To My Silent Readers

I know you're out there. You stop by every couple of days for a minute or two to see if there's anything new. You stay long enough to read the comments, and then you leave again. You leave no traces that you were here, yet you return again and again. I hope you are returning because you enjoy the conversation that takes place here. I have come to think of the people who comment regularly here as my friends--good friends that I could count on in a crisis--even though we've never met in person. Perhaps that's why you keep coming back, because you see people who really seem to like each other, and it's refreshing to hear (read) a conversation where people can agree and they can disagree and still like each other.

I'd like to invite you to become a part of our conversations here. This circle of friends has room to grow larger, and I'd love to hear what you have to say. I know that you are reading from various parts of the country, and since I've never been out of the South, I would really welcome getting to know you.

I know you're out there, Providence, Rhode Island. San Jose, California, I see that you've been here. And all you Texas people, hey, Texas is already being represented here, but you're welcome to join in too! (Texans must really like blogging. Or is it just that there are a lot of Texans?)

But even if you decide not to comment, know that I'm glad you're here.

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I just thought of something. Maybe you keep coming back just to see what sort of drivel I'm going to come up with next. That's all right too!

Hope to hear from you!

It's Good to be a Heathen

I really like not being a regular church-goer. If the opportunity of a fun outing offers itself on a Sunday morning, I don't have to pass it up, and I don't have to justify to all my church friends why I missed church last week. It's also good to have friends and family who either aren't church-goers or who don't mind at all missing church in order to have fun with friends and family.

This Sunday afforded us the opportunity to take a canoe trip down the Caney Fork River with family and friends. (The friends are church-goers, but apparently they felt compelled to miss without guilt this day.) We put our canoes in at the Center Hill Dam and floated nine miles downstream to Betty's Island, stopping for lunch at Happy Hollow. We had our coolers strapped to a float that we pulled behind one of the canoes, so we were able to carry more than just a sandwich and bottle of water apiece. People who see us always comment on what a great idea it is, as if they couldn't have thought of it themselves.

Everyone we met out on the river was friendly and considerate. You know that commercial with the boaters waving to each other? Canoers and people fishing do the same thing, but we can chat because we don't have loud motors going. Actually we did see a couple of canoes with motors, but they weren't loud enough to keep us from exchanging pleasantries. And we saw some interesting things too. Before we saw the guy, we smelled his weed. He was sitting in a fishing boat not fishing--he said he'd already caught his limit. I guess he just hadn't smoked his limit yet.

Out in the river, away from the distractions of daily life, everyone is pretty much in the same boat, pun intended. Everyone speaks to each other as equals; no one is better than anyone else. You can be friendly with the guy who's getting high just as easily as you can with the game warden. The journey along the river and all that the journey brings is more important than reaching the getting out place.

We had a good time just floating along, laughing and talking, seeing wildflowers and cows, and stopping every now and then to put our feet in the cold water. If you think you'd have a good time enjoying God's outdoor church some Sunday morning, you can go with us next time.

It Begins

As I knew would happen, Hilleary and Bryant have already said what a great senator Corker will be. Puleeeze!

Corker seems to have already come up with a mantra: "You have a choice between me, a (fill in the blank), or a career politician from Washington; me, a (fill in the blank again), or a career politician from Washington.

By the time November arrives, I'm gonna need some Head On applied directly to the forehead. Head On applied directly to the forehead.

I Approve This Message

I'll be really glad when Friday gets here and this primary election is over with. I am sick of hearing these republican candidates for senate slinging mud at each other and giving each other down the road over who lies and who hires illegals and this, that, and the other. The really ironic thing about it all is that on Thursday night when we find out who has won, the two losers will say how much they support the winner and how he's the best man for the job and a whole bunch of other BS.

Yesterday I finally figured out whom I'll vote for for county mayor. There are three guys in the race, but one of the guys has a commercial that makes it sound like there are only two people running. I heard on the news last night that the one candidate has spent $300,000 and the next guy has spent $130,000. The other guy (the one who doesn't count) has spent only $5000 and won't allow anyone to contribute more than $100 to his campaign. I'm going to vote for him.

Another good thing is that after tomorrow I'll get fewer campaign flyers in my mailbox. Every day I receive flyers from at least four different candidates running for something. Yesterday I got one from a guy who I think I went to high school with. It started out, "Dear Republican Friend," and it said, "Put a Reagan Republican on the State Executive Committee." That one went straight into the garbage. But at least this guy let me know what party he is affiliated with. Have you noticed that almost no one in the local races is coming right out and saying whether they are democrat or republican? Are they ashamed to say which party they are with? That speaks volumes about how people feel about our two main parties.

Yes, I'm looking forward to the end of this election cycle, but I'm afraid that it will only get worse before the general election in November.

Go out and vote tomorrow, or don't. It really doesn't matter because no matter who's elected, it's going to be the same old crap that it always has been.

I'm JMG, and I approve this message.

The Rich Get Richer

On Friday, the House passed a bill which raises the minimum wage to $7.25 over a period of two years. This would be the first time in nine years that the minimum wage has gone up. It’s a nice gesture, but a little late considering how much the cost of groceries and gas has risen in nine years.

Attached to the minimum wage bill is a proposal to cut the estate tax, a bill which republicans have been trying desperately to pass and which benefits only the richest Americans.

Here’s a very interesting analysis of the bill (from Axcess News):

The minimum wage increase helps some 6.6 million Americans with an average dollar benefit of $1,200. The estate tax cut benefits some of the nation's wealthiest, about 8,200 people, with an average dollar benefit of $1.4 million.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said Friday that the House approach of marrying the minimum wage hike to estate tax cuts juxtaposes policies that are aimed at two groups at opposite ends of the economic spectrum.

The Center argued that the House version of the legislation passed on Friday doesn't give minimum wage earners a benefit from $7.25 per hour level for two years. The citizen's advocacy group also said that the estate tax will only benefit the nation's wealthiest individuals.

The Center stated that, "While these income gains could be critical to the well-being of a low-income family, the dollar amount of the gain pales in comparison to the dollar gains for estates benefiting from the House estate tax proposal. The Tax Policy Center estimates that in 2011 an estate tax with a $10 million per couple exemption ($5 million per individual) and with tax rates of 15 percent and 30 percent - similar to the proposal under consideration in the House - would yield an average tax cut of $1.4 million for the 8,200 beneficiaries, relative to making the 2009 estate-tax parameters permanent. Thus, the average tax benefit for these estates would be more than 1,000 times the average yearly income gain for workers who would benefit from the minimum wage change. Moreover, the benefit of the estate tax reduction would grow with the size of the estate -- for example, the Tax Policy Center analysis shows that the 900 estates worth more than $20 million would receive an average tax cut of $5.6 million in 2011."

I'm Thinking About You, Mrs. Mackey

I've been following the news about the trial of David Gilley, who is accused of killing Laura Salmon back in 1984. I started high school that year, so Laura's death was a big topic among students a couple of years older than me. Because I did not know her, however, I never really had more than a passing interest in the conversations.

When I became a senior, Laura's mother, Lourene Mackey, was my English teacher. Let me tell you that she was a fabulous teacher! I learned how to write a research paper in her class, and I think her meticulous instruction is what helped me to succeed in college English. I won't say that Mrs. Mackey was necessarily an inspiration to my becoming an English teacher--several factors played a role in that decision--but she had a great teaching style that made me want to be in class. And I can't say that the way she carried herself through her grief was inspiring to me either because I wasn't really that aware of the situation back then. But looking back on it, I have a real respect for her for carrying on with life and making sure that her students learned what they needed to know, and I hope that this trial can bring a speedy conclusion to a long chapter in her life.

Scammer Round Two

I was right. The scammer hasn't called, but he did email me again. Here's what he said:

Hello there
How are you doing and how is the going over there,I am out of state
rightnow as i am now in australia i had to come down here for a business trip
and i am not allow to recieve calls due to the conferences we came for but i
have access to mails,i would have like to come and text drive the truck but its
due o my absence in state ok i really need the truck for my new project and i
will be making the payment through cashier check which is drawn from my US Bank account and once you get your money the shippers will be coming for the pick up at your location ok send me your full name and contact address for immediate payment also let me know the final asking price of the truck including the taxes tittle ok get back to me asap
Best Regards

He completely disregarded my statement that I deal only in cash, and he asked for personal contact information again after I explicitly stated that I wouldn't give out that information. So I emailed him back saying that the truck has been sold. Unfortunately, the email address, mensfield_dee@fastermail.com, is now defunct. So I'll probably hear from this guy again.

