To steal from Charles Dickens: It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.
Our military is over stretched, bogged down in two wars. Our wounded come back to depleted health services, told the rules have changed and we no longer care for our warriors.
The world questions our values. They are shocked we torture. They cannot believe our arsenal has killed a million innocent Iraqis and left another four million homeless. What happened to the America they idealized?
Fraud and corruption are allowed to run rampant. Pensions and savings are stolen. The world is going bankrupt. Breadwinners lose their jobs. One in five have no health insurance, half are under insured. The rich get tax breaks and government handouts. The poor get evicted.
We poison our water, air, food, and even the toys we give our children. Our babies die at twice the rate the rest of the industrial planet endures.
Those are but a few of the burdens President Obama will face when he takes over tomorrow as President of the United States. It is a daunting task. His predecessor unleashed a tsunami upon the world that sets civilization back for years if not decades.
Out of ashes the phoenix rises.
I have no idea how well Obama will do. He has a challenging task ahead, but the whole world is excited and so hopeful.
Tomorrow, the United States will have it’s first Black President. For one shining moment, on November 4th, we put our racial prejudice aside. For a nation that waited half a century longer than Europe and South America to abandon slavery, that is no small accomplishment. Racism is not over. We have not seen an end to hate crimes and our ears have not heard the last “nigger” joke. But we have turned a corner.
This evening, Obama is dining with McCain, a fellow American he sought advice from (and took) for some of his appointments. Decades of partisan divisiveness begun by Nixon and perfected by Rove/Bush is being replaced by a non-partisan spirit we have not seen in decades.
Raised by a mother who believed in education and devoted her life to serving the poor, Barack gave up high paying corporate jobs hoping he could help troubled youth. Tomorrow Barack Hussein Obama will bring those same values to our government as he is sworn in as our 44th President. He is choosing people to run agencies based on their education and experience, not friendships or partisan politics. Scientists, not corporate lobbyists, are being selected to run agencies like the EPA. Obama will replace secrecy with openness and candor.
Obama promises a new beginning with people running our government who believe in service. Unlike the Bush family with their long history of using government to line their pockets, Obama comes from a tradition where government is to serve the people. That is why America voted for Obama
Tomorrow will be the largest gathering ever in Washington D.C. It will be larger than the two previous largest gatherings combined. Those were the Civil Rights march when Martin Luther King Jr.’s delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech and the march against the Vietnam war. Those gatherings were to protest injustices. This gathering brings people together to celebrate a new beginning.
This celebration will reach well beyond the parties in Washington D.C. People will be celebrating all over the U.S. I have been invited to several celebrations and will attend at least two. And for the first time ever, Africa, Europe, and Asia will celebrate with us. For one day, we will try to blot out thoughts of war, a poisoned planet, and economic collapse from our minds. Tomorrow is hope. Tomorrow is the best of times.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Fifth Anniversary of Bush's War on Iraq
The is the fifth anniversary of Bush’s War on Iraq. Watching Bush talk about it today, he was obviously very proud of starting the war. He said every penny (now at $12,000,000 hour and $4 Trillion before it is over) and every death/injury (3,990 and 40,000 plus) was worth it.
His heir apparent, John McCain, had another senile moment today. For the previous two days he has given speeches about Iran training and funding Al Qaeda. When he said it the second day, Senator Liebermann whispered in his ear that this was not true - Iran (Shiite) would never fund Al Qaeda (Sunni), McCain corrected himself. Then he went and said it again today! Duh! Are all our leaders this stupid? And War is his strong suit. Something about being a POW for six years makes you an expert on war.
If he is going to be the next George W. Bush, it is too bad he doesn’t know much about the economy - his words not mine. The stock market dropped another 300 points today. Could spending all this money and fuel used for tanks, ships, bombers, etc. have anything to do with Bush’s tanking economy and high gas prices? And a new economic reports says we have not yet felt the full impact of Bush’s War. Since virtually all the money is borrowed, we have to pay interest. Bush’s low estimates assume there will be zero interest payments and no medical bills for injured soldiers. But maybe Bush has no intentions helping the injured soldiers. He hasn’t been much help to the “little people.”
