COWARDICE AT CENTRAL OFFICE: School Board plays games with outraged citizens on school uniforms, refuses to acknowledge public outcry

Cowardice.

It's an ugly word. It's not one to lightly employ. It's certainly not one that I've ever felt comfortable with using, regardless of the situation. In fact, I don't know if I've ever used "cowardice" in a piece of serious writing at all. Ever. It doesn't show up when I scan this blog for it. It certainly isn't something that I've been chomping at the bit for the chance to get to use it someday.

I've tried my best to avoid it.

But sometimes, when reflecting on your feelings, you run out of descriptors that define your estimation of what it is that you've seen. There's one word that's staring straight back at you and despite your damndest efforts, there's no other alternative. You have to use it. Because it really does sum up everything that you've just witnessed...

And what I saw last night, was cowardice.

I refuse to say "cowardly". That is an adjective to describe a person and I know a number of these people too darned well than to think that of them at all. I know they're better than this... or they're supposed to be, anyway. I won't say that they are cowardly... but I will absolutely say that I am extremely disappointed in them.

I know you are reading this, those of you who I am talking about. Last night you did something that, not in a million years, would I have thought you would ever do.

Oh yes, at times we've certainly disagreed on a number of things. That was okay. Because I respected you and, I thought anyway, that you respected me and everyone else who would come to speak before the board. But even so, I never believed that I could expect anything less than your most honorable effort, as best as you were able to muster it.

To whom it may concern: last night, you let me down.

And you let down the vast majority of Rockingham County.

I would even dare say that you let down a lot of the things that this country is supposed to stand for.

In your heart of hearts, you probably want to believe that you did a pretty smart thing last night. But the only thing that you have to show for the evening is... well, cowardice.

And now I have to call you out on it. Your cowardice is going to be a permanent fixture on the Internet. Decades from now, anyone who searches for what the Rockingham County Board of Education in North Carolina did on June 11th, 2007 will find that they acted smug and indifferent and betraying toward the public trust. And... well yeah, cowardly. They certainly did act cowardly, in the adverb sense.

I have to report this. And I really didn't want to do that at all.

So here it goes...

As you might know already, at the April 16th meeting the Rockingham County Board of Education voted 8 to 4 to mandate school uniforms - or what is euphemistically being called "Standard Mode Of Dress" – at Reidsville Middle School and Reidsville High School starting this coming school year. They voted to implement "S.M.O.D." in spite of massive public turnout against the uniforms.

And they also based their vote for the uniforms on what I can only describe as a blatant fraud. In the months leading up to the March work session (which is when the motion was made to put S.M.O.D. up for a vote at the April regular meeting) there was a "survey" done, mostly by telephone, of Reidsville parents. It was an automated system that told whoever answered the phone that this was a survey being conducted to gauge public sentiment for the school uniforms. People were then given a choice: press "1" to say that they were in approval of having uniforms, or press "2" to say that they wanted more information about school uniforms.

That was it. There was no "press '3' if you do not want school uniforms". There wasn't any "no" option given at all. Parents called had to choose either to agree with the idea of uniforms, or to receive "more information". Months later and that "information" has yet to materialize.

As I said in my spiel during the public comments portion of the meeting tonight, it guaranteed that the results of the survey would be as lopsided as an election in communist Russia.

It wasn't a scientific survey at all. It seems too much like it was meant to deliberately massage the data, in order to generate perceived favoritism toward having school uniforms. Was it intentional? I don't know. If it was, then the motives behind this "survey" were downright criminal. If not, it was thoughtless and sloppy work, at best. The board should have contracted with someone from outside the county, with no connection to the schools or any other vested interest in having uniforms, to conduct a fair survey... that is, if the desire was to legitimately determine whether or not the parents seriously did want the uniforms. In any case, this fraudulent "survey" should have tainted any current drive toward having the uniforms, and too much to pursue them at this time.

Well, the board still voted to have the uniforms at the two schools. At the next board meeting on May 7th, even more incensed parents and students came to address the board about the uniforms, with many stating that there had not been a thoroughly-enough announced intent to bring this matter to a vote on the part of the board: it had been too rushed. Worse, many strongly argued that how the original motion was made to bring a vote to the issue violated the board's own bylaws and other regulations. Everyone who went to the podium during public comments condemned the S.M.O.D.: nobody spoke in favor of it. Later during the meeting, long after public comments had closed, the board moved to put further discussion about the uniforms on the agenda for the next meeting.

That came last night.

Board members Celeste DePriest and Steve Smith (both of whom had voted against the uniforms at the April meeting) were absent.

The lunacy started right after the Pledge of Allegiance: board member and former chairman Wayne Kirkman immediately made a motion to remove Item 7.9 – discussion about Standard Mode of Dress - off the agenda for the night's meeting!!! To say that this outraged members of the public – who numbered even more than the last two meetings – would be a severe understatement. I heard more than a few muffled curses from my vantage point in the audience directed toward Kirkman. Well, the motion was voted on and I didn't catch who else voted "aye" on it but one member who did vote for Kirkman's motion was Ronald Filer Price, AKA Ron Price: the morally bankrupt publicly-confessed thief, keeper of "enemies lists", bold-faced liar and violator of the Constitutional rights of others. The motion failed to carry, and the agenda was consequently approved.

(EDIT 6:26 p.m. EST: I've since learned that apparently it was Tim Scales who seconded Kirkman's motion to strip discussion of Standard Mode Of Dress off the agenda.)

Following this a number of awards and recognitions were made, and then the Hearing of Individuals – better known as public comments portion of the meeting – got underway. And after last night's meeting I'm going to make an effort to videotape all future meetings that I attend. Videotape the speakers and the board members' reactions and then probably edit it together for posting on YouTube for everyone to see. For one reason, the presence of a camera and citizen video journalist might make give some board members reason to pause. But mostly it's so I can better report on everything that gets said during this part of the meeting. A few came to speak about incidents of school violence. Most came to denounce the school uniforms.

I was the fifth speaker who signed up to speak. When my turn came I went to the podium, introduced myself and then started out with this...

"We've already had two meetings where the case against the Standard Mode Of Dress has been passionately argued. There is little I could say that would reinforce what you already know: that Standard Mode Of Dress would be an added exorbitant cost to many families, that it is ridiculous to insist on this when the present dress code isn't even enforced, and the sheer fact of the matter that the parents and students do not want this. That much at least should have been made very clear in the past two meetings..."

I then took a few moments to comment on how of all the people who had come out to speak against the uniforms, it was the younger ones – the students who would be most affected by this thing – who had been some of the most passionate and articulate and eloquent speakers that I had ever heard in this kind of public venue. "I really wish that I had been that good at your age!" I told them.

The rest of my time at the podium was completely ad-libbed, so I don't have precise notes on it. But the gist of my argument was that there was no way the Board of Education could morally let this vote stand: because it was a vote made with fraudulent information that may or may not have been deliberately manipulated. I made the comment that "isn't this country in enough trouble because of falsified intelligence?" People in the audience seemed to like that one.

To close it out, I went into a story: "Once upon a time..." Plenty of laughing at that, which was great! I talked about the time in 1994 that there was another meeting of the Rockingham County Board of Education, and how the big item was a controversial subject that brought out people by the hundreds. And how I had originally planned to speak in favor of this issue but after hearing the arguments of those who went before me, I realized that I couldn't, with any clear conscience, still hold to my position. So I had to get up to the podium that night and tell the school board and everyone that I had changed my mind. It was a tough thing to do, especially for a twenty-year old kid... but I had to do it. "There is nothing shameful with admitting that you are wrong," I told the board last night. "You do this, and you are going to get a lot of respect from the public..."

... and then I added that "Some of you need all the respect from the public that you can get."

(With God as my witness, I did not see what some reported to me about what happened next, nor will I make a comment about it here. It's going to forever be something that I will have to envision in my mind. Maybe it's more fun that way...)

Long story short, I returned to my seat and many others rose in turn to condemn the Standard Mode of Dress. All told, public comments went on for about two hours or so. Again, nobody spoke in favor of the school uniforms. And of all the recent meetings, I can honestly say that the arguments from those who spoke tonight were easily the most fervent and convincing... and brutally heartfelt honest. Which makes what happened later in the meeting that much more frustrating and treacherous.

After everyone who had signed to speak had done so, board chairwoman Elaine McCollum called for a break. Following the break the board went into the agenda's action items (funding for this "Dan River Water Easement" thingy should be brought up in comments at the next meeting 'cuz I heard more than one person in the audience raise a concern about it). This went on for a good while and then the board got to Part 7 on the agenda: "Reports/Discussion Items".

