Column for 6 January, 2010

Mere Christianity

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

–John 13:14-16

If you’re like me, you get a lot of forwarded emails from well-meaning friends and relatives.  You know the kind I’m talking about: animated .gif files of puppies, kittens and/or angels, hoary old jokes straight out of Reader’s Digest, recycled political commentary from fifty years ago, and exhortations to forward it all on to “all your friends.”  No offense, but I usually delete this stuff sight unseen.  Maybe you do likewise.  Recently, though, an old friend sent me an email that matched my thoughts about the annual ritual of outrage and counter-outrage over the Christmas season.  The conceit is that is intended to be read as a message from Jesus, and parts of it bear repeating here:

Avatar = Wannabe?

A good post from Lawyers, Guns & Money about a fairly obvious point that had not occurred to me: Avatar is a literal representation of the white fantasy of “going native.”  Can it be that the brain-swapping technology is the science fiction equivalent of all those earnest, sincere white people who form their own fictional tribes (which are almost always Cherokee, for some reason)?

To The Suprise of No One…

…Right Wingers seeking to blame Obama for the failed underwear bomber are hypocrites who voted against funding for the TSA, blocked appointment of a new head for the TSA, and were apparently just fine with the Bush Administration turning over al Qaeda leaders to Saudi Arabia for “art therapy.”  And, as expected, Right Wing bedwetters are taking to the mediasphere to bewail the fact that America’s court system is evidently now incapable of handling cases that Spanish, British and Indonesian courts have repeatedly handled.

The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Pete Sessions and Allen Stanford, sittin’ in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G.  First comes love, then comes repeal of pesky banking regulations that might have exposed one of the biggest financial swindlers in American history, then comes some really REALLY embarrassing revelations that in a normal world would cause the Congressman in question to be tarred, feathered and run out of town on a rail.

Column for 27 December, 2009

The War on the War on Christmas

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

–John 13:14-16

If you’re like me, you get a lot of forwarded emails from well-meaning friends and relatives.  You know the kind I’m talking about: animated .gif files of puppies, kittens and/or angels, hoary old jokes straight out of Reader’s Digest, recycled political commentary from fifty years ago, and exhortations to forward it all on to “all your friends.”  No offense, but I usually delete this stuff sight unseen.  Maybe you do likewise.  Recently, though, an old friend sent me an email that matched by thoughts about the annual ritual of outrage and counter-outrage over the Christmas season.  The conceit is that is intended to be read as a message from Jesus, and parts of it bear repeating here:

It’s The End of the World As We Know It

The US Supreme Court is poised to formally cede control of the American democratic process to large, unaccountable corporations and special interest group.  The ruling could potentially allow these groups to dump millions of dollars into elections, while denying voters the right to even know where the money came from.  This is the natural result of the disastrous Buckley v. Valeo decision:  if money = “free speech,” then those who have more money have more rights, creating a two-class system.  Or, to put it another way, it’s the Golden Rule:  them that has the gold makes the rules.

Whine & Cheese

1. Tom Coburn may have secured the BCS (Batshit Crazy Senator) crown for Oklahoma;
2. Mitch McConnell has a short memory; and
3. Judd Gregg joins the Bedwetter Brigade.

This is not a perfect bill by any stretch of the imagination.  It’s not even the best bill Obama could have gotten had Harry Reid decided to man-up and fight like a Republican.  That having been said, it’s further than anyone has gotten in 40 years and that’s saying something.

The Extra “F” is for “Fail”

Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Absurdistan) took his dog and pony show to Copenhagen, only to discover that the European press doesn’t roll over and play dead like the corporate media lapdogs he’s used to in America.  I think “ridiculous” about sums it up.

The Year in Crazy

Salon.com lists its votes for the 10 Craziest People of 2009.  Most of these I can agree with, but Kanye West?  He’s not worthy to shine the buckles on Glenn Beck or Michele Bachman’s strait jackets.  Kirk Cameron?  Frankly, he appears to be included only because the authors find his religious beliefs laughable.  There are plenty of religious leaders much more deserving.  Pat Robertson springs to mind, though he’s been relatively quiet lately.  Mark Sanford isn’t crazy nearly so much as pathetic.  Being a puling hypocrite is entertaining, but not crazy.

Today In History…

Tatanka Yotanka (Sitting Bull), Hukpapa Sioux holy man, is assassinated at the Standing Rock Agency.  His death, which came about due to US Army fears of the Ghost Dance religion, sparks the beginning of a period of brutal repression that will culminate with the Massacre at Wounded Knee two weeks later (1890).