What degree of arrogance is required to cause us to act as though we have invincible impunity? What sort of distorted thinking is required to allow us to actually believe that we can do (or not do) whatever is expedient without future consequence or reprisal? I followed up my viewing of An Inconvenient Truth with Tom Brokaw’s 2-hour special on the Discovery channel, Global Warming: What You Need to Know, and I am even more riled by an ignorance that borders on stupidity with regard to the contention that the jury is still out on the truth of global warming. There is simply no more important issue facing humankind. Whatever differences we think are worth fighting for, they must be laid aside for the present so that we can preserve a future in which we can once again pick up arms if we then believe that such a thing is still necessary.

I like to think of myself as a moderate, but after Mary's gentle coaxing succeeded in getting me to watch An Inconvenient Truth I am taking an unabashedly extremist point of view: Anyone who does not watch this movie, or read the book, or go to the website, should no longer qualify as a human being.

Time for Change

Our computers at work are down (for a longer duration than usual) and so that allows me to get ahead of my lunch deadline. Technology truly enables the child support effort to accomplish so much more than could be done without it, but being so dependent upon it leaves us powerless without it. Thanks, Bill! (Gates)

I know that I’m not alone in being deeply worried about the growing conflict in the Middle East. It is disturbing to even hear the mention of World War III, but I suppose that may be the direction we’re headed. George W. Bush et al should be impeached, removed from office, and tried for war crimes. I am smart enough to know that this Administration is not responsible for starting the tensions in that part of the world, but it is absolutely guilty of exacerbating the problems that already existed. Do you really feel safer with Bush in charge instead of Gore or Kerry? Do you really think it was coincidence that 9/11 occurred after Bush became the first president in our nation’s history to be installed by the Supreme Court rather than being elected by the people?

I don’t care anymore if people think I’m just a raving lunatic, because the proof, so to speak, is in the pudding. The military industrial complex of which Dwight D. Eisenhower warned is having its finest hour—even if it’s the last one! Try to add up the billions of dollars that are being spent daily to propagate violence and destruction and you’ll quickly melt the chip in your calculator. There is not much time left for those of us who try to follow the way of the Christ by loving our enemies, but I personally am going to devote myself to the proposition of loving King George to death!

Get Them Off the Road!

I can remember when driving was fun. I can remember, too, when operating a motor vehicle was regarded as a privilege, not an entitlement. As the majority attitude has come to regard driving as one of the inalienable rights protected by the Constitution, our highways have become mobile slaughterhouses. Tens of thousands of lives are lost each year to automobile accidents, but I have yet to see King George declare war on this domestic terrorism. I’m mad, because some inept motorist rear-ended Rachel and Steve’s new Honda Civic that hadn’t been on the road more than a couple of weeks. The sporty little Impreza that we gave Rachel when she was in high school was totaled by another incompetent driver. After seeing the wreckage at the salvage yard, I still don’t believe that she lived through that one. Both of these terrorists were insured by Progressive, and while that has ended in a good settlement for the victims, it must surely raise the question in the minds of others insured by the company about how their premiums are being affected by the fact that Progressive will apparently insure anyone. If we were killing forty-to-fifty thousand passengers each year in airplane crashes, I’m guessing that quite a few licenses would get pulled and that the requirements for a commercial pilot’s license would become much more stringent. I’m ready to include myself in the cut. Let’s get the retarded and the incompetent out from behind the wheel and return a degree of sanity (and joy) to the privilege of driving.

Of God and Science

I just finished reading David Van Biema’s article, Reconciling God and Science. It recalled for me those formative years growing up in my father’s church “where science and religion are compatible.” This debate has been going on for years, and I suspect that it will continue for many more. It is comforting to know, however, that the rational, intelligent pursuit of finding the common ground between these two disciplines continues to be conducted by the best and the brightest our species has to offer. Humankind may be on the brink of destroying itself. I really don’t know. That of which I am certain, though, is that unless we begin to exercise our ability to think and reason instead of our primitive bent for hatred and violence, we really don’t deserve to pollute the planet much longer.

What Have I Done?

There is a most remarkable comment from Lawrence William Page II in response to my 07/14/06 entry, A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste. I am rereading both what I wrote and Mr. Page’s comment looking for clues that indicate what exactly prompted such a response. Nonetheless, Mr. Page’s scholarship appears to be of an extraordinarily high caliber. That Mr. Page’s proclamation of himself as the “long-expected Hebrew Messiah” is contrary to the traditional scriptural formula for validating such prophetic callings must be left to his readers to weigh against the veracity of his claim. Subscribing to a dynamic process theology makes it difficult for me personally to accept the preordained calculations contained in Mr. Page’s treatise, but I must certainly learn more about him and his work before I am in (if ever) a position to pass judgment. I commend Mr. Page’s comments to your reading, and, as always, encourage you to add your comments to this virtual conversation.

FROM MY DEAR FRIEND, "PETE"

THINGS YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE TO BE A REPUBLICAN TODAY....



Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.


Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

You support states' rights, but the Attorney General can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Feel free to pass this on. If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely be stuck with more Republicans in '06 and '08.

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS VOTE REPUBLICAN!

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Author's note: I ran out of time during lunch yesterday, so I wrapped it up this morning.

What price do we pay for being a theologically illiterate people? For one thing, our ignorance blinds us to the presence of evil incarnate in our midst. For fundamentalists to recognize evil, it apparently has to be in the form of a horned creature with a pointy tail. It’s a pity that Bush and Cheney’s telltale signs are not so obvious, because they are, as I have said before, representative of the anti-Christ. Karl Rove is keenly aware that all he needs to do is to portray King George as a folksy, born-again Christian, and the so-called faithful will follow like so many sheep gone astray.

