I know to you he was an anomaly, a phenomenon, a kooky Brooklyn socialist who told it like it was. But, let me tell you who this kooky Brooklyn socialist really is and was. Growing up in Brooklyn as I did, people like Bernie were a dime a dozen. Every street corner, temple, and laundromat has a Bernie. There was always the Bernie in temple screaming the dues were too high, screaming that every week there should be a free (Kiddush) meal, after services were done. The kids, including myself, loved Bernie. He was sticking it to the (rabbis) man. What was Bernie going to say next? Every week was temple and a show.
You could always hear Bernie too. As people were praying, he was groaning; as families were wishing each other well, he was grabbing the last of the poor shlubs who would still listen and complain about his job, or his perceived state of the nation. As a kid, of course, I found this funny and cute, and couldn’t understand why my father didn’t. My father would call him a (letz) person who needs to grow up, and I just thought my dad wasn’t cool and hip.
Oh, this will ruffle a feather or two:
Election Justice USA Study Finds that Without Election Fraud Sanders Would Have Won by Landslide
Weirdly, you put Bernie up against the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian candidates and, based on their platforms, he was the only non-Democrat in the race.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
So, That's Why She Chose Him as a Running Mate
I cannot tell you how much I enjoy this video, and not for the usual reasons.
First, I don't blame Bill at all, so those who self-identify as Democrats can take it easy. He's on a lot of medication for his heart condition, which surely makes him drowsy by the end of the day, he is not in the best of physical condition, he's a vegan, which compromises his body's energy storage and release cycle, and I imagine he's exhausted after the week's activity. Besides, he's heard this speech rehearsed many times, I would guess, so it is no longer a revelation to him.
Also, the candidate's speaking style is that terrible three-note syllabic structure, AB, AB, AC, that works in children's poetry but does not convey rhetorical loftiness. It gets the information across, but the mind quickly wearies of the rhythm. It's a pity that so many politicians employ it.
What I really enjoyed was Tim Kaine attempting to protect Bill. He is nodding along with the speech when, in a wonderful left-ward side glance, he notices some commotion with the TV cameras. Then, in a casual right-ward side glance, he sees that the cameras are focused on the former president nodding off. Mentally processing what he can do to aid those to whom he is beholden, he again nods along with the speech and, in a moment that will live in the hearts of political bureaucrats everywhere, tries to block the cameras' view of Bill with an awkward forward lean. Terrific.
The 21st century vice-presidency, summed up in around 20 seconds.
Personally, I would have nudged Bill and pretended to say something along the lines of, "Great point, huh, Mr. President?" Bill would have figured it out.
Ah, well, what do I know? I was asleep an hour before.
Eric Hoffer
[Editor's Note: From time to time we will again offer a Friday profile of someone little-known or unknown in the history of our culture.]
"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who
inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live
in a world that no longer exists."
Since the profession of full-time pastor is drying up along with mainstream Protestantism itself, many of my ordained colleagues have become, in the euphemism of the church, "tent-maker clergy". In other words, and based on how St. Paul's was employed while spreading the Word of God, they have jobs, usually in the secular realm, that they fulfill along with serving a parish.
During the week I will work three days for a parish, one or two days as a drywall installer or carpenter, and one or two days as a luthier. One morning a week, I serve as an unofficial chaplain for an independent school. A good friend serves on weekends at a parish in New York City as its priest-in-charge and during the remainder of the week works for a Wall Street banking corporation. We have both noted in conversation that, while we do not have any days off, we often don't miss them as our duties can be very different from day to day. When we're becoming fatigued with pastoral work, we have our other, rather different, duties, and vice versa.
Personally, I find that nothing better aids the mind and the organization of thought than spending time working a blank of ash into an electric guitar body. Between the jigsaw and the router, the sander and the airbrush, some of my best sermons and teaching plans have also been shaped. Just when I get tired of the sawdust and noise, I can sit with an elderly parishioner in a hospital and speak of eternal notions, or watch the youth of the parish design a liturgy, or simply celebrate the Holy Mysteries behind the altar. It is a refreshing type of occupational "cross-training" and I have sought to do so most of my professional life.
My model for this was my favorite English professor, whose specialty was comparative literature and, to facilitate his international education, worked as a merchant seaman for some years. The juxtaposition served him well as his insight and lectures were easily the most accessible and popular in his department, no doubt as he saw the world through a much richer and more colorful lens.
When I asked him about this style of experiential learning, he told me of Eric Hoffer, who had served as his model. I had never heard of Hoffer, which was not unusual since he wasn't terribly popular in the university system of the 1970's as he was not a product of the Ivy League machine, but when I read his works I realized that the relationship between "common" labor and intellectual perception was far more important than many realized.
Eric Hoffer was born in The Bronx in 1898, which often surprises people as, until the day of his death, he spoke with a strong German/Alsatian accent. Such were ethnic neighborhoods once upon a time, with native languages spoken on the street and in the homes and written on the signs in the butcher's window, that one could be born and raised in a place that retained even the accent of "the old country".
Orphaned at an early age, blinded in an accident, Hoffer was all but helpless until, in an event that would forever baffle his physicians, his sight was suddenly restored at the age of fifteen. Fearing, as one would, that he would just as suddenly become blind again, he read every book he could lay his hands on and then, as he became more confident that his vision would last, sought to see as much of the world and its wonders as he could.
Of course, not having money, a trust fund, or any inheritance, Hoffer worked at a series of jobs, usually in the labor trades. He lived on Skid Row in Los Angeles, sometimes homeless, for the better part of a decade. When his despair at his condition became acute, resulting in a near suicide, he left L.A. to become a migrant worker, railroad man, and prospector. His only, and cherished, possession in these days was his library card.
In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the 43-year-old Hoffer volunteered for service with the U.S. Army. Being a little suspicious of someone fluent in German with little in the way of a documented history, he was turned down. Instead, he became a longshoreman in San Francisco, a job he would hold for the next twenty-five years.
Feeling that America's "underclass" was underrepresented in philosophic inquiry [no kidding, check out 21st century political philosophy, where two entitled millionaire establishment figures are seeking to represent the rest of us], and having read philosophy in quiet times during his prospector days, Hoffer wrote The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, his first book. Published in 1951, it is a philosophical examination of the nature of fanaticism such as through the world had suffered with Nazism and Stalinism. The fact that this volume may still be read and be relevant is a testimony to the burgeoning nihilism of the past seventy years.
In marketing the book, Hoffer's publisher branded him "The Longshoreman Philosopher", a title that he would carry for the rest of his days.
As he wrote in the preface:
Hoffer observed that this was the case even with relatively benign movements, such as Christianity, which he noted managed to take an eager persecutor like Saul of Tarsus and alter his thinking and practices so that he became St. Paul, an equally zealous apologist for the faith.
It does not take a philosopher to note that, during this particularly fractious year in politics, there is a remarkable similarity between some of the supporters of Sanders, Trump, and Clinton, with people reduced to rage, tears, dramatic gestures, chanting, and other emotionally compromised behavior, to see Hoffer's perspective has longevity. Even a cursory glance at Islamism would reveal the same.
The True Believer was remarkably popular, written and published as it was during the height of American literacy. It turned Hoffer into a minor celebrity, with positive interviews appearing in print and in the relatively new world of television. By the mid-1950's, Hoffer was working three days a week as a longshoreman and one day as a philosophy lecturer at Berkeley [Where else?]. He would often be introduced as a "public intellectual", only to correct the speaker by replying, "No, just a longshoreman".
Hoffer would live into his 80's, residing no longer on Skid Row but in an apartment overlooking the San Francisco docks where he used to work. He would publish twelve more books, most of which are still in print. In addition, the Hoover Institution has archived an enormous collection of Hoffer's notebooks that include enough material for several other volumes. In 1983, shortly before his death, he was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom.
During the week I will work three days for a parish, one or two days as a drywall installer or carpenter, and one or two days as a luthier. One morning a week, I serve as an unofficial chaplain for an independent school. A good friend serves on weekends at a parish in New York City as its priest-in-charge and during the remainder of the week works for a Wall Street banking corporation. We have both noted in conversation that, while we do not have any days off, we often don't miss them as our duties can be very different from day to day. When we're becoming fatigued with pastoral work, we have our other, rather different, duties, and vice versa.