I would love to figure out a way to scam this scammer, but I'm afraid there's no way to beat him at his own game. I have perused some of the scambaiter websites, but everyone who has played the game just strings along the scammer for a while until he finally gets fed up and goes away.

Do you have any creative suggestions for me, or should I just ignore him the next time he emails?

I Wasn't Born Yesterday, Sucka!

Husband recently decided to sell his pickup truck, so I put an ad in the Wheels and Deals last week. I can't believe how much it costs now to list an item with a picture. I remember when a three week ad cost only $15. Anyway, that's not the story.

Monday morning when I checked my email, I had an inquiry about the truck. Now, I did not list an email contact in the ad. Apparently Wheels and Deals has an automated anonymous feedback system, and that's how this person emailed me. I thought it was sort of odd that someone wouldn't just pick up the phone and call, and I really thought it was odd when I opened the email, which came from mensfield_dee@fastermail.com.

I am interested in immediate purchase of your Truck and i will be making the payment rightaway,will like to know the working condition and final asking price and also send me some pics of the truck ok get back to me asap Best Regards

Now, being an English teacher, I was particularly offended by the text of the message, but I decided to put that aside and give this person the benefit of the doubt. Of course, the word "scam" was running through my mind, but perhaps, I thought, this person might be legitimate. So I sent some extra pictures and even provided an additional phone number. I did not give a final asking price, opting instead to let Husband do that. Then I sent the email and forgot about it all.

Until this morning when I checked my email again and found this message from mensfield_dee:

Hello there

How are you doing i hope all is moving on smoothly if so give thanks to amighty,I will give you a call soonest,I really need the truck and i wil be making the payment rightaway and once you recieve your money we will be arranging for the pick up at your location ok send me your full name and contact address for immediate payment also let me know the final asking price ok get back to me asap

Best Regards

Of course now there's no doubt in my mind that this is a scam. Some sucker thinks I'm going to give him my name and address so that he can send me a bogus check for more than the purchase price and then have me send him back the difference. Who does he think he's fooling?

I started to reply that he'd better give thanks to "amighty" that I don't know his real name and address and then say something about a shotgun, but I was a little more polite than that. Instead I replied:

Your email sounds really shady to me. If you want to make a deal on the truck, then call the phone number listed in the ad. I will not send you any personal information. If you want to come see the truck, I will be happy to sell it to you, but I only take cash.

Do you think he'll call? I'm betting not.

Do Huggies Come in Adult Sizes?

At least once every two weeks, I get free samples and coupons that I neither need nor want. Somehow Pampers and Huggies and Luvs think that I need their products. I'll admit that I do save the shampoo and lotion samples, but if I had saved all the diapers that I've gotten in the mail, I'd have enough to make some mom really happy. Today I received a newborn size Huggies diaper sample. If Huggies follows the same pattern as Pampers and Luvs, during the next few months they'll be sending more sample diapers in increasingly larger sizes. I guess I can be thankful they're not dirty.

Nobody in my house can use diapers, but in about twenty years, I'll probably look forward to finding some Depends in my mailbox.

My Opinion About a Dumb Question

The question I asked in my previous post seems to have struck a nerve in some people. I’ll tell you that I do not have a good answer to the question, but I’ll offer an opinion.

The problem lies in selfishness. It’s very easy to have an opinion about frozen embryos because they don’t require action on our parts. Frozen embryos are stored away in a container in a lab, and we don’t have to do anything to provide for their needs. It’s easy to fight for the rights of an embryo because it’s going to stay in the freezer until someone wants to have a baby, and then that person will be the one responsible for taking good care of it. We don’t have to be involved at all. We can make a call to our senator and tell him how we want him to vote, and then we can sit back and feel good that we have helped save a life.

But it’s a different story when the children are already born. We prefer not to get involved with that argument because to do so means that we may actually have to get up and do something. If I see a child suffering, then it’s my responsibility to take some action to make sure that child gets the care it needs. However, that’s going to require some effort and sacrifice on my part, an inconvenience that will disrupt my comfortable life. Most of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, prefer not to get our hands dirty. The extent of our involvement usually consists of referring someone to the appropriate government agency.

When we look at the TV or magazine pictures and see children—or any other innocent people—dead from bomb blasts, we can take the easy way out and place the blame on such-and-such group. If that group would only see the error of its ways and concede that it is wrong, this senseless killing wouldn’t happen. The blood is on their hands, we say. And when the “right” side in the conflict fires a missile into a civilian area and kills innocent people, we shake our heads and call it the unfortunate consequences of war. If such-and-such group hadn’t provoked the “right” side, we say, this wouldn’t have happened. We can then sit back and feel bad for the innocent people while at the same time comfort ourselves knowing that while we personally can’t do anything to alleviate the suffering, at least we are taking the right side in the conflict.

I’ll admit that there isn’t really much we as ordinary people can do to help innocent people in a war zone. However, we can do more than what we’re doing now. Instead of trying to figure out which side in a debate is the more moral side, we can go out and sacrifice our time and energy to help someone who needs it, whether we like that person or not. That’s always the moral thing to do.

Dumb Question

Why is it that when a frozen embryo is killed, that's immoral, but when an innocent child is killed in a war zone, that's collateral damage?

If we can't get any better candidates than this, I think I'll just stop voting.

My county commissioner is running for re-election, and lately I had resigned myself to the idea that he had no competition because his were the only campaign signs I had seen. However, recently I saw another person's sign, and I went to the county election website and found the sample ballot. I was relieved to find out that I have another choice, and it looks like a pretty decent alternative.

I received a mailer from my commissioner yesterday, and I was embarrassed for him. Now, I occasionally misspell a word or make a grammar mistake on this blog, and I'm an English teacher, but if I were sending out a mailer to several thousand of my "constitutes," I'd be sure to pay several other people to proofread it and correct all of "it's" numerous mistakes.

I have no idea how my commisioner was elected in the first place. Don't ever say that a "regular" person can't be elected because he is living proof that it happens. My commisioner used to live on my street, so I know what one of his hobbies is, and lots of other people who live in my part of the county also participate in the same activity. However, I had no idea that the fighting rooster crowd was large enough to keep a commisioner in office. There must be more powerful people in that crowd than I imagined.

Firstfruits

This is my first ripe tomato from the vine this season. What a great tomato sandwich it's going to make!

Perpetuating Suffering is Never Excusable

In a previous post, I discussed the situation for non-Jewish resident aliens living inside ancient Israel. In short, foreigners who wanted to live in Israel were to be treated the same as Jewish citizens and enjoy the same rights and privileges. The Jews were not allowed to mistreat, exploit, or oppress any foreigner in the same way that they themselves were oppressed while in captivity in Egypt.

Today in Israel we see oppression of Palestinians by Israelis. The political situation does not matter. Disputes over who owns what land do not matter. It does not matter who fired the first rocket at whom. What does matter is that innocent human beings are suffering. That is a fact.

As the side with the most power in the conflict, Israel should be the first to come to the aid of innocents whether they be Israelis or Palestinians. Countries that say they support Israel should point out where Israel is falling short and make an effort to help correct the situation. The United States is led by a man who claims Jesus Christ as his favorite philosopher. If this is so, then this man knows that Jesus preached reconciliation, reaching out in love to our enemies. For this man to say simply that Israel should exercise restraint in an effort to reduce collateral damage is merely an approval of the continuation of suffering.

A long time ago, when the first king of Israel did a terrible injustice to innocent people, someone was bold enough to step up and confront that king’s actions. If the leader of the United States is the Christian that he is purported to be, then he too will step up and point out when injustice is taking place. He will not offer tacit approval by turning a blind eye.

This, in fact, should be the attitude of all Christians. Instead of being on the side that’s most powerful or that’s “right,” we should be on the side of the one who is suffering, and that may mean we have to be on both sides or not choose a side at all. There is no “you’re either with us or against us” if innocent people are suffering on the other side.

A Cold Supper

Last night Husband and I went to eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. As we were seated and began to munch on chips and salsa, I couldn't help but notice the family in the booth across from us. The woman sat on one side by herself all the way next to the wall. The man sat on the other side all the way next to the aisle, and the little girl, about three years old, sat next to him (this was one of those really wide booths that can sit three adults on each side). The woman stared out the door of the restaurant, and the man stared in the other direction toward the kitchen, while the little girl kept herself busy finishing her meal. No one spoke except for when the man answered his phone, which rang three different times.

I said to Husband, "Those people don't like each other very much." He was sitting at such an angle that he couldn't easily see the other couple, so I described the situation. Occasionally he stole a glance in their direction to see what was happening.