(That 7.9, discussion about the uniforms, was the very last thing for discussion on the agenda should do more than raise eyebrows. The board should know that plenty enough people wondered if this was a conscious choice to put this at the tail end of everything so that members of the public would eventually get tired and go home. I'm not saying that absolutely is what happened with last night’s meeting... but that was definitely the suspicion of quite a number of those in the audience. However it was placed, the attrition rate was far lower than I had seen at any other school board meeting since I started attending regularly... which should say something in itself about how angry a lot of people are about this uniforms mess.)

It wasn't until around 11 o'clock that the board got to discussing Standard Mode of Dress. Now, something to bear in mind here: a wazoo-load of principals (and probably some other administrators) are being juggled around the schools in the Rockingham County system starting this coming year. Meaning that Reidsville High School will have an entirely new principal: one who, if the board persists in this insane scheme, will not only have to deal with the intricacies of coming to the helm of another school, but will also be mandated to implement the uniforms policy.

Board member John Smith raised that obvious point. And it soon became apparent to all that the entire procedure to approve and put in place the Standard Mode Of Dress at Reidsville High and Reidsville Middle had been, not to put too fine a point on it, "bass-ackwards".

Then came the most despicable part of the entire evening...

The board members... look, as I'm writing this it's 4:30 a.m., I was at the Central Office from 5:30 p.m. until past midnight and in all this time I haven't stopped a moment for rest, so forgive me if I'm too wiped-out to care about who exactly said what in particular, but I'm speaking primarily about the ones who voted for this immorally-conceived obscenity to begin with... began what can only be described as the Rockingham County Board of Education's perverse version of Dean Smith's "Four Corners Play":

The board refused to acknowledge anything that the public speakers had said at all! Not once did they bring up any concern that anyone from the public had raised in opposition to the school uniforms. Instead they used the thing about the new principal at Reidsville High, and the now-suddenly-critical issue of "oh but do we actually have time now to implement this thing before the school year starts?" to completely dodge the issues that we had spent all evening talking to them about.

The motion was made to continue discussion at the next meeting. Any one of those who had previously voted for the uniforms (including Herman Hines, even though he abstained from the April vote... although it still count as a "yes" vote, go figure) could have made a motion to rescind the vote for the uniforms. In a sane world, that is exactly what would have happened: someone, anyone on that board who had voted for the uniforms should have had some change of heart, after listening to all of those people. That is, if they had been listening at all.

Instead, every one who came to speak at last night's meeting about the Standard Mode Of Dress... did it for nothing.

For all the time taken away from things we'd rather have been doing, for all the gas we spent driving to Eden to speak about something that never should have happened to begin with and has already wasted plenty of money... it was as if we hadn't even been there at all.

To those who know whom I'm addressing when I say this: dammit, didn't you listen to anything that was said last night?

Too many people gave up their valuable time and money to address you last night. And you acted as if you didn't give a flying rat's butt about any of them.

Instead, the board members who had voted in favor of the uniforms in April, I think it was pretty apparent that the majority of all but the most obstinate of them (I'm looking at you Mr. Sign Thief) was trying to find a way out of this mess that they had put themselves in, without having to admit that they were wrong. Nobody I've talked to thinks Mr. Sign Thief would do anything approximating an admission of error, but that's to be expected anyway...

It was a total failure on the part of those who voted for Standard Mode Of Dress to own up having screwed up. Last night could have been a bright and shining moment for them. They could have earned our respect, in a way that very few public officials seem interested in doing these days.

Instead, they wasted it... so that they could try to look good politically.

Don't try to wheedle your way out of this, those of you who know who you are. You refused to look us in the eye and face up to the fact that you were wrong.

You decided last night that you weren't going to hold yourselves accountable to those of us who put you in those school board seats to begin with.

I told you that there was nothing shameful about admitting that you were wrong. Now look at you: I saw very little not to be shameful over last night.

And what did it gain you?

Nothing but a lot of honked-off parents and students, and one former school board candidate who swore he would try to do what's right whether or not he won a seat in the election, along with most of the rest of Rockingham County.

Let me put it this way: a lot of people are pissed at what you are doing. At what you have done.

In the brief hours since the end of the meeting last night, I have seen more anger and rancor and feelings of ill will directed at those of you on the board who voted for the uniforms, than I have ever seen generated from any other issue in all the time that I have lived in Rockingham County (which has been most of my life).

I don't want to begin to write here some of the things that I have heard and have been sent to me since last night. I will say this though: "assassination" is not on the list of options that have been suggested. Not yet, anyway. But I've heard plenty enough that should drop jaws all over the place if I were to share them here.

You should at least know that one way or another, none of your jobs are safe anymore. I have to wonder if that even really bothers you, though. You came across as so hard-hearted during last night's meeting, it is an open question in my mind as to whether anything could faze your stubbornness or your arrogance.

It's late. I have literally been up all night since the meeting, trying my best to accurately convey what happened last night and to put my thoughts in order about all of this. I wish that I could put it out of mind for the time being...

...except for the matter of having witnessed an act of cowardice, that is bothering me too much.

Like I said: you let me down. You let all of us down. And we're not going to let you forget it.

So... where do we go from here?

Like I said, it's late. Way late. But I'm going to write more about this very soon. Along with a few other things.

But in the meantime, to those of you who share my disappointment with how the Board of Education chose to act last night, I will leave you with this "teaser"...

"If a created being has no rights to which his creator is bound to respect, there is an end to all moral relations between them."

-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

That goes for relations between people and their governments, too.

More soon.

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Comparisons between Ron Paul and 300

So Saturday night I saw 300 again, this time in Raleigh with my friend Chad. And I think that of all the movies that I have seen so far this year, 300 is easily my favorite, and the best overall in my opinion. I just found out that it's coming out on DVD next month, too!

If you haven't seen 300 yet, remember how riled-up a lot of us got when Braveheart came out? 300 is that kind of blood-stirring good. This is exactly the kind of story we need for the time we live in. And YouTube user BoruJudasDedrich feels the same way, too...

Here's the video that he put together, comparing what's going on regarding presidential candidate Ron Paul with Leonidas and the Spartans in 300. I found myself thinking much the same on Saturday night when we were watching this... but I really doubt that I could have done anything as beautiful and passionate as what BoruJudasDedrich has done here. Just one thing I want to know: where did he get all that 300 footage?!? :-)

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Crazy good weekend! Report from Pixelodeon and the Ron Paul video becomes a YouTube hit!

Most of this weekend was spent in Raleigh. I left Reidsville at about 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon and reached my friend Chad's place a little after 6. For the past five weeks I've been studying my brains out for the Praxis exam: that's the big series of tests given to prospective teachers. It was actually two exams that I took on Saturday: one that morning for content knowledge, and the second later that afternoon on teaching methods. And, I think that I did pretty well on them! The first was over a hundred multiple-choice questions that you had to use a number-2 pencil to fill in those little bubbles for your answers, but the second was stuff you had to think about and write out. Basically that exam provided two knowledge areas that you had to make lesson plans out of. Even though that was the harder of the two, I had more fun doing that one. I left the testing center at St. Augustine's College feeling pretty upbeat about it. I should find out in a few weeks how well I did.

And later that evening, Chad and I went out for pizza and then drove to a theater to watch 300: his first time seeing it and my second (here's my review from when Dad and I saw it in April). I drove back home later on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, other stuff had been going on all weekend...

This was the weekend that the first annual Pixelodeon Independent Video Festival was going on at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Three-hundred-some selected videos were screened at this thing... including that first commercial from my school board campaign! Wish I could have flown out for this thing, but I had to stay and take the Praxis exam. But I did receive some great news about the kind of reception that my commercial got at the event: one of the curators told me that "It was fantastic!" He said that people loved it and that they were "disappointed" when told that I hadn't won the election. I told him that if people enjoyed it that much, then I'd have rather had that than have won the election (not that I wasn't trying my best to win, 'course :-) So hearing about the feedback from Pixelodeon has definitely already made my week...

...as has the reaction to my first pro-Ron Paul for President video: it made it all the way to #10 on the "Top Rated News & Politics" videos on YouTube for this past Saturday! At one point it was the third highest-ranked Ron Paul video for that day. A lot of people have left some awfully nice comments about it on the video's page. And quite a few of them have one burning question above all others: "Did those photos clog-up your toilet?!?" Miraculously, they did not... but it was definitely a concern that I'd had. And there've been a few more ideas for Ron Paul videos that I've had in the past couple of days. Might make another real soon.

