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| it'll be interesting to see where the Religious Right ends up falling in this year's election. with no Conservative Christian candidate, maybe the decision will have to be based upon *gasp* policy and qualifications.
on a related note, one day after James Dobson attacked Obama's views of the Bible, Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of the largest Methodist church in the country, launched the website jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com. here's a statement made on the website:
James Dobson doesn't speak for me.
He doesn't speak for me when he uses religion as a wedge to divide;
He doesn't speak for me when he speaks as the final arbiter on the meaning of the Bible;
James Dobson doesn't speak for me when he uses the beliefs of others as a line of attack;
He doesn't speak for me when he denigrates his neighbor's views when they don't line up with his;
He doesn't speak for me when he seeks to confine the values of my faith to two or three issues alone;
What does speak for me is David's psalm celebrating how good and pleasant it is when we come together in unity;
Micah speaks for me in reminding us that the Lord requires us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him;
The
prophet Isaiah speaks for me in his call for all to come and reason
together and also to seek justice, encourage the oppressed and to
defend the cause of the vulnerable;
The book of
Nehemiah speaks for me in its example to work with our neighbors, not
against them, to restore what was broken in our communities;
The book of Matthew speaks for me in saying to bless those that curse you and pray for those who persecute you;
The words of the apostle Paul speak for me in saying that words spoken and deeds done without love amount to nothing.
The
apostle John speaks for me in reminding us of Jesus' command to love
one another. The world will know His disciples by that love.
These words speak for me. But when James Dobson attacks Barack Obama, James Dobson doesn't speak for me. | | |
| wow, if you missed obama's speech on race from the other day, you can watch it here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords
powerful stuff. it's really sad that this election cycle, which for the most part has been one of hope and looking at providing answers to america's problems, has degenerated into a back and forth of accusation and denial. it's good to see that obama has finally decided to stand up above it all and address the issue head on. it reminded me of some of president palmer's finer moments in 24  .
on a slightly tangential note, with all this talk about race that's been going on recently, it's notable that there has been such little discussion about sex throughout the campaign. i'm a very firm supporter of the obama '08 campaign. however, unlike many other obama / mccain supporters, i don't see hillary as the anti-christ.
one thing i've noticed during this primary season is that it's still much more acceptable to be sexist than racist. any hint of racism gets reprimanded immediately with political and social consequences. however, there seems to be some underlying sexism among many factions that is allowed to persist.
it amazes me that when you ask people why they don't like hillary, the first thing that usually comes out is some irrational, emotional response about her cackle, her pant-suits, her style, etc. rarely do people answer pointing merely to policy or record. now i full-heartedly believe that there is more to a candidacy than policy. character, personality, and many other "soft" issues are important determining factors. but it is sad to see many people disregard her candidacy at least in part because of some underlying sexism. this is not to say that this is everyone's opinion. many people, myself included, simply feel that obama would simply be a better leader and help usher this country into a new era. but there does seem to be a fairly strong contingent of people with such irrational dismissal.
all i'm saying is that it would be nice to see some discussion about how sexism is playing a role in this election (because it is) just as there has been such attention on racism. at the very least, it would serve as a measuring stick to see how far we as a country have come in the past several decades.
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| a little while ago, i made the trek down to DC. my reward:
that's right, stephen colbert in the smithsonian national portrait gallery (outside the presidents' hall and between the bathrooms). apparently, this has doubled the traffic at the gallery - from 10,000 to 20,000 people over 4 days. the director said that either this picture is attracting all sorts of new people to the museum, or there is some sort of urological emergency in DC . hilarious!!! although i suppose it's a sort of sad commentary on today's culture.
if you aren't familiar with the background:
clip 1
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/88854/detail/
clip 2
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/88270/detail/
clip 3
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/88425/detail/
okay, so i didn't go just for this. i did also go out to eat for restaurant week .
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| YES WE CAN
Stand for Change Rally with Barack Obama in College Park
University of Maryland
Comcast Center
1 Terrapin Trail
College Park, MD 20742
Monday, February 11, 2008
Doors Open: 10:30 a.m.
The event is free and open to the public. However an RSVP is strongly encouraged.
http://my.barackobama.com/collegepark
For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners are permitted.
Please note: RSVPs do not guarantee admission. Admission is on a first come, first-served basis.
Stand for Change Rally with Barack Obama in Baltimore
1st Mariner Arena
201 West Baltimore
Baltimore, MD 21201
Monday, February 11, 2008
Doors Open: 2:45 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. However an RSVP is strongly encouraged.
http://my.barackobama.com/baltimore
For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners are permitted.
Please note: RSVPs do not guarantee admission. Admission is on a first come, first-served basis.
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wow, in my mind, super bowl xlii will be remembered as the
greatest super bowl ever, and the worst showing of class ever. in terms of plot
line, game intensity, competitiveness, last minute scoring drives, and completely
unexpected upset factor, i don’t think i’ve ever seen a comparable super bowl.
however, belichick’s last second refusal to remain on the field to finish the
game reminded me of a 5 year old child. it’s really sad because he’s an
unbelievable football coach (even if he’s guilty of all the cheating the pats
are being accused of).
i can understand the fact that he thought the game was over.
everyone did. however, it’s clear that the referee was telling him, on his way
to meeting tom coughlin, that there was still time left on the clock and they
had to run 1 more play to finish the game. belichick, in his typical lack of
respect for anyone other than himself, decided not to listen to him, went on
the shake coughlin’s hand, and then ran inside with his police escort and the
rest of his team. now that’s not the best showing of class, but i can
understand the fact that he was upset over the monumental upset he had just
suffered. no, what really bothered me is the fact that with 1 second left on
the clock, his starting defense had to run back onto the field, face the giants
for 1 more play, and then see them celebrate their victory, all while belichick
was nowhere in sight. it’s one thing not to respect an official or the rules of
the game. it’s totally different to not respect your team and send them out there
to face the embarrassment, that you were equally (if not more) responsible for,
on their own while you hide inside the locker room.
now maybe my perspective is unfair. after all, every single
one of my coaches has always preached class, sportsmanship, and integrity.
maybe those principles don’t go into the professional sports arena. however,
i’ve never seen any other coach on any level do that in my life.
it’s a sad subplot to the greatest super bowl i can ever
remember.
btw, you know the NFL prints “super bowl champion” shirts for
both teams so they can be distributed immediately after the game. well, this
year, world vision struck an agreement with the NFL to distribute the patriots
“champion” shirts to the poor in Romania. VERY COOL! | | |
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