Personally, I find that nothing better aids the mind and the organization of thought than spending time working a blank of ash into an electric guitar body. Between the jigsaw and the router, the sander and the airbrush, some of my best sermons and teaching plans have also been shaped. Just when I get tired of the sawdust and noise, I can sit with an elderly parishioner in a hospital and speak of eternal notions, or watch the youth of the parish design a liturgy, or simply celebrate the Holy Mysteries behind the altar. It is a refreshing type of occupational "cross-training" and I have sought to do so most of my professional life.
My model for this was my favorite English professor, whose specialty was comparative literature and, to facilitate his international education, worked as a merchant seaman for some years. The juxtaposition served him well as his insight and lectures were easily the most accessible and popular in his department, no doubt as he saw the world through a much richer and more colorful lens.
When I asked him about this style of experiential learning, he told me of Eric Hoffer, who had served as his model. I had never heard of Hoffer, which was not unusual since he wasn't terribly popular in the university system of the 1970's as he was not a product of the Ivy League machine, but when I read his works I realized that the relationship between "common" labor and intellectual perception was far more important than many realized.
Eric Hoffer was born in The Bronx in 1898, which often surprises people as, until the day of his death, he spoke with a strong German/Alsatian accent. Such were ethnic neighborhoods once upon a time, with native languages spoken on the street and in the homes and written on the signs in the butcher's window, that one could be born and raised in a place that retained even the accent of "the old country".
Orphaned at an early age, blinded in an accident, Hoffer was all but helpless until, in an event that would forever baffle his physicians, his sight was suddenly restored at the age of fifteen. Fearing, as one would, that he would just as suddenly become blind again, he read every book he could lay his hands on and then, as he became more confident that his vision would last, sought to see as much of the world and its wonders as he could.
Of course, not having money, a trust fund, or any inheritance, Hoffer worked at a series of jobs, usually in the labor trades. He lived on Skid Row in Los Angeles, sometimes homeless, for the better part of a decade. When his despair at his condition became acute, resulting in a near suicide, he left L.A. to become a migrant worker, railroad man, and prospector. His only, and cherished, possession in these days was his library card.
In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the 43-year-old Hoffer volunteered for service with the U.S. Army. Being a little suspicious of someone fluent in German with little in the way of a documented history, he was turned down. Instead, he became a longshoreman in San Francisco, a job he would hold for the next twenty-five years.
Feeling that America's "underclass" was underrepresented in philosophic inquiry [no kidding, check out 21st century political philosophy, where two entitled millionaire establishment figures are seeking to represent the rest of us], and having read philosophy in quiet times during his prospector days, Hoffer wrote The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, his first book. Published in 1951, it is a philosophical examination of the nature of fanaticism such as through the world had suffered with Nazism and Stalinism. The fact that this volume may still be read and be relevant is a testimony to the burgeoning nihilism of the past seventy years.
In marketing the book, Hoffer's publisher branded him "The Longshoreman Philosopher", a title that he would carry for the rest of his days.
As he wrote in the preface:
All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action; all of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance; all of them are capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments of life; all of them demand blind faith and singlehearted allegiance.Hoffer had noted that the membership of the Nazi and the Communist Parties tended to be interchangeable, despite the gross difference between the two philosophies, indicating that the politics weren't as important as the "movement" in addressing an underlying need that was not being served by general society. In The True Believer and subsequent works, Hoffer observed that cultural movements were historically organized through largely predictable situations. Since a positive self-regard is necessary for personal happiness, when such esteem is lost, people will go to extraordinary lengths to claim the absent sense of well-being. By extension, when they believe that their lives are useless and have been made so by a corrupt, untouchable Other, and that the only recourse is for individuals to gather together and foment or force radical change, movements then take life. Depending on the depth of alienation, mass movements can be brutal.
All movements, however different in doctrine and aspiration, draw their early adherents from the same types of humanity; they all appeal to the same types of mind.
Hoffer observed that this was the case even with relatively benign movements, such as Christianity, which he noted managed to take an eager persecutor like Saul of Tarsus and alter his thinking and practices so that he became St. Paul, an equally zealous apologist for the faith.
It does not take a philosopher to note that, during this particularly fractious year in politics, there is a remarkable similarity between some of the supporters of Sanders, Trump, and Clinton, with people reduced to rage, tears, dramatic gestures, chanting, and other emotionally compromised behavior, to see Hoffer's perspective has longevity. Even a cursory glance at Islamism would reveal the same.
The True Believer was remarkably popular, written and published as it was during the height of American literacy. It turned Hoffer into a minor celebrity, with positive interviews appearing in print and in the relatively new world of television. By the mid-1950's, Hoffer was working three days a week as a longshoreman and one day as a philosophy lecturer at Berkeley [Where else?]. He would often be introduced as a "public intellectual", only to correct the speaker by replying, "No, just a longshoreman".
Hoffer would live into his 80's, residing no longer on Skid Row but in an apartment overlooking the San Francisco docks where he used to work. He would publish twelve more books, most of which are still in print. In addition, the Hoover Institution has archived an enormous collection of Hoffer's notebooks that include enough material for several other volumes. In 1983, shortly before his death, he was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
After two weeks of politics, I now realize that my choice is between a white, liberal, New York establishment millionaire or a white, liberal, New York establishment millionaire. I may stay in Australia.
[Not that it matters. As I live in a deeply blue state, the electoral college result is already pre-determined.]
[Not that it matters. As I live in a deeply blue state, the electoral college result is already pre-determined.]
Millennials Think That Working More Than One Job is Generational
Among my friends, and 20- and 30-somethings as a whole, the side hustle–the gig you work in addition to your day job–is so ubiquitous that, in April, Glamour Magazine posed the rueful question: “You don’t freelance on the side… What kind of urban-dwelling Millennial are you?” Failing to participate in the trend might even lead one to a “Millennial identity crisis.”
It's actually a pretty common aspect of middle-class life and has been for some time. My Dad never worked fewer than two jobs simultaneously, one of which was always full-time, and often would work at three; my mother always had two. I've never had fewer than two, myself, save for the few years I was working on a master's degree. Heck, I'm almost sixty and work as a clergyman, carpenter, and luthier during the week. Even though all of those are part-time, I can't imagine any other way of living.
Perhaps if we had called it a "gig" or a "side-hustle", it would have been special.
It's actually a pretty common aspect of middle-class life and has been for some time. My Dad never worked fewer than two jobs simultaneously, one of which was always full-time, and often would work at three; my mother always had two. I've never had fewer than two, myself, save for the few years I was working on a master's degree. Heck, I'm almost sixty and work as a clergyman, carpenter, and luthier during the week. Even though all of those are part-time, I can't imagine any other way of living.
Perhaps if we had called it a "gig" or a "side-hustle", it would have been special.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
"Is Europe Helpless?"
Can the decline be stopped? Yes, but that would require a great unlearning of the political mythologies on which modern Europe was built.
Among those mythologies: that the European Union is the result of a postwar moral commitment to peace; that Christianity is of merely historical importance to European identity; that there’s no such thing as a military solution; that one’s country isn’t worth fighting for; that honor is atavistic and tolerance is the supreme value. People who believe in nothing, including themselves, will ultimately submit to anything.
Europe decided that Christianity, the historic foundation of their system of education and moral order, was worth only their disdain and derision. It's been replaced with nihilism. As Hemingway used to ask in the midst of artillery shelling, "How do you like it now, gentlemen?"
Cleveland 1, Philadelphia 0
To be totally objective and nonpartisan: the logistics at DNC are appalling. Squalid hotels, sweltering workspace, no directions. Chaos.— Megan Liberman (@meganliberman) July 25, 2016
Some Good News in the Midst of All Else
Solar Impulse completes historic round-the-world trip
No surprise, really, that the first solar powered flight circumnavigation was made by a Piccard. His father, with mention of his equally adventurous grandfather, was profiled in The Coracle earlier.