After the second phone call, the man tossed his keys over to the woman, apparently indicating that she could go sit in the car if she wanted (I couldn't hear what was said). They had finished their meal and were waiting for the child to finish, neither really paying her much attention. She seemed oblivious to what was happening. The woman did not take the keys and leave. Instead, she replied something to him (again unaudible to me), and as she did she made a gesture with her hand sort of like a chopping motion. She was obviously pissed off at this guy. As she spoke, she looked at him with the coldest look I have ever seen--not a look of anger or hurt, but one that lacked any passion at all. If he had suddenly keeled over and died, she would have picked up her child and walked out of the restaurant without a backward glance.

I relayed all of this to Husband, who even though he couldn't see much, could tell without a doubt, even from only cursory glances, that this couple was not happy and probably had not been for a while. We remarked on how sad the situation was, especially for the little girl.

There's really not a point to this story, no real reason for telling it to you except that it was an interesting look into the lives of other people. It's amazing what you can tell about someone just from a brief encounter. It's also surprising that people who have such an intense problem don't even try to mask it in public. If they are that transparent out in front of strangers, I wonder how horrible life must be at their home in private where they can say and do what they want. I can't imagine what their little girl is exposed to. I imagine that family is a divorce in the making.

Disgusting

President Bush is urging Israel to exercise restraint and limit the number of civilian causualties and damage to civilian facilities in their attacks.

How much restraint is the US exercising in Iraq to keep their civilians safe?

Vacation Bible School Redux

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to installing a counter on this blog. For those of you who don’t know, I can now log into my Sitemeter account and find out all sorts of neat stuff about the people who visit. One interesting thing I can find out is the search terms that people use in Google that lead people to my blog. By far, the most viewed page on my blog is my post about Vacation Bible School. Lots of people are googling the terms arctic edge theme craft snacks songs. Apparently, lots of churches are doing this Arctic Edge VBS, but they don’t have much of an idea of what songs to sing, what crafts to make, and what snacks to serve.

Here’s my suggestion: Stick with what you know. If you don’t know anything about the Arctic, then don’t try to work it into your VBS program. If you can’t figure out how to use a popular theme to connect kids with God and Jesus, then just stick with what’s in the bible. The kids will get more out of it; you’ll get more out of it, and Jesus will likely appreciate not having to dress up in a parka in the middle of July.

If you must have a theme, though, I do have good news for you. Next summer Jesus gets to play football. I'm sure the men in the church will not lack for ideas on that one.

Van Hilleary must still be mad about losing the governor's race.

I was just looking at Van Hilleary's website and noticed a common theme in his language:

fighter for the conservative cause
fight his way through the House
stood up to anyone...taking on members of his own party
took on ex-governor Don Sundquist
fight for our principles

And in his new TV ad, he's saying we should vote for him because when he was in Congress he consistently voted against Bill Clinton more than anyone else, and if he's elected to the Senate he'll fight against Hillary Clinton. Van Hilleary's language shows that he cares more about fighting to get his own way than working together with others to get something done. I'll bet he received unsatisfactory marks on his kindergarten report card in "Plays Well With Others."

In Search of Brisket

I have been sitting here watching the Food Network's shows about barbeque contests, and it's making me want some good brisket. Husband and I went to the new Famous Dave's in Smyrna last weekend and were sorely disappointed. When we first started eating at Famous Dave's a few years ago, we were really impressed with their brisket, but here lately the meat is full of fat and doesn't have a very good flavor. If I'm going to pay ten dollars for a plate of barbeque, I want something better than what they've been serving lately.

We built a smoker on our patio a couple of years ago, but it hasn't seen much action lately. With it being so hard to find good beef already cooked, I think it's time to fire up the smoker and stay up all night.

God Was at the Lake

The holiday weekend was really nice. Husband was off four four days, and he's off again today too because it's raining. Today will probably be a lazy lay-around-on-the-couch day.

We spent Saturday night at the lake on Husband's brother's houseboat. That was fun, but the next morning as I was lying in the sun working on my tan, I got some bug bites that are still itching this morning.

We saw this funny sign on the way to the marina:

The church was just a little white, wood-frame church; it looked relatively harmless, but we hurried past it anyway. We knew God wasn't there because another church had a sign that said God would be there on Sunday.

Last night we sat out in our yard and watched my brother shoot off some fireworks. We could also see the ones from two neighbors', and we could hear the repercussions from other displays that we couldn't see. I wonder if that's what it sounds like in a war zone?

All in all, my long weekend was pretty uneventful and relaxing, and I'm looking forward to another month and a half of uneventful relaxing summer before school starts.

Don't Make a Federal Case Out of Homeowner Association Rules

The flag desecration amendment did not pass this week, but another flag bill did. H.R. 42, the "Freedom to Display the Flag" bill makes it illegal for condominiums and neighborhood associations to place restrictions on the size and placement of the flag as displayed by residents.

I will agree that homeowners' associations sometimes create really stupid rules. I would never live in a neighborhood that imposed regulations on what decorations I can and cannot have in my yard or whether I can have my garage door up. If I like plastic pink flamingoes, then I should be able to have them in my yard if I want.

However, many people live in such neighborhoods because those areas tend to denote a certain lifestyle. The restrictions placed on homeowners discourage certain types of people from living there. People who don't care to keep up landscaping guidelines or who can't afford to hire landscapers to keep up their flowerbeds tend not to live in these neighborhoods. People who own a bass boat or a camper trailer but who can't afford to pay the fee involved in keeping it at a storage unit so that it won't clutter up the driveway will be discouraged from living in restricted neighborhoods. And certainly someone who would put a car up on blocks in the front--or back--yard would not be allowed to live in those areas. Neighborhood associations exist for the sole purpose of "keeping up appearances," of pricing the "less desireable" people out of the market.

So, when you move into a neighborhood that imposes restrictions on its residents, you shouldn't complain even when the restriction applies to the display of the flag. You chose to live in an exclusive neighborhood. You chose to live under a certain set of rules so that you can enjoy a certain lifestyle. If you want the rules changed in your little world, then get together with your neighbors and participate in democracy and vote as a neighborhood to change the rules. Don't put it off on a federal government that has much bigger things to worry about.

Politics as Usual, This Time at the County Level

I just love the way the local news reporters are trying to make us feel better about a property tax hike in Rutherford County. The tax rate is going up by 9 cents, but that isn’t as bad, they say, as the original plan which would have us paying 26 cents more. Oh, I feel so much better. What the news reports have failed to mention is the fact that we received new property tax assessments last month. The appraised value of my house went up over $50,000 since the previous assessment (which couldn’t have been more than four years ago). This made the assessed value go up by over $11,000. When I do the math, I find that my effective tax increase will be nearly 60 cents. Who do they think they’re fooling?

I suppose I should be comforted by the fact that they think my house is worth so much, but I’ll bet that if the county suddenly wanted my land for something, they wouldn’t want to pay me what they say is the appraised value.

Same Song, Different Verse

Now it has been revealed that the U. S. government has been tracking the bank transactions of American citizens--but only international transactions. Only transactions in which money is transferred overseas are being watched. Why do I believe that this song can be sung to the same tune as "We're only keeping track of international phone calls"?

Starting Over

Over the weekend I heard some political news that I wanted to rant about, but I didn't want to post over my discussion of miracles. So in an effort to rant when I want and to also have an ongoing discussion of spiritual/biblical matters, I have re-formatted this blog, and I have created a new one called "Musings From the Chariot." I created the name from the story in Acts 8 of Philip riding in the chariot with the Ethiopian eunuch and explaining the scriptures to him. I figure that like the eunuch, all of us are lacking some understanding, but like Philip, all of us can offer some explanations as well. (Just what did you think I was going to say that the eunuch was lacking?)

I have copied my Miracles post and placed it on the new blog, and I took the liberty of reproducing Tony's comment (I hope you don't mind, Tony) over there as well, so go on over and take a look if you want.

I Am SO Excited!!

I can hardly believe it! This is the most exciting thing to happen to me in a long time! (That's pretty sad when you stop to think about it.)

I was quoted at Slate.com. Check out the third paragraph.

OK, now that the excitement has passed, let's go back to my previous post and have a discussion.

Receiving a Miracle

Matthew 13.53-58 relates the story of the people of Nazareth not believing in Jesus because they knew him and his family so well. Verse 58 ends the account by saying that Jesus did not do any miracles there because of the people's unbelief. However, Mark 6.1-6 tells the same story but says that Jesus could not do any powerful miracles there except for healing a few sick people.

