Average Dumby

Not only are blogs extreme on the political ends, but in reporting new studies or findings, they tend to be extreme as well. Flashy news reports tend to be a bit ambiguous or not well supported; AMERICAblog.com posted new research material about the effect that cell phones have on us. Although there have been many studies before, and the negative neurological impact of cell phones can be confusing, there is new evidence that it is necessary to leave them alone at night if you want to sleep. Who would have thought?

There is talk (hehe) that radiation from cell phones delays and reduces sleep, causing headaches and confusion. The research, which was sponsored by the mobile phone companies themselves (how thoughtful!...) shows that using handsets before bed increases the time it takes people to reach that stage of REM sleep, and people stay in that stage longer. This therefore interferes with the body’s ability “to repair damage suffered during the day.” The cell phone had especially alarming effects for children and teenagers because they use there cell phones late ant night when they should be sleeping. Due to the failure of getting enough sleep, younger people experience mood and personality changes, ADHD-like symptoms, depression lack of concentration, and poor academic performance.

I am not sure what you are feeling, but personally this article was offensive. No kidding that if you stay up later talking on the phone, you are going to be more alert, and therefore not fall asleep as easily. If you are awake longer in your bed and talking when you should be sleeping, you are not going to get enough sleep. It’s not the cell phone radiation that is making us more tired; it’s our poor sleep habits that are limiting us. If this article was addressing the average person…I am frightened by the perceived intelligence of the ‘average.’

Chuch Norris Nonsense

It is quite humorous to use one of the hundred’s of ‘Chuck Norris’ insults from over the years, but what about being insulted by Chuck Norris himself? Maybe not so fun…

Well, the new post on AMERICAblog.com commented on Mike Huckabee’s well known supporter, Chuck Norris, voiced his opinion this Sunday that Sen. John McCain is too old to handle the pressures of being president. He did not want to support McCain because he was afraid that his VP would eventually take over his job of Presidency, and Norris would rather vote for a president that he could imagine holding office for both terms.

Many people were adamant about Norris saying that, believing that McCain should be given a chance. Norris points out that a younger president would bring youth and vision and communication skills that would benefit our country. It is important to have someone in office that is very accustomed to new technology and to more modernized methods of international relations. Age is a debilitating factor, just as a debilitating disease. We want someone healthy and vibrant to represent our nation.

Yet, a president with such age and experience would also bring wisdom and a firm set or moral absolutes that our country would firmly be grounded in. Our nation has been gradually slipping away from its rich Christian foundations and post modernism has diluted our moral system. Maybe having someone older, wise, and old fashioned would benefit our nation more than someone young and inexperienced?

The Horrors of Barbers and N. Ireland

Wallis insightfully compares the new movie, Sweeney Todd, starring Johnny Depp, the violent history of Northern Ireland, and our current political campaign. The movie stars Depp as a 19^th century barber who seeks revenge for the loss off his wife and daughter through his customers, and the move makes the point that “Sweeney’s spiral of violence never ends.” Wallis had also previously attending a conference dealing with methods of helping the people of Northern Ireland to address their violent history. Two things were made clear at this meeting: first, that there is an unimaginable depth of genuine sorrow in that society, and the common lack of ability to empathize with the pain of others in the community (seeing our pain as “exclusive”).

Wallis argues that the traits that appear in situations of “deep horror” also appear in more benign contexts such as political campaigning. Acknowledging that politics is though and it is easy to become emotionally involved, he recognizes that even Clinton is human and needs to be treated as so. Just as in class how we were talking about the family dog and a natural disaster in China, a reporter in Newsweek tried to slight Clinton by saying how disgraceful it was that she cried about her campaign but did not shed tears about Hurricane Katrina. As horrible as the tragedy was, I am sure many American’s did not cry about Hurricane Katrina, but that they have cried as a result of much more miniscule dilemmas than a campaign.

Wallis goes on to explain that a cynical world breeds the opposite of compassion, and when there is no compassion, killing can begin. As killing seems extreme for us Americans in our democratic elections, our political campaigns are often “reduced to mocking [and] dehumanizing” and who knows just how far off killing can be. It is a gradual slope that is becoming steeper and steeper.

MLKJ, Obama, Clinton... Which One Does Not Belong With the Others?

I came upon link regarding how Christians should view Israel and thought it was appropriate considering our discussion in class:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/01/how-should-christians-relate-t.html

Wallis once again, in his article “MLK and LBJ: Movements and Politicians,” stresses the importance of social change preceding political change He comments on how words between Obama and Clinton exploded into racial conflict after comments about MLK Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson were made. Race is not the proper argument that should be used in order to make political gains. Wallis demonstrates that the “great practitioners of change,” such as MLK Jr. and Ghandi knew that replacing politicians does not bring about societal change. It is necessary to “change the wind, transform the debate, recast the discussion, [and] alter the context in which political decision are being made” in order to change the outcomes.