We are getting pounded by this storm - flood warnings all day. Storms knocked out power at our University for much of morning and early afternoon (not all campus but several buildings including mine). Fortunately, I had planned an experimental on-line class today. So, we held class over the Internet and I didn’t even have to go to school. It went a bit better than I imagined. Students actually discussed more on-line than they do in class. Some did it from school and computer labs but at least two did it from home and one would have been able to attend class as her car broke down this morning.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks in the Education and Society class. We read the book, Monkey Girl, about the Dover Intelligent Design case. We also watched most of the PBS NOW 12 chapters on the trial. If you have not seen them you can view them here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/program.html
All 12 chapters are interesting but I think #5 and especially #6 are most impressive from a science perspective. And if you enjoyed that you will like Ape Genius http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/apegenius/program.html
Students said today they learn not only a lot about both evolution and intelligent design theory.
His heir apparent, John McCain, had another senile moment today. For the previous two days he has given speeches about Iran training and funding Al Qaeda. When he said it the second day, Senator Liebermann whispered in his ear that this was not true - Iran (Shiite) would never fund Al Qaeda (Sunni), McCain corrected himself. Then he went and said it again today! Duh! Are all our leaders this stupid? And War is his strong suit. Something about being a POW for six years makes you an expert on war.
If he is going to be the next George W. Bush, it is too bad he doesn’t know much about the economy - his words not mine. The stock market dropped another 300 points today. Could spending all this money and fuel used for tanks, ships, bombers, etc. have anything to do with Bush’s tanking economy and high gas prices? And a new economic reports says we have not yet felt the full impact of Bush’s War. Since virtually all the money is borrowed, we have to pay interest. Bush’s low estimates assume there will be zero interest payments and no medical bills for injured soldiers. But maybe Bush has no intentions helping the injured soldiers. He hasn’t been much help to the “little people.”
We are getting pounded by this storm - flood warnings all day. Storms knocked out power at our University for much of morning and early afternoon (not all campus but several buildings including mine). Fortunately, I had planned an experimental on-line class today. So, we held class over the Internet and I didn’t even have to go to school. It went a bit better than I imagined. Students actually discussed more on-line than they do in class. Some did it from school and computer labs but at least two did it from home and one would have been able to attend class as her car broke down this morning.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks in the Education and Society class. We read the book, Monkey Girl, about the Dover Intelligent Design case. We also watched most of the PBS NOW 12 chapters on the trial. If you have not seen them you can view them here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/program.html
All 12 chapters are interesting but I think #5 and especially #6 are most impressive from a science perspective. And if you enjoyed that you will like Ape Genius http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/apegenius/program.html
Students said today they learn not only a lot about both evolution and intelligent design theory.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Professional Analysis of Bush's Surge Speech
I not only watched Bush’s speech last night but I took copious notes.
Bush was dressed in a black suit with a heavily starched white shirt and a blue tie. The President was freshly shaved. His eyebrows and hair were nicely trimmed. His hair parted on the left. On his left lapel was a tiny American Flag pin. There was no hanky in his breast pocket and nothing at all on the right half of his suit.
President Bush looked straight ahead with both eyes open except for a few blinks. There were three deep wrinkles in the center of his forehead. For the most part, his thin lips largely covered his teeth. His ears appeared to be symmetrical.
With his arms at his side, he used no hand gestures. In fact, his hands were not visible during the entire speech. Rumor has it that he was crossing his fingers during much of the speech.
The framing was exceptional. He stood at a podium with two nearly invisible microphones. There were no American flags in the background.
Over his left shoulder were five book shelves. Many of the books were little red ones. Black the next most common book cover color.
Over his right shoulder was a fireplace mantel with a lamp. No light was coming from the lamp.
As for the speech itself, he did not end it with "God bless America."