So which is it? Did Jesus choose not to do any big miracles in Nazareth because the people didn't believe in him, or did he have an inability to do big miracles? I have a theory: Perhaps Jesus healed a few sick people because those sick people believed he could do it, but he didn't perform great public miracles--like turning water into wine or multiplying bread and fish--because the people as a whole didn't believe in him. I think that besides the power of the one performing the miracle, the belief of everyone involved is a key ingredient.

Matthew 9.27-31 relates a story of Jesus healing some blind men. Before healing them, he asks them if they believe that he can heal them, and they answer that, yes, they do. Jesus replies, "According to your faith, it will be done." The mens' faith plays a part in their receiving a miracle. Jesus reinforces this idea with his disciples in an account in Mark 11.20-26. He tells them that when they pray, they must have complete faith that God will grant their request; in fact, they must believe that what they are asking for is occuring even as they ask it. This principle is demonstrated in Matthew 8 and Luke 7 when a Roman centurian comes and asks Jesus to heal his servant. The centurian tells Jesus not to bother coming to his house because he knows that Jesus has the authority to perform a miracle from where he stands. Jesus commends the man for his faith and says that what he has requested will be done. The man's servant was healed in that very hour. Obviously, the centurion's belief in Jesus' power played a role in the healing of the servant.

The gospels record many instances of Jesus condemning the people because of their lack of belief. Our belief in God's ability to provide is key to our receiving anything from him. Does this mean that if we truly believe that God will do it, we can ask for anything and receive it? I'll discuss that next.

Poem for the First Day of Summer

"Summer Wind"
William Cullen Bryant

IT is a sultry day; the sun has drank

The dew that lay upon the morning grass,

There is no rustling in the lofty elm

That canopies my dwelling, and its shade

Scarce cools me. All is silent, save the faint

And interrupted murmur of the bee,

Settling on the sick flowers, and then again

Instantly on the wing. The plants around

Feel the too potent fervors; the tall maize

Rolls up its long green leaves; the clover droops

Its tender foliage, and declines its blooms.

But far in the fierce sunshine tower the hills,

With all their growth of woods, silent and stern,

As if the scorching heat and dazzling light

Were but an element they loved. Bright clouds,

Motionless pillars of the brazen heaven;--

Their bases on the mountains--their white tops

Shining in the far ether--fire the air

With a reflected radiance, and make turn

The gazer's eye away. For me, I lie

Languidly in the shade, where the thick turf,

Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun,

Retains some freshness, and I woo the wind

That still delays its coming. Why so slow,

Gentle and voluble spirit of the air?

Oh, come and breathe upon the fainting earth

Coolness and life. Is it that in his caves

He hears me? See, on yonder woody ridge,

The pine is bending his proud top, and now,

Among the nearer groves, chesnut and oak

Are tossing their green boughs about. He comes!

Lo, where the grassy meadow runs in waves!

The deep distressful silence of the scene

Breaks up with mingling of unnumbered sounds

And universal motion. He is come,

Shaking a shower of blossoms from the shrubs,

And bearing on the fragrance; and he brings

Music of birds, and rustling of young boughs,

And sound of swaying branches, and the voice

Of distant waterfalls. All the green herbs

Are stirring in his breath; a thousand flowers,

By the road-side and the borders of the brook,

Nod gaily to each other; glossy leaves

Are twinkling in the sun, as if the dew

Were on them yet, and silver waters break

Into small waves and sparkle as he comes.

What's the Theme This Summer?

Vacation Bible School is starting up again. I can remember going to VBS every year when I was a kid. In fact, sometimes I went to more than one during a summer. They always played out the same way. We'd start by lining up outside, and the adults would choose three kids to get to carry the bible, the American flag, and the Christian flag. Those three kids would stand up at the front of the line and lead all the rest of the kids into the church building. Then we'd sing some songs, and then we'd go to our respective classes. I don't remember much about the actual lessons. I know that we read from the bible and had to learn a "memory verse" like "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, Isaiah 53:6." (Funny how that came flooding back all of a sudden, and I heard it in my head being said by little kid voices.) Hwwever, I do remember making different little art projects like a bottle covered with small pieces of masking tape and then painted with shoe polish--to make it look like an antique vase with cracks in it. Another year we made a cross out of matches. That sounds like it wouldn't be much to it, but what we did was we struck a bunch of matches and then immediately blew them out and then laid them out in rows and columns to create a cross with sort of a shadow effect. It was pretty enough that parents could frame it and hang it on the wall. I remember that my grandma had one hanging in her house after that particular year. If I remember right, she may have been the one to help all us kids make those. Anyway, we'd do art and then we'd have a snack consisting of Kool-aid and those little lemon-flavored flower-shaped cookies with the hole in the middle, and then we'd go outside and have a game of Red Rover. Nowadays you'll be hard pressed to find a VBS that allows the kids to play with matches and then go play Red Rover.

A few years ago, I volunteered to help out with VBS at church. VBS has changed a lot since I grew up. For those of you who haven't payed attention, VBS has a new theme every year. The year I helped out it was "Wild Frontier Bible Theme Park"--we had to yell "Yee-haw" every now and then. Really cheesy! This year I've noticed that a couple of churches are doing one called "Arctic Edge." What kind of theme is that? Perhaps it is one that can be modified for the particular political leaning of the church or community--if you're more Democrat you can teach the kids about the fact that the Arctic glaciers are melting and that we need to be good to the earth that God gave us. If you're more Republican then you can teach the kids that global warming is a myth and that the Arctic contains oil that God gave us to use so that we can be better able to truck food to other kids that don't have any. (I'm kidding.) (Sort of.)

Yes, nowadays everything that takes place at VBS has to adhere to the theme, from the songs to the craft projects (not good crafts that took the whole week to make like when I was a kid), even down to the snack, which the children prepare for themselves from ingredients handed out by the adults. You know, some big company pays people to come up with these themes, compose new songs to fit the theme, make up a weird snack, and create a craft project for every day of the event--a craft likely made from paper and cardboard components that come in the VBS kit and that will probably end up in the trash the very next week. Some CEO is making big bucks off of these churches who think that they have to transform the church building into a scene from a big budget movie in order for kids to learn something about God. It's too bad that the message of Christianity has become so boring that we have to dress it up with a theme.

I realize that kids naturally have short attention spans, and the fact that the media constantly bombard them with ever-changing stimuli doesn't help, but it seems that church is exacerbating the problem by dressing Jesus up so that he can compete with the latest video game. The message of Jesus is unchanging; he shouldn't have to put on a different costume every summer so that kids will pay attention to him. And anyway, I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever the current VBS theme is, it's going to blend in so much with whatever movies the kids watch and whatever vacation they go on this summer that the message the kids are supposed to remember about Jesus won't even be that memorable.

----------------------------------

As I was writing this, I looked online at some various VBS themes and found this one that is particularly disturbing: Army Adventure Camp. Go take a look at it.

Immigration Reform is Eroding the Rights of Citizens

The immigration reform measures being debated in Congress right now are about much more than illegal immigration. One section of the immigration reform bill (H. R. 4437) provides for the verification of the status of all people applying for employment in the United States. Under the guise of controlling the inflow of immigrants and keeping track of “guest workers,” our government will set up a database which will more easily identify who is and is not eligible to work in our country. This will include U.S. citizens as well as non-citizens. Sections 701, 702, and 703 of the House version of the bill stipulate that not only will people applying for jobs be subject to verification, but eventually (within six years of the bill’s passing) all previously hired people in any job will be checked. In other words, anyone who is working at a job will have his or her social security number run through the government database in order to verify whether or not he or she is eligible to work in the United States.

You may be wondering why this measure is any different from the current paperwork you fill out when you are hired at a new job. Currently, when we get a new job, we must fill out an I-9 form and provide our new employer with a copy of our social security card. An I-9 form, you may remember, is a form you sign verifying your legal status to work in the United States--sort of like "your word is your bond." This form is kept on file in your employer’s human resource office. If a question comes up about your status, the government can review the documentation you have provided. With the establishment of a centralized database, however, employers can call a toll-free number and receive instant verification of your identity and employment eligibility status before hiring you. If for some reason the database suspects a fraudulent use of your social security number, the Department of Homeland Security will conduct an investigation. If the investigation does not indicate any fraudulent use, the employer can then feel free to hire you. (The bill contains a provision stating that the federal government cannot be held liable for mistakes that cause you not to be hired.)

(The above summary is based on my brief reading of the very intense bill, and on readings of summaries of the bill that I found online.)