And, that was my weekend. Between the serious task to overcome and the groovy response to those videos, and the great fellowship that I had with a lifelong friend, and the conscious choice to completely abstain from blogging or any other routine activity that I usually involve myself in and what a refreshing respite it was, this weekend pretty much had it all.

If only it could last... 'cuz tonight is going to be one insane school board meeting, if the last two were any indication :-P Will report on that later tonight.

And there's something else I'll be posting about later on today: my own lil' way of celebrating the weekend's success :-)

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My first commercial will be shown at Pixelodeon at American Film Institute this weekend!

Just one more post before I really absolutely do take a self-imposed sabbatical from blogging for the next few days: it was first mentioned last week that the first commercial from my school board campaign - the "zany" Star Wars-inspired ad - will be screened this weekend at the first-ever Pixelodeon Independent Video Festival at the American Film Institute... in Hollywood! So if you're in Los Angeles for the next few days, I guess you can stop by and watch the Death Star blow up a schoolhouse.

Hey, it helped get me almost forty-seven hundred votes, didn't it?? :-)

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My first video for the Ron Paul cause

It's late. I've been working on this video since yesterday afternoon. Had some weird encoding problems. But the first "political advertisement" I've made in support of Ron Paul for President is all finished now, and uploaded to YouTube for your viewing pleasure. I call it "Sick and Tired and Needing a Doctor" ...

This is like the third or fourth production I've done lately that involves me being shown with a toilet: parse that as you will. But all the same, I think this turned out rather nice. What do you think? :-)

Okay, this is a good enough post to close out the week with. I'm going to take a break from blogging for the next few days. Have a great weekend y'all!

EDIT 11:47 a.m. EST: The video has been posted on Daily Paul! After this update I really am stepping away from the 'puter for a few days. The video seems to be spreading around. Wonder how many views it'll have when I get back...?

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First trailer for I AM LEGEND

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is one of the most haunting novels that I've ever read. The project to make a modern-day film adaptation of it (it's been turned into a movie twice already, the last one being The Omega Man with Charlton Heston) is something that's been simmering for over ten years now: yeah I still remember the days when Ridley Scott was going to make this with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It finally comes out this December, with Will Smith as Robert Neville.

And, I've no sense this early on about how faithful this movie will be to the spirit of the book... but I think it might have some promise. The first trailer certainly impresses. There is one shot that is one of the flat-out coolest that I've ever seen in a movie... or at least the trailer for one.

Mash down here for the Quicktime video of the I Am Legend trailer

EDIT 4:38 a.m. EST: Pray for the last man on Earth... because he's not alone. Here's the first 10 minutes of The Omega Man, with Charlton Heston as Neville (the role Smith will have in I Am Legend). By the way, this movie's awesome soundtrack was composed by Ron Grainer: the man who also created the immortal theme music for Doctor Who.

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Illegals amnesty dead in Senate (but could still come back)

It's down for now, but it sounds like the bastitches trying to push this through are gonna come back around for another pass.

This bill is just one more indication why Ted Kennedy is about 40 years past any real usefulness in the Senate (if that much).

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"Autobots are watching you!"

After starting to feel so much good vibe the past few weeks about Transformers coming out next month, only to find this... thing.

It's a 2007 update to the "Transformers" theme song (MP3 file in .zip format) on the Sector Seven promo website for Transformers.

This doesn't raise my hopes any about the movie, y'all...

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Live free or DIE HARD!

voteronpaul08 at Ron Paul Forums asked if I could do a Ron Paul thing with the Live Free or Die Hard poster. Here's what I came up with...

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Now they're re-making THE THING and making a movie out of EMPIRE?!

Some days it just doesn't pay to take a look on the cultural front...

Ronald D. Moore, the guy who re-created Battlestar Galactica for the Sci-Fi Channel (and did an amazing job of it from the looks of things), is now working on a remake of The Thing...

...which might not be an altogether bad thing. John Carpenter's 1982 The Thing was already a remake, and Moore is a pretty capable guy. But it's going to be darn awful hard to top what we saw in the 1982 movie. 25 yeas later (what was it about 1982 that made it a great year for this kind of movie genre?) and it's still holding up very strong.

Then comes word that Warner Bros. is making a movie of Orson Scott Card's Empire. Which will probably be as big a box office smash as Battlefield Earth was. As I said in my review back in December, Empire is a bad, bad book! Usually I devour an Orson Scott Card novel. With Empire I had to struggle to overcome it like a man constipated. And I really do like Card a lot! I think he's one of the few legitimately leading intellectual lights of our age. He just struck out with Empire, the same way that Steven Spielberg struck out with 1941: they can't all be winners, right? Just the same, this is one project that should be quietly shelved.

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Shirley Phelps-Roper arrested for letting son stomp on American flag

Remember this lady? It's Shirley Phelps-Roper. It will be a year ago next week that she and her family - the infamous Westboro Baptist Church - visited the TV station that I worked at. This is that "God hates fags church" that does those rabid anti-homosexual protests... most of them quite bizarre and all of them crossing the boundary of good taste. If you missed that report when it was filed last year, mash that link down for some truly disturbing photos along with my account of what happened that night during my close encounter with "the Phelps family".

Well, Shirley Phelps-Roper has been arrested in Bellevue, Nebraska: charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after her 8-year old son stomped on an American flag during a soldier's funeral.

Here's the story from WMUR:

Boy Stomps Flag At Funeral, Mom Arrested

Pair Are Part Of Anti-Gay Church That Protests Funerals

POSTED: 1:44 pm EDT June 6, 2007

OMAHA, Neb. -- A woman was arrested in Bellevue, Neb., on Tuesday during the funeral for a fallen soldier.

Shirley Phelps-Roper was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly allowing her 8-year-old son to stomp on an American flag.

Phelps-Roper is a member of a Topeka, Kan., church that conducts anti-homosexual picketing at funeral services for U.S. soldiers.

Hundreds of people packed Bellevue streets Tuesday morning to pay tribute to a firefighter and soldier. Spc. Bill Bailey was serving in the National Guard in Iraq when he was killed by a roadside bomb.

Police said the group to which Phelps-Roper belongs had a permit to protest 300 feet from Bailey's funeral.

Bellevue Officer Joe Gray, who made the arrest, said that at first the group brought out a couple of members' own American flags.

"The arrestee, Ms. Phelps-Roper, put one around her waist. The second one was given to a 10-year-old, who put it on the ground and started kicking it in the area they were protesting," Gray said.

Nebraska law states that it is a Class 3 misdemeanor when a person "intentionally casts contempt or ridicule upon a flag by mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling upon such flag." The law was passed in 1977.

"It appears the adults weren't stepping on the flag because they knew it was a violation of the law. But they allowed the children to go ahead and do that," Gray said.

Phelps-Roper said she believes she has the right to use the flag as a symbol, and said Nebraska's law is outdated.

"We're going to challenge that statute," she said. "That statue should have been repealed."

Gray said the arrest wasn't personal and has nothing to do with his beliefs. He said he's simply doing his job.

"It's state law, so we were enforcing the laws of Nebraska," the officer said.

Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said the words from the group are fighting words, which are not protected speech.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: someday, the Phelps family is going to go way too far in front of the way wrong people... and some of them are going to be hurt or worse because of their antics. They won't have anyone to blame but themselves.

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He's got as good a chance as anyone else ...

One can only wonder about what kind of America we would have today if he had been elected in 1992.

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WARNING: The following blog post may trigger seizures and nausea

They unveiled the logo for the 2012 London Olympics earlier this week and it's so magnificently malformed that some are claiming that it could trigger seizures in people with epilepsy...

It reminded me of something that happened almost ten years ago. On December 17th 1997, Japanese television broadcast an episode of the popular Pokemon show. During the episode there is one scene that has intense rapid red/blue blinking. In the minutes and hours following that scene, hundreds of Japanese children were rushed to hospitals because that sequence caused those kids to suffer seizures, convulsions, fainting, extreme headaches and nausea! The flashing was taken out of subsequent airings of the episode.

So... wanna see it? Here it is, with the original video unedited. If this link goes bad just do a search on YouTube for "pokemon" and "seizures" or "epilepsy". But I'm seriously warning you: I watched this thing, and it did give me a headache. I'm just posting this as an example that the fears about the new Olympics symbol aren't necessarily frivolous.

Here it is: the banned Pokemon "seizures" sequence. Remember, you watch this at your own risk...

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They are re-making CONAN THE BARBARIAN

That's it. Hollywood is officially a depleted sow. The field has been plowed and planted so many times that nothing fresh is growing in it. It's dead, Jim.

Find out about it here, in a story primarily about another remake (of Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill).

