This is ridiculous partisanship

Despite the fact that we all know that had Sen. Obama picked Sen. Clinton as his running mate, he would have little question in the polls now it still would have been a bad choice. She just reeks of bad form.

Consider the fact that Clinton was going to attend a rally outside of the UN protesting against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Yes, that takes some major cajones.) Then her people got word from reporters that Gov. Palin might show up too. According to the AP:

That would have set up a closely scrutinized and potentially explosive pairing in the midst of a presidential campaign, one in which the New York senator is campaigning for Democratic nominee Barack Obama while Palin actively courts disappointed Clinton supporters.

So Clinton backed out.

Okay, that's somewhat understandable. But check out this line of reasoning:

"Her attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event," said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines. "Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending."

Maybe Reines doesn't understand what the word 'partisan' means. If representatives from each of the two-party political system are invited and show up, that would by definition make it 'non-partisan'. Nobody complained when Sens. Obama and McCain were within hugging distance on September 11th.

I agree with Clinton on policy issues, and I believe her when she says she'll fight for us. But if she wants to win ever and maybe change the face of the US, maybe she should learn what graciousness is.

h/t to Peter Chattaway

News of the Weird: Instant Karma edition

Gabriel Nathan Shwartz, a 29 year old Young Republican is interviewed at the RNC, where he is a delegate for Colorado.

This from the interview:

LinkTV: What is your vision for change under a John McCain administration?

Shwartz: Less taxes and more war.

L: So, where should the United States bomb next

S: Iran, baby.

L: Why should the US bomb Iran.

S: To protect Israel...

L: So, what would a war with Iran look like.

S: Hopefully, just bomb the hell out of them from the sky. No troops.

L: Are you worried about the escalating costs of the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars? How would we pay for the costs of a war in Iran?

S: We should plant a flag. Take the oil. Take the money. We deserve reimbursement.



While still in the Land o' Lakes, Mr. Shwartz meets a girl in a bar. They go up to his room, she mixes some drinks, yadda, yadda, yadda, she makes off with $120,000 (or his estimate, $50,000) worth in cash and belongings.

And no, I didn't yadda, yadda, yadda out the best parts.

More of story in Pioneer Press.
h/t to Huffington Post

Tina Fey: female chauvinist pig

The McCain campaign's got some balls.

Tina Fey's portrayal of Governor Sarah Palin on SNL the other night was "disrespectful in the extreme, and yes, I would say, sexist in the sense that just because Sarah Palin has different views than Hillary Clinton does not mean that she lacks substance." (source)

Wait, so, is McCain spokesperson Carly Fioriana saying that because Palin doesn't agree with Clinton those who disagree with Palin are being sexist?

My head hurts from all this spin.

Extra:
Remember that quote about Good people/small towns during Palin's speech at the RNC? Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s got some words to say about the author of that piece. It ain't pretty:

Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist... expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies."

News of the Weird: Welcome Back Cutter edition

I wanted to roll out the ol' NotW last week, but the pickin's were slimmer than the chances of an Alaskan denying global warming (even Palin didn't deny it. She merely refuted the cause of it. She can't possibly be in any lobbyists' pockets). This week, however, we got the run of the litter, as absolutely nobody on earth says. So, hopefully we can do a few this week to make up for past sins (and we got a LOT of making up to do).

According to one knife-wielding participant, it was "anything goes" at a Gathering of the Pack competition... sponsored by the Dog Brothers fight club of Los Angeles. A Reuters reporter described two men without padding beating each other with heavy sticks and another two who fought with electrically charged knives. The knife duel ended when one of the fighters slipped a hand free from a wrestling hold and allegedly planted a 1,000-volt charge on his opponent. Said one fruit-and-veggie-store manager from Canada, "I've never felt better than when I'm doing this."

From the Reuters article itself:

"This is like the ultimate. You've got striking, you've got grappling, you've got weapons, anything goes," said Matt Booe, a karate instructor hoping to fight with hefty, blunted knives at a recent gathering in Burbank, just north of Los Angeles.

"It gives you the idea of really finding out what martial arts are like, not just doing pretty forms."

Seems like Dog Brothers fight club broke the first rule of Dog Brothers fight club.

Article from Chuck Shepherd. "News of the Weird", Chicago Reader. Sept 11, 2008, p. 135.

Guy's a genius

And this time I'm not being snarky.

Seth Godin is famous in the advertising copy world. Of course since until recently I never followed that world, I never heard of him. But I've started following one of his blogs (if I recall, he's got others). The guy knows how to write economically, with an eye on the upcoming trends, and right to the point.

And he's an evangelist for the gospel of long-term vision. Consider this:

The stock market is going to be bonkers today.

And for most people, it won't matter so much. Because most of us aren't focused on flipping assets. We're building value by creating interactions that work...