If this system will help the authorities to catch illegal aliens, why am I concerned? If I have done everything right, why do I have a problem with the use of a centralized database? In this age of identity theft, it’s entirely possible that someone could get his or her hands on my social security number and use it without my knowledge. By the time the mess is cleared up and I am proven to have done nothing wrong, I could have been without a job for a while. And that’s the fundamental problem of this system: If a check of my social security number indicates some fraud, rather than being presumed innocent, I have to be proven innocent, and I cannot work until I have done so.

Here’s something else that bothers me: As we have recently learned, the federal government has been collecting our phone records for quite some time in an effort to “to form a database to detect potential terrorist activity,” according to an NPR story. According to a story in the Washington Post, “Intelligence analysts are seeking to mine [phone company] records to expose hidden connections and details of social networks, hoping to find signs of terrorist plots in the vast sea of innocent contacts.” The USA-PATRIOT Act loosened the rules that govern federal surveillance of U.S. citizens, all as part of an effort to identify potential terrorists. Our government can collect all types of information from banking records to lists of books terror suspects have checked out from the library. Judging from the fact that our president has admitted that the NSA has been spying on the phone records of all Americans and not just terror suspects, we can assume that the government is spying on other aspects of all Americans’ lives as well. A report by C-Net News.com reveals that in February of this year a federal judge ruled that under PATRIOT Act guidelines, federal officials may conduct surveillance of a person’s email simply by claiming that “the surveillance could conceivably be ‘relevant’ to an investigation.” This new email spying collects header information—email addresses of all correspondents. How long before all citizens' emails are considered relevant and this information added to the database?

Certainly, records of all Americans’ internet activities will also become relevant. If you will recall, the attorney general, in a speech concerning child pornography, recently discussed the urgent need for internet service providers to keep records of user activity for a “reasonable amount of time” in order “to make sure law enforcement has all the tools and information it needs to wage this battle” against those who sexually exploit children. How long, though, until the “battle” is extended to include those who may be “homegrown terrorists”?

Last week, Canadian police nabbed seventeen “homegrown” terror suspects—people who purportedly sympathized with terrorists, but rather than being foreigners as terror suspects frequently are, were Canadian residents or citizens. Reporting on this story a few nights ago, CBS news stated that U. S. officials believe this incident is “evidence the U.S. will soon be hit again by a terrorist attack. Privately, they say, they'd be surprised if it didn't come by the end of the year” and “they expect the next attack to be the work of homegrown terrorists.” This seems to mean that anyone in the United States is now under suspicion of being a potential terrorist, especially those who express disagreement with the activities of our government.

How does this all relate to the immigration bill? What better way to subdue potential terrorists—people who have expressed disagreement with the government but who haven’t actually done anything—than to flag their social security number and keep them tied up in a long investigation that will keep them from gaining employment, which would in turn prevent them from earning money to finance potential terror activities. Immigration reform is just the hot-button issue that will get many Americans to buy into more government intrusion into our lives, causing us to have to prove our worthiness rather than being presumed to be good citizens.

Lazy

I have things to blog about, but I don't really feel like it. I'm going to the pool.

That's Not News to Me

Last night on the local news I saw a story about new gourmet uses for cereal. The story featured a guy making a recipe called Captain Crunch Crab Cakes. The guy doing the cooking also has written a cookbook of recipes that use cereal, the cover of which appears prominently for a few seconds on the TV screen during the story.

Obviously, this story is not news. What this story is is a thinly disguised advertisement for this guy’s book. And what’s really bad is that it made me want a bowl of Captain Crunch. I’ll bet some people who saw this story are at the store today buying Captain Crunch.

Out of curiosity, I googled the recipe name and found that lots of TV stations have been airing this “news story” in the past few weeks. My guess is that this type of thing is rampant, and now I have to wonder how much of the “news” is really news or just advertisements dressed up as news stories. I found one website that has researched the use of “video news releases” on local news broadcasts, and it’s really interesting. I’m definitely going to watch the news with a more critical eye from now on.

A few months ago, we learned that the defense department was paying Middle Eastern newspapers to print stories that were favorable to the U.S. war effort. It’s a fact that our government spends millions of dollars on public relations in an effort to shape public opinion. If the corporations are paying companies to create “news stories” for broadcast on local news stations, I wonder how often the government does the same. How much of the news that we see is factual and how much is clever advertisement designed to make us have favorable opinions about what government is doing?

Am I the only one who is having trouble believing what I hear on the news?

What is Wrong With People?

Hat tip to my mom for telling me about this story.

"Mount Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary said Wednesday he was shocked that dozens of climbers left a British mountaineer to die during their own attempts on the world's tallest peak.

David Sharp, 34, died apparently of oxygen deficiency while descending from the summit during a solo climb last week.

More than 40 climbers are thought to have seen him as he lay dying, and almost all continued to the summit without offering assistance.

"Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain," Hillary was quoted as saying in an interview with New Zealand Press Association."

You can read the entire story here.

Ancient Israel's Resident Aliens

With all the talk about immigration these days, I thought I'd look in the bible and see how Israel handled foreigners who wanted to live in their land.

In the Old Testament, God gave Israel many instructions on how to treat people and how to live together peaceably. God was particularly concerned for three groups of people who were particularly vulnerable to oppression and poverty: widows, orphans, and the foreigners, also called aliens, who lived among the Israelites. The writer of Psalm 146 shows God’s concern for these groups: “The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked” (verse 9). Jeremiah 22.3 states, “This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” Many times, Israel’s sin involved oppression of helpless people, and God called this to Israel’s attention: “See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. ^ In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the alien and mistreated the fatherless and the widow” (Ezekiel 22.6-7). Clearly, God felt special concern for those who were most vulnerable, and he wanted Israel to make sure that these people were protected and treated with kindness and respect so that they would not fall into poverty.

God gave particular instructions for how to care for these groups of people: “At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, ^so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (Deuteronomy 14.26). Because these people did not own land, they had no means of growing food for themselves, so God instructed that the tithes be used for taking care of the people who had the most difficulty providing for their own welfare. Those who owned land and grew crops were also instructed to leave parts of each field unharvested so that the poor could gather food for themselves: “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. ^When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. ^When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24.19-21). Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were two people who benefited from this practice.

Aliens were a fact of life in Israel, and it was to be taken for granted that non-Israelis would live there. God had a specific reason to allow aliens to live within Israel, and he intended that they be treated fairly: “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. ^The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19.33-4). Several times, God commanded Israel to treat aliens with compassion and to remember that they themselves once were aliens enslaved in Egypt (e.g. Ex. 22.21, 23.9). Israel was to always remember what it was like to be oppressed by a more powerful nation.

Why did God place aliens in the same category as widows and orphans? Aliens had no share of the land of Israel, and apparently, many aliens were servants, doing menial jobs. In Deuteronomy 29.11 aliens are described as those “who chop your wood and carry your water.” Although many aliens occupied the position of servants, they, along with their poor counterparts, were not to be exploited: “Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge” (Deuteronomy 24.17). In court, aliens were to be treated fairly: “Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. ^Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike” (Deuteronomy 1.16b-17). In fact, God was so protective of these people that he said, “Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow” (Deuteronomy 27.19). Aliens also enjoyed the same rights as the Israelites and were allowed to worship in the same way. In describing the particular methods for offering sacrifices, God commanded, “Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. ^The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: ^The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you” (Numbers 15.13-6). Aliens were also subject to the same restrictions as the rest of Israel, including the restriction against working on the Sabbath (Exodus 23.12); they were also not to sacrifice their children to other gods (Leviticus 20.2); they were not to blaspheme the name of the Lord (Leviticus 24.16). Aliens were to follow the same laws of conduct as native-born Israelites (Leviticus 24.22) while at the same time enjoying the rights and privileges that native Israelites enjoyed. (It seems that the only rule that aliens did not have to follow was the ban on eating an animal found dead—Deuteronomy 14.21).

God reminds the Israelites that “the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants” (Leviticus 25.23). He tells them that if they do not obey his commands, they will fall into calamity and lose what they have been given. As a result, “The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. ^He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28.43-4). However, in Israel’s later history, the Israelites and aliens in the land will live as equals. Isaiah 56 describes a time when aliens in Israel will be blessed in the same manner as Israel, and Ezekiel 47.22-3 says that aliens will inherit land in Israel just as if they were Israelites.

It is obvious God welcomed anyone who wanted to live in his land and be governed by him. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament reinforce this fact. However, because Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament law, anyone who wants to follow the law of Christ--love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself--is welcome in God's land, his kingdom.

You may be wondering how all this informs my opinion on immigration in the United States. Tell me your opinions and I'll tell you mine!