No surprise, really, that the first solar powered flight circumnavigation was made by a Piccard. His father, with mention of his equally adventurous grandfather, was profiled in The Coracle earlier.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Talk Show Host to Ruin One of My Favorite Childhood Books
Oprah Winfrey To Star In ‘A Wrinkle In Time’
A profile on the The Coracle of the book's author may be found here.
A profile on the The Coracle of the book's author may be found here.
Considering a 17-Year-Old was Able to Purchase a Black Market Handgun, this is Hardly a Radical Observation
A European Union spokesman has acknowledged "serious loopholes" in the bloc's current rules on the acquisition and possession of firearms, but said the EU's executive has submitted proposals for tighter regulation.
This is the problem when gun "control" laws are the primary, sometimes only, response to violence. Considering mass violence is often born of untreated mental illness or unsupervised pharmacological experimentation, not to mention religious extremism, and realized not just with guns but with bombs, axes, machetes, knives, and trucks, I doubt much is going to change.
As I remind the reader, laws only control the law-abiding. Criminals, lunatics, and terrorists are, by definition, outlaws.
This is the problem when gun "control" laws are the primary, sometimes only, response to violence. Considering mass violence is often born of untreated mental illness or unsupervised pharmacological experimentation, not to mention religious extremism, and realized not just with guns but with bombs, axes, machetes, knives, and trucks, I doubt much is going to change.
As I remind the reader, laws only control the law-abiding. Criminals, lunatics, and terrorists are, by definition, outlaws.
Christians in Europe are Now Being Targeted in Their Places of Worship
BBC: France church attack: Priest killed in hostage-taking near Rouen
The BBC is being circumspect in describing the events. Worshipers were attacked when leaving the morning Mass, what the Beep calls a puzzling motivation is rather obvious when one hears from the survivors that the attackers wore Islamist garb and shouted about "Allah", and the priest was beheaded.
He was 92 [or 84 or 86, depending on the source] and just became the first official Roman Catholic martyr of this new age of intolerance and nihilism.
Twitter in all of its absurdity and splendor:
Update: The Coracle beat The Hartford Courant to this story by 45 minutes. It helps to have a reading knowledge of French and to rise early.
The BBC is being circumspect in describing the events. Worshipers were attacked when leaving the morning Mass, what the Beep calls a puzzling motivation is rather obvious when one hears from the survivors that the attackers wore Islamist garb and shouted about "Allah", and the priest was beheaded.
He was 92 [or 84 or 86, depending on the source] and just became the first official Roman Catholic martyr of this new age of intolerance and nihilism.
Twitter in all of its absurdity and splendor:
"Motive unclear" pretty well sums up the whole world these days.@AP Probably just a couple of unemployed, sexually repressed Episcopalians.— aurx (@aurx89) July 26, 2016
Update: The Coracle beat The Hartford Courant to this story by 45 minutes. It helps to have a reading knowledge of French and to rise early.
Another Dire Narrative is Shattered
Brexit is already proving to be a huge victory for global free trade
In being reluctant to move with the rest of Britain, Scotland will once again, through fissile-necked short-sightedness, find itself holding the bag of day-old haggis.
In being reluctant to move with the rest of Britain, Scotland will once again, through fissile-necked short-sightedness, find itself holding the bag of day-old haggis.
This is Entirely Reasonable
Sign Petition: ‘Remove air conditioning from all US State Department property’
Since, to quote from the Secretary of State, "Refrigerators and air conditioners are as dangerous as ISIS", and since the government has difficulty acknowledging the reality of Islamism enough to address it, this is one area in which they can lead from the front.
No AC for DC! [Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for that slogan.]
[This is pretty rich coming from Kerry. I saw his yacht in Newport harbor once and, judging from the dock hookups, even his sailboat is air conditioned. Seriously, who does that?]
Since, to quote from the Secretary of State, "Refrigerators and air conditioners are as dangerous as ISIS", and since the government has difficulty acknowledging the reality of Islamism enough to address it, this is one area in which they can lead from the front.
No AC for DC! [Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for that slogan.]
[This is pretty rich coming from Kerry. I saw his yacht in Newport harbor once and, judging from the dock hookups, even his sailboat is air conditioned. Seriously, who does that?]
Socialist Leaders Often Wind Up with Massive Vacation Homes and Cayman Bank Accounts
With economic power will come political power, and the veterans of the Castro regime will have nothing left to show for sixty years of poverty and sacrifice. The ‘reform’ faction in Cuba hopes that an interim twilight period between total socialism and total capitalism will allow them to do what other ex-communists have done, and shift their political control in a socialist context into political control and economic power as Cuba changes. They hope for the kind of privatizations and investments that leave the current elite holding the sources of wealth.
If that were the end result of economic re-distribution for me, personally, I'd be all for it, too. However, I'm usually one of the people who winds up paying the bill for all of this stuff.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Looks Like the Media Got the Memo about the Adjective "Dark"
If you want to have some linguistic fun, type "brutal Afghan winter" into whatever search engine you prefer. You will note that was the term of choice for almost all of the media about fifteen years ago. It's also a sure sign of the devolution of professional reporting in the United States.
Also, look up "Journo-list" to see how this informational sausage gets made.
[For those curious, the Afghani winter is virtually identical to that of Northeastern Ohio.]
Saturday, July 23, 2016
It's Time to Put Down the Phones, Kids
Two EMS workers were charged yesterday with engaging in a “selfie war” during which they competed to see who could take the best photos with patients that were intubated, unconscious, sedated, or drunk, according to Florida investigators.
and
Driver slams into Baltimore cop car while playing Pokemon Go
and
Australia installs pavement traffic lights for mobile phone-distracted pedestrians
and
Driver slams into Baltimore cop car while playing Pokemon Go
and
Australia installs pavement traffic lights for mobile phone-distracted pedestrians
A Young Man of Brilliance; A Hope for the Future
An artificial-intelligence lawyer chatbot has successfully contested 160,000 parking tickets across London and New York for free, showing that chatbots can actually be useful.
Dubbed as “the world’s first robot lawyer” by its 19-year-old creator, London-born second-year Stanford University student Joshua Browder, DoNotPay helps users contest parking tickets in an easy to use chat-like interface.
Best quotation:
“I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society. These people aren’t looking to break the law. I think they’re being exploited as a revenue source by the local government,” Browder told Venture Beat."
Dubbed as “the world’s first robot lawyer” by its 19-year-old creator, London-born second-year Stanford University student Joshua Browder, DoNotPay helps users contest parking tickets in an easy to use chat-like interface.
Best quotation:
“I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society. These people aren’t looking to break the law. I think they’re being exploited as a revenue source by the local government,” Browder told Venture Beat."
Friday, July 22, 2016
This is What the Government Thinks of Us
We are, apparently, regarded as so dumb that the government needs to spend money on a Twitter hashtag campaign to tell us to drink water when it's hot.
Once again, we are regarded as nothing but drones in need of the Uberblick.We can't say this enough: DRINK a lot of H2O💧-Even if you don't feel thirsty! #BeatTheHeat pic.twitter.com/3YMV0r0di5— Readygov (@Readygov) July 22, 2016
Actually, I Think We Could Use a Little "White Silence" This Summer
Dozens in West Hartford Protest 'White Silence'
Especially from the West Hartford effete, who live in one of the most deliberately "white" places in which I've worked.
Especially from the West Hartford effete, who live in one of the most deliberately "white" places in which I've worked.
In Other Words, It's Terrible
Scruton is, perhaps, the greatest living philosopher."There is very little emerging from contemporary pop that shows either melodic invention or even an awareness of why melody matters"— Roger Scruton Quotes (@Scruton_Quotes) July 22, 2016
Rules are for the Little People
Malloy Bypassed Airport Security Checkpoint With Son's Backpack
Given his son's...issues, this seems a little suspicious. Most politicians are a little more clever about such things.
Given his son's...issues, this seems a little suspicious. Most politicians are a little more clever about such things.
More on Von Humbolt may be found here.Alexander von Humbolt learned a language that had died 40 years earlier from a parrot who still spoke some words. pic.twitter.com/jLLJavV1Yo— Weird History (@weird_hist) July 22, 2016
The Bifurcation of Our World in One Web Page
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Welcome to My World, Washington Post
We were promised a riot. In Cleveland, we got a block party instead.
