Carsharing in San Francisco

     At long last, my wife and I have moved to San Francisco.  To assist us in our move from Livermore to San Francisco, we joined a carsharing organization: City Car Share.  We have had a wonderful experience with City Car Share. We find the car sharing concept is fully realized through the organization. We pay only $10 a month and then $4/hour and 44 cents per mile driven (less from 10pm-10am). This price includes insurance and gas. Cars can be reserved on-line up to 3 months in advance or up to the minute before they are needed. The system works very well.  Since we do not have a car, most of the time we rely on the excellent public transportation system here in San Francisco.  However, there are times, such as when we were moving or when we need to buy a lot at the grocery store, when having a car makes things much easier.
     There are 2 other car sharing competitors in San Francisco: Zip Car and Flex Car, but we are very happy with the non-profit City Car Share.  Car sharing reduces the amount of cars in the city and makes more efficient use of the space and other resources.  Just consider how much of the time most people’s cars are sitting parked and undriven, depreciating in value, and taking up room that could be better utilized.  I highly recommend the concept of carsharing to anyone who lives in an urban environment.  

A Dream Fulfilled - A New Dream Begins...

My wife Jen and I are finally moving to San Francisco – completing a goal that we have had for over 3 years. It has not been easy – but we are extremely happy to be moving to the City. We fell in love with San Francisco on our first visit back in 2003. When we first visited, we noticed that he people were extremely open, friendly and helpful – especially considering the size of the city. San Francisco was a beautiful city and very multicultural. Jen and I were impressed and found that it had everything we were looking for in a place to live – employment opportunities, and open-minded, accepting and progressive spirit, an interesting history, good public transportation, diversity, and a unique charm and character. It has been our dream since our first visit to live there and I am very happy to write that our dream will be coming true this week. Thank you to all the people who made this possible!
Jen and I really feel that we can truly begin to work to our fullest potential in San Francisco. While things have been better for us in Livermore, California than they were back in Ohio, we still felt stifled for many reasons. Now we feel a great sense of relief, and are full of hope and optimism for the future.

Americans Win

     It appears that the Democrats have won the majority in both the House of Representatives as well as the Senate.  I am very happy about this as a Democrat.  But I am even more relieved as an American.  At last we will have some oversight in our government.  I hope that the new Democratic majority will actually listen to minority views – this was something that was not accorded to the Democrats when they were the minority party.  Let us hope that we are entering a new era of bipartisan cooperation.  Even when President Clinton was facing impeachment, he managed to work with the Republicans in congress to push through a balanced and responsible budget.  Bush had a rubber stamp congress that pushed through an ultra-conservative agenda while at the same time passing plenty of pork barrel spending on an unprecedented scale.  Let us hope that a new spirit of cooperation will put the nation’s numerous problems ahead of extreme political interests.  We need to work on a plan to remove our troops from the fiasco in Iraq, provide healthcare to millions of uninsured and underinsured, fund quality education, and work on a consensus regarding illegal immigration.  Now let us hope that the Democrats will lead America to a brighter, more inclusive future!

Oversight - Coming Soon?

I am hoping and praying that the Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress after the elections on November 7th. After all, the Republicans have had complete control over most of the government for quite some time – and look what it has brought us – a needless preemptive war in Iraq where thousands are being killed, the loss of respect by most of the world, pollution-friendly policies, higher energy prices, torture of detainees in our care, secret prisons, outing of CIA agents, secret energy policy meetings with energy companies, promotion of intolerant polices, no-bid contracts where billions have been squandered and or lost, secret wire tapping of American citizens, cover-ups of pedophile congressmen, large runaway government deficits, and an assault on rational thinking. We are told that we should trust our political leaders and that whatever thy are doing it is for our own good. Can we trust them? Perhaps, but even Ronald Reagan is often cited for his famous phrase “Trust but verify.” So who is watching out for us, making sure that the President isn’t abusing his power? Congress? Who is watching Congress? The President? Its like two used car salesmen who are trying to sell us a lemon by each pointing out the virtues of the other salesman. “Just trust him. He’s a decent guy…” Right. We have all heard that one before.
This brings me to my current thoughts. What am I hoping will be accomplished with a Democratic majority in congress? I believe it is oversight. This GOP dominated congress has rubber stamped just about anything President Bush wanted. Where are the investigations into the botched up situation on Iraq? Where are the investigations to see if our civil rights are being violated? Where are the investigations into the missing $9 Billion in Iraq? So, I hope and pray that there will be some checks and balances though congressional oversight after the elections. So lets hope the Democrats win both the House and the Senate.