The pseudo-intellectuals fare no better in their unstudied rejection of fundamentalism. To not accept a literally concrete description of the devil as real does not justify denying the reality of evil, anymore than the rejection of God as “the old man upstairs” denies the reality of that Higher Power. Just because one doesn’t buy into the irrational ideology that is being put forth as popular Christianity does not excuse one’s own theological ignorance. If, as I believe, the mind is the means of connecting with the Eternal, then it is incumbent upon the most intelligent of our species to counter radical fanaticism with profound Truth.

We are witnessing firsthand on a daily basis the tragic truth that violence begets only more violence. The insane race to dominate by force ultimately results in destruction, and that is fundamentally antithetical to the creative impetus of the Cosmos. We may well destroy ourselves, but it is folly to believe that we will take the universe with us. It is time for the flat-earth forecast of Armageddon to be laid permanently to rest, and the only real hope for accomplishing that is to take seriously our theological development and maturation. We have been blessed with minds. For God’s sake, let’s start using them.

Talk is Cheap

I really can’t think of much to say that I haven’t already said before. The codicil to my will that nothing appear on my tombstone other than the words “Talk is Cheap” is sincere. There are so many things that need to change—and change soon—for the Kingdom come on Earth to be actualized that I am becoming discouraged at the prospect. Just a relatively simple little thing like reducing our dependence upon gasoline seems an insurmountable impossibility that will eventually be dealt with only involuntarily in reaction to the inevitable crisis that looms before us. God knows (or does He?) what would be required to move humankind to adopt Albert Schweitzer’s reverence for life in order to heal our relationships with one another and the planet upon which we live. I understand that it is important not to give up hope. I also understand that hope is grounded in faith and love. If ever there was a time to intelligently and diligently seek the dynamic of these three forces—faith, hope, love—this is it. But wait! Isn’t there a bridge to nowhere that needs to be built in Alaska?

Problem Solved!

I’m working on a case right now where the mother of a twelve-year-old boy is alleging that the biological father is not the man to whom she was married at the time and whose name appears on the birth certificate, but is instead a man about whom she knows nothing but his name. Our office is involved primarily because this woman believes that she is entitled to taxpayers’ money to support her child while the State contends that the actual father should ultimately foot the bill. My educated guess is that hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars will be spent trying to untangle this mess, and in the meantime there’s a kid knocking on the door of adolescence that King George has mandated should not be left behind.

I need the flag-waving conservatives in this country to explain to me how an amendment banning homosexual marriage, how an amendment banning flag burning, how a preemptive attack on a sovereign nation, how any of their diversionary tactics are going to solve the problems of this child and millions like him. Why is the Christian Right not addressing this very real moral corruption instead of mounting hateful campaigns against the speck in their brother’s eye? If they don’t think that these bastard children are a growing menace to the very fabric of our civilization…well, then they’re even more stupid than I thought. It would seem that the time to deal with all the true problems in the world is starting to run short. Let’s make damn sure that we vote conservative in order to maintain the status quo right up to the end.

When Will We Ever Learn?

My political career began at the tender young age of six when I took it upon myself to appoint me as president of my first grade class (perhaps there will be time later to explain the whys and wherefores of this yearling scandal). I wasn’t able to muster enough fortitude to make a legitimate bid for class president until I was in the eighth grade, an endeavor which ultimately became an exercise in humiliation. Lowering my sights to a simple seat on my high school’s Student Council met with no greater success, and being “smarter than the average bear” eventually brought me to the realization that I didn’t possess the charisma to be elected to anything.

What prompted this degrading retrospective is looking ahead to November’s elections. The polls tell us that the majority of Americans are not especially happy with what’s going on in Washington these days, and yet the results of the midterm elections will be remarkably predictable. Few incumbents are blessed with the almost guaranteed return to office as are U.S. House representatives, a fact that holds true year in and year out. I’d like to serve my country as a congressman, and I’m egotistical enough to think that there could be worse choices.

I’m honest. I’m intelligent. I have an ethic that allows me to regard the nobility of public service as a sacred trust. But I don’t stand an ice cube’s chance in hell of ever being elected to the house of the people. For one thing, this is because I don’t have the financial wherewithal to mount an effective campaign. But those who are already in office have demonstrated that they surely do possess such monetary prowess, and that seems to be the criteria used by most Americans to choose for whom they will vote. Many elections have come and gone since Will Rogers observed that the United States has the best Congress money can buy, and regardless of what we tell the pollsters that seems to be just the way we like it.

I'm Back!

This must be necessarily brief because my pre-lunch exercise consisted of a walk over to the Strip Sandwich Shoppe only to discover it closed. So, I walked back to the Regional Justice Center across the street from my building and had the tasty barbeque pork special being served by the Café @ RJC. There isn’t much to say on this one-day-workweek anyway.

Our trip to Lincoln, Nebraska proved to be enjoyable in every way. The weather cooperated (a blessing this time of year) and we got together with all of Mary’s family with the exception of her nephew, Mike, and his family who hosted the Fourth celebrations at their place in Pekin, Illinois. The uneventful flights to and from made us enthusiastic new fans of Allegiant Airlines, and we would recommend it to anyone venturing to Las Vegas or Orlando.

I am blessed with an extraordinary supervisor who is not afraid of doing the work of her subordinates when they are away on vacation or sick. Let this serve as my public thanks to Jodi for being the archetypal manager (although such an attitude will probably stand in the way of her promotion or advancement). Stay tuned for more lunchtime ruminations as I attempt a full four day workweek next Monday.