Did it ever occur to those of you who serve as the scribes to the elites that we can all figure out how to get along without government sticking its big bazoo into everything? We don't need you as much as you think. We can do this better than you can.
Did it ever occur to those of you who serve as the scribes to the elites that we can all figure out how to get along without government sticking its big bazoo into everything? We don't need you as much as you think. We can do this better than you can.
An Obituary of Note
Longtime Pittsburgh personality and TV host Bill Cardille died at 1:15 a.m. today at his home in McCandless.Mr. Cardille, 87, recently had been diagnosed with liver cancer.Mr. Cardille was the co-creator and host of "Chiller Theatre," which has been off the air since January 1984 but is remembered for its late-night horror flicks.
He was a lay reader at the parish my college girlfriend attended, which always cracked me up a little. I expected him to announce from the lectern not the epistle, but a Godzilla movie.
He was a lay reader at the parish my college girlfriend attended, which always cracked me up a little. I expected him to announce from the lectern not the epistle, but a Godzilla movie.
The Definition of Inevitable
Episcopal Divinity School will cease to grant degrees at the end of the upcoming academic year, the seminary’s board of trustees decided July 21 on a 11-4 vote. During the next year, the board will explore options for EDS’s future, some of which were suggested by a specially convened Futures Task Force to make plans for EDS’s future.
“A school that has taken on racism, sexism, heterosexism, and multiple interlocking oppressions is now called to rethink its delivery of theological education in a new and changing world,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall ’76, chairman of the board, in introducing the resolution. “Ending unsustainable spending is a matter of social justice.”
Or, as one Internet wag unfortunately notes:
Translation: “Having abandoned anything to do with orthodox Christianity, we find that we have made ourselves completely irrelevant. If we spin our theological and financial bankruptcy as a sign of our virtue, maybe we won’t look so bad.”
Over the past generation, EDS has narrowed its concentration to the extent that it appeals to a shrinking collection of potential seminarians. Another example of the manifestation of "Quemar las naves". When what used to be radical is now mainstream, orthodoxy becomes radical. And more attractive.
“A school that has taken on racism, sexism, heterosexism, and multiple interlocking oppressions is now called to rethink its delivery of theological education in a new and changing world,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall ’76, chairman of the board, in introducing the resolution. “Ending unsustainable spending is a matter of social justice.”
Or, as one Internet wag unfortunately notes:
Translation: “Having abandoned anything to do with orthodox Christianity, we find that we have made ourselves completely irrelevant. If we spin our theological and financial bankruptcy as a sign of our virtue, maybe we won’t look so bad.”
Over the past generation, EDS has narrowed its concentration to the extent that it appeals to a shrinking collection of potential seminarians. Another example of the manifestation of "Quemar las naves". When what used to be radical is now mainstream, orthodoxy becomes radical. And more attractive.
¡Quemar las naves!
I grew up in a political household, and a Christian one. My father was the treasurer of the county Democratic party, the very county that is currently hosting the Republican National Convention; my mother was an elected member of the school board. At the age of seven, I would help stuff envelopes for mass mailings, hand out bumper stickers on the street, and sit at party meetings next to my Dad. I remember helping my parents campaign for Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, and Jimmy Carter, by which time I was old enough to vote.
I appreciated the liberal view, as it promoted independent and original thinking. I believed that if a government were to have any value it would serve those who, through circumstance or tragedy, found themselves otherwise powerless. I really appreciated the broad range of perspectives it permitted. I deliberately sought out military service because the motto "ex liberatore oppressorum" meant something to me and was a world view promoted by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, both Democrats. [I note their political party not for those who are roughly my age, but for those younger who are not aware that they were Democrats and were never taught that it was those two presidents and the party behind them that advanced our involvement in Vietnam.]
For similar reasons, I appreciated the Episcopal Church. I liked that art and music were a part of its spirituality and that intellectual accomplishment was celebrated. I appreciated that it eschewed sentimentalism and avoided the institutional tendency to exclude people. I loved that a precisely rendered liturgy was not only a venerable work of art, but a shard of what will be felt in the Kingdom. Through some confusing, and occasionally dark, times, it was the Episcopal flavor of Christianity that kept me grounded, balanced, and faithful.
As the Episcopal Church was an institution that reverenced the liberal perspective, it was, I suppose, only natural that I would find a role in it. It's because the bulk of my life has been spent in its witness or service that I experience the death of true liberalism, and The Episcopal Church, with such mortification.
What changes have occurred since my early days, though. In seminary, we were encouraged to identify Ronald Reagan, then in his second term, as one deserving of our hatred. It bothered no one that hatred seemed to fly in the face of Gospel teaching but, you see, he wasn't a liberal. A couple of decades later, we were told that parishes that were not as evolved on the issues of gay clergy and same-sex marriage would be officially educated by morally-advanced clergy, so that all Episcopalians would be together in regard and practice. Any parish that was not advancing at the same rate to the greater church's morally elevated view would be treated not with love or patience, as had once been our tradition, but handled through the civil legal system.
Hence the unofficial motto became "We think the same thoughts, we use the same words". Anyone else was regarded as disharmonious and mocked behind their backs. [A secondary motto for The Church could be "We will never say anything unkind...to your face."] The disharmonious would find it difficult to find positions in this brave, new world, too. Again, a practice at odds with the Gospel.
Universities and schools, where I spent the rest of my time, were the same way, as to be a liberal now meant to conform one's thinking to a greater Überblick, one that is determined by nameless others. The whole notion of questioning assumptions and discussing various viewpoints devolved into our current grotesquerie of "safe spaces" and "microaggressions". What was once a political philosophy and a denominational theology that permitted freedom to think, experiment, and explore became something dark and disturbing; it was now a prison of conformity where any divergence was considered a danger to the greater body.
Worse, we now participate in what has traditionally been the human race's greatest sin: We label and categorize people by politics, gender, race, and education in order to judge the validity of individual opinions.
Consider what has happened to the civil rights movement in the United States, where once The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. elevated our hopes when he placed character above skin color:
Why was King, and the coalition of people walking with him, so successful? The answer isn’t complicated. With a few exceptions the 1960s civil rights movement was made up of law-abiding middle class people (in values, if not uniformly in economic status) who espoused ideas thoroughly identifiable by middle class Americans not attached to the movement. King embraced the Declaration of Independence and the Enlightenment principles of America’s founding; like the great Frederick Douglass before him, he asked only that the benefits of those principles be extended to black Americans in the places they were not. He made an argument that no American in good faith could reject.Or consider the whole nature of liberalism, now called "progressivism", in the 21st century, where confidence in one's experience and judgement has become simple, foul smugness:
There is a smug style in American liberalism. It has been growing these past decades. It is a way of conducting politics, predicated on the belief that American life is not divided by moral difference or policy divergence — not really — but by the failure of half the country to know what's good for them.Again, there is always the Überblick, whether defined as an episcopacy or a government, that is to order even the smallest details of our lives.
Perhaps now to be a free-thinker in this evolving century is to eschew institutional religion and political affiliation, or else be whelmed by the strangling tentacles of conformity. Perhaps this is the reason, at least in part, for the distaste that younger people have for denominational identity or party politics. For those of us who are older, and regrettably have had something to do with the creation of the system that has made us its victim, maybe it's time to take Cortes' practice and make it a metaphor for a new beginnings. After all, retreat is easy when you have the option. Removing the option gives us only one way to go.We need to eat less meat. Should the government step in?https://t.co/g87WvsxXzC— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 20, 2016
How Many More Can You Drive Out, Hartford Folks?
America’s largest shotgun manufacturer, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., decided not to expand in Connecticut. Sure it was founded there 1919 and still has its corporate headquarters in North Haven. But in 2013 Connecticut rushed through legislation to ban some of Mossberg’s popular products. As a result, Mossberg CEO, Iver Mossberg, says, “Investing in Texas was an easy decision. It’s a state that is not only committed to economic growth but also honors and respects the Second Amendment and the firearm freedoms it guarantees for our customers.”