Angelides for Governor

I have voted for Phil Angelides for governor of California. While he may not be the most inspiring candidate, his positions seem fair and reasonable. He had a good record as state treasurer as well. But perhaps the best reason for voting for Angelides is the fact that he is not our current governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger . Schwarzenegger may not be a neo-con and has at times been critical of the Bush administration. I appreciate that fact. However, as my friend Gabe has put it, “He has never met a special interest dollar that he didn’t like.” This seems to be a good characterization. Schwarzenegger has spent an inordinate amount of time devoted to raising money for the corrupt Republican party and the President. His policies toward education in the state have been reprehensible and he has certainly devoted more efforts to protecting big business at the expense of our state’s poor. Again, while Angelides may not be the most inspiring candidate, I truly believe that California would be better off with him in the governor’s mansion rather than Schwarzenegger. I encourage all Californians to vote for Phil Angelides.

My "Personal DNA"

My very good friend Tim has posted a link on his blog: Traveling Through Life Without a Map (forwarded from a friend of his) to a very interesting personality test.

I came out as an “Advocating Creator”.  While I may take exception at some of the labels used, I think it is a rather good indicator of my personality.

Advocating Creator

My Personal Dna Report

Battlestar Galactica: A Mirror

I have head it said that science fiction can provide a mirror to ourselves and our society.  This is certainly the case with the new Battlestar Galactica series on the Sci-Fi channel. Tonight is the second episode of the 3rd season of the TV show.  While many people may think of all sci-fi as “hard science fiction” wherein the story is about future technology and its effects, much of modern science fiction (including Battlestar Galactica) takes a different, more human-centered approach.  This show is what I can only describe as hyper-realistic.  The situations are true to today’s political and moral dilemmas. The storylines are not about the technology – in fact there are only enough technological differences in the series and our own current reality to allow a change of setting.  This series takes a hard look at the way we really are and it is often not a pretty sight.  The show has dealt with very relevant issues of the day: genocide, the treatment of prisoners, election-rigging, and terrorism.  Recently the storyline has dealt with the motivations of people held under a foreign occupation.  It puts ideas of terrorism, collateral damage, and morality in a time of war into a new perspective.  This is what science fiction can do at its best – hold a mirror to ourselves and our current situation. If this show had been set in a more “realistic” genre we might have missed the insights that are brought out. To stay with the analogy, in a more “realistic” genre, perhaps the mirror is too close to see the whole reflection. Battlestar Galactica provides a mirror at just enough of a distance that we can see ourselves and our society.

GOP: The Party of Morality?

Another Republican has resigned, this time over a scandal involving inappropriate sexually explicit messages being sent to underage congressional pages. Of course this is unacceptable and likely criminal behavior and should be prosecuted as such. Making this doubly outrageous is the fact that the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives was briefed on the matter, perhaps years ago. The aspects of this particular scandal are being well covered in the media.
However, this is yet another example of the Republicans'’ culture of secrecy and abuse of power. Not only were the personal actions of Mark Foley, the Congressman who recently resigned, inappropriate, but also involved an element of abuse of power and authority. A congressman must be very intimating to a teenage page. It seems that the congressman abused his authority and pressured the pages into illegal actions.
But this abuse of power, and impulse to cover-up if not outright lie seem to be standard operating procedure for the Republican party. It is obvious now that we did not go to war in Iraq over WMD, not simply for the benefit of the Iraqi people, nor to defend ourselves from a clear and present threat to our security. There were no links between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, despite what Vice President Dick Cheney says. We are told that the preemptive war in Iraq is going well. There are billion of dollars that have disappeared in Iraq - funds that were supposed to be rebuilding the country after we invaded it. The government is bent on wiretapping American citizens without warrants, and bypassing a court set up for that purpose. Republicans (and yes, a few Democrats too) have been implicated in charges of illegal and legal bribery - voting for policies based upon unethical campaign contributions. The economy currently is doing well -– with the rich benefiting from government policies that are killing the poor and middle class. Plus, we still don't know what the Vice President and oil executives decided behind closed doors. But we do know that until recently gas was over $3.00 a gallon in most parts of the U.S. The worst hypocrisy is that the Republicans in their self-righteousness have branded themselves the party of "personal responsibility" and morality. Perhaps people are beginning to see the current Republican party and for what it truly stands: Freedom (for the rich from taxes), Liberty (for congressmen to abuse their staff), Justice (for those that can bribe elected officals), and Democracy (One person, one vote - of course it will be counted on a Republican-funding Diebold company voting machine,) and Personal Responsibility (for self-professed Christians until they are caught taking bribes, or abusing minors. The GOP has strayed far from being the party of Lincoln.

