 |
|||
|
Are Christians in the U.S. being oppressed, like some church leaders claim? [LA Times] James Arthur Ray is sentenced to two years in prison for the deaths of two participants in his “Spiritual Warrior” seminar who died in a sweat lodge ceremony. [Time] Some faith leaders have been active in Occupy Wall Street, but others have been reluctant to support the movement because of its lack of central leadership and ambiguous list of demands. [Reuters FaithWorld] Wisconsin may have finally had enough of its toxic political climate– the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel put up a must-read piece yesterday about that state’s loss of civility. It cites, amongst other evidence, protests held outside of politicans’ homes, and the recently-launched effort to recall Republican Governor and Lieutenant Governor Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican State Senators. Democrat Tim Cullen, a State Senator who has been referred to in this blog before, said he never received a death threat until this year, in spite of having served in the Senate for several years in the 1970s and 80s. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] California, easily the country’s most financially-befouled state, finally has someone advocating for bipartisan solutions to the problem. Think Long, made up of business and labor leaders in addition to officials including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, proposes a mostly tax-based fix to the Golden State’s budget woes. In particular, they advocate flattening tax rates and implementing a sales tax on more goods than are currently taxed. A draft report can be seen here, but a final report is expected some time today. [Sacramento Bee] Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican, appointed Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jason Wilson to head the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, a rare move of bipartisan goodwill for the embattled governor. Wilson, who would have had to move to run for Senate again as a result of redistricting, will continue to represent his far-eastern Ohio constituents in this position, intended to foster development in the economically-downtrodden Appalachian Mountains. [Columbus Dispatch] The internal revolt in New York’s Democratic Party continues. State Chairman Jay Jacobs stymied a move on Thursday to endorse a millionaires tax hike and a ban on natural gas extraction via hydrofracking in western and Upstate New York. Both of these positions would have put the party decisively to the left of Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, a split that has left the party rank-and-file, especially its influential New York City members, frustrated over the past several months. [Newsday] Petty redistricting politics continue, as Democrats in the Florida House of Representatives tussle with their Republican counterparts about cancelled redistricting meetings across the state. [St. Petersburg Times]
At the risk of alienating many of my readers, I will declare right now that Buckley has been one of my heroes since my teenage years. However my opinions on specific issues may have diverged from his over time, Buckley’s sparkling wit and clarity of thought continue to inspire me. I still read his works for pleasure, and measure my own poor writing style against his.
The quote, and the attitude behind it, has been in a great deal of conscious and unconscious circulation of late, as Republican presidential candidates attempt to contrast themselves with President Obama and to deal with their own occasional lapses of knowledge or eloquence. Thus we have Rick Perry, fresh off recent debate catastrophes, saying to all who would listen, “I am a doer, not a talker. ” Similarly, Herman Cain, far from embarrassed about his lack of facility in discussing complicated international events, has embraced ignorance, proclaiming (in unconscious echo of a classic moment from The Simpsons): “We need a leader, not a reader.” In this time of crisis, these messages suggest, the country should reject intellectual attainment in favor of someone unfettered by too much thinking. Read the rest of…
The Obama Administration is dropping the “Christmas Tree Tax.” [Politico] How America should adjust to the coming “Pacific Century.” [The Financial Times] 20 job rules for Millenials. [Forbes] What makes Apple’s “Siri” so interesting? She understands us. [Fortune] In New Zealand, rats wiped out some native species. Instead of wreaking havoc on the ecosystem though the rats began to do the job of those species that they wiped out. [bbc.co.uk] As the world population rises and the idea of a nuclear family changes, architecture and laws about zoning and construction should also adapt. [nytimes.com] The Senate votes down a measure that would cut funding for walking and bike paths. For good reason too, as a bike path can add $9,000 in value to a nearby home. [theatlanticcities.com] In lighter news, instead of trying to solve actual problems PETA once again goes for a cheap publicity stunt where they lose more credibility. [latimes.com]
Today is dedicated to all of my Christian readers, except those of the Laettner variety. Israel is my Jewish homeland, but is very much the Holy Land for Christians as well — for a variety of reasons; but most significantly, as the place where Jesus spent his entire life. Accordingly, I want to share some pictures and stories from my ventures this morning along the Sea of Galilee, where Rabbi Jesus of Nazereth shared his profoundly influential message during the last few years of his life.
We began at Capernaum, home of Simon (Peter) and a synagogue in which Jesus shared his ministry. Check out the sign on the picture above. The white stone is from a 4th century facility built on top of the dark stone synagogue which dates from Jesus’ time. This landmark shows an extraordinary link between the archeological evidence and the scripture from the New Testament. And across the road lies the ancestral home of St. Peter, upon which different levels of churches have been built over the millennia. Read the rest of… Troubled Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly was sentenced yesterday to serve 6 years in prison. Jolly was under suspension from the league for the same drug charges he was put on probation for. It’s unfortunate to see a young guy with a promising career ahead of him mess things up. Hopefully he can overcome his addiction and we can see him play football again someday. [ESPN]
There are a lot of angry unemployed people in the country who blame the president for their plight, but it may be hard for Republicans to rally swing voters around that sentiment, given the fact that the economy wasn’t exactly humming along when the president took office. Conversely, there are thousands more who, after being laid off by the profit-hungry Bain Capital machine, blame Mitt Romney. Their sentiments are, I think, more likely to move voters; I suspect that many of their heartbreaking stories will emerge. The Politics of Tech We talked a little about Internet censorship last week. You can get more than enough information on the bill and what it could mean for the future of the Internet here. [American Censorship] Ron Paul has come out in opposition to SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). [Tech Dirt] Here is a summary of what SOPA would do to the Internet from one of the most popular tech sites out there. [ars technica] Here is an update on where SOPA currently stands. Google and Facebook appear strong in their opposition. Important stuff happening in the tech world, people. [CBS News] More from Google fighting the good fight: the RIAA recently requested they take down a music downloading app from the Android app store. Google refused. [PC Mag] Google officially opened its music store and looks to go head-to-head with the Apple iTunes store. [Guardian UK] What happens when your mission through Israel is guided by an internationally-respected expert on religion, history, and archeology? You get an extraordinary experience.
Let me share a few fun facts gleaned from the wisdom of Dr. Ian Stern (pictured at left), the Director at Archaeological Seminars Institute. First, Ian is sitting on a rock that was separated from the Second Temple when it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. The remaining part of the wall, known as the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, is in the background. The stones in the foreground weigh somewhere between 6 and 8 tons. It took an incredible engineering feat to accomplish something so destructive. How ’bout those Romans? Heard of the Jewish holiday, Tisha b’Av, which commemorates the Temple’s destruction? Ian is sitting on it.
This is a closeup view from the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one of Christianity’s most significant holy sites — if not the single most significant — as it marks where Jesus was crucified, buried, and reborn. So back to the ladder…That modest, unassuming ladder has rested in that exact spot for more than a century. Why you ask? Well, it has become a symbol for the millennia-old battle between various Christian churches for the right to manage the church ground. One church owns the balcony; another the window. If the ladder were moved, it would disrupt centuries of careful negotiation. Ian tells us that the church is opened and closed every day by a Muslim family to avoid inter-Christian squabbles. Read the rest of… |
| ||
| Copyright © 2024 The Recovering Politician - All Rights Reserved | |||