Incidentally, I watched last year's remake of The Omen a few days ago on HBO. That was another classic movie that never warranted a remake, at all. The same is true for Conan the Barbarian (can you believe a few weeks ago was the 25th anniversary of it's premiere?).

In my opinion, Conan the Barbarian is about as perfect a movie as you can find. So many great elements all working together in that film... The soundtrack by Basil Poledouris is easily one of the most listened-to things on my MP3 player whenever I'm driving (I love all the tracks but I'm especially fond of "Anvil of Crom" and "Atlantean Sword"). Poledouris is now gone from us. As is Mako: it would not be a Conan movie without Mako, I hate to say. Look, this was the movie that brought Oliver Stone and John Milius to work together: if that doesn't speak volumes about this film's power, I don't know what will.

Conan the Barbarian had something going for it, that can never be replicated. And this remake will suck donkeys balls to no end for trying (yes I actually said that, which is the worst insult I ever give to anything or anyone). Don't do this, Hollywood: you're skating on thin ice as it is...

"And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!"

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VIDEO: Giuliani staff uses police to arrest independent journalist

If only YouTube had existed in 2000...

In October of 2000 I was a reporter with an independent newspaper. And - through legitimate channels mind ya - I had been given an invitation to attend a rally for George W. Bush during the presidential debate at Wake Forest University. I was hoping to get a chance to ask Bush a few questions: nothing rude mind ya, but I was gonna try to make the most of the opportunity.

Bush staff found out that some "non-corporate" journalists were there and sent Winston-Salem police to track us down. One of them demanded to see my driver's license and I asked why. About then a Bush staffer with a bullhorn came over and told me that I should do what she says "because whenever someone in a uniform tells you something you're supposed to obey."

This guy demanded to see my invitation. He snatched it out of my hands and said that I wasn't going to be attending this function. When I demanded to know why he threatened me with physical violence.

The cops escorted another reporter and myself to "the protest area" (this was the first time I'd ever heard of this little Bush concept) and told us if we tried to return to our vehicles through the fair grounds that we would be arrested.

A few years later I heard - and I've not found any reason to doubt this - that we were rounded up and sent packing on Bush's orders, after he heard that there were non-corporate media present and he told his staff to "haul those assholes out of here".

That night I saw the true side of the George W. Bush mindset. I'm not bitter about it now though: I'm just thankful that God showed me what a loser Bush really is, before I ever had a chance to vote for him (never have).

Almost the exact same thing happened last night to journalist Matt Lepacek following the Republican debate in New Hampshire, except Lepacek actually got ask Rudolph Guiliani some questions. Or tried to anyway. Giuliani's staff had police arrest Lepacek. Here's the video:

Y'know, the only thing that kept me from standing up to those goons that night any more than I did was the fact that my best friend was coming in from way out of town to spend a few days at my apartment, and if I was in jail then I couldn't be there when he arrived. If that hadn't already been on my schedule, I think years later that it would be with a lot of pride that I could look back at being arrested on orders from Bush.

I hope that Matt Lepacek will feel proud about what he did tonight too: he stood his ground against an evil man. And he didn't back down.

That's something that nobody will ever be able to take away from him.

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Need an extra-large version of the Ron Paul/Matrix graphic?

Since last night I have received numerous requests for a much larger version of the Ron Paul graphic that apes the poster for The Matrix (which also features some not-so-subtle commentary). Seems that some folks are wanting to make full-size posters of this...

If you need (or just plain lust for) a far larger version of this graphic, e-mail me at theknightshift@gmail.com with "Ron Paul Matrix poster" in the subject line and I will get this to you!

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Giuiliani said WHAT...?!

I missed this the first time but it's been confirmed: during tonight's debate (actually last night's debate since it's now way early Wednesday morning) Rudolph Giuliani said that we need to use the American military for more "nation building".

Seven years ago George W. Bush said that we shouldn't engage in "nation-building". He went ahead and did it anyway. It didn't work. And now tonight Giuliani said he wants to do more of it.

If this guy does get nominated and then winds up actually elected President, then... I don't know what else to say, except that we will be screwed as a nation and we will probably have deserved it.

Like I said last month: when the "front runner" of the Republican party is a pro-abortion, anti-Second Amendment, pro-amnesty for illegals, pro-"nation building", pro-big government in every way, drag queen...

...there is something very, very wrong with the world.

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Why isn't Matt Drudge running a poll for THIS debate?

Tonight's debate in New Hampshire among the Republican candidates has been over for almost an hour and a half. For every other debate in the past month or so Matt Drudge has posted on his Drudge Report site a readers' poll on who they thought won the debate.

So far, one for tonight's hasn't appeared.

Could it be that Drudge is afraid that his poll will show what a lot of others (heck, most others) are showing: intense support for Ron Paul?

I'm going to wait for awhile tonight, and see if he does run one. If he doesn't, I'll have some more thoughts about what this means Drudge has become.

EDIT 11:04 p.m. EST: Okay, here's what I think...

For all the hooplah ever since Drudge burst on the scene about ten years about being "alternative media", Matt Drudge has... well, become too much like mainstream media.

Let me put it another way: the "new media" that Drudge represents has turned out to be old media with slicker tactics.

"Alternative media" was supposed (we were told so anyway) to be an empowering of ideas that had never been given their fair share of exposure, because of a near-monopoly on the airwaves, the press etc. that the "liberal media" enjoyed for so long. Rush Limbaugh declared himself a spokesman for the unrepresented (Limbaugh would say mis-represented) "conservative" Americans. Fox News Channel boldly proclaimed that it would be "fair and balanced".

It's ten years and more later. And "alternative media" stands as corrupted and of foul purpose as the "liberal mainstream media" it's supplanting. Because it has the very same goal as old media: the pursuit of power over people... especially their minds.

Matt Drudge is trying to control people's perception of things as much as CBS or CNN or any other "mainstream" press outlet, by refusing to be consistent and running a post-debate poll that he knows would most likely have Ron Paul winning handily.

And this being the Internet, I and anyone else get to call him out on it.

EDIT 11:32 p.m. EST: Want another example? Here's Fox News' story about the debate. It doesn't mention Paul or a few other candidates that were on stage tonight.

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CNN Republican candidates debate: What a joke!

So far McCain has spoken for more than 6 minutes. Guiliani for almost 5. Romney for a little over 5. They're being asked just about all the questions.

Ron Paul has been given two questions and has only spoken for 2 minutes.

The other "non-front runners" are being given fewer questions and camera time, too.

This "debate" is a farce. It's protecting the ones the "mainstream" press wants to impress into people's minds are the only ones "worth considering".

For some reason, the last week or so I've gone back to reading Nineteen Eighty-Four. I don't know what's happened in the years since I last picked up that book, but it's like I can see this book coming to pass a lot more than I ever had before. This kind of consciously playing with people's perceptions is one example.

Whatever happened with giving everyone their chance to make their case, regardless of how much cash they have on hand or some kind of favoritism, and let the people decide on their own?

EDIT 9:02 p.m. EST: The only two that impressed me the least bit were Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo. And they barely got any time at all, especially in the second round (the one that had questions from the public).

Maybe it's time to post this again...

Fight the Matrix! Ron Paul is the One!

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65th anniversary of the Battle of Midway

From June 4th through the 7th in 1942, the Battle of Midway was fought. This is considered by most historians to have been the beginning of the real offensive by the United States in the Pacific theater.

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25 years ago today: "KHAAAAAAAAAN!!!"

Twenty-five years ago today, on June 4th 1982, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan premiered.

Still the best Star Trek story ever! If only the rest of the franchise had been this good...

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Waste of Mythology: The peril of ignoring our modern fables

The History Channel re-broadcast Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed last night. It's a two-hour documentary about the film saga, its mythic roots, and the timeless values that it's tried to share with the modern audience.

As the program was winding down I thought, and not for the first time lately: after all of these years of being a devout Star Wars fan ... well, what is the point of it? What has been the point of any of the loyalty that we as fans have shown these movies?

Guess what I'm wondering is: in spite of the multitude of morals and lessons that this movie series has given us, what have we actually done with them, at all?

F'rinstance, George Lucas intended for the recent Star Wars prequels to be a parable about the decline of republican government: that democracies invariably become dictatorships. The final step toward tyranny usually happens when an elected leader assumes wide-ranging powers in the face of some emergency, "for the good of the people". Palpatine took over after blaming the Jedi, just as Hitler had to "protect" the Germans from the Communists following the Reichstag fire.

