I'm Excited!

I just contributed $30 to Barack Obama’s campaign and I’m going to get a special edition t-shirt. Sweet! For the first time in our lives Mary and I made a standing monthly contribution but this is just icing on the cake. If Obama wasn’t genuinely being supported by the grassroots you know that opponents would have smeared that kind of information all over the place. Therefore, something unique in the history of this country is happening, and happening now! Knowing this is, in my opinion, increasing the odds that Bush et al will attack Iran before the elections in November. Those of us who are intent upon restoring government to We the People are now going to have to be more vigilant than even by seeing that no harm comes to Obama and that the neocons (i.e. American Nazis) are impeached, tried and convicted for the crimes they have already committed before they can commit any more.

A Small Request

A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.

Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer. Amen

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating. Even if it's to one more person. In memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still living with it. A Candle Loses Nothing by Lighting Another Candle.

Please Keep This Candle Going! There will be a cure. Thank you

I’ve said it before, but I will say it many times again, no father is more blessed than I. Today, Rachel has helped out her old dad with the technological intricacies that he can’t do himself; e.g. the “small request” I received in today’s e-mail. I just couldn’t help myself, and I made the following reply:

I am reluctant to respond, and yet, as a leukemia patient myself, I am forced to ponder the theology behind this kind of request. Is God just waiting to be asked? If that's the case, I have no need of such a petty deity.

That caused enough of a ripple in this little pond that I decided (with Rachel’s help, of course) to see if I could generate some waves in bigger waters. Many who molded my worldview were concerned about the effects of theological illiteracy in today’s world, and e-mails such as this one which are regularly circulated among the throngs serve to justify that concern.

As an affirmation that our theological worldview is profoundly affecting our future, I close by encouraging you to read this essay by one of my favorites:

Prayer and the Presidency by Nancy Gibbs

We the People

Well, what should I blog about today? The fact that I am free to even ask the question should certainly not be taken for granted. For all my fears about what may be America’s future, I still have the right to my point of view (I here caution us to be vigilant in protecting this and all our freedoms). Listening to NPR as I showered before work I heard how, even though the government attempts to control it, the Internet is opening up whole new avenues of expression for the Chinese. The World Wide Web is truly the great equalizer for humankind, and again those of us who benefit should constantly guard against those entities which would seek to limit, control, and censor. There is much truth to the proposition that our democratic form of government is being weakened by the extension of individual constitutional rights to corporations. If Will Rogers believed he witnessed the best government money could buy, I think he would be astounded and alarmed by how much more true that is today. With approximately four months left until the general election I encourage us to be on high alert to detect and thwart any attempts to wrest our government from the people any more than it already has been (although Charles Black says he deeply regrets his comment to Forbes magazine that a pre-election terrorist attack on this country would be a big advantage to McCain’s campaign, what prompted him to say such a thing in the first place?). We the People are at a critical juncture where we stand to use it or lose it. Let’s take our government back and tell the corporations what they can do with it (in the politest of terms, of course).

Please Read

I am in Mary’s debt so many ways that I’ve lost count, not the least of which is her referral to:

Read The Beatitudes Before You Vote by BenGoshi

Now all I need to figure out is why she didn’t post it herself on Rant :-)

Dear Five

My Site Meter has plateaued at an average five visits per day. This is useful information in that I can now refine the content of my posts to address this precisely identified audience. Unfortunately, Site Meter doesn’t go so far as to tell me who you five actually are so some assumptions are still required:

Assumption #1: you know me and I know you
Assumption #2: you are never going to divulge your identity by commenting
Assumption #3: it is not the content per se which prompts you visit Incite
Assumption #4: not all five of you noticed that I didn’t post last Thursday

This last assumption opens the door to an explanation which will be unnecessary for several of you. I had the joyful experience of having Mom and Kim with us for the weekend. We had a wonderful time together, and I am so proud of Mom for making this courageous journey so shortly after major surgeries. Now you know why I didn’t post last Thursday, and why my average readership dipped below average until today.

It Was Nice While It Lasted

For about a week following the initial shock of $4+/gallon gasoline there was some semblance of sane driving around Las Vegas. You didn’t see as many jackrabbit starts and the majority of vehicles were actually obeying the speed limit. Outright aggressive hostility (road rage), however, seems to be the next stage of motorists’ grieving. Particularly the drivers of behemoths (I heard one report on NPR this morning that his Ford Excursion gets 8-10 mpg if he nurses it) now seem to have adopted the insane tactics of Indy 500 drivers as their way of coping with their painfully obvious idiocy. I won’t be surprised to see our Prius become the target of their anger as these fossil-fueled Neanderthals decide to take everyone and everything down with them. Again, let’s hear it for legalistic Las Vegas! The cops keep sounding off about how they’re going to crack down on aggressive drivers, but that turns out to be nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black. I promise to promptly report the next time I see a squad car come to a complete stop, park legally, or drive the speed limit. Having once been one, I know how easy it is for law enforcement to think itself above the law. I fear that this is the specter of things to come as lust and greed transform into angry aggression when selfish needs can’t be satisfied. Next up: the food shortage.