For those who would sneer that "It's only a gun maker" or "Ew, icky guns", I would remind you that General Electric along with a very large machine manufacturer and, probably, an equally huge insurance company are doing the same. Also, it's, off hand, three Connecticut gun manufacturers who have left the state, which means thousands of jobs gone and/or people relocating to another state, thus reducing our population and the tax base.
Better get that Malloy Mileage Tax going soon.
For those who would sneer that "It's only a gun maker" or "Ew, icky guns", I would remind you that General Electric along with a very large machine manufacturer and, probably, an equally huge insurance company are doing the same. Also, it's, off hand, three Connecticut gun manufacturers who have left the state, which means thousands of jobs gone and/or people relocating to another state, thus reducing our population and the tax base.
Better get that Malloy Mileage Tax going soon.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Quotation of the Week
Cleveland Police Warn Protester: ‘You’re on Fire, Stupid!’
I had several interactions with the CPD when I was growing up and they were always gentlemen. The Euclid Police Department, on the other hand....
I had several interactions with the CPD when I was growing up and they were always gentlemen. The Euclid Police Department, on the other hand....
I Almost Forgot About This
I was at church camp in Ohio. All forty of us were jammed in a counselors' cabin and watched on a 12 inch, black and white TV with a grainy, antenna-based signal as Armstrong jumped from the LEM ladder. It was great. If you are at least my age, you remember what that was like, how positive and important it was, especially after the traumatic preceding 18 months.
#TodayInHistory: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon. (Photo @GettyImages) pic.twitter.com/denI3I8F1A— Best Of CBS New York (@BestOfCBSNY) July 20, 2016
It's Going to Be One of Those Days
Today was scrupulously planned. I was going to ride some waves for an hour, finish building a new barn-style door for the guitar shop, gather materials for the next project, enjoy a fish reuben sandwich at a dockside cafe, and maybe, maybe take a nap.
Then, your wife loses her car keys at a parish picnic and, as the spare is 80 miles away, instead I'll drive her to work, get the spare key, turn around and return to her office, drive her to the private home where her car still sits, then return home to try to get something, anything really, accomplished before sundown. After over four hours of driving, that'll be a challenge.
I'm really glad the Malloy Mileage Tax hasn't been enacted, yet.
Then, your wife loses her car keys at a parish picnic and, as the spare is 80 miles away, instead I'll drive her to work, get the spare key, turn around and return to her office, drive her to the private home where her car still sits, then return home to try to get something, anything really, accomplished before sundown. After over four hours of driving, that'll be a challenge.
I'm really glad the Malloy Mileage Tax hasn't been enacted, yet.
More About That Weird Benediction
I didn't spell out what troubled me about the benediction offered at the opening of the RNC in my hometown of Cleveland ["The 'Land!"] earlier this week and was going to address that, but this fellow beat me to it. I might have been a tad kinder, but, again, I can be shockingly Midwestern in my opinions from time to time, so maybe not.
Anyway, read this if you wish:
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
I've Never Before Heard a Prayer That Identifies an Enemy [Other Than Satan].
This was seriously weird.
Monday, July 18, 2016
In a Time of Terrorism [aka 'Truck Crashes'] and #NoLivesMatter, This is What the NYPD Have to Do
Police Confiscate Thousands of Books from Upper West Side Street Vendors
and
The book vendors who normally set up stands on Broadway between 72nd and 74th Streets were nowhere to be found this week. Police have removed the books, a 20th precinct official told us, but we’re still gathering details on what precipitated the move.
and
The book vendors who normally set up stands on Broadway between 72nd and 74th Streets were nowhere to be found this week. Police have removed the books, a 20th precinct official told us, but we’re still gathering details on what precipitated the move.
A Third of a Mile from the House in Which I Grew Up
Two People Shot at a 'Stop the Violence' Party in Euclid
I could never live there, again. I've lost whatever edge I once had that kept me alive and generally safe.
Update: There is a third victim and one is a fatality.
I could never live there, again. I've lost whatever edge I once had that kept me alive and generally safe.
Update: There is a third victim and one is a fatality.
This is What 'The Today Show' in Sydney is Like; It's a Lot More Fun
"Pluggers" are what we call flip-flops.
I'm More Disturbed by the Fact that It Looks Like a Dalek
Mall security bot knocks down toddler, breaks Asimov's first law of robotics
I mean, doesn't it?
We may need to train an orphan from birth to become...a robot fighter!
I mean, doesn't it?
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| Mall-bot |
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| Dalek |
Our Brave New World
Situational Awareness in Social Settings
Fleeing is preferable to hiding under a table if an incident involving small arms occurs. Gunshot wounds from a distance tend to be survivable. Close range executions are usually fatal. Determine a nearby point that offers cover or concealment and move quickly to it. Assess the situation and then repeat the process to escape.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
The "Beach Blanket Bingo Test"
This is a ramble, but that's what happens sometimes.
I've always had a two-tired system that differentiates between "movies" and "films". For example, my favorite film is Lawrence of Arabia, while my favorite movie is The President's Analyst. [If you don't know that one, it's one of the most entertaining satires from the late 1960's, ridiculing everything from Cold War espionage to the evil that is...the phone company.]
A film is intended to be a serious work of art; a movie is an entertainment. One is not better than the other, as a good Neil Simon play can be just as diverting as well-produced Shakespeare. It's just that there is a different emphasis and the audience is seeking that difference from the respective productions.
In the summer, movies tend to dominate the cinemas as it is an apt time not for art, but for pure entertainment. That's why we see so many comic book adaptations these days. [Honestly, if I were still a twelve-year-old comic fan, I would be in the closest thing to heaven to be able to see good movies about my early heroes. I'm no longer twelve, though, and find the sheer volume of Marvel and DC adaptations a bit much.] But, what I don't savor are the remakes, of everything from old, not-so-great TV shows to movies that, let's face it, were really not all that good, either.
For example, Ghostbusters. The original was a pleasant diversion in the summer of 1984, but I mainly remember it not as a seminal moment in my appreciation of cinematic story-telling, acting, or direction, but because I went to see it on my second date with she who would become my wife, after a pleasant meal at Manhattan's only Vietnamese restaurant. Yes, that's how long ago that was. By the way, the Saigon Pavilion used to have really good Tonkin Gulf shrimp.
So, the other day, as I was walking in front of the local cinema, I was approached by a young woman with a clipboard who wondered if she could ask me a few questions. She looked like the politically active young people with clipboards who used to stop me on Thayer Street in Providence back when I lived and worked adjacent to Brown University, so I assumed that her questions would be about the upcoming election. Nope, her questions were about...Ghostbusters.
Clipboard: Do you plan on seeing Ghostbusters?
Me: No.
Clipboard: Is this because of the all-woman cast?
Me: No
Clipboard: May I ask why you won't be seeing it?
Me: Well, I thought the original was really just a celebration of Hollywood's fondness for cocaine in the 1980's, and I don't care for re-makes.
Clipboard: What if I told you it was a "re-boot" and not a re-make?
Me: Then I would still not want to re-see it. Besides, does it pass the "Beach Blanket Bingo Test"?
She paused, pen hovering above clipboard, somewhat dazed as if I had just responded not in English, but in Serbo-Croat.
Clipboard: The Beach...I don't...what?
Me: You are unfamiliar with the enviro-feminist classic, Beach Blanket Bingo?
She shook her head.
Me: It's from the mid-sixties. It re-works environmental and feminist themes into the common tropes of the patriarchal life of a California tribe.
Clipboard: Wow, I've never heard of it.
Me: It also has Don Rickles.
Clipboard: I don't know...?
Me: He taught Lenny Bruce everything he knew.
Clipboard: Wow.
Me: So, if a movie may be at least as entertaining as Beach Blanket Bingo, then I'll go see it. Otherwise....
She scribbled away on her clipboard and I started to feel a little guilty. I suggested that she find it online. Unfortunately, she'll probably be disappointed if she's looking for any obvious redeeming social value. Perhaps even triggered.
Of course, only a straining academic could ever make BBB about anything other than silliness. Which, I think, was and is my point with all of this. It's summer, no one wants to be "guilted" into seeing a movie, as the marketing for the latest Ghostbusters suggested that if one didn't want to see it, that was because one was sexist. The first film was appropriate for its time. Perhaps the second version is also evocative of the times in which we live as it posits that one must do what the media-entertainment realm desires, speak the words they want us to speak and hold the thoughts they want us to hold, or else bear a noxious label. Yes, that sums up the 21st century fairly well.