[I]t's easy to get distracted by external noise instead of focusing on what counts. Hint: They started Google in the middle of the dot com melt down.

The short-term consequences of an unstable stock market are real and uncomfortable. More (and better) adult supervision would have gone a long way, imho. But we can't control this, all we can do is focus on what matters.

Hang in.

I wanna be like him when I grow up.

Weekly Links We Like to Link to:

1) If a free democracy's best ally is a free press, then we can measure a despotic government by how much it hates (threatens, imprisons, murders) the independent reporters and editors. Zimbabwe's junta leader Mugabe is one of the most-threatened and saddest of ex-presidents trying to hold on to their power.

But back to the latest death threat. My eye is caught by a final paragraph: "The majority of those named on the list, although they are living in the bliss and security of the diaspora and the anonymity of cyberspace, their family members will not be so lucky." It's a chilling development. They are now threatening to harm our families. And we know this is no idle threat.

- Wilf Mbanga, founder and publisher of The Zimbabwean.
h/t to Scot McKnight

2) Young Adult fantasy writer G. P. Taylor (Shadowmancer) claims that the BBC is banning him because of his outspoken Christianity. According to emails obtained from the BBC, however, it seemed some producers had problems with the so-called "new C. S. Lewis" and Anglican priest's personality, basically claiming himself to be the next J. K. Rowling even though "he is not universally admired".
Two reactions:
1) I understand when Christians are jerks. We're human beings. I'm a jerk more often than not. But please don't blame others nor "the media" for your short-comings.
2) What is up with Christian British fantasy writers and their initials?
h/t to Relevant

3) Speaking of Christianity, Prodigal Jon has got some cool ideas for what a "Stuff Christians Like" home school would look like. Favorite (though clumsy) quote: If you came to this school on Monday, you should heed Thomas Dolby's 80's song warning, because you're about to be blinded with science.

Weekend Links We Like to Link to - the triumphant return

First off, I would like to turn some attention to my community pastor at New Community Covenant Church, Chicago - David. He's got a great little literate and thoughtful blog called signs of life and I think it's worth a read.
As well, a hat tip to Pastor David (via FaceBook) for this article in Time on the Republican myth of small-town America; Joe Klein particularly addresses the whole small-town/Jeffersonian yeo-man nostalgia that the GOP has so effectively fashioned and hearkened to since Reagan and is now vastly utilizing with the popular Palin.

Since we're on the topic of politics (and we'll be right off again. It's just sooo danged interesting and infuriating at the same time. Sorry), RC has an intriguing article about how Russia/USSR is way ahead of the US in the fight against Baldism and Hairyism in regards to their top leaders.

The Amish have been getting some positive buzz since the school-house killings and their subsequent mercy on the killer. But I had absolutely no idea that not only are they not dying out, but they're sprawling:

The Amish are expanding their presence in states far beyond Pennsylvania Dutch country as they search for affordable farmland to accommodate a population that has nearly doubled in the past 16 years, a new study found...
Amish couples typically have five or more children. With more than four out of every five deciding in young adulthood to remain in the church, their population has grown. More than half the population is younger than 21. A small portion of the increase is also due to conversions to the faith.

Word to the wise: Be kind to the next buggy-driver you plan to pass by.
h/t to Scott McKnight.

Ready for some infectious Catholic ska?

Jesus Is My Friend.

He can be yours too.
Pretty neat, I think.

h/t to Terrace Crawford
You can catch an interview here with singer Sal by the guy who originally lit the Sonseed fire on the YouTube world.

Spetember 11th is here again

Hug someone. Remind those close to you how much you love them. Safety is fragile. God is infinite.

Love.

Live by the experience sword, die by the experience sword

Golly.

First and foremost, down with the experience myth. The man generally recognized as the best president of the United States and as the establisher of the Republican Party was in the House of Representatives for two years. He was a state representative in Illinois for, what, eight years? He ran a couple times for US senator but lost, most famously to his lifelong rival, Stephen Douglas. Two years after that, he is picked to run the country.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself spent just over two years in the New York Senate as well as one term as New York governor before beginning a historic twelve year run as one of the most popular presidents in US history.

Let's face it, nobody is fully prepared for the tasks at hand when they step into that oval office. I do not think that leading this country (or any, really):

is a question so much of experience as of character. And for my money, McCain has lost his compass a few years ago when he decided to back Bush policies. John McCain was a maverick. John McCain was a reformer.

All of this wouldn't bother me so much if the Republican party had focused on character issues and general policy issues rather than experience. And now their choice for VP (one who you have to admit, does not have the credentials no matter how you spin it) is just making them talk in stupid circles. Let them keep talking: it should make the American people angry that they are treating us like some insipid children.

I stole this from Arachnerd



Ree-dunk-ulous!

I'm all for the gender and racial politics to be shaken...

but this may just be ridiculous.