Wallis discuses the story of the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 whereby President Johnson told MLK Jr. that such a bill would not be politically possible at the time. MLK Jr. was not satisfied with that answer so the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and King started to organize dissidence in Selma, Alabama. This ultimately led to the Montgomery march, an event the whole nation watched. After that month it took only five months to pas the new voting rights act. Yes, Wallis admits, that Johnson was responsible for the response of the march, but it was King, who “painted a vivid picture for the world to see that changed the winds of public opinion.”

This historical account supports the argument of Wallis and the previous posts I have made regarding the importance of social change preceding political change. There will always be restrictions that the candidates or presidents face, but it is the public opinion and mass efforts of citizens that truly get things done.

Constricting for Catholics

AMERICAblog.com is "liveblogging" the Democratic debate and Joe Subday writes, "By and large, I tend to agree with the Democratic candidates and want one of them to be President."

I thought this fit perfectly with what we discussed in class earlier today. People are going to speak to issues that concern them and focus on the good of their own side. The statement that Subday writes is anything but thought provoking or interesting. Writing on a liberal blog, I would automatically assume that he would agree with the Democratic candidates, considering they represent what he stands for. The debate is only between Democratic candidates anyways, so of course he agrees with something that is being said! "By and large..." ...? hmmm...


In a previous post, the author discusses how Huckabee has plans to change the constitution in order to abolish gay marriage and abortion in order that it better reflects the "word of the living God." The author argues, "So, would that include adding anti-Catholic language to the Constitution? I mean, clearly Huckabee's version of Christianity includes none of the rest of us Christians..."


Not that I am taking a gay marriage or abortion stand right now, but this country was based on Christian principles. So, implementing Biblical morals in the Constitution does not seem too out of line. The author, a Catholic, believes that his views are not being considered by Huckabee. Again, not that I am agreeing with ratifying the constitution, but do Catholics really believe that if Christ was in the legislature that he would sign off on a bill permitting gay marriage and abortion? If so, what would his grounds be?

Pronoun Panic

Johnson, a Roman Catholic sister in the Congregation of St. Joseph was interviewed in a post of God’s Politics about the image of God being male or female. She states that new seekers are not satisfied with “stale images of God” used today. She states that the symbol of God functions in certain ways; “The male symbol of God functions to privilege a certain way of male rule in the world and to undercut women's spiritual power, women's own sense of themselves as made in the image of God.” She argues that women are therefore forced to “abstract ourselves” from our bodies in order to see ourselves in the image of God, which continually has consequences for women’s spirituality. She argues that the Vatican denied the proposal for nonsexist language in 1992 because there is fear that it will empower women to a social and political movement which will challenge the church structure.

A few semesters ago I had a religion professor who used male and female connotations when referring to God, and asked for the same of everyone in the class. He said that he attended a church where they only referred to God as a woman, and it was extremely hard for him to concentrate and imagine God in those terms. He told our class that he felt convicted because that must be what women feel like when they attend most churches that only refer to a male God.

I am not sure if I completely agree with Johnson or my previous professor. I don’t believe that I have to disregard my femininity in order to view myself in the image of God. I am God’s child, and he is my father. The leadership and strength that usually accompany male stereotypes greatly affect my view of my Savior, and I am not sure if referring to God as “she” would have that same effect. I have grown up considering Christ my father and bridegroom, and I believe that changing what I have known my entire life would be beneficial to my relationship with Christ. But worrying so much about God’s gender detracts from his power and his might. We should not be concerned with pronouns but rather praise!

Identity Crisis

AMERCIAblog.com discusses this morning how the rising of gasoline prices obviously affect the middle and lower income families, and that the levels of satisfaction by the public with the national condition of the economy has not been as low since 1992. The author points out that Americans are still going to buy gas even if the prices continue to rise, for they are not nearly high enough for that to change. Yet, what is happening is that consumers are buying less of most other goods. There has been the first decline of significant personal spending since 1991.