And people wonder why I surf.
I've always had a two-tired system that differentiates between "movies" and "films". For example, my favorite film is Lawrence of Arabia, while my favorite movie is The President's Analyst. [If you don't know that one, it's one of the most entertaining satires from the late 1960's, ridiculing everything from Cold War espionage to the evil that is...the phone company.]
A film is intended to be a serious work of art; a movie is an entertainment. One is not better than the other, as a good Neil Simon play can be just as diverting as well-produced Shakespeare. It's just that there is a different emphasis and the audience is seeking that difference from the respective productions.
In the summer, movies tend to dominate the cinemas as it is an apt time not for art, but for pure entertainment. That's why we see so many comic book adaptations these days. [Honestly, if I were still a twelve-year-old comic fan, I would be in the closest thing to heaven to be able to see good movies about my early heroes. I'm no longer twelve, though, and find the sheer volume of Marvel and DC adaptations a bit much.] But, what I don't savor are the remakes, of everything from old, not-so-great TV shows to movies that, let's face it, were really not all that good, either.
For example, Ghostbusters. The original was a pleasant diversion in the summer of 1984, but I mainly remember it not as a seminal moment in my appreciation of cinematic story-telling, acting, or direction, but because I went to see it on my second date with she who would become my wife, after a pleasant meal at Manhattan's only Vietnamese restaurant. Yes, that's how long ago that was. By the way, the Saigon Pavilion used to have really good Tonkin Gulf shrimp.
So, the other day, as I was walking in front of the local cinema, I was approached by a young woman with a clipboard who wondered if she could ask me a few questions. She looked like the politically active young people with clipboards who used to stop me on Thayer Street in Providence back when I lived and worked adjacent to Brown University, so I assumed that her questions would be about the upcoming election. Nope, her questions were about...Ghostbusters.
Clipboard: Do you plan on seeing Ghostbusters?
Me: No.
Clipboard: Is this because of the all-woman cast?
Me: No
Clipboard: May I ask why you won't be seeing it?
Me: Well, I thought the original was really just a celebration of Hollywood's fondness for cocaine in the 1980's, and I don't care for re-makes.
Clipboard: What if I told you it was a "re-boot" and not a re-make?
Me: Then I would still not want to re-see it. Besides, does it pass the "Beach Blanket Bingo Test"?
She paused, pen hovering above clipboard, somewhat dazed as if I had just responded not in English, but in Serbo-Croat.
Clipboard: The Beach...I don't...what?
Me: You are unfamiliar with the enviro-feminist classic, Beach Blanket Bingo?
She shook her head.
Me: It's from the mid-sixties. It re-works environmental and feminist themes into the common tropes of the patriarchal life of a California tribe.
Clipboard: Wow, I've never heard of it.
Me: It also has Don Rickles.
Clipboard: I don't know...?
Me: He taught Lenny Bruce everything he knew.
Clipboard: Wow.
Me: So, if a movie may be at least as entertaining as Beach Blanket Bingo, then I'll go see it. Otherwise....
She scribbled away on her clipboard and I started to feel a little guilty. I suggested that she find it online. Unfortunately, she'll probably be disappointed if she's looking for any obvious redeeming social value. Perhaps even triggered.
Of course, only a straining academic could ever make BBB about anything other than silliness. Which, I think, was and is my point with all of this. It's summer, no one wants to be "guilted" into seeing a movie, as the marketing for the latest Ghostbusters suggested that if one didn't want to see it, that was because one was sexist. The first film was appropriate for its time. Perhaps the second version is also evocative of the times in which we live as it posits that one must do what the media-entertainment realm desires, speak the words they want us to speak and hold the thoughts they want us to hold, or else bear a noxious label. Yes, that sums up the 21st century fairly well.
And people wonder why I surf.
Why do I have this awful feeling that the next couple of weeks will reverse the reverse of the curse that should have been ended with the Cavs' victory? Seriously, my hometown of Cleveland has been through enough.
Update: I have never been so happy to be wrong. A lot of people saw my hometown for what it is, including the bigots from the eastern media who desperately wanted to mock the city and its people. The local government scored as big a victory as did LeBron and company.
Update: I have never been so happy to be wrong. A lot of people saw my hometown for what it is, including the bigots from the eastern media who desperately wanted to mock the city and its people. The local government scored as big a victory as did LeBron and company.
Philosophy Majors Will Find This Funny
This is yet another heavy day and I needed a laugh. Perhaps, you, too. Other than this, anything resembling wisdom is absent.One is not born German.— Werner Twertzog (@WernerTwertzog) July 17, 2016
One becomes German through ecstatic visions, self-recrimination, and vigorous hiking.
Also beer.
I would very much like our thought leaders, media stars, social justice warriors, politicians, and other bilge producers to shut up for a day, though.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
An Obituary of Note
Michael McCurdy, who was a friend of The Coracle, and who was the subject of a Friday profile last summer, died quietly some weeks ago. While his obituary may be found online, I would direct the reader to the link provided via the quotation above for a personal appreciation of both his character and his art.
Friday, July 15, 2016
"Truck Crash"? Really? That's What We're Calling It, Now?
How not-serious is the media about this? Here is an honest-to-gosh headline from NBC's Today Show: Somber cartoon tributes pour in across social media following Nice attackTune in to @MSNBC for continued live coverage of the deadly truck crash in Nice, France: https://t.co/FdX3z4hq8V pic.twitter.com/X6J2ENQJk4— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 15, 2016
From the Rector's Bookshelf
This seems prescient:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was a Muslim visionary, revolutionary statesman, and founder of the Republic of Turkey. The West knows him best as the leading Ottoman officer in World War I's Battle of Gallipoli―a defeat for the Allies, and the Ottoman empire's greatest victory. Gaining fame as an exemplary military officer, he went on to lead his people in the Turkish War of Independence, abolishing the Ottoman Sultanate, emancipating women, and adopting western dress. Deeply influenced by the Enlightenment, Atatürk sought to transform the empire into a modern and secular nation-state, and during his presidency, embarked upon a program of impressive political, economic, and cultural reforms. Militarily and politically he excelled at all levels of conflict, from the tactical, through the operational, to the strategic, and into the rarified realm of grand strategy. His ability to integrate the immediate with the ultimate serves as an important lesson for leaders engaged in the twenty-first century's great military struggles. He became the only leader in history to successfully turn a Muslim nation into a Western parliamentary democracy and secular state, leaving behind a legacy of modernization and military and political leadership.
Photo File Clean-Out
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| Remember "fan magazines" from the '60's? They were a little histrionic, weren't they? |
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| Wasn't there a Twilight Zone episode like this? |
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| A collection of Hopi trying to accommodate Dr. and Mrs. Albert Einstein. |
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| Leo Tolstoy telling a story to his grandchildren, both of whom hope it isn't War and Peace. |
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| Has anyone ever heard of the "Nice Sons"? I mean, that's a pretty good billing. Update: I managed to locate a program from that particular show and The Byrds shared the billing with The Nice and The Sons of Champlin, hence the reference. I never heard of those groups, either. |
Hardly a Mystery, as She Doesn't Consider Herself Disabled
Bethany Hamilton withdrew from ESPYS disabled athlete category
After all, she's won regular surfing competitions against "abled" competitors. Perhaps that's earned her the right to live without ESPN's labels.
After all, she's won regular surfing competitions against "abled" competitors. Perhaps that's earned her the right to live without ESPN's labels.
I Can Think of One Easy Way to Significantly Reduce the Cost
Namely, honor human life.
The costly economics of fetus disposal
By the way, this was supposedly a news article, not an op-ed piece. "Fetus disposal", in its cold, emotionless, clinical way, sums up the regard for human life found in certain segments of our nihilistic society.
The costly economics of fetus disposal
By the way, this was supposedly a news article, not an op-ed piece. "Fetus disposal", in its cold, emotionless, clinical way, sums up the regard for human life found in certain segments of our nihilistic society.