In the past few weeks President George W. Bush has signed a directive that would establish himself as a veritable autocrat. All he has to do is declare an emergency and seize power over everything and voila: America will have an emperor, in fact if not in name. And even if Bush does nothing on his own to seize unprecedented power in the United States, he has done far more than his share of setting the stage in this country for a predecessor to push that button ... and probably sooner than later. It's not the tendency of human nature to shy away from such a temptation.

This is one thing from the Star Wars movies that we should very much have taken to heart, especially in light of the violent history of the Twentieth Century. This is something that should earnestly bother us, and move us to make our stand. By showing the powers-that-be the line in the sand and telling them "to this point and no further".

That is how tyranny is stemmed before it has a chance to blossom. And you would think that in light of this move by Bush and others by legislators (such as the ill-named PATRIOT Act), that armed with the metaphoric wisdom of these stories we would do whatever we could to stop this slide toward an all-powerful state.

Instead, the biggest thing that Star Wars fans in general have been thrown in tumult over is the matter of whether or not Han shot first. We vent more white-hot hatred on Jar Jar Binks than we do on high taxes, or on the governor of Texas when he tries to enforce an un-thoroughly tested vaccine on children, or on the most foolish-conceived war in American history.

It's not a new phenomenon. Scripture tells us that the people of Israel flocked to hear the prophet Ezekiel cry out his warnings ... but they did not heed his words. To them, Ezekiel was nothing but mere entertainment (Ezekiel 33:30-32). I'll bet the people of Troy considered Cassandra to be quite a spectacle. Too bad they didn't believe her when she told them there were Greek soldiers rattling around in that wooden horse.

What is new is the sheer volume of fiction – and with it so much wisdom – that we are inundated with ... and how little we seem to have taken from it.

We should consider ourselves blessed to live in a time of such rich and vibrant storytelling. No other era in human history has been gifted with so many tales along with so much raw knowledge, from the entire breadth of civilization. And we should be the most enlightened culture that has ever existed in recorded time because of it: Maslow's "self-actualization" realized across the vast scope of an entire society.

Cast me melancholy, but I have to ask: what good have any of these stories been? They weren't just meant to be "great entertainment", were they?

Belgium declared its independence from the Netherlands in 1830. Do you know what pulled the trigger and moved the Belgian people to war? It was a performance one night of the opera La Muette de Portici. It stirred the people of Brussels to riot and take over the ruling regime's buildings. From there the fight spread across the country.

Consider that for a moment: one performance of an opera ignited an entire country to revolt against its masters ...

... and we have had countless movies, playing to audiences of millions, to stir our souls. And still we've yet to do anything like what those Belgians did after watching one opera.

I've been a Star Wars fan from one wild extreme of the spectrum to the other. And it's been a heckuva lot of fun, no doubt. But when it comes to taking Star Wars seriously, as an epic that has conveyed age-old wisdom that we can apply to our world, it really saddens me that we as fans (and there are plenty of us) haven't played this to the hilt. And we've had thirty years to do it, too.

If my generation, having grown up watching the Star Wars movies and the Matrix trilogy and The Lord of the Rings and everything else, has been literally assaulted with the theme of good against evil and still has done nothing with it ... then what does that say of us, compared to those who have come before?

George Lucas might as well have saved hundreds of millions of dollars and not made the Star Wars movies at all, for all the good that we have made of them.

Consider the Matrix trilogy. This is one movie series that I absolutely believe has been nowhere nearly as appreciated as it should be. I can think of no more effective metaphor from the movies than the Matrix series for the system that we seldom dare admit to having become enslaved to.

How many Americans are capable of even considering the fact that they don't have to choose only between the Democrat and Republican parties? You know the answer to that as well as I do: not that many. Their minds are not free. Their thinking is still imprisoned by a machine that defines for them the parameters of what is possible and what is not possible. If the machine expects them to believe that there really is no other choice because other candidates are "unelectable" or otherwise illegitimate, then these people believe it without question. You see it even now, with the mainstream press establishing it in the minds of most Americans that there are, at most, three "serious" presidential candidates from either of the two major parties.

I thought that The Matrix was a two-hour package of everything that we would need to know to start fighting our own matrix. Some people seriously predicted that when the V for Vendetta film came out that it would result in mobs of thousands taking to the streets in a bid to confront "them".

In a sane world, these stories would have motivated us so. Even though things should have never come to the point where we would need those to spur us to action, anyway. But that didn't happen. It was like millions of people were confronted with the very ugly truth of the world around them ... and decided to do nothing at all about it.

And then, think about the novel and movie series The Lord of the Rings. I don't know anything else to say other than Tolkien's story is the finest parable about the danger and self-destruction that comes with seeking power, that has ever been produced in modern English literature. Tolkien laid it all out, in terms that anyone could understand. And yet, our mad pursuit of power and influence over others continues unabated.

The one great modern story that I can see signs that its message is being sought and cherished by many is the Harry Potter series. What message is there in that? I believe it's the most profound of all: that death is not something to be feared. That in being fearful of death, we allow death to have a power over us that we should never yield to it. Voldemort has sought to be all-powerful because to him, death is something petty and ignoble: it's for the weak, not the strong. His "flight from death" (the literal French meaning of the word "Voldemort" by the way) has made him enthralled to power, instead of being its master. On the other hand, Harry Potter has let go his fear of death, and is not controlled by it. He is the one with the freedom and real choice. And not being bound to fear of death, Harry is spiritually free to live a full and abundant life: one that Voldemort can never know or understand. In fact, I've thought that the Harry Potter books do a far better job at teaching a lot of Christian virtues than have many modern preachers and theologians. But I digress ...

Why are the Harry Potter books working where movies such as Star Wars aren't? It's likely because Harry Potter is still a story primarily of written literature. To read a Harry Potter novel or any other book demands that the reader think about what it is he or she is. Reading a book actively engages the mind. Watching a movie or television show presents those thoughts ready-packaged for consumption. There are very few stories in the visual medium that do strive to be "thinking man's entertainment" (I would count Lost as being one of them). Otherwise, it seems that part of the mind turns off and accepts whatever the eyes see without question ... or critically thinking about. At least the Harry Potter books can exercise the mind to think about things like not having to fear mortality, and about having the strength and will to stand up and fight (something that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did beautifully). For that much, we can be thankful that our young people will be wiser for the time they have invested in such entertainment.

It's not a guarantee though. The Chronicles of Narnia are founded on the deeper tenets of the Bible ... but on such a basic level that even a small child can grasp them. Yet it's hard to see them put into practice by many of the "grown-up" Christians that I see every day. Indeed, the belief system that I profess to share has had its own rich collection of history and proverbs for going on two millennia now ... and I can only lament at how many of my fellows do not seem to care enough to pursue sincere appreciation and understanding of it.

And if we are to discuss how even literature has failed to enlighten our generation, then we must mention George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's twenty-three years too late, and bedecked with more color to be sure ...

... But how is America not so far removed from the superstate of Oceania? We even have much the same order of society: the "Inner Party" of an entrenched elite – you can pick any number of "political families" and "favored" individuals – who sit at the top of the heap in this country and play with Senate seats and the Oval Office like title deeds in a Monopoly game. They will never let anyone from the "Outer Party" (the traditional middle class) ascend to their level. Think about it: when was the last time that Mr. Smith really could go to Washington? It sure hasn't been anytime lately. And then there is only what with trepidation I think of as the real-life analogy to Orwell's Proles: the too many Americans well enough engaged in drinking beer and pursuit of sex than to educate themselves about the surrounding world past what the TV is telling them.

What enforces this rigid structure? A "mainstream press" that long ago lost its independence and is now just part of "the system" spouting approved propaganda. A military-industrial complex that has engaged the nation in meaningless war that saps away our youth and vitality. Government surveillance of nearly all our communications and finances and movements. Even our own "Two Minutes Hate" used to expend what passions we might turn toward overcoming our lot, instead wasting them against propped-up straw-men both here and abroad.

All of this at work on a people expected to believe whatever is told them, however contradictory, and consider it true: "doublethink", as Orwell called it. Individual deviancy from the mindset means consignment as a "fringe thinker" or "moonbat" or whatever is the current jargon. And when people like Charles Krauthammer earnestly declare that to disagree with "The Leader" is an indication of mental illness, how is that different from the "derangement" that had Winston Smith dragged to Room 101?

We have, at last, arrived on the shores of Oceania.

No sense complaining about our destination now: we've had almost sixty years to try to change the course of the ship.

