Well, it's official. A bipartisan investigation has concluded that Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power by trying to get her former brother-in-law and state trooper fired.
An unlawful liar, a laughingstock, and a loony. The End.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Rise and Fall of Sarah Palin
Well, it's official. A bipartisan investigation has concluded that Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power by trying to get her former brother-in-law and state trooper fired.
An unlawful liar, a laughingstock, and a loony. The End.
Friday, October 10, 2008
'Cause It's My Birthday!
Well, I guess it's technically the day after my birthday, but close enough. It was nice to finally have a day without work (except for a little dog sitting). I received some lovely gifts from my parents and had a great time. And thanks to my grandparents for the cards!
And thanks to all my friends for the shout-outs on facebook! Those were very kind.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Finding Evil in Myself?
I don't know how in the world the tragic story of Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone has escaped my attention for so long, but the trailer for Gus Van Sant's new biographical film "MILK" has thrust the historical episode before me.
If you get a chance, you might want to sit down and watch the remarkable documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk," to familiarize yourself with the modern-day story of a terrible injustice. Part one can be found here.
Anyway, to address the title of this post, the documentary split open a chasm in my humanity and I worry that I may have found the tiny seed of an evil impulse. Before today, I think I can safely say that I have never really hoped for the death of another human being. Even the most cruel tyrants of human history have been too distant to elicit a real emotional response.
When I learned that supervisor Dan White took a loaded pistol and an extra round of ammunition, climbed through a town hall window to avoid security, sneaked into the mayor's office, shot and killed Mayor Moscone, reloaded his weapon, walked to the first elected openly gay official's office and murdered Harvey Milk execution style, even then, my outrage was not profoundly felt.
BUT THEN, when I learned that a 1980's jury found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than premeditated first degree murder, with a sentence of only 7 years and parole, and that he served ONLY 5 YEARS BEFORE HE WAS SET FREE, something dark bubbled up inside me. I was deeply uncomfortable, deeply outraged, and I hoped very strongly for the death of supervisor Dan White. When I learned that he eventually committed suicide, I felt a great sense of satisfaction, secure in the knowledge that a great evil had been purged from existence.
But that is not like me. And the more I think about it, the more I don't like the fact that I actually liked the fact that someone died. Call me naive, call me a bleeding heart, call me whatever, but the power of emotion to celebrate and find solace in violence is deeply disturbing.
If you get a chance, you might want to sit down and watch the remarkable documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk," to familiarize yourself with the modern-day story of a terrible injustice. Part one can be found here.
Anyway, to address the title of this post, the documentary split open a chasm in my humanity and I worry that I may have found the tiny seed of an evil impulse. Before today, I think I can safely say that I have never really hoped for the death of another human being. Even the most cruel tyrants of human history have been too distant to elicit a real emotional response.
When I learned that supervisor Dan White took a loaded pistol and an extra round of ammunition, climbed through a town hall window to avoid security, sneaked into the mayor's office, shot and killed Mayor Moscone, reloaded his weapon, walked to the first elected openly gay official's office and murdered Harvey Milk execution style, even then, my outrage was not profoundly felt.
BUT THEN, when I learned that a 1980's jury found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than premeditated first degree murder, with a sentence of only 7 years and parole, and that he served ONLY 5 YEARS BEFORE HE WAS SET FREE, something dark bubbled up inside me. I was deeply uncomfortable, deeply outraged, and I hoped very strongly for the death of supervisor Dan White. When I learned that he eventually committed suicide, I felt a great sense of satisfaction, secure in the knowledge that a great evil had been purged from existence.
But that is not like me. And the more I think about it, the more I don't like the fact that I actually liked the fact that someone died. Call me naive, call me a bleeding heart, call me whatever, but the power of emotion to celebrate and find solace in violence is deeply disturbing.
Whence Comes Evil?
In the TBS movie “Abraham,” God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham goes out and screams “Why?”
In the Bible, that never happens. Maybe it did, but the Bible never mentions it. Hebrews says Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed convinced by God’s previous promise that he and the boy would, somehow, return.
Abraham took that all the way, never pausing to say “Why?” along the way. When Isaac asked where was the sacrifice, Abraham didn’t get smart and say “Good question.” He said “God will provide a lamb.”
God doesn’t give explanations very often. He’s working for a bigger result- faith and trust in who he is and what he’s done for us- and will do- in Jesus.
That’s the life. I need to get busy living it, because every moment I’m shouting “Why?” I”m wasting my breath.
from Boar's Head Tavern
Now you've got to understand, to people like me, this kind of talk scares me like nothing else. Imagine the Abraham story in a modern setting. Say your friend tells you, "Hey, guess what! The voice of God, which only I can hear, has ordered me to kill my son as a sacrifice. I'm going to murder my boy without question to prove my loyalty and faith."
I'm sorry, but my response will never be, "Sounds great! You sure are an exemplary human being!"
My response will always be, "HOLY SHIT! SOMEONE CALL THE GODDAMN POLICE!"
This disdain for questioning, this rejection of reason, this anti-intellectual belief that asking, "why?" is a waste of breath, chills me to the bone. Honestly, it is a moral teaching that is so counter-intuitive and in complete opposition to my basic sense of right and wrong that I could never embrace it without feeling sick and corrupt.
I think it is a philosophy of obedience and assumed authority without justification, the essence of totalitarianism, which is decidedly dangerous, unhealthy and immoral.
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