Is it Just Me?

Am I the only one who thinks that President Bush wants to make the illegal immigrants legal so that he'll have more tax revenue for his wars and more warm bodies for his military?

And that the stationing of troops along the border won't be temporary and those troops will eventually be there to not only keep others out, but to keep us in as well?

Al Gore is a Funny Guy

Here he is on Saturday Night Live last night.

Yes, You're at the Right Place

Now that I'm done with school, I'm going to be playing with my blog template and go for a more exciting look. After nearly a year of blogging, I'm getting tired of looking at the same old stuff all the time.

I welcome your advice and tips.

Sex Offenders at McDonald's

One of our local (Nashville) TV investigative reporters has recently discovered that there is a large number of sex offenders working at various locations of McDonald's restaurants. I haven't watched the news reports about it, but just from the previews, it seems that this news is causing quite a stir in our community. I don't know what type of sex offenders McDonald's hires, but it seems that whether they hire child porn viewers or serial rapists, the news is being blown out of proportion.

Once sex offenders get out of jail, don't they need to have jobs? Why shouldn't they work at McDonald's? Is it because children come into the McDonald's? Children go to other places that a child molester could frequent. If some McDonald's worker is imagining doing terrible things to the little children in the Playplace, still, that's only his imagination; you can't arrest somebody for what goes on inside his head. If parents are that worried about it, they shouldn't take their kids to McDonald's. But then again, they shouldn't ever take their kids out of the house.

Perhaps people are upset about this because their teenage kids work at McDonald's. From what I understand, most sexual deviants do their "thing" in secret and aren't going to approach a potential victim in a way that may be observed by other employees in the restaurant. It's always possible that a teen may have to stay late and close the restaurant with a sexual deviant, but parents who are worried about that should forbid their teens to work that late. Personally, I'd be more fearful of a robbery happening at that time than an encounter with a sexually deviant co-worker.

Another reason people could be upset about these McDonald's employees is because a convicted rapist may try to stalk a customer. However, studies prove that people who are aware of their surroundings and take common sense precautions rarely become victims of attack.

People need to realize that no matter where they go, the potential exists that a sex offender may be there too. The reality of our world is that these people do exist, and they do have jobs out in the public. We can avoid becoming victims of these deviants by exercising some common sense. And if it makes you feel better to avoid places where a known sex offender works, then by all means, don't go to that place. In fact, I'd recommend avoiding McDonald's altogether anyway and choosing a healthier place to eat.

Summer's almost here!!!!

Although tomorrow is the official last day of classes, today is my last day. I am collecting my last set of research papers at 2:40 this afternoon (if you hear a big yell of joy around that time, you'll know why), and then I'll take the next couple of weeks to grade them. My grades are due on May 8 at 9:00, and at 9:05, I'll be officially on Summer break until sometime in late August.

Did I ever mention that I love being a teacher?

Got Insomnia? Try Prayer

When I go to bed at night, I fall asleep almost immediately and rarely have trouble sleeping through the night. Sometimes, though, I'll wake up and have trouble falling back asleep. Although I hate to admit it, if I start to pray, I'll usually fall back asleep pretty quickly. I feel sort of bad about it; I mean, here I am talking to God, and I fall asleep mid-sentence. But then again, maybe it's not such a bad thing; talking to God brings me the comfort and rest that I need.

Last night, my cell phone rang, waking me up at 10:35 (yes, I go to bed quite early). Now, it's rather unusual that my phone rings at home because we don't have a good signal out where I live. I knew that it had to be a student because everyone else that knows my number would be in bed asleep. I thought about just letting it ring, but I got up and answered anyway. Indeed, it was a student calling to inform me that he wouldn't be in class the following morning. The cellular signal was pretty bad, and the call was cut off pretty quickly, but before losing the signal completely, my student was able to tell me that he was in jail and would be there for three days. He mentioned his girlfriend (the mother of his baby son), and I heard the word "frustrated" and that was all. From what I could gather, some sort of domestic disturbance occured, and he's going to jail for it.

I know that this kid has been through a lot. His mom left when he was a baby because she was addicted to drugs; he just found his dad using cocaine; his relationship with his son's mother has been on the rocks, and he told me that he suspects that she's also using drugs. He works a regular job in addition to attending school so that he can provide good support for his son, and he's been a very good student--he writes very intelligent papers. He's a good kid, it seems, who is going through a really terrible time.

So last night's phone call was a little unsettling. I knew there was nothing I could do for him, so I got back into bed and tried to fall back asleep, realizing finally that I really needed to pray for this kid. It took nearly an hour of intermittent praying and dozing before I finally fell back into a sound and restful sleep. I guess he really needed somebody to pray for him last night, and God wouldn't let me sleep until it got done.

Thank Goodness the Sun is Shining Today

Today I completed my tax return and sent it along with a fat check to the IRS.

Today I am compiling business info in order to purchase additional insurance that the company we contract with is now requiring us to carry and that the insurance agent who is selling it to us says is a complete waste of money and entirely unnecessary. Another fat check to be written later this afternoon.

Somebody please say something that will make me feel good about wasting all this money today.

We're Still Here!

The weather did not get all that bad in my neck of the woods yesterday. We experienced some rain and lightning, but the wind didn't blow all that hard at our house. In fact, Husband and I spent some time joking about all the TV meteorologists getting the chance to play all day with their high-tech gear. The local CBS station had three meteorologists doing tag team storm tracking. Husband and I noticed, however, that none of them took off their jackets and loosened their ties during their marathon tornado-forcasting session. It was comforting to see them maintain a sense of decorum and professionality at the sacrifice of their own comfort in order to help viewers feel that the situation was endurable. Actually, I think they were having so much fun that they forgot they were wearing suits and ties.

All joking aside, we did have some family-by-marriage who lost their home yesterday. They were to have come to stay with my MIL last night, but as of 8:30 last night, they still had not arrived. I'm sure with all the roads closed coming out of the south side of their town, they had a difficult time getting here. Husband and I are still waiting to see if there's anything we can do to help. Several people died in their neighborhood yesterday, so we're thankful that they are OK.

More Readin' and Writin'

Wisdom from Festus Haggen:

"Supposin' I was to go to work and learn how to... to read writin'. Well, how'd I know that the feller that... that wrote the writin' was a writin' the writin' right? See it could be that he wrote the writin' all wrong. Here I'd be just a readin' wrong writin', don't ya see? You probably been doin' it your whole life, just a readin' wrong writin' and not even knowin' it."

Sometimes as I read my students' writing, I wonder why I bothered learning to read.

Readin', Writin', and Really Wishin' School Was Out

Have y'all noticed that over the past few months, my writing has become more sloppy and less focused? It seems that I have trouble writing more than a few sentences at a time, and the thoughts contained in those sentences aren't very good.

I was just looking over some of my previous blog posts from last summer, and I must say--at the risk of sounding conceited--I am impressed with what I read. However, I am also perplexed. It seems that when school started last fall, my writing skills began to go downhill. My mind began to lose its ability to think deeply about one topic for a long period of time. I'm moving from topic to topic, thinking only superficially about each one. Now, I hope this is simply because I haven't had adequate time to devote to thinking and writing. I fear, however, that my students' bad habits are starting to rub off on me. Maybe this problem will correct itself when school ends. (Only five more weeks!!!!!)

In an effort make the rest of the semester a little more interesting, and more importantly, to foster deeper thinking and understanding in my students, I have given them a new assignment for their last paper, which happens to be a long research paper. Their task is to research a topic that they don't know much about, one that they would like to be able to form an opinion about. They have to deal with topics from the following areas: a controversial issue for which they don't already hold a strong opinion; an event in history (like the Kent State riots or the Ruby Ridge incident); a belief system or belief-related practices (such as any religion or political philosophy, or practices such as polygamy or Veganism); or a culture/group/society (such as a gang, an ethnic group, or any other type of social/activist/interest group). The goal of the research is to learn about the subject and gain insights about the subject. My students don't have to come to an agreement with the beliefs being discussed, but they have to come to an understanding of why the people involved believe the way that they do. The paper the students will write will discuss the insights and understanding they have gained and show the reader how they came to these insights.

My students are actually quite excited about the research because they now have the chance to write about topics that normally would not be conducive to an English class or other college classes for that matter. They are choosing very interesing topics as well: With all the controversy around South Park and Tom Cruise lately, some are choosing to research Scientology. Others want to learn more about Islam. I also seem to have a lot of conspiracy theorists in my classes because some of the other topics include the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, the Skull and Bones Society, and the idea of the moon landing being a hoax. I hope that these papers will be fun to read.