Growing up, I was taught that there was such a thing as right and wrong, and that it wasn't hard to tell the difference between the two. Then I saw how real life works: and that too many of the people in this world don't act like they care about doing the good thing. Stories like Star Wars may not have necessarily been real, but the values within them were certainly ideal, and virtuous enough to put into practice. Enough so that I gained courage from them to persist in seeking out good. Years later, I still don't see any reason why we shouldn't strive to adhere to them, in spite of the callousness and corruption everywhere we look.

Maybe these stories aren't meant for us at all. Perhaps they are the inheritance of those who will come after us: the ones who will follow our own generation and the mess that we have made of things. It's not a pleasant thing to wonder about how much we are like Rome before that empire fell, and that if there is a collapse then a much more terrible dark age might ensue. But if there is any shred of hope, it is that a better and nobler people might arise from the ruins of our age.

They will be the ones to whom Star Wars and The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings and every other tale of our era will be more than something to make "fan fiction" of and dress up as characters from.

I'm sure they will also be asking about what we did with these stories. "How did they tolerate so much wasted mythology?" "Didn't they learn anything from all those movies and books?"

Look, it's really very simple: bad things are happening around us. They aren't going to simply "go away" no matter how hard we try to wish them to vanish.

Stories don't become eternal classics solely on the virtue of their entertainment value. They stand the test of time because they are founded on something imperishable and true, that no tyrant or army or even the ignorance of ages can destroy. But they only have meaning if we take what they are teaching us to heart and act upon those values.

We have every reason possible to stand. And to fight. And to dare rebel against the things that are wrong without shame or apology. We have every right to make the empire tremble.

We've been shown the way, may times over. Now we just have to start boldly walking it.

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Republican official: America needs more 9/11 attacks so that Bush will be appreciated

Dennis Milligan, the head of the Republican Party in Arkansas, says that America needs to be attacked more times like it was on 9/11 so that people will appreciate President George W. Bush.

From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

He said he's "150 percent" behind Bush on the war in Iraq.

"At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001 ], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country," Milligan said.

I hate to speculate, but it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of these people actively pray to God every day for another attack to happen, so that it will somehow "justify" Bush and their support of him. That's certainly the vibe that Milligan is showing us here.

But wait, there's more...

He declined to take a stance on President Bush's latest immigration bill.

"That is between the president and Congress, and I am just going to let them hash it out and work it out," Milligan said. "I just think that is something for probably smarter people than me to figure out. It is a tough situation either way, but something definitely needs to be done."

"I can't figure it out for myself, I need the President and Congress to think for me!" Milligan is practically telling us.

And this guy is the boss of a major political party for an entire state. And he can't comprehend that Bush and Congress are betraying the American people and selling them out with amnesty for illegals.

Where the Hell do fools like this come from, and who let them have way too much power for anyone's good?

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About this latest terror plot to blow up JFK Airport ...

... which you've probably heard on the news by now:

It seems like the attempt to "blow up" that much jet fuel would actually cause a lot less damage than what we're being told. I mean, without a ready supply of an oxidizing agent, stuff just doesn't explode on it's own. It would be a fairly localized event.

Doesn't sound like these guys really knew what they were doing. Or maybe they did, and we just haven't heard the details yet. In any case, I'm curious to know.

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For whatever it's worth...

Just some musings to close out this past week on:

- Andrew Speaker might have spread a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis among thousands of people during his plane trips across Europe and into America. That's one guy carrying TB who got caught. Has anyone noticed all the stories coming out lately about cases of TB breaking out in the southwestern states?

- Speaking of the border situation, I've heard from people in Mexico during the past few days: the situation there is much, much worse than anything we are reading in the "mainstream" news. "Civil war" and "revolution" could be used interchangeably among the reports that have come here.

- Also about the border situation: President Bush dares to claim that those of us who want the border secured are unpatriotic and un-American. I dare say that President Bush is a traitor for letting our border be overrun. I'll hazard to guess that I've got the more substantiated claim.

- The only reason that the Republican bigwigs are going gah-gah over Fred Thompson is that in their eyes Thompson is the only one who can effectively counter the soaring popularity of Ron Paul. If Ron Paul were to even win the nomination, it would be a death knell toward everything the bosses of both major parties have been inflicting on America for the better part of sixty years now... if not more.

- May was one of the bloodiest months for American military forces since this very foolish war was started over four years ago. At this point it should be clear to all but the most obtuse: there is no "winning a victory" out of this situation. There is no chance of a viable unified Iraqi society arising from our continued presence there. In hindsight the thing that should have been done was for the Iraqi people to have taken matters into their own hands: either arising on their own to depose Saddam or waiting until his death. As it is now, the American presence is only there to stave off societal degradation... and it's not working.

I'm taking off for the rest of the weekend. Have some projects to work on, and a few new movies to watch (namely Casino Royale and Pan's Labyrinth). In the meantime, have a good 'un!

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The electrician is still scratchin' his head ...

This brings whole new meaning to "squirrel power". And no, he did not survive...

Good friend Matt Smith works on a bulletin board and found this posted by a radio engineer in Tennessee. Thanks for forwarding it this way Matt!

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Happy Birthday Deborah!

Here's wishing a very Happy Birthday to Deborah Wilson (this is Deborah and I together at Star Wars Celebration III two years ago in Indianapolis).

Deborah is from Texas, and she is one of the most talented people I've ever known. She's a genius at creating costumes, she does amazing work with silver in making jewelry, and word on the street is that she's a pretty good fighter in World of Warcraft. She is also a much bigger Star Wars fan than I'll ever be (is such a thing possible?!?). But most of all, Lisa and I think of Deborah as a very wonderful sister in Christ, who has become a true friend in every sense of the word. She's definitely challenged me a lot in seeking God that much more, for sure...

Happy Birthday Deborah :-)

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Reason enough to not support Fred Thompson for President

From this article:

The former Senator supports low taxes and free trade. On May 13, 2007 he told the ABC radio audience that "[Globalization] works to our benefit. We innovate more and invest in that innovation better than anywhere else in the world. Same thing goes for services, which are increasingly driving our economy. Free trade and market economies have done more for freedom and prosperity than a central planner could ever dream and we're the world's best example of that."

Thompson says he is for low taxes (having NO income tax would be a far better position however) and control of the border. But I've seen more than enough damage done by "globalization" over the past fifteen years to know to steer clear and away from anyone who thinks it's supposed to be a virtue.

Didn't anyone learn anything from NAFTA?

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Does America deserve to survive?

I've never understood why most churches in this country put an American flag in the sanctuary, practically on par with the cross. As if the apostle Paul had the believers in Corinth prop up a Roman standard emblazoned with S.P.Q.R. in the corner of their meeting place.

A flag is a symbol of temporal power and authority. It has no place in a house of worship... unless what the flag symbolizes IS a focus of worship.

And if it is, then there is a problem.

Jesus called His followers the "salt of the earth". Only a little salt will preserve the meat. But if the salt loses its saltiness, as Jesus said, then it is worthless. And it does nothing. The meat will deteriorate.

That's what Christianity in America has become: it's lost its salt. Because too many of those who boast of Judeo-Christian morals don't realize the damage they have done by confusing lust for power with love of God.

And everything around us is rotting because of it.

Let's start with the most obvious thing: common courtesy and respect in America is dead.

America is now a Schadenfreude culture: everything from our moral character to our entertainment to our economy has become dependent on taking joy at the suffering of others. The "SCREW YOU I GOT MINE JACK!" mentality dominates this land. We aren't a happy people unless we are being vicious and cruel to someone else. I see it everyday, cropping up in things ranging from mundane conversation to the Internet (why does the web seem to magnify the animosity of most people?).

You see it in our political system and how it's reported on Fox News and CNN. We barely even pretend anymore that our actions are done for the greater good: "Let's hear it for the power!" as Nancy Pelosi shouted on the day she became House Speaker.

We've let people like Ann Coulter on "the right" and websites like Democratic Underground on "the left" make hating others not only something that's morally acceptable, but fashionable. Too many of us have eagerly followed their lead.

A people that have divided themselves between "conservatives" and "liberals" are shallow and ignorant. Those who insist that the world is divided into "red state and blue state" do so because they have not matured past the childish instinct to hate someone. Show me a man who rails against "liberals" or "conservatives", and I will show you a man who is unhappy unless he has someone to thoroughly despise.

Partly because of our willingness to hate, we largely don't think for ourselves anymore. The two most recent presidential administrations have proven that much. We've shown that we're all too willing to swallow any lie that is presented us. And we have readily demonstrated that we will eagerly fall into line behind whatever pretty face the powers-that-be decree we are to follow. Americans by and large don't vote for the most qualified person, or for someone who puts principles ahead of everything else. Today they vote for someone who is "electable". That is to say, someone who is handsome enough or is better known for being an actor than being a statesman. Our system of government has devolved into a high school popularity campaign.