As a professionally trained observer of human behavior (please, don’t try this without proper supervision or training), I have identified the most important aspects of Bush’s speech.
President Bush looked straight ahead with both eyes open except for a few blinks. There were three deep wrinkles in the center of his forehead. For the most part, his thin lips largely covered his teeth. His ears appeared to be symmetrical.
With his arms at his side, he used no hand gestures. In fact, his hands were not visible during the entire speech. Rumor has it that he was crossing his fingers during much of the speech.
The framing was exceptional. He stood at a podium with two nearly invisible microphones. There were no American flags in the background.
Over his left shoulder were five book shelves. Many of the books were little red ones. Black the next most common book cover color.
Over his right shoulder was a fireplace mantel with a lamp. No light was coming from the lamp.
As for the speech itself, he did not end it with "God bless America."
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
An Apology for Peace
President Bush is spending this holiday season pondering what to do about the mess he created in Iraq. “Cut and run,” “Phased withdrawal,” “Stay the course,” and “Double down” or “Surge” have been offered as options. But these political-military options fail to treat the people of Iraq as rationale and moral beings.
President Bush should speak directly to the Iraqi people. “I’m sorry,” would be the appropriate opening line. “I’m sorry for bringing death and destruction on your country. I now know you had nothing to do with 9/11. I now know you had no weapons of mass destruction and no plans to harm us. Please forgive me.” The President should then turn to his American audience and repeat, “I’m sorry.”
President Bush then needs to announce that he is halting all offensive military actions in Iraq. Pledge to pay reparations for the harm we have done to their nation. Finally, ask the Iraqi people to allow our military to leave peacefully.
The violence being inflicted on the Iraqi people is horrible and increasing. In addition to the “collateral damage deaths,” murder, suicide, kidnaping, theft, water pollution, diseases, hunger and numerous other forms of violence are much higher than before our invasion.
The Iraqi people deserve an apology from those who launched this violence upon them. Al Qaeda might have started the “war on terror,” but we started the war on Iraqi. An apology is the least we can offer.
The moral option offers the best chance of reducing violence. The “collateral damage” caused by our military would stop immediately. American soldiers should limit their actions to self defense.
Will the Iraqi and al Qaeda forces quit firing on us? Probably not everyone, at least at first. But apologies are moral messages that go a long way toward healing broken relationships. In virtually all cultures and religious communities, the individual receiving a sincere public apology has a moral obligation to consider, if not accept the offer. Iraqis are very religious people. Seeing the American President sincerely apologize and offer reparations would have real impact on the average Iraqi citizen who just wants this violence to end.
Iraqis would have less reason to attack our retreating soldiers if they had an apology and were busy filling out reparation’s forms. Additionally, many experts believe the al Qaeda suicide squads, which were not in Iraqi before we invaded, will be run out by the Iraqis once we leave.
For those of us praying for “Peace on Earth” this holiday season, let’s try to see this war from the perspective of the average Iraqi. They want the violence to end so they can get on with a life. They blame us and want us to leave. If not check quickly, the violence could easily spread beyond Iraq.
Would you think more or less of President Bush if he addressed the world and said, “I’m sorry”?
A grave mistake has been made. We need to end our war on Iraq immediately. We owe the people of Iraq and apology. If President Bush is not big enough to give the apology for us, we need to think of ways to tell the people of Iraq that we believe in their humanity and we are truly sorry.
President Bush should speak directly to the Iraqi people. “I’m sorry,” would be the appropriate opening line. “I’m sorry for bringing death and destruction on your country. I now know you had nothing to do with 9/11. I now know you had no weapons of mass destruction and no plans to harm us. Please forgive me.” The President should then turn to his American audience and repeat, “I’m sorry.”
President Bush then needs to announce that he is halting all offensive military actions in Iraq. Pledge to pay reparations for the harm we have done to their nation. Finally, ask the Iraqi people to allow our military to leave peacefully.
The violence being inflicted on the Iraqi people is horrible and increasing. In addition to the “collateral damage deaths,” murder, suicide, kidnaping, theft, water pollution, diseases, hunger and numerous other forms of violence are much higher than before our invasion.