What do you think?

What a Great Day!

Today I am wearing pants that I haven't been able to zip up in about two years! And they feel comfortable!!

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm."

I was talking with some colleagues about illegal immigration and got to wondering about something. The poem on the Statue of Liberty reads as follows:

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

I wonder, how many tired, poor, huddled, wretched, tempest-tossed people have the time it takes to go through the proper channels to come here legally?

UPDATE: I've been thinking some more about this. It seems that the poem on the Statue of Liberty does not express the genuine sentiment of most people in this country. We don't want poor, tired, wretched, homeless people. We don't want the refuse that other countries toss aside. We want rich, vibrant, educated people who will work hard to increase our economy.

Jesus must be so proud of us.

Do Unto Others Before They Can Do It Unto You

I haven't had much time to blog this week, but I heard this and had to say something.

From our president:

The United States has long maintained the option of preemptive actions to counter a sufficient threat to our national security. The greater the threat, the greater is the risk of inaction -- and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack. To forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United States will, if necessary, act preemptively.

This is like me saying that if I think someone who doesn't like me is planning to do me some harm--even if it's just a rumor, I can go over to his house and take him out before he can hurt me.

Yesterday afternoon I heard part of an interview on NPR in which a Catholic priest, a person who calls himself a Christian, advocated this doctrine. I was sickened by what I heard. You can listen to the entire interview here.

How long will it be before the government uses this doctrine against its own citizens?

If You Own a Horse (Or Cow, Or Goat, Or Chicken. . .), The Government Wants to Know

Before you buy your little girl that horse she’s been wanting, consider the paperwork that will soon be involved. Actually, the government wants to keep track of all farm-type animals—horses, cows, chickens, pigs, llamas, etc.—regardless of whether you own several or only one. The United States Department of Agriculture's National Animal Identification System will soon (by Jan. 2008) require that anyone who owns any type of farm animal register his or her premises (or home) as a place where farm animals are kept (you will have to submit GPS coordinates for the place that the animal lives), and owners will then be required to register each animal and have it implanted with an RFID chip. Any time that the animal is moved to another location—selling it, taking it on a trail ride, taking it to a 4-H show, taking it to the slaughterhouse to kill it for food, etc.—the owner will have to file the necessary paperwork with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

From the USDA-NAIS website:

In April 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the framework for implementing the NAIS—an animal identification and tracking system that will be used in all States and that will operate under national standards. When fully operational, the system will be capable of tracing a sick animal or group of animals back to the herd or premises that is the most likely source of infection. It will also be able to trace potentially exposed animals that were moved out from that herd or premises. The sooner animal health officials can identify infected and exposed animals and premises, the sooner they can contain the disease and stop its spread.

[ . . . ]

The first step in implementing the NAIS is identifying and registering premises that house animals. Such premises would include locations where livestock and poultry are managed, marketed, or exhibited. Knowing where animals are located is the key to efficient, accurate, and cost–effective epidemiologic investigations and disease–control efforts.

[ . . . ]

As premises are registered, another component of the NAIS—animal identification—will be integrated into the system. Unique animal identification numbers (AINs) will be issued to individually identified premises. In the case of animals that move in groups through the production chain—such as swine and poultry—the group will be identified through a group/lot identification number (Group/Lot IDs) [emphasis mine].

For every animal owned, the owner would have to register (for a fee) that animal and obtain a unique ID number for each. However, “[a]nimals that move in groups through the production chain” could be registered together with only one number, creating a substantial savings to the owner. These particular animals would be those born and raised on corporate farms (i.e. ConAgra, Tyson, etc.) and which remain grouped together from birth on the farm to death in the slaughterhouse. Obviously, small farms such as those operated by people who wish to raise their own beef or eggs will be exposed to a huge financial burden to the gain of the large corporate farms. And even if you are raising animals just for pleasure rather than food—such as owning a horse for occasional riding—you will be strapped with the extra burden of providing paperwork for every time that you take that horse on a ride off of your property.

This program has deep implications. Obviously, the large corporations will be in favor of any program that makes the consumer more dependent on them. If you are a person who likes to raise your own organic beef or who prefers eggs from the free range chickens that your neighbor raises, you will pay for that privilege. Big Brother is becoming much too big.

Not Chugging Beer at the Beach

This week is Spring Break, and today I'll finish grading a set of essays, and then later this week, I'll do my taxes. But at least I'm not at work for a week.

It's Time for a Book Burning

No, I'm not talking about censorship--I need some heat!

It is 63 degrees in my office. I know this because I brought a thermometer with me to find out just exactly how cold it is. 63 degrees doesn't sound so bad, and it wouldn't be if I were outside. However, right now I am in my office trying to type handouts and grade essays. I am running a space heater (that's the only reason it's 63 degrees in here), and I'm wearing a quilted down throw over my lap. I am refraining from putting my coat back on until I just can't stand it any longer. I would put on gloves to keep my fingers nimble (typing and writing is quite the challenge), but then it would be impossible to write or type.

I'm sure you are thinking that this is a temporary problem that will be better tomorrow; however, that is not the case. It is always cold in here. In fact, it stays so cold that I run the space heater even in August. To complain does no good. The pipes in this building are old; heat will never reach the cold dungeon deep in the bowels of Old Main.

I guess I should look on the bright side. I can leave a tuna sandwich out on my desk all day without any fear of it spoiling, and I'll have a refuge when global warming gets really bad.

Bloggers, News Informers, and Enemies

On 7 Feb. 2006 in a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing on wartime executive power, Senator Lindsey Graham made these statements to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

The FISA statute, in a time of war, is a check and balance. But here's where I think I'm your biggest fan. During the time of war, the administration has the inherent power, in my opinion, to surveil the enemy and to map the battlefield electronically -- not just physical, but to electronically map what the enemy is up to by seizing information and putting that puzzle together.

And the administration has not only the right, but the duty, in my opinion, to pursue fifth column movements.

And let me tell folks who are watching what a fifth column movement is. It is a movement known to every war where American citizens will sympathize with the enemy and collaborate with the enemy. And it's happened in every war.

And President Roosevelt talked about, "We need to know about fifth column movements."

So my friends on the other side, I stand by this president's ability, inherent to being commander in chief, to find out about fifth column movements, and I don't think you need a warrant to do that.

Graham went on to say, however, that when such information seems to implicate individual citizens, the administration must not be allowed to persue investigations independently without judicial oversight.

What constitutes, for Mr. Graham and those who think along the same lines, a “fifth column” movement? When the War on Terror (now being referred to by the Pentagon as “The Long War”) began, the President said that “You’re either for us, or you’re against us.” The attitude of the war supporters has been that those who speak against the war are undermining the mission and placing our troops in danger. Does a “fifth column” include only those who, as Graham said, “sympathize with the enemy and collaborate with the enemy,” or does that definition also include those who don’t sympathize with terrorists but genuinely oppose war or disagree with the President's policies?

Here are some highlights of a speech given 17 Feb. 2006 by Donald Rumsfeld at the Council on Foreign Relations in which he outlines the need for the military to engage in more effective communications within the various media:

Our federal government is really only beginning to adapt our operations to the 21st century. For the most part, the U.S. government still functions as a five and dime store in an eBay world. Today we’re engaged in the first war in history—unconventional and irregular as it may be—in an era of e-mails, blogs, Blackberrys, Instant Messaging, digital cameras, a global Internet with no inhibitions, cell phones, hand-held videocameras, talk radio, 24-hour news broadcasts, satellite television. There’s never been a war fought in this environment before.

[ . . . ]

The growing number of media outlets in many parts of the world still have relatively immature standards and practices that too often serve to inflame and distort, rather than to explain and inform. And while al Qaeda and extremist movements have utilized this forum for many years and have successfully further poisoned the Muslim’s public view of the West, we in the government have barely begun to compete in reaching their audiences.

[ . . . ]

What complicates the ability to respond quickly is that, unlike our enemies, which propagate lies with impunity with no penalty whatsoever, our government does not have the luxury of relying on other sources for information—anonymous or otherwise. Our government has to be the source, and we tell the truth.

[ . . . ]

We need to get better at engaging experts from both within and outside of government to help communicate, to rapidly deploying the best military communications capabilities to new theaters of operation, developing and executing multifaceted media campaigns—print, radio, television and Internet. But let there be no doubt: The longer it takes to put a strategic communication framework into place, the more we can be certain that the vacuum will be filled by the enemy and by news informers that most assuredly will not paint an accurate picture of what is actually taking place.