A Bad Day for Monotheism

     In a speech earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a speech from a 14th century Byzantine Emperor, “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”  This quotation, not surprisingly, filled much of the Muslim world with anger.
     The irony here is that the point of the Pope’s speech was about the incompatibility between violence and true religious belief.  In the same speech he later said, "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul.”  This was a very true point and the message was one that we should expect from the Holy Father, leader of over 1 Billion Catholic Christians.
     I am very upset with this incident.  For one, the Pope’s message of peace and understanding was misconstrued and taken out of its full context.  In fact, several churches in the Middle East were attacked after the media reported on the Pope’s speech. This can not help the poor image of Islam held in the west. Rather unfairly, I might add, as once again the actions of a few extremists make a bad name for the majority of peaceful Muslims.  So the Pope was horribly misinterpreted.  At the same time, I am not happy at all with the Bishop of Rome.  Why in the world did he choose to quote from such a text?  Why did he not then pronounce such words as misguided?  It seems to me as if he was actually taunting the Muslim world. “Prove that you have a religion of peace!” He seemed to say while goading them with the words of a long-dead Byzantine Emperor.  Why this approach?  Some say that he is more “hawkish” than his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.  I thought that the symbol of the Holy Spirit was a dove. (As is the symbol of peace.)  I humbly suggest that the Holy See use a bit more tact and think about the future impact of “hawkish” language in the future.

September 11th

Today is the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Most of you probably remember where you were and what you were doing when you first received news of the tragedy. My wife and I had been living in Japan for just over two months on September 11, 2001. After teaching English for the day, I had returned home and eaten a good dinner with my wife. It was later in the evening as we were watching a rather rare English language move on Japanese TV. The movie, “Needful Things” was nearly over when we received a phone call from my mother telling us what had happened. We changed channels to see the news unfolding. Shortly after we received the news, the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. I received several other calls in quick succession from other expat friends living in Japan as well as calls from the US. I had a horrible feeling then, as if I was looking at the opening of a terrible new chapter in history – and I feared as much for what the American response would be as for the horrific tragedy still unfolding. Perhaps part of that silly movie stuck with me in the back of my mind, reminding me how people could be manipulated into causing other people harm. My fears were certainly realized as we went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq and began undermining civil liberties at home.
People might blame the atrocities on militant Islam. But to call such actions Islamic is truly absurd. These acts are terrorism through and through. On the other hand, American killing of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq is labeled collateral damage. But one should not call this Christian aggression for such actions are truly contrary to the spirit of Christianity as well. Neither of these things are virtuous nor Islamic nor Christian acts. Terrorism is terrorism. The way to fight terrorism is first not to become a terrorist. There is truly wisdom in treating others the way one wishes to be treated. We should be spreading that message rather than the current message of “might makes right,” - regardless of what good ends for which we claim to be fighting.


On this September 11th, my thoughts and prayers shall be with the victims and their families. I shall also pray for any and all potential future terrorists – that they be dissuaded from militancy and see the true path of justice and holiness lies with treating one another with dignity, respect, and compassion.

Have You Stopped Torturing People, President Bush? Yes or No?