The Iraqi people deserve an apology from those who launched this violence upon them. Al Qaeda might have started the “war on terror,” but we started the war on Iraqi. An apology is the least we can offer.
The moral option offers the best chance of reducing violence. The “collateral damage” caused by our military would stop immediately. American soldiers should limit their actions to self defense.
Will the Iraqi and al Qaeda forces quit firing on us? Probably not everyone, at least at first. But apologies are moral messages that go a long way toward healing broken relationships. In virtually all cultures and religious communities, the individual receiving a sincere public apology has a moral obligation to consider, if not accept the offer. Iraqis are very religious people. Seeing the American President sincerely apologize and offer reparations would have real impact on the average Iraqi citizen who just wants this violence to end.
Iraqis would have less reason to attack our retreating soldiers if they had an apology and were busy filling out reparation’s forms. Additionally, many experts believe the al Qaeda suicide squads, which were not in Iraqi before we invaded, will be run out by the Iraqis once we leave.
For those of us praying for “Peace on Earth” this holiday season, let’s try to see this war from the perspective of the average Iraqi. They want the violence to end so they can get on with a life. They blame us and want us to leave. If not check quickly, the violence could easily spread beyond Iraq.
Would you think more or less of President Bush if he addressed the world and said, “I’m sorry”?
A grave mistake has been made. We need to end our war on Iraq immediately. We owe the people of Iraq and apology. If President Bush is not big enough to give the apology for us, we need to think of ways to tell the people of Iraq that we believe in their humanity and we are truly sorry.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
George, Let go of the fucking rope!
It was close to 50 years ago. Our boy scout troop (Iowa 171) had made its way north, crossing the border into the “Land of a Thousand Lakes.”
It was probably early June. We would leave immediately after school let out. The Minnesota waters were still a bit chilly but the mosquito population was minimal compared to want it would be in weeks to come.
Being young, the cold water wasn’t that much of an issue.
So, it was that I decided this was my year to water ski.
Donning a bright orange vest life jacket, I jumped off the dock into the chilly waters. A fellow scout dropped me two skis. I struggled to get them on but finally I was ready. I recall sitting in the water, my knees were bent, and the tips of the skis pointing just above the water.
The motor boat swung around and they threw me the rope. I grabbed it with both hands.
I get last minute instructions. “Hang on tight. Keep your skis pointed up. After a successful victory lap around the lake, the boat will swing by the dock and you just let go of the rope.”
As with many things in life, that victory lap was not to be. It started well - at least it seemed right at first. As the boat picked up speed, I started rising out of the water. Bouncing across the surface of the lake, I never quit gained control of the situation.
Then it got worse. My right ski dipped down, I lost both skis and total control of the situation. But I hung onto the rope!
I’m sure there is some scientific principle that explains what happened next but either it had not been covered in my science classes or missed that day. Rather than being dragged across the surface of the water, I felt my body diving into the lake.
But I didn’t let go of the rope - at least not right away. I hung on and kept sinking deeper into one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.
To this day I remember thinking, “Should I let go of the rope?” I really didn’t want to. All my scouting buddies were looking on. If I let go there would be no victory lap.
As I sank deeper and deeper and my brain was running out of oxygen, a voice inside my head finally ordered my hand to “Let go of the rope!”
As I read the morning news about how President Bush is thinking over his plans for his disastrous war on Iraq, I have some advice for him.
George, let go of the fucking rope!
It was probably early June. We would leave immediately after school let out. The Minnesota waters were still a bit chilly but the mosquito population was minimal compared to want it would be in weeks to come.
Being young, the cold water wasn’t that much of an issue.
So, it was that I decided this was my year to water ski.
Donning a bright orange vest life jacket, I jumped off the dock into the chilly waters. A fellow scout dropped me two skis. I struggled to get them on but finally I was ready. I recall sitting in the water, my knees were bent, and the tips of the skis pointing just above the water.
