Always Forgive

Here's a picture for you.


I'm so glad that "everything changed." I guess I didn't realize it at the time, but what people meant by, "everything has changed," is that our core democratic values are a "quaint" relic of an idealistic past. As il Duce took up the broadcast signals of all our local stations tonight, I found myself literally cursing him and the day itself. I wished students a "Happy Patriot Day," with my tongue so far into my cheek today, I doubt anyone noticed the grim irony.

When will we have killed enough people to make up for our loss? Are 100,000 lives enough? Or do we need to kill millions? George Bush is asking us to remember that there are people out there trying to kill us. I beg of you to remember that Americans are actively involved in perpetrating or providing the conditions for the deaths of countless Muslims. Surely terrorism is unjustifiable. However, by whatever logic our President justifies his revenge politics, I would ask us to remember that we were created by a God who freely gives and freely takes away.

If we are justified by faith alone, then no matter how many "bad guys" we kill, we'll never earn our "salvation" from fear. If one takes a more Catholic approach, it is enough to question whether Rick Santorum should be excommunicated. If one believes in Karma, then I shudder at the possibilities.

If the Muslim world owed us a wergild after 9/11, they have surely paid it. If there are more terrorists waiting to do us harm, we should send law enforcement after them in a reasonable way (without asking them to track down millions of dead ends). If Iran goes "nucular," then George W. will bear a large part of the blame for refusing to negotiate.

Either you are for us or you can think your own mind. Forget 9/11. Forgive Osama bin Laden. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. Pray for your enemies. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Believe in a freely creating God who protects and sustains us.

Let's stop being @$$holes who $&!+ all over everyone else.

Sci-Tech UpdateScientists prepare for the Apocalypse

As many Evangelical Christians have pointed out, the wars in Iraq and Lebanon are preparing the world for the inevitable tribulation and return of the Christ. Pretty soon, Israeli bulldozers will make short work of the Dome of the Rock to rebuild the temple, will usher in the final battle at Megiddo (Arma Megiddon). As the Shi'ites aligned the deadline for their response to the UN Security Council with the possible return of the Mehdi, it seems like a perfect comic book plot. I can see it now, Jesus and the Mehdi return for one final battle. Jesus seems to be winning at first, but the Mehdi scores a fatal blow because of Jesus' lack of personal body armor. Then, they realize that they are actually the same person, and have been battling each other inside the Matrix.

However, the Apocalypse comes when Scientists at CERN inadvertently blow up the universe. This is a reassuring quote...

"For the first time in many decades we have built a machine that exceeds our powers of prediction. New processes are bound to be discovered," he added. "We are truly journeying into unknown territory."

Cox dismissed worries that by adventuring into the unknown and creating tiny black holes, the machine could even threaten to destroy the planet.

"The probability is at the level of 10 to the minus 40," he said.

Of course, what I'm really excited about in all of this is that the FCC approved the Samsung i310 for use in the U.S. Finally, my dream of having a PDA/MP3 Player/Digital Camera/Camcorder/Cellphone/GPS Device is coming closer to reality.

Wow, Rod Paige was right after all, or not.

Teachers Launch Strike in West Bank
Of course, one could take this headline as a step forward for democracy and government accountability. If Israel and the U.S. can't get Hamas to recognize a Jewish state's right to exist, then maybe teachers can.