The terms “secret prisons” and torture at first seem best suited for a discussion on the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany or Communist China.  Sadly, these terms can now also be used in a positive sentence concerning the United States of America.  We’ve traded our old ideal of being the ideal for the world for an expanded notion of “Don’t mess with Texas.”
     Now, the Bush Administration is changing its policies of holding prisoners in secret CIA prisons and using hard techniques that sound like torture - but aren’t supposed to be - to policies which conform to the law.  Some may say this is progress, which it certainly is, but it is long overdue.  This is not even mentioning the fact that this should never have been done in the first place. Now, with even a highly conservative Supreme Court ruling against the Bush Administration’s handling of prisoners, and the Republicans’ prospects in the upcoming mid-term elections in jeopardy, the Bush administration is changing its approach – dare we call it a flip-flop?  Well, it is too little too late.  We can see this move for what it is – a pragmatic and reluctant move by an administration that would rather “do its own thing” than follow the law.

Progressive Values - Who Shall Speak For Us?

Who shall speak for us, we Americans who hold progressive values? Certainly not the Republican party, broken and schizophrenic as it is. The Republican party is divided on the issue of whether America should be a Theocracy or a Plutocracy. The GOP is also divided on whether or not to support an unpopular President in his attempts to gloss over a costly mistake of a war in Iraq.
So then, in our two-party tradition, the Democrats are the obvious choice. They must speak for we progressives, is that not so? Unfortunately, they have not been very outspoken in their opposition to the Republican efforts to undermine our freedoms, deceive the public, and squander our lives and resources. What kind of an opposition have they been? They have been an almost nonexistent opposition, I must admit. Further, they have offered few, if any good ideas of their own in the past few years.
So what are our progressive ideals? We stand for equal opportunity, a chance for everyone in society to flourish and contribute to the best of our ability. We count our people as having the highest value, not their money. Thus we want to see that no person’s life goes to waste, for their own as well as our own sake. We want to see everyone PROGRESS in their lives, and we look for means to allow everyone to have that opportunity. Every time a child goes hungry, we suffer as a community. Every time a prospective student can’t afford to go to school, we all suffer. Every time a homeless person becomes ill, we all suffer. Every time a person is denied employment based on their race, gender, or orientation we all suffer. Every time making money takes precedence over people’s welfare, we all suffer. Every time an election is contested and the truth is not sought, we all suffer. Suffering may be an inevitable part of life, but allowing needless and fruitless suffering is outrageous. We progressives stand in favor of eliminating needless suffering. This is true in our own communities and nation as well as around the globe. So, we would rather work with others, not dictate to them, for the mutual benefit all. Most of us progressives have deep philosophical and spiritual values that inform our opinions. We would rather build a more happy, prosperous and healthy earth, rather than waste all our resources in hope that the rapture will take us away before things get really bad. In fact, most progressive ideals ARE Christian ideas! I don’t recall Christ’s sermons on the need for preemptive military action, the need to lobby Caesar for lower taxes, or his advice on how to judge and force people to conform to one’s own conception of morality. But I do seem to recall a good deal about forgiving one’s enemies (Matthew 4:14-15), not judging other people (Luke 7:37), and loving one’s neighbor. (Matthew 19:19 )
It does not seem that the Democrats have been doing much to promote our values, and the Republicans have been working against them.
So will stand for these values? I wonder…