The motor boat swung around and they threw me the rope. I grabbed it with both hands.
I get last minute instructions. “Hang on tight. Keep your skis pointed up. After a successful victory lap around the lake, the boat will swing by the dock and you just let go of the rope.”
As with many things in life, that victory lap was not to be. It started well - at least it seemed right at first. As the boat picked up speed, I started rising out of the water. Bouncing across the surface of the lake, I never quit gained control of the situation.
Then it got worse. My right ski dipped down, I lost both skis and total control of the situation. But I hung onto the rope!
I’m sure there is some scientific principle that explains what happened next but either it had not been covered in my science classes or missed that day. Rather than being dragged across the surface of the water, I felt my body diving into the lake.
But I didn’t let go of the rope - at least not right away. I hung on and kept sinking deeper into one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.
To this day I remember thinking, “Should I let go of the rope?” I really didn’t want to. All my scouting buddies were looking on. If I let go there would be no victory lap.
As I sank deeper and deeper and my brain was running out of oxygen, a voice inside my head finally ordered my hand to “Let go of the rope!”
As I read the morning news about how President Bush is thinking over his plans for his disastrous war on Iraq, I have some advice for him.
George, let go of the fucking rope!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Burn Bibles not the Flag
The Senate vote on Flag desecration is going to be close - possibly a one vote difference either way. Should the Senate pass this Amendment, protesters of government policies (right, left, and middle of the road) will need a new symbol to get media and citizenry attention. I recommend protesters turn to Bible burning as the new alternative.
Why Bibles? Bible burning is the perfect way to draw attention to your cause. In fact, it will probably draw more attention and ire than Flag burning ever did. In addition to television, newspapers, and blogger coverage, your protest will be covered by virtually every Church at weekend services.
Bible burning can be used by all political persuasions. Those opposing fundamentalist religious policies like gay bashing can burn King James versions. Fundamentalists might burn a New Revised Standard Version or a New American Standard Bible. Die-hard Republicans might consider burning The Jefferson Bible.
Those favoring building walls along our Southern and Northern boarders to keep out immigrants might burn Spanish and French versions of the Bible. And there are always gender neutral Bibles like Today’s New International Version that should appeal to Promise Keepers and other groups that insist on the man as head of the family.
Supporters of hierarchy might burn Gnostic Bibles. They say history repeats itself.
Unlike burning oil, we won’t run out of Bibles. As the best-selling book for hundreds of years, Bibles are found in every hotel/motel room and in nearly every home. Even I, a skeptic, have several. And should Bible burning really catch on, it could be a boom for the publishing industry which has experienced some rough times.
Bible burning is the perfect sequel to a Constitutional Amendment endorsing idiolatry. What better way to demonstrate our Flag’s Godlike status? With greater protection for Flags than Bibles, we can finally end our denominational squabbling united in the one true religion of nationalism.
Why Bibles? Bible burning is the perfect way to draw attention to your cause. In fact, it will probably draw more attention and ire than Flag burning ever did. In addition to television, newspapers, and blogger coverage, your protest will be covered by virtually every Church at weekend services.
Bible burning can be used by all political persuasions. Those opposing fundamentalist religious policies like gay bashing can burn King James versions. Fundamentalists might burn a New Revised Standard Version or a New American Standard Bible. Die-hard Republicans might consider burning The Jefferson Bible.
Those favoring building walls along our Southern and Northern boarders to keep out immigrants might burn Spanish and French versions of the Bible. And there are always gender neutral Bibles like Today’s New International Version that should appeal to Promise Keepers and other groups that insist on the man as head of the family.
Supporters of hierarchy might burn Gnostic Bibles. They say history repeats itself.
Unlike burning oil, we won’t run out of Bibles. As the best-selling book for hundreds of years, Bibles are found in every hotel/motel room and in nearly every home. Even I, a skeptic, have several. And should Bible burning really catch on, it could be a boom for the publishing industry which has experienced some rough times.