Will Smith as Captain America?


I could see a Black. Latino, or Arabian playing the part of many comic book characters. Certain characters, like Bruce Wayne, are iconic in name, but not so much image. Captain America however has iconic features - just like Superman (which is why this talk of rebooting that movie series may be more difficult than it sounds). Captain America, if nothing else, is represented as much by his chiseled jawline as by the US flag.

Who would be ideal to represent Cap? How about a 21st century Dolph Lundgren or even Cary Grant.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury? Yes. He's got that certain jack-a**edness down to a T. Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man? Heck yes. He sold me on Peter Parker's awkward nerdiness from the opening scenes. The Fresh Prince as Captain America? ....

Not so much. But, what iconic roles could he sell?

How I made the mistake of my life

I was skimming through a post on Dan Kimball's Vintage Faith about the problem of Governor Palin being accepted by complementarians (Conservative Christians in the American church who contend that a woman's role in the church is to complement the male leaders by serving in any other capacity except to lead over men or mixed-gender meetings) and ran across this eighteen-paragraph comment (which I also found on this female author's website):

The Republican Party has chosen a woman to run for the second highest office in the land. What have we come to that no man in this country is qualified to do the job and we had to pick a woman? Sodom and Gomorrha couldn't produce ten righteous souls, and the Republican Party can't offer up one man that is more fit than this woman to run for Vice-President of the United States.

It continues with what, a few paragraphs later only looks like biting and baited sarcasm against this way of thinking. But a few more paragraphs down, I realize that there's nothing Swift-ian about this article. The lady, who is telling both male and female readers that we should be ashamed of ourselves for thinking of nominating a female to lead and detract from the "glory of the male", is quite serious.

Towards the end, she gets a bit more personal (for my sake, at least):

I haven't even spoken about how a vote for Sarah Palin is a vote for a woman to leave her God-ordained role at home and take on the ruling of a country instead. Let's not even try to fool ourselves into thinking she can do both, and we might want to consider whether we want to support her abandonment of her children, including her nursing baby.

Mr. Palin has agreed to be Mr. Mom. He will try to be a helper meet for Sarah. And clearly she will be known in the gates, when she sits among the elders of the land. So Mr. Palin might be what many of us women aspire to be: a Proverbs 31 woman. Will women look to him then as a role model for being a good housewife? Or will we look to his wife as a role model for being a good leader? Will men look to Mr. Palin as a role model for being a good househusband? Or will they look to his wife as a role model for being a good leader? I don't know; but I know that God is not the author of confusion, and we are one confused nation. And we shake our heads and wonder why homosexuality and unwed mothers seeking abortions continue to flourish in the land.

Wow. God is not the author of confusion, but of condemnation??? Sorry for choosing to be a stay-at-home dad and allowing my wife's giftings and abilities to so shame me. You must be so ashamed of me, CED (who, by the way, also goes by her maiden name. But I'm sure that's not done in a way that rejects the name her husband gave her and thereby wouldn't shame him...). After all, it's all you talk about. What a horrible father Mr. Palin is, taking care of their four children.

Shame, shame, shame.

Bar-Rick Rolled

This is wonderful. This editor is a flippin' genius, and has got too much time on his or her hands. Which is ok for me.



Never gonna give, never gonna give...

In a world...

without Don LaFontaine:



In time immortal...

"When someone calls you to pray"...

Some of my more conservative readers may not care for this, but, oh well...

Relevant Media Group founder and publisher Cameron Strang (whose Relevant Podcast is entering its death throes, apparently, now that Adam is leaving as I just found out this afternoon) turned down an invitation to give the benediction at the Democratic National Convention next week. As you can imagine, he had to say no because it would compromise his position from being 'neutral'. That would make sense, since he works in media and much of his base is still conservative - even though they (we) may be on the liberal side of that swing, his audience tends to be evangelical. By nature, ev's are a conservative animal.

So, which fuddy-duddy Unitarian minister, United Methodist gay pastor, or Earthen Priestess did the DNC finally pick to replace Strang? Donald-flippin'-Miller! Yes!

For the uninitiated, I say skip the over-hyped (but still decent) Blue Like Jazz and head straight for Searching for God Knows What. I talked briefly about both of them here and here.

h/t to Jeffrey Overstreet

Sorry

Where have I been all my life? Or all of July at least?

Here. (PLUG!!!!!)

I miss blogging here, though. Anyway, we're leaving for Colombia tomorrow and been really busy just trying to keep all things together - as well I had a couple week long writing projects that really took longer and more out of me than expected.

Tomorrow my wife and I leave for Medellin, Colombia for just over a week, and then on to Bogata. I'm pretty excited, but I think that's just nerves. Whatever it is, it's helping to keep me awake even on days like today where I've received no coffee whatsoever.