It's come to the point where those who do dare question the qualifications and motives of these "leaders" are openly accused of "aiding and abetting the enemy". And look at what that has brought us to: government monitoring of our phone conversations and e-mails, the veritable suspension of Habeas Corpus, warrant-less searches, a "no-fly" list that apparently targets some for nothing more than stating political beliefs, forthcoming national ID cards...

Why is it again that America was a better country than the Soviet Union?

The rule of law in America is almost completely dead. Government does what it wants without restraint. Our representatives are installed by a political machine and with rare exception have any connect with the American people.

But we don't dare protest. We not only nod our heads and meekly accept this as "the way things are". Then we commence to buy things fast and loose on credit so that we can watch the Super Bowl on a plasma-screen TV, or get something else that we really don’t need and can't afford. Instead of confronting the problem we drink ourselves into numbness and hope that it will "just go away".

God bless America.

Right now two former Border Patrol agents are sitting in prison, with one already brutalized by fellow inmates. Their crime? They opened fire on a Mexican drug lord who went north of the border to conduct his "business". The U.S. government gave the foreign criminal legal immunity in exchange for testifying against two Americans who were doing their best to protect national sovereignty. They were doing a lot more than how most politicians in Washington are inclined to act.

If we can't appreciate the value of a strong border, then we might as well admit that there is no more United States at all. I'm sure the people of Mexico have their problems... but the good and proper thing for us to do as their neighbor is to tell them to clean up their own house, instead of foisting their miseries on us. Because the simple fact of the matter is: we can't take their population, and we shouldn't be expected to.

Why do I mention our border problem? Because it demonstrates how we've allowed these same politicians – egged-on by wealthy patrons – to sell out our nation's economy.

America used to be a country of manufacturing and production. We could feed ourselves, and the rest of the world. We made good products: American denim jeans helped to bring down the Iron Curtain. Today those same jeans are made cheaper in factories overseas, along with a lot of other items. They're even being made in a country that would rather America not exist at all. Now we're becoming a service economy and a lot of big business wants that as cheap as they can get it, too. Hence, the sly winking by even President Bush at the millions of illegals who are overrunning our borders.

I think this is the most material example of how God has given us something in America... and how we have abandoned it in the pursuit of worldly riches. But sadly, there are others.

Abortion is the most evil act that this country has let happen: even more so than slavery. But there are very few in either elected office or among the "activist groups" that seriously want to see abortion ended. There is too much money to be made in support of it...

...and there is even more money to be made in opposing it. If abortion were ended, James Dobson would have far fewer millions of dollars from "the faithful" rolling into his coffers. The GOP would also have lost its biggest reason to compel the "evangelicals" to keep voting straight Republican (I could also say that anyone who votes straight ticket doesn't deserve to vote at all, but I digress...).

No, abortion is going to remain nicely legal for many more years to come: both "sides" in the debate have too much to lose if it were to suddenly go away.

The same holds true for many of those claiming to oppose "gay marriage". There is no need for a "traditional family" amendment or law that "protects" marriage. Because "homosexual marriage" is a spiritual paradox: it cannot exist. Homosexuality is the pursuit of a carnal pleasure and true marriage is about something much deeper than satisfying the flesh. Marriage is something instituted by God that exists above man's law: we cannot either diminish it or endorse it.

Like I said, "gay marriage" can't really exist. But there is lots of money and power to be gained – and voters to be persuaded – by opposing it.

So now marriage itself has become a temporal weapon. We've taken something created by God and befouled it with political purpose. How can we possibly hold human life as sacred if we whore our principles so cheaply?

We see this callous disregard for the sanctity of the human soul in the most ill-conceived conflict in American history. Those who continue to support it love to cite that "only" thirty-eight hundred have died in Iraq, and they'll compare that to the number that were lost in one day at Antietam, or Iwo Jima.

But if even one soldier dies in an immoral war that we started, then that is one life too many. And we should be ashamed of ourselves that we have become so stone-hearted as to believe that the loss of one person in this situation is somehow "acceptable".

Don't tell me that those young men and women are over there serving and protecting this country. The only reason they are in Iraq is because corrupt – and I'll even say evil – politicians who have never seen combat sent them to exploit a situation... and again, for money and power. These people don't see members of the armed forces as unique and precious individuals. All they see is collective might that begs for the will to wield it without apology. The men and women who volunteered to serve did so in the good faith that their efforts would be used wisely. Yet I hear some proffer that because they did volunteer, that they can be used however their "leaders" see fit.

This government is not America. America is what we the people make of her. America is what we desire her to be. America is a reflection of who we are.

Patriotism for sake of patriotism is worthless. Patriotism has value only if there is something inherently good in a nation to be proud of.

What is there left in America for us to boast that we are blessed with?

If America is a land where her people cannot practice simple kindness, if we have made the desire for "things" our greatest priority, if we think nothing of exploiting our fellow man… then what good is there left in America at all?

When you think about how this nation was founded and the tenets it once held precious and how we are today, it makes you wonder if we in the modern day really ever wanted that America to begin with.

So I am compelled to ask: is America worth defending anymore? Does America deserve to still stand?

If we can again be a people that put ideas before ideologies, that can be courteous to others even when we disagree with their beliefs, and that can resolve to do what is right before doing what is convenient... then yes, America is still worth fighting for.

But if it has become that America and God are just convenient tools in the pursuit of avarice, then America does not deserve to persist. And we might as well admit that we do not desire God.

Indeed, if it's no longer possible that we can be kind to one another, then America does not deserve to stand at all.

"God bless America"? Why should He?

If America is no longer worth defending, it is because we who profess the Judeo-Christian ethic, having failed to seek God's will, have sought to impose our own. The Christians of this land should have long ago crucified their lust for power. Rather they ran and hid it within their hearts. In the name of collective might, we have turned our hearts away from the God of Heaven and toward a god of fortresses.

But instead of repenting and turning back from this idolatry, we dare ask God for His seal of approval.

We decided that we wanted an easy life on earth instead of righteousness before God. And the rest of the country naturally followed our lead.

These things didn't have to happen. But we let them happen all the same: because we've chosen the pursuit of power over the pursuit of good.

This was a good country once, because for the most part it was generally held that there was something higher than ourselves to which we would be held accountable.

Is America worth defending now? I don't believe so.

Could it be made worthy of honor again? Yes, definitely.

But we – all of us – are going to have to come to understand something first...

It doesn't take "the right man" being elected to Congress or the White House, or a mass rally by thousands in Washington, to change things for the better.

God doesn't act through governments or politicians who think they are "anointed". God doesn't act through the Republican Party, or the Democrat Party for that matter. God doesn't act through the 700 Club or Focus on the Family. God doesn't act through any denomination. God certainly doesn't act through the latest "church growth" fads.

God acts through that most despised of minorities: the individual.

If America deserves to be lost, it is because ordinary men and women knew that something was wrong but did nothing. Because they were too cowered by "the system": they felt they didn't have enough strength or wealth or political pull.

Without true and sincere acknowledgment of God for nothing less than its own sake, we are fast descending into a race of barbarians. It happened to Germany. There's no reason to believe it won't happen here also.

I'm amazed at the number of professing Christians who show more zeal and delight in attacking their "political enemies" than they do in preaching the kingdom of Christ. It only signifies that their primary interest is gaining favor and power in the eyes of the world, instead of being separate and looking toward something beyond this realm.

There is a spiritual decline in America's character because we as Christians let it happen: we became too fixated on acquiring power. It corrupted us and it went on to corrupt the nation around us.

There needs to be a nationwide repentance and contrition on the part of this nation's Christians, if they truly desire a country worth being thankful for again. And not repentance for sake of the America's well-being, but repentance solely for the sake of how far we have drifted from where we are supposed to be in the sight of God.

But we can't wait for a "movement" to germinate dedicated to "fix" these things. Indeed, something organized toward this goal with a "leadership" would be counter-productive. It is impossible for collective will to save us.

Whether America lives or dies depends on the individual.

Think that one person can't make a difference? Think of Gandhi. Think of Rosa Parks. It only takes a single person possessing the will to do what is right to make an empire tremble.

I don't know if that will ever happen. Pride is too much our master. We have become like the rich young ruler who could not follow Christ because of his wealth.

But if we can choose in our hearts that America and what is good about it is still something worth passing down to our children, then it seems that each of us would be willing to sacrifice some temporary luxury – and to begin to think for ourselves instead of letting others think for us – in order to give that to them.