Generation Kardashian Goes to School
Standing in line at the bakery behind a couple of Millennials lamenting what a "sellout" Bernie Sanders was in endorsing the other candidate, I offered that, "Disappointment is the gateway to wisdom." Yeah, I won't do that, again. One of the young women, who had chrome red hair, almost started to cry. The other looked at me as if I were a criminal.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
"Glock" and "AR-15" are Magic Words of Incantation for Politicians and Media
It's an oversimplification and, like all such, renders serious conversations about guns and violence non-sensical. Even the often-sympathetic Washington Post has noticed:
Obama’s strange claim that it is easier for teens to buy a Glock than get a book
This floats around the Internet from time to time, too, lampooning the odd power these two words of incantation have over those who control information and would control our perspectives:
Obama’s strange claim that it is easier for teens to buy a Glock than get a book
This floats around the Internet from time to time, too, lampooning the odd power these two words of incantation have over those who control information and would control our perspectives:
A Forgotten Rolling Stones Song
The influence of Brian Jones, the fellow standing in the photo above, is obvious in this tune's production as he drew from a variety of musical traditions and instrumentation. Jones was the actual founder of the Stones, not Jagger or Richards, and the one who loved American Blues to the extent that they were the originators of what's known as "blue-eyed soul". He played rhythm guitar, slide guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica, various types of percussion, dulcimer, oboe, and some brass.
Unfortunately, he was just as various and deliberate in his drug use, to the extent that the rest of the band voted him out in 1969. He would drown in his pool just a month later.
I Learned a Number of Things from This
Washington Post: ‘Allow him to sway’ or not: Video of former president Bush at Dallas memorial divides social media
1. It appears that fewer and fewer people have been to a Christian funeral, where we not only mourn the passing of a friend or family member, but we also acknowledge and, yes, celebrate their reunion with God. That explains part of the online confusion.
2. Bush actually believes in his religion. Again, an alien concept in these dark and nihilistic days, but there you go.
3. People who comment on social media are largely stupid.
4. The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an infectious tune.
5. "Swaying" and "Dancing" are not synonyms, except at a junior high dance.
6. I never used to think so, but Donna Brazile is alright.
7. In addition to George Orwell's "wrongthink" from 1984, our society has created "wrong-grief".
1. It appears that fewer and fewer people have been to a Christian funeral, where we not only mourn the passing of a friend or family member, but we also acknowledge and, yes, celebrate their reunion with God. That explains part of the online confusion.
2. Bush actually believes in his religion. Again, an alien concept in these dark and nihilistic days, but there you go.
3. People who comment on social media are largely stupid.
4. The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an infectious tune.
5. "Swaying" and "Dancing" are not synonyms, except at a junior high dance.
6. I never used to think so, but Donna Brazile is alright.
7. In addition to George Orwell's "wrongthink" from 1984, our society has created "wrong-grief".
Yep, and If We Didn't Live in an Atheistic Society, This Would Be Obvious from Religious Teaching
Three things in life that are bad: 1) The stoking and perpetuation of grievance. 2) The refusal to acknowledge good. 3) The refusal to heal.— Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger) July 11, 2016
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Generation Kardashian Discovers These Things Called "Landmarks"
Pokemon Go Takes State By Storm, Players Flock To Public Landmarks
They might even notice these amazing, exotic "landmark" things if they would look up from their phones.
They might even notice these amazing, exotic "landmark" things if they would look up from their phones.
We're #43! We're #43!
Connecticut Ranks 43rd On Top States For Businesses Ranking
John Galt was a fictional character, but the freedom he represented is terribly real, as some states are beginning to discover. If a state is poorly managed and budgeted, to the disadvantage of small businesses, they'll move to another state.
John Galt was a fictional character, but the freedom he represented is terribly real, as some states are beginning to discover. If a state is poorly managed and budgeted, to the disadvantage of small businesses, they'll move to another state.
Connecticut dropped 10 slots in a yearly CNBC ranking of the nation's top states for businesses.
The state ranked 43rd this year, just behind Oklahoma. The rankings are measured by categories such as the cost of doing businesses, access to capital, business friendliness and the quality of life.[In case you're wondering, it is hot as blazes in the workshop, the air in there is barely moving, and I have a snoot-full of alder dust. So, it's break time.]
Probably. Next Question.
Have we reached a point of no return?
The only hope for history’s rare multiracial, multiethnic, and multireligious nations is to adopt a common culture, one that artificially suppresses the natural instinct of humans to identify first with their particular tribe. America, in the logical spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, was exceptional among modern societies in slowly evolving from its original, largely European immigrant population to a 21st-century assimilated, integrated, and intermarried multiracial society, in which religious and racial affiliations were incidental, not essential, to one’s public character and identity.
But such a bold experiment was always tenuous and against the cruel grain of history, in which the hard work of centuries could be easily torn apart by the brief demagoguery of the moment.
Politicians Should Stay Away from Scripture
I was listening to the president's speech from the Dallas police officer's funeral yesterday, the first half of which was appropriate, the second half political and perverse for a religious occasion, but I was particularly distracted by what seemed to be a quotation he offered from The Gospel of John, as it is alien to that work. In other words, it doesn't exist in John's Gospel. [No one in the media noticed this, either, as they are ignorant and/or willfully stupid when it comes to Christianity.]
The passage that he was incorrect in citing, and obtuse in translating, is actually appropriate. It's from chapter three of The First Epistle of John, however, and says the following:
The passage that he was incorrect in citing, and obtuse in translating, is actually appropriate. It's from chapter three of The First Epistle of John, however, and says the following:
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters,[a] that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister[b] are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister[c] in need and yet refuses help?
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
Today is Guitar-Building Day
There is little that is more satisfying than spending a day alone in the workshop surrounded by various tools and the bits and bumps that go into a guitar.
Not to be a cheater, as I have built many from scratch, but I often use pieces from discarded or abused guitars and put them together with new pieces to form a true custom. Also, I have been known to "sub-contract" the finish, as some of the paint jobs require much more professional equipment than I have in our small workshop.
However, it is always nice to have a day when one may see the tactile result of his labor. Plus make some extra coin.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
A Policy Note
While The Coracle, in its original format, served as a means for communicating parish and diocesan events in a congregation I served over a decade ago, my next two parishes didn't use it as such and it gradually transitioned into...well, whatever this is. Despite the change, or perhaps because of it, the readership tripled and became more diverse [in the real meaning of the term] and international, naturally altering the content and style of the weblog.
It's been a great run over the last eleven years and I'm planning on continuing it, but The Coracle will no longer be associated with a parish, church, or denomination. As time goes by, neither will its author/editor. It will no longer be linked to a parish website. In addition to these changes, new voices will be adding their perspectives and postings in the near future.
We are about to begin a glorious experience of liberation, as I will be able to snap the ideological tether that's kept me in the "back yard" of faith and have the freedom to explore new expressions in Christian spirituality. I can hardly wait.
It's been a great run over the last eleven years and I'm planning on continuing it, but The Coracle will no longer be associated with a parish, church, or denomination. As time goes by, neither will its author/editor. It will no longer be linked to a parish website. In addition to these changes, new voices will be adding their perspectives and postings in the near future.
We are about to begin a glorious experience of liberation, as I will be able to snap the ideological tether that's kept me in the "back yard" of faith and have the freedom to explore new expressions in Christian spirituality. I can hardly wait.
As the Chief Priests of the Temple and the False Prophets Knew
The Hill: Even at a funeral, dividing the nation is apparently good politics
Yep. It also appears to be a time to say things that are so untrue as to be delusional. Teenagers can buy handguns easier than books? Really?
Also, there's this:
Yep. It also appears to be a time to say things that are so untrue as to be delusional. Teenagers can buy handguns easier than books? Really?