On Heraclitus

I have been reading Frederick Copleston’s History of Philosophy.  Volume one of the nine volume work deals with Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy.  This is undoubtedly the philosophy with which I am the most familiar. But there was something that struck me when I read Copleston’s interpretation of Heraclitus. Most people (if they know of Heraclitus at all) seem to remember him for his saying that “All things are in a state of flux.” (Something he never actually said.)  Many books and many of my professors in college have rather agreed with the Hegelian interpretation.  That is they paint Heraclitus as claiming that all things are in a state of chaos and are many.  They go on to contrast the position of Heraclitus with that of Parmenides who claimed that all things are one and unchanging, and that change and motion are an illusion.  Then Hegel (and many others) point to Plato as the great synthesizer, who crafts a position whereby there are unchanging universal forms and a realm of becoming consisting of the ever-changing objects of sensation.
     As much as I like to give credit to Plato for creating a truly well-reasoned philosophical system, I think in this case most have simplified the position of Heraclitus to fit a nice Hegelian synthesis with the position of Parmenides.
     While it is certainly true that Heraclitus did say, “You could not step twice in the same rivers; for other and yet other waters are ever flowing on.”1  He also wrote “In the same rivers we step and we do not step. We are and are not.”2  If we are to take just these two passages, we might have strong evidence to support the common characterization of Heraclitus as simply the philosopher of chaos or flux. But Heraclitus seems to also make the case for a natural tension in the world, held between opposing states or forces. He writes, “The harmony of the world is of tensions, like that of the bow and the lyre.”3 Heraclitus also writes, “Men do not understand how what is divided is consistent with itself; it is a harmony of tension like that of the bow and the lyre.”4 Looking at Heraclitus in this light, he seems to be arguing in way more consistent with the systems of Eastern thinkers such as 老子 Lao Tsu (Laozi) who write of the world consisting of the道 Tao which is a harmony of tensions. Heraclitus does explicitly write of the unity of the opposing tensions, “It is wise, listening not to me but to the Law, to acknowledge that all things are one.”5
     I have to agree with Copleston’s understanding of Heraclitus. “What are we to say of the doctrine of Heraclitus, the notion of unity in difference?  That there is a many, a plurality, is clear enough.  But at the same time the intellect strives to conceive a unity, a system, to obtain a comprehensive view to link things up; and this goal of though corresponds to a real unity in things: things are interdependent.”6
     I am glad that Copleston has pointed this out. Reading his thoughts on Heraclitus encouraged me to go back and look at Heraclitus’ surviving work with a mind to compare what he had written with the common interpretation of his work.  Sure enough, many people it seems, are content to turn Heraclitus into a caricature, a kind of anti-Parmenides. While much of Heraclitus' writing is obscure and mystical, enough can be discerned to show us that this is not true.
     This serves as a reminder to go back and look at the primary sources and not take a commentator at their word.  I have been frustrated in the past by overly simplistic and (at least to my mind) wrong interpretations of Plato, so I am already weary of secondary sources and their bias. This incident will serve as a reminder for me not to abandon my slow progress through the original writings of philosophers, a process which I began back in 1997.


1 Heraclitus as quoted in Nahm, M.C. (1964), Selections from Early Greek Philosophy, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall p.70 (Fragment 41)

2 Heraclitus as quoted in Nahm (1964), p.73 (Fragment 81)

3 Ibid. p.71 (Fragment 56)

4 Ibid. p.71 (Fragment 45)

5 Ibid. p.67 (Fragment 1)

6 Copleston, F., (1946), A History of Philosophy:  Volume 1 Greece and Rome, Mahwah, N.J., Paulist Press p.45

33

On July 27th, I turned 33 years old.  As a Christian, the age of 33 has a special significance.  After all, that is the age of Jesus when he died.  To think that He accomplished all of His work on earth by the age of 33 is truly remarkable.  Few can claim to have affected the world as much as Jesus. So, I am reflecting on my life and accomplishments as I turn 33.  I find that while I have accomplished many important goals, I still have not nearly reached my potential yet.
     I am very glad that I am very happily married, have lived for three years in Japan, made a few wonderful friends, finished college, graduate school, traveled in Europe and Asia, am working rewarding and meaningful jobs, and am living in California, close to where I want to be.  But I still feel that I have so much more to accomplish and much more work do to better this world.
     Jesus is an example of someone who accomplished a great deal in a short lifetime.  There are others.  I only hope that I am able to accomplish what I can in the years to come.  I hope and pray that I am able to make more of a positive impact in the world.  That is my ultimate goal.  As I turn 33 I am glad to say, upon reflection, I am on the path to achieving my goals, but it seems I have a long way to go.

