Posts Made By: James Brown

Russell:

We are not going to bomb Iran. But that is not my reason for posting a reply. The Republicans will not do anything newsworthy during the DNC. Any re-direction of the spotlight would be immensely foolish. There is a very good chance that the press the Democrats receive in August will be bad press: Backroom deals.... Catfights on the Floor.... HRC "stealing" BHO's delegates or vice versa. The mere phrase "brokered convention" rings of insiderism and anti-populism.

There is a reason that Dean and Pelosi have both (in the past week) called on the superdelegates to decide this thing by June. They know that a fractious convention will be a huge news story and devastating for party unity. No sane Republican will want to interrupt the potential DNC implosion.

Jim

Jim Babcock said:

There is apathy on the anti-war front.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08126/879189-84.stm

What happened to the Dem's favorite topic?

The article provides possible explanations. I think that they missed it. The American people understand better the truth than the lefty MSM media or the lefty base. There is real progress taking place, both militarily and politically in Iraq. Sure everyone wants to end all fighting, but that takes time.

On the other hand the high gas prices may be the primary distraction. The environmentalists have long called for radically higher gas prices to save the planet. They should be just tickled at the current trends. The economy is hurting, the people are changing their driving patterns and everyone is miserable - just what Donkeys love - shared misery is only fair and how Dems get elected.

Hi Jim:

You nailed it. The war is off of the front burner because recent efforts are making some progress and more importantly because of high gas prices.

Jim

Here's an interesting article about an interesting and complex man.

http://www6.comcast.net/articles/news-world-europe/20080513/einstein.bible/

Here is a cow elk and a couple of hitchhikers that visited this afternoon!

Jim

This is reasonably funny on many levels. My favorite line:

"Steinberg said it’s not illegal in Colorado to walk down the street nude unless you know you’re going to expose yourself to someone."

That might be useful some day.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jun/12/attorney-naked-priest-didnt-mean-expose-himself/

Jim

The Black-beaked Magpie has a bad reputation because they are noisy, eat about anything including carrion and are anything but dainty. I think they are quite striking though. This one was pretty far away, but I liked the setting.

Jim

The supremes have issued their ruling in the District of Columbia v. Heller matter. According to the first news articles the Court struck down the D of C's near total gun ban and in a somewhat unexpected move found that the "well regulated militia" language of the 2nd Amendment means individuals. That seems like a huge win for the pro-private gun ownership side to me. There are apparently some reasonable limitations on gun ownership still allowed under the constitution (banning sawed off shotguns might still be OK for example.) But any total ban of guns for self defense is not going to fly.

It was a 5-4 decision along predictable lines. I'm looking for the actual opinion and will post it here because the press will inevitably get the nuances wrong.

Jim

Frog dives, Mallard swims
Koi glides smoothly just below
One nature; the pond

Jim

Eric Gage said:

It's done--I said goodbye and walked away.

Eric

Hopefully Eric will share with us his plans and experiences now that he has left his long time church. His dilemma was on my mind yesterday. Specifically, I was thinking about the many different approaches people take to community worship. To selecting a church. To leaving and changing churches.

I'm thinking here of "church" in the very local sense. i.e. a church building, a couple of ministers, and a local group of members. Most churches are aligned with broader denominations and faiths, but that is not the aspect I was pondering.

Churches are clearly many things, a place for group learning and a place for group worship for sure. But also social organizations for people to do things together; big things like community work and small things like pancake breakfasts and bingo. What aspect of his or her church is most important to each member? Obviously that depends on the member.

A scholar like Eric values honest compatibility with the theological message over the still very important social ties. The pain in his poem makes it clear that this value structure makes for a grievous and painful split in view of the unfortunate change of ministry.

I'll bet most other folks value the social aspects over theological focus. Most don't have the aptitude or desire to worry too much about the doctrinal message. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here.

Perhaps most folks worship where they do without specific choice. (Eric mentioned this below.) For example, I'm Catholic because my ancestors were all Catholic. With Catholics and Jews I suspect (but I don't know) that the heritage/community ties are stronger than with less historically-culturally based churches. I could be wrong.

My impression is that Protestant Christians are more likely to shop around for a compatible church than Catholics or Jews. It would be interesting to hear about how some of you ended up in your specific church. Was it a decision? An evolutionary process? An accident of birth? What values were weighed? What is important to you about the church you joined? Has your appreciation of your church changed as you moved through life? For me it has, a ton.


Jim

I suppose it could be. I wonder if the press has a clue? This would be a very interesting choice. We should know in a few hours.

Jim

[COLOR="Blue"]"DENVER — Speculation about who John McCain would name as his running mate focused on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after reports circulated early Friday that two short-listers — Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty — were out of the running."[/COLOR]

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/mccain-to-name-running-mate-on-friday/

[COLOR="Blue"]"Thursday night's arrival of a private jet from Alaska at the Middleton, Ohio, airport raised speculation that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be McCain's pick. Middleton is 25 miles from Dayton.

Rich Bevis, an airport manager at the Middleton airport, said that a woman, two men and two teenagers were onboard. Watch conservative analyst Bill Bennett mull Palin as a VP pick »

"This is the most secretive flight we've ever had," Bevis said.

In June, Palin told CNN that she thought McCain should choose a governor as his running mate and that she would like to serve on a national level, "but I don't think it's going to happen on this go-round though."" [/COLOR]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/29/mccain.vp/index.html

[COLOR="Blue"]"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-styled "hockey mom" who has only been governor for a little over a year, is GOP Presidential candidate John McCain's choice for Vice President, CNBC has learned."[/COLOR]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/26454655