Bible burning is the perfect sequel to a Constitutional Amendment endorsing idiolatry. What better way to demonstrate our Flag’s Godlike status? With greater protection for Flags than Bibles, we can finally end our denominational squabbling united in the one true religion of nationalism.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
The Home Team Advantage
As a militant agnostic (I don’t know and you don’t either!), I support teaching religion, including Creationism/Intelligent Design in public schools. Education is about the free exchange and testing of ideas. We should not exclude ideas merely because they have no scientific merit.
The U.S. is by far the most religious of the modern industrial nations. At the time of the Pilgrims our religious commitment was very weak, much like that of European nations. In 225 years our church membership grew from 17% to about 70%. We added God to our money and pledge of allegiance. We replaced our beautiful secular and inclusive national motto, E Pluribus Unum, with the religiously exclusive, In God We Trust. Today our level of anti-science and fundamentalist beliefs is rivaled only by Middle East fundamentalist Muslims.
Born of the enlightenment, we stand ready to replace rationality and the scientific method with faith and religious dogma. How did this happen? Why are we the only modern industrial nation that questions Darwin’s insights and discounts thousands of studies that support evolution?
In sports and war the home team has a tremendous advantage. There is fan support and the players better understand the nuances of the field or court on which they play. If there is anything the Creationist/Intelligent Design supporters have shown us is that they are clueless about how the game is played in the field house of higher academics. Empirically verifiable observations are the building blocks of scientific theories. Logic matters. Faith-based theories cannot successfully compete in this environment. Hypotheses that God creates natural disasters to punish people or test their faith do not grow roots in the terrain of higher academics.
The religious right has been successful because they play only home games. And like the Globetrotters, they play only against teams they create. Sermons need not be empirically based or logically consistent. There are no referees to whistle a foul. They keep their own score.
While the 1st Amendment offers us some protection from the tyranny of government, it also creates an environment for the growth of superstition and anti-intellectualism. Religious fundamentalists are feeling their oats, as well they should. They have been successful in interjecting their agenda into the political arena. But fighting foreign wars can be tricky.
I hope the Creationists are not expecting the logical empiricists to be throwing flowers during their invasion. I say, “Bring ‘em on!” The invaders are in for a real butt kicking. It’s a slam dunk!
The U.S. is by far the most religious of the modern industrial nations. At the time of the Pilgrims our religious commitment was very weak, much like that of European nations. In 225 years our church membership grew from 17% to about 70%. We added God to our money and pledge of allegiance. We replaced our beautiful secular and inclusive national motto, E Pluribus Unum, with the religiously exclusive, In God We Trust. Today our level of anti-science and fundamentalist beliefs is rivaled only by Middle East fundamentalist Muslims.
Born of the enlightenment, we stand ready to replace rationality and the scientific method with faith and religious dogma. How did this happen? Why are we the only modern industrial nation that questions Darwin’s insights and discounts thousands of studies that support evolution?
In sports and war the home team has a tremendous advantage. There is fan support and the players better understand the nuances of the field or court on which they play. If there is anything the Creationist/Intelligent Design supporters have shown us is that they are clueless about how the game is played in the field house of higher academics. Empirically verifiable observations are the building blocks of scientific theories. Logic matters. Faith-based theories cannot successfully compete in this environment. Hypotheses that God creates natural disasters to punish people or test their faith do not grow roots in the terrain of higher academics.
The religious right has been successful because they play only home games. And like the Globetrotters, they play only against teams they create. Sermons need not be empirically based or logically consistent. There are no referees to whistle a foul. They keep their own score.
While the 1st Amendment offers us some protection from the tyranny of government, it also creates an environment for the growth of superstition and anti-intellectualism. Religious fundamentalists are feeling their oats, as well they should. They have been successful in interjecting their agenda into the political arena. But fighting foreign wars can be tricky.
I hope the Creationists are not expecting the logical empiricists to be throwing flowers during their invasion. I say, “Bring ‘em on!” The invaders are in for a real butt kicking. It’s a slam dunk!
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