So What’s the Big Deal?

“We no longer have a moral compass.”
--Daryl Roberts, police chief of Hartford, Conn., after security cameras captured dozens of witnesses driving past a 78-year-old hit-and-run victim without stopping to help. (TIME, 06/23/08)

I try to understand how my fascination with morality must seem strange to many, but every once in a while an example so glaring comes along that it makes me think it is justified. Reiterating my interpretation of morality as that which is in harmony with God thereby enhancing the connection hopefully explains why I believe that every facet of creation experiences the pluses and minuses, the positives and negatives, the yin and yang of it. I suppose my diatribe on the fundamental immorality of Las Vegas has seemed to readers just that, an old man’s obsession with the obvious. But when something as the Hartford incident occurs it hopefully serves to illustrate how widespread the disease actually is. The phenomenon of hundreds of millions flocking to Sin City occurs only in the wider context of Eden lost and the general human tolerance of immorality. It doesn’t matter what label you attach to it—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu—if there is no intentional, conscientious effort made to achieve, maintain, and enhance the connection with the Divine the end result is still the immorality created by distraction or disregard. I cannot think that it is a good thing when the top cop of one of American patriotism’s seminal cities decries our loss of moral direction.

LV Law

I can think of no better argument for the absurdity of attempting to legislate morality than Las Vegas. Think about it. Sin City is theoretically where one goes to do whatever one wants that probably can’t (or shouldn’t) be done anywhere else. This all started with the legalization of gambling when it wasn’t ubiquitous, and even though gambling is now available in one form or another virtually anywhere the multitudes still throng here. Why? Well, as the Las Vegas Visitors Authority has so persuasively put it, what happens here stays here. I imagine that even O.J. fell into the trap of thinking that armed robbery might not seem as wrong here. Yet, the lawmakers in Nevada have their hands full making sure that what may arguably be immoral is still legal. Gambling, as far as I can tell, is a non-violent form of stealing. Sex is openly marketed in any number of ways, even in Clark County where prostitution is supposedly illegal. The normative taboos against “drugs” are all in place so that, I guess, the conspicuous consumption of alcohol assumes the air of respectability by being legal almost anywhere anytime. Yes, Satan can quote Scripture and Las Vegas has laws. Among the many benign commandments relegated to oblivion here is to have no other gods, because it’s so plain to see that that would be bad for business.

Vegasish

Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of good people in Las Vegas and I’d like to think I’m one of them. That doesn’t, however, diminish the iconic nature of Sin City. This mecca of greed has been built on putting self number one, a truth which it doesn’t even try to hide. Again, this is painfully representative of the contemporary American mindset which is attracted to the something-for-nothing philosophy that drives not only Las Vegas, but politics, business, and religion, too. As I naively accepted an appointment to Trinity United Methodist in 1996 it was with an admittedly Pollyannaish notion that the churches (which urban legend claims there are more of per capita in Las Vegas than anywhere else in the United States) would be little sanctuaries of altruism standing their own against the larger scheme of things. But, guess what? The popular religion here promises heavenly salvation for nothing more than a profession of faith. Does that sound familiar? It should, because it is the same consumer theology that is burgeoning across the country. I suppose that poker chips in the offering plate may be unique to Las Vegas, but the Jesus-save-me-first attitude is nothing more than a mirror image of today’s America. A personal favorite among my sermons examines completing “self” with the suffixes “ish” or “less” to better understand the way of the Christ. The sad truth is that we’ve all become pretty ishy, and that’s what is going to keep this place going until the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

Satan’s Seat

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Urban legend has it that Las Vegas is second only to the United States Treasury in generation of revenue. If there’s even an iota of truth to it, then it becomes clear why no expense will be spared to secure the future of Sin City. Manifesting the prophetic word that even Satan can quote scripture, Clark County has “outlawed” prostitution which is legal throughout Nevada, and the devil’s weed is ironically illegal in this adult Disneyland where literally anything goes. It all works to evil’s end, though, when lustful, greedy humans focus their attention on the object of their desire while famine, drought, and war are ignored. That’s what this city is all about: distraction. Oh, I know. Las Vegas isn’t the only place where lusty greed addicts the human soul, but it is the Sacred Temple which condones and encourages it. Have you ever wondered where that term “ugly American” came from? Come spend a night with us!