Also, there's this:
This, remember, was a funeral — a funeral for one of the police officers who was murdered last Thursday. It wasn’t a rally. It wasn’t a White House press conference. It wasn’t a public statement, hastily arranged on the airport tarmac. It was a funeral. Presumably, those attending had all sorts of political opinions. Presumably, some of the cops were Republicans. Presumably, there was some serious disagreement in that room as to how the country should move forward. Wouldn’t it have been better to wait until the proceedings were over to call for change? Wouldn’t it have been more politically effective for the president to have made his push somewhere else?Having watched The Episcopal Church destroy itself over the last twenty years with a "Everyone must have the same thoughts; everyone must use the same words" philosophy [there is nothing theological about it], I find this approach the least likely to persuade.
Tales of Generation Kardashian
We do not consider playing "Pokemon Go" to be appropriate decorum on the grounds of ANC. We ask all visitors to refrain from such activity.— Arlington Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) July 12, 2016
Maybe It's Not Possible Because It's Impossible
What's missing? Why is racial discord the problem of the summer 2016? If anyone has what it takes to unify the country over race it is Barack Obama, who is President right now and who had been President for 7 1/2 years. If it makes any sense to be deciding the current presidential election on this issue, if this longed-for capacity is something that can possibly exist, then Barack Obama would be doing it now and would have been doing it for years.
Before you push us to judge whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump would do better in bringing us together in racial harmony, Mr. Healy, please say a few words about why President Obama has failed. Of course, neither Clinton nor Trump inspires hope for a new opportunity at racial harmony. That's what Obama did in 2008. He was ideal for that issue and we voted for the hope. Now, so many years later, things seem even worse. Can you analyze how that happened? Because that did happen. I don't see how we can begin to think about what more Trump or Clinton could do unless we understand why President Obama failed.To be honest, and not to be "that guy", but I never thought the president really cared about this since much of his career was benefited by the dynamics of racial discord, which is typical of Rust Belt politicians, a group I know something about.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Another Editorial Note
Okay, I know I said I wouldn't have that much to say, but when one is almost sixty-years-old and spends a day or two a week working construction with guys twenty to forty years younger, there isn't a whole lot that I can do in the evenings except take acetaminophen and moan some. Oh, and read newspapers online. There may be some more postings coming.
On the way home tonight I stopped by a pizza place to pick up dinner and couldn't get down the sidewalk as some rather pale thirty-somethings were standing around like zombies staring at their phones. I'm used to this in New York City, but this is a new experience in the maritimes, where people tend to look at other people and, as we are on the shoreline, look healthier. Well, except for their fondness for tobacco.
Turns out this Pokemon Go phone game has managed to lobotomize many of the citizenry.
Speaking of lobotomies, here's something about Washington D.C.:
If our rulers think global warming is a crisis, let them be a good example for the rest of us: Ban AC for DC
On the way home tonight I stopped by a pizza place to pick up dinner and couldn't get down the sidewalk as some rather pale thirty-somethings were standing around like zombies staring at their phones. I'm used to this in New York City, but this is a new experience in the maritimes, where people tend to look at other people and, as we are on the shoreline, look healthier. Well, except for their fondness for tobacco.
Turns out this Pokemon Go phone game has managed to lobotomize many of the citizenry.
Speaking of lobotomies, here's something about Washington D.C.:
If our rulers think global warming is a crisis, let them be a good example for the rest of us: Ban AC for DC
An Editorial Note
Posting will be light this week, but I'll have at least one item each morning, as I'm currently working three jobs and getting ready for a substantial life re-organization.
I do want to say how much I enjoy the new readers from Australia and Panama, and especially your correspondence, as you've added a whole new perspective and sources of information to The Coracle. Please feel free to scour past links and commentary and see if you can discern the one, clean theological point that is present in almost every posting.
I do want to say how much I enjoy the new readers from Australia and Panama, and especially your correspondence, as you've added a whole new perspective and sources of information to The Coracle. Please feel free to scour past links and commentary and see if you can discern the one, clean theological point that is present in almost every posting.
Friday, July 8, 2016
There is Nothing New in This, But It's Worth Reading
The numbers of people who are committed Christians—those who are practicing a vibrant faith—are not dying off. That’s a myth that no real researcher believes. However, that does not mean that the Church is not being challenged. It is, and it is being more clearly defined.
Research tells us that Convictional Christians are not leaving the faith. Instead, the “squishy middle,” as I like to call it, is being compressed. At least part of this is because Christians now find themselves more and more on the margins in American society—not persecuted, but no longer central. As such, people are beginning to count the cost.
Indeed, American Christians won’t disappear, but they will increasingly be neighbors with Americans who are more disconnected from organized religion, and from a shared religious memory. Instead of seeing the research as bad news, let’s embrace the challenges before us and step into this new cultural reality with fresh ways to engage the Nones and others around us.
Research tells us that Convictional Christians are not leaving the faith. Instead, the “squishy middle,” as I like to call it, is being compressed. At least part of this is because Christians now find themselves more and more on the margins in American society—not persecuted, but no longer central. As such, people are beginning to count the cost.
Indeed, American Christians won’t disappear, but they will increasingly be neighbors with Americans who are more disconnected from organized religion, and from a shared religious memory. Instead of seeing the research as bad news, let’s embrace the challenges before us and step into this new cultural reality with fresh ways to engage the Nones and others around us.
As I Wrote on Facebook Earlier This Morning
What I find so frustrating about this morning’s news is that
yesterday I mentioned to a European acquaintance that one could not find
a better example of Constitutionally-enabled social civility than police
peacefully watching over an equally peaceful protest organized to
criticize police behavior.
A Fair Assessment
The larger phenomenon here, however, is a crisis not of ignorant
masses, but of elites who have failed. All societies, except perhaps the
Greek city-states of antiquity, are led by elites or, as the great
sociologist Digby Baltzell described them, establishments. As long as
they provide their societies with some consequential benefit
(prosperity, success in war, or political leadership), can absorb
talented non-elite members, and display virtues that the rest of society
values (public service, self-sacrifice, or military courage) they
deserve to hang on and do.
The elites of London, like those of this country and large parts of the Western world, appear in many ways to have failed those tests. The crash of 2008 crystallized a view of the financial class in particular as reckless, self-dealing manipulators. As Joel Kotkin among others has pointed out, by virtue of how our education systems have evolved, elite youth increasingly marry one another, and the prosperous can (and do) give their children every leg up—which poorer parents cannot hope to match. Meanwhile, the political and intellectual elites deserve, and receive, very little credit for patriotism or courage, because they do not exhibit much. As manifested on campuses in Great Britain as here, they increasingly show themselves intolerant of dissenting opinions, and inclined to bully because they have forgotten (or never learned) how to argue.
The failure of courage, Solzhenitsyn said at a particularly dark point in the Cold War, was in danger of becoming a distinguishing feature of the West. The young people who talked petulantly of abandoning their country because of a vote they did not like were bright graduates of the best universities in the English-speaking world—and severely deficient in pluck. They had no notion of that patriotism which says that when your country is in trouble, you are supposed to fight it out, not begin checking to see if Morgan Stanley is hiring in Madrid. They are not fit to be trusted with political power.
And in the very intemperateness of their reaction lies one of the best reasons to think that Brexit is, with all its hazards, a good thing.
The elites of London, like those of this country and large parts of the Western world, appear in many ways to have failed those tests. The crash of 2008 crystallized a view of the financial class in particular as reckless, self-dealing manipulators. As Joel Kotkin among others has pointed out, by virtue of how our education systems have evolved, elite youth increasingly marry one another, and the prosperous can (and do) give their children every leg up—which poorer parents cannot hope to match. Meanwhile, the political and intellectual elites deserve, and receive, very little credit for patriotism or courage, because they do not exhibit much. As manifested on campuses in Great Britain as here, they increasingly show themselves intolerant of dissenting opinions, and inclined to bully because they have forgotten (or never learned) how to argue.
The failure of courage, Solzhenitsyn said at a particularly dark point in the Cold War, was in danger of becoming a distinguishing feature of the West. The young people who talked petulantly of abandoning their country because of a vote they did not like were bright graduates of the best universities in the English-speaking world—and severely deficient in pluck. They had no notion of that patriotism which says that when your country is in trouble, you are supposed to fight it out, not begin checking to see if Morgan Stanley is hiring in Madrid. They are not fit to be trusted with political power.
And in the very intemperateness of their reaction lies one of the best reasons to think that Brexit is, with all its hazards, a good thing.