Stirring the Pot

Not too long ago, I delivered my opinion on a boneheaded Marine who may have passed out Christian-themed coins in Fallujah. Now I'm going to say some things that might get some of my fellow Christians just a little more pissed.

Let's talk about gay marriage and all that sort of thing.

I personally am not too concerned about this issue, and I don't think it should be a serious issue in the general election.

But I do think that there is no reason that the secular institution of marriage should be available to gays and lesbians. Who issues marriage licenses? Not churches, that's for sure. Legal marriages happen, in fact, when the couple who are marrying sign the government-issued marriage license. The only reason most weddings are in churches is tradition.

There was a story on NPR this morning that brought this to my mind. It was talking about how religious groups across the country have been losing fairly consistently to homosexual couples.

I heard that and I thought, "That's good."

[Apoplexy] That's good? Tell us why, please.

Certainly. The reason that I say that is good is that, my religious convictions aside, I want people to have equal opportunity. I don't particularly like or approve of homosexuality, but that's no reason to force people to follow my beliefs.

But doesn't Leviticus 18:22 say, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."?

Surely. But doesn't Leviticus also lay down the procedures for sacrifices and the basis of the kosher diet? Now, I don't know about you, but I can't think of the last time I saw a sacrifice of that sort in my church. Or been forbidden from eating something because Leviticus said not to. And if we're going to have a Duel of Bible Verses, try these on for size:

Acts 10:14- "'Do not call impure what God has made clean.'"

Matthew 7:1-5- "'Do not judge, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.'"

But it's wrong!

[Snort] Of course you are absolutely perfect in all of your habits.

That's not what I'm saying! Why shouldn't churches be able to follow their beliefs? Why should we override millennia of tradition just to accommodate homosexuals?

Let me give you a different example of tradition. For over three centuries, it was traditional for Southern plantation owners to use African slaves to farm their land. For decades after that, it was traditional for blacks to be systematically marginalized, in the South and around the country. Just because it's traditional doesn't make it right. I'm sure the Canaanites would have said the same thing about their gods before Israel conquered them.

But what about the Free Exercise Clause? I have an unlimited right to practice my religion!

Just because the Free Exercise Clause exists, doesn't mean that you have an unlimited right to practice your religion. If you're saying that the First Amendment confers an unlimited right to practice your religious beliefs, maybe you should talk to the members of the FLDS. In the American legal system, the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and acts of Congress take precedence over everything but the Constitution. If your religious beliefs conflict with the secular law, the secular law wins. And that is as it should be. Think about it. Certain extreme sects of Islam tell their followers, "Kill all infidels." If religion had an unlimited license, members of those sects could justify their murders of non-Muslims by citing the Free Exercise Clause. Or the FLDS and other assorted polygamists would be justified in having more than one wife. Just like you can't say anything you want, even though the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. All rights have limits. And that's a good thing.

This is unfair infringement of our rights!

Who ever said life was fair? What verse in the Bible promises you that life will be fair? Is it fair to discriminate against homosexuals by denying them access to some of our most universal institutions, like the army and marriage? And how far is too far in this? Should we follow the letter of the Law and stone homosexuals? Or should we (which is to say, we Christians) embrace our brothers and sisters whether or not they are "normal"? What is "normal"? Check out this Twilight Zone episode, I think it illustrates the question rather well.

I don't find this support for gay marriage incompatible with my belief in Christ. Why do you?

A Season For Every Activity

This is comparatively old news, and the news cycle has already moved on. So what.

According to the BBC, a Marine has been relieved of duty because he may have distributed coins to residents of Fallujah that asked "Where will you spend eternity?" on one side, and carried a Bible verse (John 3:16, in case you wanted to know) on the other side.

I heard this and I thought, "What a f***ing idiot!"

First, let me state that I am a Christian. I go to a Reformed Presbyterian church, and I understand that Jesus charged Christians to go out and tell other people the Good News.

But this overzealous Marine should not have been passing out the coins. Worse, he was apparently doing this on government time (while standing watch at a checkpoint).

If you look at AQ's propaganda (as well as the many other IFGs'- IFG meaning Islamic Fundamentalist Group), it would have you believe that the U.S. is only in Iraq and Afghanistan so that they can convert the good Muslims of those places into Christians. This gives them something actual to point to. "First it's coins- soon you'll be required to go to church, and Korans will be forbidden, and no one will be able to be Muslim." I tell you, AQ's propaganda director must have leapt for joy at something to use against us.

My advice to Christians deploying to the Middle East: Hold the proselytization. Be respectful of the religion of Iraqis and Afghanis. Remember King Solomon's advice in Ecclesiastes 3:1: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." If you really, really want to spread the word, don't spread it on the taxpayers' quid. If you feel that God is calling you to minister to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, please leave the military before you start working on that job. Again, I understand where you're coming from. But the people of Iraq and Afghanistan might not see it the same way as other Christians do. In short, heed this wise saying: "God gave you brains, now use them," and know when to proselytize and when not to.