Does Donald Rumsfeld consider those bloggers who oppose the war and/or criticize the Bush administration's policies to be “news informers” who are not not telling the truth—unlike our government who always tells the truth? Are the people who vocally disagree with the President’s policies the same people that Bush said are “against us”? Does putting a “strategic communication framework into place” simply mean being louder than the enemy, or does it mean going so far as to silence all opposing views?

How long will it be before those who have the “wrong” opinions are considered enemy sympathizers who need to be silenced or even punished for their views?

Free Speech is Going to Become Costly

Today I'm back in class teaching my students about proper documentation of sources. I'm very meticulous about this, and those who don't follow instructions to give proper credit to borrowed material will not receive a good grade on their essays. During the last few class periods I have spent most of the time on technical aspects of writing essays. That's not nearly as fun as discussing controversial issues--something we do periodically to help with our argumentative strategies.

Lately, however, class discussions have not been fun for me. We had a discussion in one of my classes last week that resulted in one student having her feelings hurt, and in fact, this could have turned into a serious situation if she had decided to complain to the administration. I don't think I or any of my students did or said anything wrong, but the fact is that in this day and age, people who get their feelings hurt can cause problems for other people who meant no harm. I thank God that that didn't happen this time.

But the thought stays with me that one day it could happen. And that makes me very nervous. Because I allow students to voice their opinions--whether they are "good" opinions or not--I could be held responsible for the content of those opinions. The university was always known as a place where free speech is valued, but society today has made the free expression of ideas very difficult. If you know "what's good for you," you'll keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself when you're at a public university.

And it's only a matter of time before we start getting into trouble for expressing our opinions in our blogs.

Good Books but no Coffee

Today I am enjoying a quiet afternoon at the library. My classes are meeting here today and tomorrow so that I can help them with research, so I thought I'd just have my office hours over here too. I'm getting a lot of work done, but the Starbucks downstairs is calling my name begging me to come and buy an overpriced latte. I am trying very hard to resist. Knowing that I'll have to pack up my stuff and carry it with me to keep it from being stolen is a good incentive to stay put for a while. I sure wish we could have coffee in the main part of the library.

Sacrifice and Daily Bread

For the past few weeks in BSF we have been discussing Abraham and his faith in God. This week we looked at the famous incident in which God tested Abraham’s faith by telling Abraham to offer his son on the altar as a sacrifice. Abraham, in his faith, obeyed God, and God stopped Abraham before he was able to take the knife to his son. God then provided a ram for Abraham to offer on the altar in the place of his son. Abraham was overjoyed by the turn of events and gave God a new name, Jehovah-Jireh, God who provides.

God had made a promise to Abraham to make him the founder of a great nation, to make him famous, and to bless him so that Abraham would be a blessing to others. He had also promised to fulfill this promise through Abraham’s own offspring. Abraham had great confidence in God’s willingness to follow through on this promise even in the prospect of the death of his son, and he was willing to give up the only visible means of the fulfillment of the promise because God had proven himself faithful to Abraham before.

Jesus teaches us that we also can depend upon God to follow through with his promises for us. In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, he teaches his listeners about kingdom behavior and what it means to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. To Jesus, to obey God’s laws means more than a simple adherence to a set of statutes; it means more than simply not doing wrong to others; rather, it means cultivating a desire to go beyond treating others with civility to developing a real concern for the needs of others. It means showing a genuine love to all regardless of who they are. Jesus promises his listeners that those who obey these laws of God will find themselves to be great in God’s kingdom. In addition to this, to those who adhere to this teaching, Jesus promises rest from their weary and burdensome life. He tells us that we no longer need to worry about matters of everyday living such as where our next meal will come from or what we will wear. Jesus says that if we seek to be righteous by following God’s precepts, if we make God’s kingdom the main concern of our hearts and minds, God will meet these daily needs.

Most of us would readily admit that we do not have the type or intensity of faith that Abraham exhibited. Indeed, most of us have not cultivated the faith to take Jesus at his word about this promise from God. Sure we have faith that we will enjoy a better life when Jesus returns, but we don’t take Jesus at his word that we don’t have to have any worries about our future during this lifetime. Jesus said plainly that if we have God’s kingdom as our primary concern—if we go about practicing kingdom behavior now in this lifetime—we will have no need to worry about tomorrow. What does that really mean? I think it’s safe to say that as we go about our daily lives doing our regular work, if we make it our additional job each day to make the concerns of other people higher than our own concerns and if we take concrete steps to bring comfort to others (as the good Samaritan man did), God will see to it that we will have our daily needs met.

When God’s people wandered in the desert after fleeing slavery in Egypt, God provided bread for them daily, and he wouldn’t allow them to store more than what they needed for each day. God’s people learned to have faith that the bread would come every morning. Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” not “Give us enough bread to last a year.” Don’t worry about tomorrow, Jesus says, because we have enough to be concerned about just dealing with today’s problems. God knows what you need, and if you practice kingdom behavior now, God will take care of those needs; you don’t need to worry about it.

Most of us are extremely concerned about our futures. If we were really honest, we would admit that providing for our own future security, and our children’s security, is the main factor that governs how we live our lives each day. As an example, we work extremely hard to ensure financial security for our future, making sure that our children’s college fund is fully established and fully funding our 401k’s. We call this being prudent, and certainly, the bible advocates the need to make preparations for future hardships such as storing up food from the harvest for the winter (taking a lesson from the ants: Proverbs 6.6-8) or as when Joseph stockpiled grain to get his people through the upcoming famine. We certainly should exercise the common sense that God gave us and prepare for the needs of the immediate future. And certainly, God doesn’t frown upon our saving for retirement. However, like Abraham, we should be prepared to offer as a sacrifice the visible means of our future comfort and security when we see that others are in need.

If we believe that God will provide for our needs, then it shouldn’t alarm us to give up the security that we sought to provide for ourselves. To sacrifice his son meant to Abraham that the future God had promised was in jeopardy, but he trusted God enough that he went ahead and made the sacrifice and believed that somehow God would replace what was lost. In the same manner, we should have enough faith to believe that God will replace what we sacrifice in an effort to bring aid and comfort to others. God will give us what we need for today, and he’ll give us what we need for tomorrow when tomorrow gets here.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today I am now closer to the age of 50 than to the age of 20. That's sort of scary to think about, but when I really consider it, I don't really feel completely like a grown-up. Does one ever feel completely grown up? In a way, I sort of hope not.

Response to ajmac

The following is a response to a comment by ajmac to my previous post, "Real Freedom." Ajmac said:

Your sarcasm is neither persuasive nor funny. What do Christians in other countries have to do with it?

I'm curious: Do you disagree that American Christians experience freedom in the temporal sense to a far greater degree than any Christians throughout history?

Thank you for visiting, ajmac. My post was not meant to be funny. I think I assume correctly when I say that the regular readers of my blog knew exactly what I was talking about.

As for your questions, Christians in other countries have everything to do with it. It seems that many American Christians equate the flag and the U.S. with Christian values. While I certainly don't disagree with being patriotic, I believe it is rather arrogant to assert that the values represented by the flag are equal to the values represented by the cross, which is what the window sticker I referenced seems to do.

In the church where I attend bible study, there was a display of the flag and the bible side by side with the words "I pledge allegiance" written above the display. How must that look to Christians from other countries who may happen to attend that church? That display and the sticker seem to send a distorted message about American Christians--that we place equal value on Christian values and the flag. Brotherhood with Christians from other nations takes a backseat to allegiance to the flag, it seems.

As for your second question, of course I don’t disagree that American Christians experience more temporal freedoms than other Christians. We American Christians are free to speak out against the church or the government when we believe them to be in the wrong. We are free to come and go as we please, and we enjoy tremendous economic freedom, much more so than people in other nations. Is this, however, the true freedom that Jesus spoke of? Jesus said that those who obey his teachings are the ones who are truly free.

It is obvious from Jesus’ teachings that he did not endorse the accumulation of material wealth, but this is a “freedom” that many Americans enjoy. However, how free are we really if we have lots of stuff but our credit cards are maxed out and we have to work overtime to pay for it? How are we truly free if what we are working so hard for can be destroyed in the next hurricane or fire or tornado? When we lose these things, we begin work all over again to get more of them. How is that true freedom? And for those whose economic situation will not allow them to accumulate things but everything in our society says that we don’t fit in if we don’t have all the latest gadgets, how is that true freedom?

Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light and that those who trust completely in God and make his kingdom their primary concern will not have to worry about having their temporal needs met, yet American Christians’ yoking of the flag with the cross indicates that we do not really trust in God and that many of us treasure the temporal more than the eternal.