Not only are high gas prices making driving more and more inconvenient, but it is significantly hurting other areas of the economy! I never realized the long lasting effects that it had. Yes, people are more likely to stay nearby on a Friday night or something because they don’t want to drive far, but they are also resisting that tempting sale at AE or what not because they know they have a tank to fill. For as much as many hates Bush and what he has done to our economy, it will be interesting to see the effect that the new president will have. It almost seems at times, as sad as it is, that consumerism is America’s identity. Hopefully we can recover ourselves! J

Getting It All Wrong

A Christian cannot vote Democratic. That is unheard of. I hope that just sounded strange to you. Jim Wallis, on God’s Politics, recently posted “Getting the Evangelicals Wrong-Again.” He points out that the upcoming primary in South Carolina will be critical for both parties because South Carolina is full of Evangelicals. Yet, the media doesn’t quite know what that means because in the exit polls for Iowa and New Hampshire asked only the Republicans whether they considered themselves evangelical, but the Democrats did not receive the same question, assuming that all evangelicals were Republican. The Democratic candidates have reached out to faith-based communities as well. The media portrays evangelicals as only concerned with gay rights and abortion issues, yet, especially this younger generation of evangelicals, is deeply concerned about poverty, the environment, human rights, and the foreign policy regarding war. Because the Democratic Party is the one speaking about these issues, more evangelicals are considering Democratic candidates.

I see this occurring at Calvin. Being a Christian college, one would assume that the majority of the students would be Republican. Yet, just as what Wallis points out, many students are turning to Democratic leaders because they speak out about human rights issues and the environment. Think about the booths set up in Johnnys and how many of them have to do with poverty, war, the environment, or other things of the like. Maybe the problem is not that the Republican Party does not have quality candidates, but maybe it is that they are not addressing what the Evangelicals want to hear.

Telephone Terrorists

Some question the consequences of our country being extremely indebted. When our debts grow beyond a certain point, does it really make a difference? Well it seems that some mismanagement of money has led to certain bills not being paid, resulting in some tangible consequences. We might not be able to accurately know what our debt will mean fifty years from now, but it is evident that the money burning in the government’s pockets has had a slight impact as of now. Just like a normal customer, phone companies have cut of FISA wiretap because the “feds didn’t pay their bills.” John Aravosis reports, on AMERICAblog.com that the same phone company responsible for providing the governments with our private phone information cut their strings. Late payments led to disconnecting phone lines that normally deliver surveillance results to the FBI.

Aravosis rhetorically asks if we were listening to Osama when the wires were cut. He even goes as far to propose that this could possibly be the work of terrorists! Aravosis ridicules the phone companies and accuse them of putting money over national security.

Was demanding their payment for services really an act of betrayal against the US government? Do you suppose that the feds were one day late in their payment and the phone company took advantage of this and immediately punished them? Lets be real. I am sure many notices were sent and some leeway was given. The phone companies provided a service and did not receive the payment in exchange. The government has to be responsible for its purchases and therefore must be expected to pay for the phone. They cannot simply abuse any company in the US they please.

One V. All

Jim Wallis, on God’s Politics, discusses the candidate’s power by using the word “change.” He argues that seventy percent of Americans believe America is moving in the wrong direction, and candidates have used the rhetoric of “change” to gain support. He quotes Obama who said last night, "it's also about what you, the people who love this country, can do to change it."

Any man or woman can enter office and claim to change America, even with the most genuine of efforts, but when it comes down to it, it is not the power invested in one individual that will change our country, it is the power of the masses. A president faces challenges and opposition in all areas of policy, yet a social movement has force in the fact that they can more powerful challenge that opposition. Wallis reminds us, “Remember, President Lyndon Johnson didn't become a civil rights leader until Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks made him one. And that's what we need again now.”

Wallis also notes that the best social movements have spiritual foundations. We are learning in class that even spiritual rhetoric is the most influential. As Christians we have the power to change this country and we need to hold strong to our spiritual foundations, as I have commented on yesterday, in order that we may become the building blocks for change.

Presidential Prayers

In God’s Politics, Mary Nelson, a board member of Sojourners, posted her comments on the upcoming election and her enthusiasm as a campaign volunteer. She never advertises who she working for, trying to work her readers, yet she humbly goes on to state how encouraging she has found it to work with all different types of people who together believe that their efforts can make a difference and things can change. She discusses the phone calls she has made in order to campaign for this certain presidential candidate and admits to many rude comments that Americans have spouted off, but she has found that many people are truly searching for what is important to them and what they want for our country. Nelson sees a “longing for peace and fairness.” What I found interesting about Nelson’s post was that she was the first person I have heard that is seeking the Lord and His direction for this campaign, rather than using strategies of slandering and other miscellaneous negative campaign tactics. She posted Psalm 72 in which she used the word “president” in place of “king” as a prayer:

Please help the president be honest and fair, just like you, our God. Let the president be honest and fair with all your people, especially the poor. Let peace and justice rule every mountain and hill. Let the president defend the poor, rescue the homeless, and crush everyone who hurts them. ... Let the president be fair with everyone, and let there be peace until the moon falls from the sky.