We can decide that we want to leave this country – and this world – a little better than how it was that we found it. Or we can let it be lost forever: if not this year or the next, then assuredly at some point in most of our lifetimes.

We can opt to live for ourselves and let it all be lost, or surrender our lust for power and seek righteousness... and give America a chance to endure.

Don't wait for your government, or for Pat Robertson or Jesse Jackson or George W. Bush or Hillary Clinton or anyone else of that kind to tell you how to save this country. We know what they're really after now. They had their chance and they blew it.

If America deserves to survive for our grandchildren, then it's going to be up to you and me to make that happen.

Just as it should be.

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Coud YOU have won the Battle of Gettysburg?

Military.com poses the question: Could YOU Have Won the Battle of Gettysburg?

In this simulation game, you take on the role of General Robert E. Lee as you command the forces of the Confederate Army beginning with their initial clashes with Union soldiers on the outskirts of town, on through the final push two days later. Can you pull off a victory where one of the greatest generals in American history failed to win? I was able to do it: my command of the Army of Northern Virginia handily split the Union lines and captured several thousand prisoners from the Army of the Potomac in the process.

Hit the link above and start playing. It's pretty fun! And if you've ever seen the wonderful movie Gettysburg, that will probably help you a lot.

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Behold... the Mach 5

"Go Speed Racer goooooo!"

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History Channel gets highest ratings ever with STAR WARS: THE LEGACY REVEALED

Check here for the stats from Mediaweek. Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed broadcasts again on the History Channel on June 3rd at 8 p.m. I got to see this when it first ran on Monday night and I thought it was easily one of the best Star Wars documentaries that I've seen (and I've seen plenty, believe you me...). Well worth checking out!

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Only Bill Gates could sell a $10,000 coffee table

I will probably be buying one of these... ten years from now, at least! Microsoft's new Surface product does seem like a lot of fun though. Here's a video of Gates demonstrating it:

Maybe as a complement for the Surface unit, Microsoft can create a Windows-based chair for Steve Ballmer to throw...

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Fred Reed laments the "New Improved America"

Fred Reed - master of the blunt truth and art of curmudgeonry - is spot-on as usual with his latest analysis of what is amiss in this country...

Something is wrong with the United States. I think most of us have noticed it. There is a mortal rot in the country, made manifest by many little rots that are hard to integrate mentally yet are, I think, somehow related. The change is grave, accelerating, probably irreversible, and fascinating. Things are not as they were...

...The Constitution really is going away, or has gone. It never did work as well as it should have, but few things human ever do. Habeas corpus is dead, right to an attorney, congressional right to declare war—it's not even worth listing the list. Joe iPod in the burbs doesn't care because it doesn’t affect him, yet. Git them Hay-rabs, ain't no draft, plenty sushi. Urg.

Hit the link above for more.

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Let there be... white?

This isn't the final look of the blog revamp. Or maybe it could be. What do you think? Feel free to comment.

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Creation Museum, and why Creationism has become a corrupted belief

You might have heard about the Creation Museum that opened this week in Kentucky. It is a natural history museum that has made the Bible's account of a literal six-day creation the foundation of everything that is on exhibit.

It seems to be a huge hit, because ever since it opened the Creation Museum has enjoyed capacity crowds. It's also attracted the usual gang of professional secularists: people who get too much of their jollies from deriding those who believe God made everything as "backward-thinking yokels".

I'm making mention of this, because I think that the Creation Museum and the "controversy" about it (which seems too manufactured by the mainstream press) epitomizes everything that's wrong with the "Evolution versus Creationism" debate... and especially how too many Christians get embroiled in this for the very worst of reasons.

Yes, I do believe God created the universe. No, I won't be going to the Creation Museum. And had I been elected to the school board I would not have actively pursued the agenda of pushing "Creationism" onto the children in our system, either... or have tried to smuggle it in under the guise of "intelligent design". And I believe it would be wrong for any current school board member to attempt to do that (I'm looking right at you, ya thievin' hypocrite who's now trashing the Constitution).

It's way past time to state the obvious: that "Creationism" is a political weapon and not a statement of faith. Creationism has never been about giving honor and glory to God... but it has been everything about seizing and wielding power over other people.

And that's the furthest thing from being a sincere Christian on this Earth that you can get.

To be fair, Evolution is exactly the same thing. What started with a scientific inquiry by Charles Darwin has become not just a political agenda, but a religion unto itself. Its disciples are no less driven by lust for power - or less despicable for it - than their Creationist nemeses. But Evolution as a belief system is something of this world: something which is completely alien to the nature of Christ. I can understand how those still living for the world would succumb to the temptation of power by using the concept of natural evolution to acquire it.

What I can neither understand or even tolerate is how those who do profess to be serving Christ, how those who are not supposed to be of this world, yield to that very same temptation and use the name of God to justify it and make an excuse for it.

How can this possibly be serving Christ? How is this in any way, at all, presenting ourselves as a humble witness to others for the sake of our Lord?

We - and I'm talking about myself and my fellow Christians - are meant to be above this sort of nonsense. There are matters far more important than how this world may have come into being. Trying our best to prepare those around us for the next world is supposed to be one of them. We can't do that if we are fixated on a sense of affluence that will yield nothing when it is thrown into the refiner's fire.

And that's all that Creationism - with a big "C" - will ever be: one more thing that the Deceiver will use to make us believe that we are wiser than we really are.

But do you know why I most hate "Creationism" as its rabid adherents preach? It's because they would force me to have a faith in something. It's not enough that a person reaches that faith on his or her own: Ultra-Creationist wackos demand faith on their own terms, in a way that they can understand and manipulate for their own ends.

I know that because I've spent most of my life dealing with people with this mindset. It was years before I realized that they were far more obsessed about whether or not a person believed that they were descended from monkeys than they were with whether that person was going to Heaven.

This is the kind of thing that a person needs to wrestle with on their own, between themselves and God. It was only in the past few years that my own mind arrived at a place where I could, at last, believe completely that it was entirely possible for God to have established everything according to His will, and to accept that as fully as I could that the sun will rise in the morning. What that belief precisely is wouldn't be something that Creationists would approve of: they would probably condemn me as a teacher of heresy and try to throw this blog into a bonfire... but it's definitely not anything even remotely like Evolution, either. And it might not even be entirely accurate at all to however it was that God did it. But it's how the universe was created and structured as best as I have come to understand it. Not how "someone else" believes I should understand it.

What's more, I find that it's entirely consistent with the teachings of the Bible. Maybe someday I'll publish it.

That was only after years of struggling to comprehend how God could have really created everything. Years filled with doubt and despair and even long nights crying about it, because I couldn't understand it (I don't know if this person would ever read this but if she does someday: Nikki, you told me something one night that radically altered the course of my philosophy... in a very good way :-)...

...I wouldn't take anything for those years of inner turmoil. Of trying to "figure it all out". Because that was time that my struggle to comprehend those things ended up drastically building my faith in God. I came out of that time much stronger in my faith in Christ, and I came out of it... well, Lisa would say that she thinks I've come out a better person overall. For the most part, anyway. Maybe a few rough edges still :-)

Why would, or why should, any of us as believers in Christ seek to deny others that same potential for such wonderful spiritual growth?

You know, the Bible really is the most wonderful, amazing book ever assembled. I believe everything about it is best summed up by the word that is the title of its final chapter: "revelation". And that is precisely what the Bible should be for us as Christians: revelation unfolding, never-ending...

How could we, as a singular generation, possibly declare ourselves the final arbiters of its comprehension?

Yes, I believe that God created the universe. I believe that my fellow Christians should believe that, also. But it's the why we choose to believe it, that will determine the validity of our being a presence for the Kingdom in this earthen realm. Anything less than it being for Christ and for His own sake will corrupt our work unto ruin.

In other words, to those who obsess on Creationism: ever hear the old saying about "wrestling with a pig"? Get your booty in gear: we got better things to occupy ourselves with than the exact mechanics of physical existence. Let "them" play with the monkeys...

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What's your theological worldview?

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan, You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 89% Neo orthodox 75% Reformed Evangelical 68% Charismatic/Pentecostal 61% Emergent/Postmodern 54% Fundamentalist 46% Classical Liberal 36% Modern Liberal 25% Roman Catholic 21% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

I was fully expecting to rank as an Emergent/Postmodern more than anything else. But my personal theology is a strange melange of independent Methodism, much teaching from Stanley Hauerwas, C.S. Lewis and lots of personal experience. What's my denomination anyway? Does it even matter anymore? I'm like, here dude, wherever God put me...

Thanks to Shane Thacker for finding this one.

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