Life Begins to Look Up

After losing my full-time job, I was quite depressed for some time.  My sales job certainly wasn’t doing much for me – I really didn’t like working in sales but the people were nice and it was (almost) paying the bills.  After losing that job, I was left in a bad situation. We have no car. Local places didn’t want to hire me because of that fact. Further away in San Francisco or Oakland, they didn’t care that I didn’t have a car – but they thought that I lived too far away.  It was a difficult position.  Slowly, however things began to look up in my life.  I was hired by another teaching/tutoring center and was able to get a few more hours working at my other tutoring center.  I really enjoy teaching children and it is very satisfying and meaningful work.  Now, I am in much better spirits.  Although I am only working part time, my hourly rate is quite good.  Even better, I get to teach kids Science and we are reading the Hobbit (Tolkien is my favorite author of fiction.) Once I started working again, the writing bug finally hit me again.  The urge to write hit me with a vengeance.  I haven’t been so motivated to write anything in about 8 or 9 years.  So now, I tutor in the morning, then take the bus to the local Peet’s coffee house where I spend several hours writing.  I am working on a science fiction novel.  I am expanding upon a short story that I wrote back in 2001 for my Philosophy class: The Self in Science Fiction and Science Fact.  I am excited about this work and am putting a lot of myself and my philosophical ideas into it.
     In many ways, for me, it is like being back in 1997-1998 when I was working part time, and spending the rest of the day at the coffee house reading philosophy and doing some writing. Only this time, it is better. I have meaningful jobs, and best of all, this time I am happily married.  Things are certainly looking up for us.  Now if we can only move to the city…

Out of Work (Again)

I’m out of work again. (Well, that’s not entirely true – I still am tutoring 2 hours a week.) The company I was working for decided not to hire me on after my 3 month trial period ended.  That’s unfortunate because I really liked the company I was working for and the people that worked there. It was a very small operation and they made me feel welcomed for the most part. Unfortunately, they didn’t think I had the drive needed for sales. Perhaps that’s true. I never really wanted to be in sales, but I like to be able to pay my bills too. The odd thing is that they praised my customer service skills and offered to write letters of recommendation and serve as good references for me.
     So, now I’m searching for a job. (Hopefully a meaningful one). Hopefully one that will take my wife and I closer to San Francisco, to where we are dying to move. I’m glad I live in the Bay Area, where job prospects are much better than Ohio and my chances of finding meaningful work are greater.
     We are not asking for a great deal, I don’t think. But we need to be able to sustain ourselves so that we can better be in a position to help others. That is truly our goal. I pray this time of uncertainty will lead us a step closer toward the realization of that goal.

The Illegal Immigration Debate

Illegal immigration has been at the forefront of news lately. Tomorrow on May 1st, millions are expected to walk off their jobs in a sign of solidarity with immigrant workers.
This is a complex issue with more than 2 sides in opposition. First, there are businesses who claim that there are many jobs that Americans won’t do, and these must be filled by immigrants legal or otherwise. Then there are the immigrants themselves who come from severe poverty and are willing to risk their lives in a effort to better the lives of themselves and their families. Then there are the people caught in between the illegal immigrants and their employers. People who have to live with altered communities and less prospects for higher wages as illegal immigrants drive wages lower. Then there are those who benefit from the additional goods and services that are bought by having more people come to an area. It is indeed a complex issue with many sides.
I try (as I often do) to think what I would do if I were placed in each side’s position. What if I were a poor unemployed or underemployed person living in Mexico with a family to support. What would I do? I would try to immigrate legally, of course to America where opportunities are more plentiful. (In fact that is not so dissimilar than my moving to California from Ohio.) However, it is not so easy to get into America and that seems on the face of it absurd for a country that has always been a destination for people from other places. Every study I’ve seen shows that immigrants (legal and illegal) actually contribute more to the economy than they take. It seems to be that by allowing more people to enter legally, we’d reduce the amount of illegals coming in. We can’t fault people for wanting to better themselves – that would be… …un-American.
So what of the people caught in the middle? The people who’s communities are altered by strange faces and languages being spoken? Well, in my opinion, any time in America’s history was a time that people had to deal with this. There was opposition to immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Poland, etc. By allowing more people from various places in, one culture won’t dominate and thus, we will all have to work toward common goals. As far as taxes and services are concerned, having legal immigrants around helps. So it would be in the best interests of most communities to allow more legal immigration. It is not as if there is no room here in one of the largest pieces of real estate on the planet. I don’t mind people from other places living near me – I welcome it –I think that is one of America’s strengths. Certainly the statistics will back this up – look at the work of Richard Florida. Openness to immigrants is one factor that tends to predict an area that will be economically strong.
So now we turn to the employers. These are the people who provide the jobs that bring the illegal immigrants here. They say that there are jobs that Americans won’t do. I doubt that. The real statement should be that there are jobs that Americans won’t do for such low wages and lack of job security or protection of the law. These workers, while making more than they would in their native lands, put up with turn-of-the-last-century lack of protection. They have no heath care (like many of us native citizens) but also have no real recourse to protections that many of us take for granted. Some of these contractors may not be able to find workers, but there are many I’m sure that would be the first to show up at the slave market if it were open. It’s disgusting, but it is homeowners who are the largest employer of illegals. This dilemma is one that “average” Americans have created for themselves. I would never hire some for whom I couldn’t be responsible, simply requiring them to do my bidding then throwing them away. Thus I lay most of the blame on homeowners who’d rather save money by hiring an illegal worker to do menial work, just so they can save up more quickly for filling up that Hummer for a trip down to Disneyworld.
If we want a better America, we can’t keep hiring people that must live a separate life, cut-off from the dominant society for fear of discovery by the authorities. Such a situation breeds gang violence, drug trafficking, and a collapse of community.
I certainly hope that for all the attention that this issue is getting, that something is done to punish those who ignore our labor laws. I hope that something positive will result from his debate. But I’m sure nothing will happen. A few window dressings may change, but the cheap-labor shop will remain open for business. After all, the kids need a new toy for Christmas, why hire someone who wants to buy their own children a toy for Christmas, let’s just grab a throw-a-way person from Home Depot to fix up our house.