Semi-Frequent Absurdity, D-Day Edition, or "And Now For Something Completely Different"

Today is D-Day, therefore I have decided to celebrate this momentous day in history with...something totally unrelated! It's a video with pigeons and a remote-controlled sprinkler. Enjoy!


http://view.break.com/365748 - Watch more free videos

Denouement

The Associated Press has just announced that Senator Barack Obama has enough delegates (2,118) to win the Democratic nomination. The primaries in Montana and South Dakota haven't even taken place, which makes this rather interesting. Obviously a great many supers came in for Barack, and he is now the winner! Now, it's time to get started on healing the divisions caused by this too-long nominating process. Let's focus on the general election. By the by, here's the article:

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1811465,00.html

This calls for a quote! Appropriately enough, it's from an old African-American spiritual, and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. used it during a very famous speech:

"Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

End Game

It's quite easy to see that within the next week or so, an end will come to the Democratic nominating process. Sen. Obama seems likely to win in both South Dakota and Montana, where he holds double-digit leads over Hillary- and nothing has come up to indicate any sudden reason for that to change. Although those states won't put him over the top by themselves, there is pressure, from what I have seen on the blogosphere, for uncommitted supers to pick one candidate very soon. I expect that enough supers will throw in for Obama by tomorrow night that he can have a victory declaration from beautiful St. Paul, Minnesota.

And please, Hillary, don't be a bitch about the fact that you didn't win. Please. There are things bigger than you at stake here. If you really want the Democrats to win in the fall, be a good loser. Please.

Who Cares About Puerto Rico?

Seriously, does HRC's smashing victory in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico actually mean anything for the general election? According to the Constitution, whether or not she or they like it, only citizens of one of the states can vote in the general election. It's like Democrats Abroad, or Guam, or the Virgin Islands. In the scheme of the nomination, yes, it matters, but how much does this affect her case for the general election? Obama is still only about 4% away from the nod, according to the Times. He'll get at least a few of the delegates from this, so HRC can't claim total victory. I don't mean this to denigrate Puerto Ricans in any way, but insofar as November is concerned, they are useless to HRC's case.

Appeasment, My Rear End

Senator McCain, President Bush, all of you people who are accusing Barack Obama of being an appeaser, in the model of Neville Chamberlain.

I have two words.

Winston Churchill.

Yes, the famous British Prime Minister who led Britain for most of World War II. The man who said "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war."

Certainly he was no "appeaser." And yet these are words that are on record as having left his mouth- at the White House, no less! Could it be that it's not necessary to go to war to deal with a problem?

Moreover, could it possibly be that we might engage Iran and Syria in negotiations that could lead to something? Of course, we won't do unconditional meetings! I don't recall Senator Obama actually saying that he would meet with those countries without conditions.

If you're not convinced, I'll leave you with a final quote, one that maybe Senator McCain will be able understand, since he fought in the Vietnam War. It's from General William Tecumseh Sherman: "War is hell."

Un-Fucking-Believable

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've most likely heard of what's been going on in Myanmar. First, Buddhist monks protesting the military government and getting brutally repressed. Now, Cyclone Nargis has struck this poor, suffering nation, possibly causing more than 32,000 deaths.

And this is the response of the Burmese government:

Even Myanmar citizens who want to donate rice or other items have in several cases been told that all assistance must be channeled through the military. That restriction has angered local government officials like Tin Win who are trying to help rebuild the lives of villagers. He twitched with rage as he described the rice the military gave him.

“They gave us four bags,” he said. “The rice is rotten — even the pigs and dogs wouldn’t eat it.”

He said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had delivered good rice to the local military leaders last week but they kept it for themselves and distributed the waterlogged, musty rice. “I’m very angry,” he said, adding an expletive to describe the military.

I absolutely cannot believe the chutzpah of these bastards. Hold the Katrina comparisons, at least Bush and FEMA tried to help. In other words, they didn't purposely prevent aid from reaching New Orleans. Not what these military crackheads are doing.

My prediction: Some day, those people are going to get fed up with their government, and there will be some serious trouble. No matter what the culture, people will only put up with so much before they snap. Maybe this is the breaking point for the poor, abused people of Myanmar. This is one place I wouldn't object to a little old-fashioned regime change. The Myanmarese deserve it.

Hey! What's That Over There?

Yes, that is a picture of a Barack Obama pin. I am formally endorsing Senator Obama at this time. I expect my prestigious endorsement will gain him at least one more superdelegate, maybe two or three .

The facts are that I did vote for Sen. Obama in Georgia's primary, and at this point, despite what Hillary says, Sen. Obama has a commanding lead in delegates. Sen. Clinton has much further to go if she wants to beat Barack.

Change we can believe in!

China vs. CNN (and Tibet)

Recently there's been a bit of a to-do between CNN and China over comments that CNN commentator Jack Cafferty made about the Chinese efforts to make the Olympic Torch relay smoother, i.e. without protests. Cafferty said on CNN's "The Situation Room":

"I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."

China has demanded an apology from CNN and Cafferty, saying that Cafferty was out of line. CNN issued an apology, but Mr. Cafferty has not.

My take: This seems like a bit of a knee-jerk reaction by China. They are thinking not with their intellect, but with their gonads. Someone criticized them, and all they can think of is how someone was mean to them. Hey, Chinese, we have this great thing in the U.S. called "freedom of speech." Also, "freedom of the press." That means that Jack Cafferty can say whatever the heck he wants about you. And you can take that and shove it.

Here's the video:


In other China news:
In the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, China has been trying to suppress signs of unrest in Tibet. To that end, the Chinese have referred to the Dalai Lama as a "wolf in monk's robes" and a "terrorist." For people who don't understand, let me give you an illustration.