My wife is thrilled, however. It's a sort of home-coming for her. She spent over six years of her life there before I anchored her down in the US of A.

It just turned her birthday fifteen minutes ago from this sentence. We will be leaving in twelve hours. Would appreciate prayers. (Do I sound desperate here? Like last will & testament type stuff? It's the lack of sleep making me a bit histrionic. Just a little bit to lighten the melancholy.)

I thought I should leave my anonymous friends and anybody else who would care to a link to an article on pro-life ideology and torture.

Awesome old school video

Thanks to Jeffrey Overstreet for steering me toward this (I really want to see it on the big screen. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to soon.)

Click here if it doesn't play.

Quick update

I've been blogging daily at ChicagoDads.Today.com. Which is going fine. Usually about 300-400 words a day. Not too big, but not too shabby, either. I'm not sure how many people visit on a regular basis, though, and really have no way of knowing at this moment. It's not like with this site where I can check the SiteMeter or whatnot, or like the regular WordPress blogs where you can check your own traffic. So, we'll see how that goes...

But I was thinking about those automatically-generated ad links. That's their source of revenue and my source of revenue. But I don't find any comfort (financially or morally) that it would just pick a random word or combo, say 'muscular dystrophy' and the link would say "'Muscular dystrophy': Find the best rates here."

True story.

Obama speaks with Relevant Magazine about Abortion

I was listening to the Relevant podcast yesterday (this is the part of the article where you drop everything, open up your iTunes player, go to the Store and subscribe to the Relevant Podcast for much insight and hilarity) and heard a short interview with presidential candidate (and long-term Left Cheek reader... so I've heard) Barack Obama. I was so intrigued by it that I figured that I need to transcribe a section of it. But then I checked by the site today and found it there, in print (or pixel, as it were).

I've been waiting for awhile to hear some clarifications on Obama's stance on abortion. At this point, I won't go into too much detail on my own stance, except to say that I don't like abortion and would prefer that it would never be an option - but at the same time realize that for a lot of people, it may be the only viable option that they see and that it is not politically viable to overturn RvW at this moment.

In any case, Obama dispels the rumors. You heard it here first, kids!

Strang: Based on emails we received, another issue of deep importance to our readers is a candidate’s stance on abortion. We largely know your platform, but there seems to be some real confusion about your position on third-trimester and partial-birth abortions. Can you clarify your stance for us?

Obama: I absolutely can, so please don’t believe the emails. I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that “mental distress” qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions.

The other email rumor that’s been floating around is that somehow I’m unwilling to see doctors offer life-saving care to children who were born as a result of an induced abortion. That’s just false. There was a bill that came up in Illinois that was called the “Born Alive” bill that purported to require life-saving treatment to such infants. And I did vote against that bill. The reason was that there was already a law in place in Illinois that said that you always have to supply life-saving treatment to any infant under any circumstances, and this bill actually was designed to overturn Roe v. Wade, so I didn’t think it was going to pass constitutional muster.

Ever since that time, emails have been sent out suggesting that, somehow, I would be in favor of letting an infant die in a hospital because of this particular vote. That’s not a fair characterization, and that’s not an honest characterization. It defies common sense to think that a hospital wouldn't provide life-saving treatment to an infant that was alive and had a chance of survival.

Strang: You’ve said you’re personally against abortion and would like to see a reduction in the number of abortions under your administration. So, as president, how would do you propose accomplishing that?

Obama: I think we know that abortions rise when unwanted pregnancies rise. So, if we are continuing what has been a promising trend in the reduction of teen pregnancies, through education and abstinence education giving good information to teenagers. That is important—emphasizing the sacredness of sexual behavior to our children. I think that’s something that we can encourage. I think encouraging adoptions in a significant way. I think the proper role of government. So there are ways that we can make a difference, and those are going to be things I focus on when I am president.

Links I'd Like You to Link to - Happy 4th!

I found a place that'll let me blog for pay. Of course it's crappy pay, but it's a start. So, please, check out ChicagoDads. And click some random links. And then tell all your friends about it. Especially father friends. Because I think it would be awesome to actually start a community of blogging fathers. And I think it would be cool to make at least a little bit of money doing it.

As far as the ads here, sorry. I may take them down soon, or just move them to another site. I haven't seen them yet, to be honest, but I know how annoyed I was on seeing them at other people's sites. I'll neither dissuade nor persuade you to click on anything here, except for my own links, and the links of our dear, faithful blog rolls.

Oh, and the last one is another new site of mine - Newness, Ampersand. It's a bit more experimental. I'm trying to make it more professional, but I'm not sure how to go about that now, so a lot of things may come and go in the next few weeks or months. It, like myself, is a site in transition. But I started it off with what I figure is a cool game to try out - Story-time. I start out a story, you give a middle, I end it. The catch is that each section can only be two sentences long. Yeah....