Safe in Las Vegas

Sin City. Mecca of greed. Two terms that aptly define Las Vegas, the former actually serving as the city’s much publicized nickname. The latter is my own, although I have no way of claiming exclusive originality. The Evangelical Free pastor in Oakland, Nebraska always got a bang out of saying that I was moving to Lost Wages. Those born-agains can be pretty clever. At the time, however, I must admit I was intrigued by the prospect of proclaiming the gospel in the city with a reputation for anything goes. Having now resided here for twelve years, Mary and I are hearing the call of a more “normal” place to spend our Golden Years (Mary’s hearing—typically female—is two or three times better than mine). I confess to having grown to like the place. It’s hot, dry, windy, etc, but in this age of security concerns I’m feeling as snug as a bug in a… Yes, the water level in Lake Mead is the lowest it’s been since Hoover Dam was constructed, but there’s still a lot of liquid life in there. Yes, there are agreements among the western states regulating which get how much of the water but there’s that old adage about possession being nine-tenths of the law. Las Vegans can take out the Boulderites in short order, and then let Arizona and California wonder how they’re going to claim what’s rightfully theirs. And it is this consummate spirit of greed that will keep Las Vegas going for as long as there’s still a U.S. of A. Very nearly one million people per week fly into McCarran to feel safe doing that which they don’t feel comfortable doing at home. Wanton lust is the engine that drives this city, and pity the poor reformer (Christian, Muslim, or otherwise) that might try to cut off the root of all evil. Yeah, I feel pretty safe here. The profiteers are not going to go down easy, and what they will fight to the death for in order to feed the greed is going to ensure that I won’t go down until the very last either.

Alone in Las Vegas, Again

Novel experiences are less likely to affect those of us with nearly six decades under our belt (and that’s exactly where most of it seems to have gone) but for the second time this year I find myself in the unique position of not being anywhere near family or friends. The weekend visit with Neal was terrific, but he headed out for Colorado this morning. Mary flew to Lincoln yesterday to spend the week with her mom and Nebraska family. Steve and Rachel are in Fort Collins and Rebecca, of course, is in Flagstaff (she’s “it” if the closest one has to race to Las Vegas to pull my toe out of the tub faucet or some such thing). It is a repeat of the most isolated I’ve ever been in my entire life even though I’m surrounded by a couple of million people. Such circumstances give pause for reflection which hopefully will explain my waxing philosophical for the next few days. For starters, tomorrow I will be sure to get out of bed when my alarm goes off.

IFT Rules!

Right in the midst of 40th reunion nostalgia who should call but Sack-o! It has been years, but the Illini voice that arranged for Mary’s and my first blind date still sounds the same. Only a couple of weeks ago I had thought of Neal as a photograph of him, Dave and me holding up the pillars of the Alpha Gamma Delta house in Lincoln surfaced (I think Rebecca had something to do with that). Of the three of us, I’m the only one still struggling to be worthy of an AGD. I’m hoping that we’ll find some time to visit while Neal’s in Las Vegas. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since we were first introduced as residents of Burt Hall at the outset of our illustrious “higher” education adventure. Those three years at Wesleyan still stand as among the happiest in my life, and Sack-o’s friendship contributes significantly to those memories. Upon learning that Neal was in town, Rob (a.k.a. Boo-Boo) asked what kind of partying we’re going to do. The only honest reply was whatever kind old men do.

It’s a Great Day!

But this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past and bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love. --Barack Obama

As TV's Craig Ferguson would say, “It’s a great day for America!” Barack Obama has prevailed as Everyman’s choice for President. I share the sentiment that Michelle Obama expressed earlier in the Democratic primaries of feeling good about being an American for the first time in a long, long time. Surely everyone is paying attention to the credit other candidates give themselves while Obama uniquely credits his supporters. We are doing it! We are going to elect a true servant of the people to the White House. We are called upon, however, to be more vigilant than ever to see that no harm comes to our candidate because there is no question of evil’s treacherous and destructive ways. As Gerald Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he had no way of knowing how prophetically his words would ring true for another generation: My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

Many Years from Now

Forty years have slipped away since commencement exercises at Arvada West High School. Rob is the sole classmate I have any contact with out of roughly four-hundred, and he alone informed me of the reunion scheduled for next August. Robert F. Kennedy had just been assassinated. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been murdered only weeks before. The surviving crew members of the North Korean attack on the U.S.S. Pueblo were still prisoners. The war in Viet Nam was literally heating up. Yet there I was “hearing” a call to proclaim a gospel of peace, joy and love that made sense to me then and continues to now. Having almost certainly reached the mountaintop and now descending into the valley leads me to reflect upon many things and to wonder how or if the time might have been better spent. I see little value in “what if” scenarios unless they serve to affirm that, aside from a little tweaking here and there, these last four decades have been marvelous. I have loved, I have been loved, and this in and of itself stands as a measure of success. Without knowing, we were headed toward the final chapter of the Beatles and their closing statement:

And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make.

Although long ago and far away, it’s a gospel still worth living!

To Be or Not To Be

An ever-increasing population proportionately focuses on the fundamental question of the meaning of human existence. For millennia the satisfactory answer has been propagation of the species, but with our numbers racing toward the tipping point such rationale fails. It is probably just a morbid fascination, but I find myself asking what the purpose and meaning of my own life is more frequently. It is certainly humbling to realize that I am truly expendable to all but a very few whose regard for me is based more on emotion than practicality. Processing me through the spreadsheet of life reveals decreasing assets and increasing liabilities. I’d like to reverse that situation but I have no idea how to go about it. It’s my guess that the “duty to die” school of thought may become more popular as the planet is inhabited by an aging surplus that will have a difficult time justifying its perpetuation to youngsters faced with blatant survival. A Soylent Green scenario may not be that far-fetched in the not-too-distant future, a future which continues to puzzle my understanding of my role in it.