We can get so caught up in the election and making sure the “perfect” person gets in office. While God has definitely given us the responsibility to vote wisely and choose and honest and capable leader, I think it is important that we remember who is ultimately in charge. It is important to pray for this election regularly. We should be praying for the candidates, our choice of vote, and even the next president to take office- no matter who it will be. The president is the most influential leader of the world, and we cannot forget to lift him up regularly in prayer. We all need prayer, but lets make sure we throwing up a few extra for someone who is running our country, no matter if we like him or her or not.

Saving Money and Saving Lives

Chris Paris from AMERICblog.com comment on the price of oil declining and the effect it has on oil producing economies. He asks what happens to the countries that are dependent on “petro dollars” when the price of oil declines, or does anyone outside of the lucky people profiting from oil sales even notice? He goes on to comment further on the fact that Washington submits to this prestigious group of people who are only concerned with their own self interest.

Just as the January Series speaker, Michael Mandelbaum, was saying, it is true that countries dependent on oil income are less likely to be democratic because the leaders hold all the power and wealth. Another reason that should inspire us Americans to lessen our dependency on oil and find alternative sources of energy would be to help improve the living conditions of others around the world, such as in Nigeria and Venezuela. Not only would we save money as oil prices would be forced down, but we could impose demands on these oil dependent countries to improve their governing and take care of their citizens. As of now, oil producing countries have somewhat of control over us, while if we would learn to depend less on oil for means of energy, we could regain control. It is going to take great effort on our behalf to reduce our dependency, and it might be somewhat “inconvenient,” but we will gain power, and also be coming to the aid of helpless citizens of tyrant governments hoarding “petro dollars.”

City Busses.... SCARY!

It is finally time for my first post! I have to admit that I was pretty apprehensive to this whole blogging thing at first. It seemed somewhat confusing and even weird that so many people can view your thoughts. Yet, after searching through different blogs and reading a wide variety of subjects, I realized how useful this technology could be. Although some blogs are obviously poorly written by people who have no idea of what they are talking about, if you do careful searching, you can get into the mind of very intelligent people and learn what they have to think on important matters. Blogging provides an opportunity to see both sides of an argument and to see unique twists people spin on their arguments.

The two blogs I have decided to follow are God’s Politics, from a Christian perspective, and AMERICAblog.com, from a liberal perspective.

Regarding the recent poll in Iowa, both blogs recognized the desperate need for change that America faces today. I found it interesting that Jim Wallis, the author of the post “Change Won in Iowa” on God’s Politics, argued that the change relies on a social movement, not merely political change from within, while many posts on AMERICAblog.com complained about the current people in power. Wallis admits “nobody has anything good to say about the leadership of the present administration” but puts the responsibility of that problem on the people of the country. We cannot merely complain about the leadership, for it was us that elected the administration, but we need to start a movement if we want to fix the problem. So many people are disappointed with the current Republican candidates, and many people have admitted to me that for the first time in years they would rather not vote at all then vote for one of the candidates. We may not have direct political ties, but as American citizens, we can make a difference and we can have people run for office that better represent us. What good does it do to sit and complain? Do something about it! No matter who is in office, the power still resides in the people, and if we stay strong and united in what we want, we cannot be ignored.

Intro

It is finally time for my first post! I have to admit that I was pretty apprehensive to this whole blogging thing at first. It seemed somewhat confusing and even weird that so many people can view your thoughts. Yet, after searching through different blogs and reading a wide variety of subjects, I realized how useful this technology could be. Although some blogs are obviously poorly written by people who have no idea of what they are talking about, if you do careful searching, you can get into the mind of very intelligent people and learn what they have to think on important matters. Blogging provides an opportunity to see both sides of an argument and to see unique twists people spin on their arguments.

The two blogs I have decided to follow are God’s Politics, from a Christian perspective, and AMERICAblog.com, from a liberal perspective.

Regarding the recent poll in Iowa, both blogs recognized the desperate need for change that America faces today. I found it interesting that Jim Wallis, the author of the post “Change Won in Iowa” on God’s Politics, argued that the change relies on a social movement, not merely political change from within, while many posts on AMERICAblog.com complained about the current people in power. Wallis admits “nobody has anything good to say about the leadership of the present administration” but puts the responsibility of that problem on the people of the country. We cannot merely complain about the leadership, for it was us that elected the administration, but we need to start a movement if we want to fix the problem. So many people are disappointed with the current Republican candidates, and many people have admitted to me that for the first time in years they would rather not vote at all then vote for one of the candidates. We may not have direct political ties, but as American citizens, we can make a difference and we can have people run for office that better represent us. What good does it do to sit and complain? Do something about it! No matter who is in office, the power still resides in the people, and if we stay strong and united in what we want, we cannot be ignored.