shell out more money for taxi and hotel. Then $400 to cover deposit and first month rent on a shared apartment. Good paying job at hotel? No sorry you will work in the kitchen at a fast food restaurant. Forty hours per week with some overtime to make as much as possible during their four months? Nope - they get 32-36 hours per week. Supervisor receives checks, takes out rent, gives rest to these foreign workers. They are hoping - at best - to break even after enduring 4 months of this heck.

They cannot afford cars. Walk to work - 30 minutes each way (often in Louisiana summer heat). Six to seven guys in the apartment. Almost no furniture besides beds. I did not even see much in the way of bedding. (The apartment itself is large, quite nice, and in a relatively safe complex.)

This is pretty bad. (Could be worse… but still this is pretty bad.) Lured to America with a bait and switch. These people shell out gobs of money for either no real return or even a financial loss. “I hate this country” is how one said he feels. Someone is making good money off this. Apparently one finds these operations only in nations with low standards of living - no French or German university students in this program no sir.

These foreign workers do have some freedom. They can quit. If they do… they are then completely on their own (to find new employment, place to live, and so on). And they will never see their last paycheck which the supervisor/agency will keep.

I could name names - of the local business that is employing these foreigners, of the company whose name/letterhead I see on the documents shown to me. Trying to figure out what if anything I can or should do.

A radical proposal concerning the alphabet

Published by
Rick
July 14, 2008 in English, Fun and Geek Stuff and Language. 0 Comments

During out time in Upstate New York visiting my mom and extended family I had an idea not unrelated to ideas I have had concerning how we count in English.

Consider that every letter in the English alphabet is spoken with one syllable. Ay, bee, see, dee, ee, eff, gee, aych, eye, and so on. With one exception.

Double-yoo. Three syllables.

My proposal is to change how we speak the letter w to one syllable - perhaps something like way. So that when we give out web addresses we no longer slog through double-yoo double-yoo double-yoo dot yahoo dot com. Instead just way way way dot yahoo dot com.

It gets better.

Have you noticed how often in English when we spell a word people have to ask “Wait - did you say em or en? See or zee?” Too many letters in English are too close in pronunciation that - especially over the phone - we are not sure. (This is why the military comes up with those whiskey-foxtrot-tango systems. No ambiguity at all.)

And those crazy Canucks and Brits and Aussies and the rest say zed instead of zee - which is why they never get confused over the phone. At least between c and z. You can laugh (and Weird Al pokes at this in his song “Canadian Idiot”) - but it makes sense. I wonder if we resist changing over because of that pesky “ABC Song”.

So why stop at way for w? Why not look at all the ambiguous letter-pairs and change one so that there is no more ambiguity?

Instead of bee and pee perhaps bee and pay. (I believe one finds this frequently in how foreign languages say their alphabets.) Instead of the always confusing em or en we get em and nay. And so on.

Coming up - why we need to do this with how we count numbers.

“In a different reality I could have called you friend”

Published by
Rick
July 13, 2008 in Computers, Fun and Geek Stuff and Personal. 0 Comments

Romulan CommanderOne of the things that has struck me the last several weeks is how many people out there in the blogosphere are (drum roll please) a lot like me. I do not want to dwell too much on this but frankly I do not have many Close Male Friends(tm). Highly introverted. Mostly a loner. (Cue sad violin music.)

Read friend’s blog who cites some other blog and before you know it I discover all these fascinating people all over the country with whom I have much in common.

Today’s example is Calvin Park who is working on a degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. (Massachusetts? Only my home state.) Among other things I came across at his blog Random Bloggings is this older post “10 Random Things About Me”:

Here’s my list, in no particular order:
1. I was once the official beta tester for a live CD Linux distro.
2. I have watched FFVII being played through five times, but have never actually seen anyone beat the final boss.
3. I am far more interested in attending SBL than a pastor’s conference of any type.
4. I want to visit the Great Wall of China.
5. I realized yesterday that if my job/occupation/ministry did not involve teaching I would die.
6. At one time I knew the names of all the Jedi trainees that were originally brought to Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy on Yavin IV.
7. I secret sin is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
8. I am a sick person. If I score less than a 96 on anything I feel like I did horribly, especially on language tests/exams/quizzes.
9. My favor TV shows are sci-fi, but my favorite books are fantasy.
10. I own a Dell Inspiron 6400 that runs Ubuntu. I am in heaven.

I match up with about 7/10 of this list. (Not to mention Hebrew Bible and “Civilization IV”.) And “B.C.E.” is not liberal.

What frustrates me is I think, “Dang it, why do I discover people like this who live on the other side of the nation from me? We could hang!”

But where has God placed us? And what local friends has God given us? To me one of the problems of the Internet is we form “relationships” with people elsewhere and forget to form close friendships with people where we live. (Not to denigrate forming friendships with people we meet over the Web.)

Thus endeth the self-pity party.

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Richard M. Wright is the pastor of Church of the Nations in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My email address if you need to contact is rickwright67 AT gmail DOT com