I'm not a Heretic

So, I did not score as a heretic. That’s good. I know it is important for Christians to have some basic commonality of belief, so that communication and cooperation is better facilitated, but once we agree on these (and perhaps a few other points), it should be enough to turn our attention to living as true Christians by emulating Christ.
In Islam, Muslims are called to follow the Sunna of Mohammad. This means emulating him in every respect possible. We as Christians should do the same by emulating Christ. Christ did not spend his days condemning people, but rather helping them and teaching them a better path by words and deeds. His actions are the perfect example for us to follow.

You scored as Chalcedon compliant. You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451. Chalcedon compliant 92% Modalism 67% Pelagianism 67% Nestorianism 50% Monophysitism 33% Monarchianism 33% Socinianism 17% Arianism 8% Adoptionist 0% Apollanarian 0% Donatism 0% Albigensianism 0% Gnosticism 0% Docetism 0% Are you a heretic? created with QuizFarm.com

My Theological Worldview

I took this test concerning religious views a few months ago – but I thought I would post it to generate more discussion and help explain from where I am coming. As I mentioned in my profile, I am a Catholic Christian. I’m not exactly happy with the state of the church (Roman Catholic) or the Christian Church as a whole. I think we need to get back to the central roots of the message of Christianity – to love and serve God and each other. Rather than condemning people based on their behaviors, Christians should be setting an example for others to follow. We should lead by example. They should know we are Christians by our love, not our intolerance or close-mindedness. We should work together with others of faith to demonstrate that there are things greater than ourselves. Science is not the enemy – it deals with the “hows” and “whats” rather than the most important questions which ask “why.” Christianity has an answer for that – and it doesn’t, (in fact can’t) conflict with science, because both religion and science (along with philosophy) seek truth.

You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you. Roman Catholic 96% Emergent/Postmodern 64% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64% Classical Liberal 61% Neo orthodox 57% Modern Liberal 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal 39% Reformed Evangelical 11% Fundamentalist 4% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Who am I?

Sorry it’s been so long since my last posting. I will try to keep my blog more up to date in the future.

I thought I would begin 2006 by posting a few “tests” that may shed some light on who I am and from where I am coming. I’ll start with the “What is your world view?” test.
This was an interesting little test. I was quite happy to hear that I correspond exactly with the Cultural Creative model. I did wonder though about what I and Fundamentalists share in common. Without knowing the specific workings of this test, I have a few educated guesses. I answered that we must look to the past in order to progress. That may be something with which many fundamentalists would agree. But I answered in this fashion because I feel that one does need to look back to see where one has come from to ensure one does not move in a circle back to the past and repeat mistakes. Seeing where one has come from provides an invaluable benchmark to determine where one may be in the future. Other than that, I’d be hard pressed to figure out why I scored so high on the fundamentalist category.

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 100% Existentialist 75% Postmodernist 63% Idealist 50% Modernist 38% Fundamentalist 31% Romanticist 31% Materialist 13% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com