Things I Think…
1. Independence Day is always a reminder to me that I have a very tenuous grasp on what it means to be patriotic, especially when compared to many other Americans.
I’m not alone in this and I wonder what makes the difference between those who are grounded in a great love of country and those who are more agnostic in devotion. I think the difference may lie in the contrast between learned history and lived history. For example the difference between the wars in which America was decidedly heroic and those that have happened since WW II…the ones I lived through versus the ones I learned about…seems that a balance could be reached there…
2. We haven’t agreed on a common enemy and a united course of action since the Cold War…and that disunity can still be seen in the war against the coronavirus…which appears to be defeating us as a result…
3. A house divided cannot stand…the question before that house is if unity is even possible again…if not, how do we proceed?
4. I’m old enough to remember when reporters were often heroes…
5. For most of my life it has seemed that as a nation, God has protected us from the results of our own sin and stupidity. No matter how dire things were, we always managed to come out intact. Now…it feels like that hand has been lifted…
6. The biggest mistake in recent memory was closing businesses in the fight against Covid-19 while allowing mass protests. This insane incongruity is now viewed as blatant dishonesty and people will get sick and die as a result..
7. A church concerned with the political ramifications of its stance is no longer a church…it’s a political action committee with Bibles…
8. It’s been interesting to watch how social media stars have evolved under the current cultural pressures. Beth Moore (who I was taught to scorn by my former tribe) is about as genuinely decent a person as you’ll find online and evidently, in real life. Amy Grant was worthy of the crushes many had on her. James White and many of my former tribe make me very happy they are no longer my tribe…mean as snakes…
9. Hearing that the statues of Grant and Frederick Douglass have been torn down makes me hope they teach the rioters history in prison…
10. I’ve been sent this link about a Covid 19 outbreak at a Calvary Chapel a few times now, so here’s my take. The pastor was a frequent poster here for years before we had a final falling out. I don’t consider him a bad guy or a malicious person. I do question the wisdom of any large gatherings. My assumption would be that he is going through hell right now and I have no desire to turn up the heat. This, however, is simple murder…
We’ve been attending church ever since it has been allowed. I stand in the corner with my mask and those few who refuse to wear masks congregate in the other corner and swap conspiracy theories, or so I imagine. Apart from this crowd, everyone wears masks and stands more or less on the blue tape on the carpet. Some mask-wearers let their noses hang out, which is not helpful. An elderly Russian lady gave me a big hug last Sunday. Well, I love her. Watcha gonna do?
I find that the longer this goes on, and the longer I am quarantined at the house, the more eccentric I am becoming. I was already pretty eccentric, but it’s reached new heights. I started up 2 aquariums, a new blog, I got some guinea pigs, I am learning a weird old language (Old Norse) in school. The melon and cucumber vines in my greenhouse are twining all over the other plants and it’s starting to look like a science fiction movie in there. I seem to be living in a dream. It’s not exactly bad but it’s a little weird. And I don’t see any return to normalcy in the near future and I am not sure I even want to leave my little Edenic world.
My world consists of Church on Sundays, where we are all acting weird, my online school which at the moment consists Icelandic sagas and verb conjugations, and the few online communities I frequent, recently those FB groups catering to fish and guinea pig enthusiasts.
I am happy but a little worried about what kind of whackadoodle person I’m becoming…
Meanwhile, while I’m dreaming about Orthodox Saints, Scandinavian dragons and monster cucumber plants in my backyard, the US of A and the entire western world seems to be heading straight to Aitch EEE Double Toothpicks.
Xenia,
It’s all strange these days, but at least you make it enjoyable to read about. 🙂
I was a hermit before this started, so the only thing new is my addiction to Mothers’s Circus Cookies…
I am purposely avoiding stores as much as I can until we run out of stuff. Then I go begrudgingly. Why? Less than 30% of people here in western GA (see our soaring stats) wear masks.
In other news….I haven’t gotten weird locking down.
Yet.
Dan,
Most people have been compliant here…but the ones that aren’t like to make a scene and say rude things about the rest of us…I stay home and use curbside delivery whenever possible…
Michael,
I have heard that…the most vocal and obnoxious are the anti-maskers. It is different in the immediate Atlanta area…most people are wearing masks. I may start curbside delivery if GA’s numbers don’t level off.
I would not read anything into the removal of statues completely unrelated to racism.
In the moment, a crowd becomes and unthinking organism. They have no idea of the identity of the person portrayed in the monument.
It’s the same as a ferry accident or refugee drowning in the developing world. Nobody intended to drown in mass, the collective body just shifted, and there is a result.
One thing to keep in mind is that this virus infected animals – as a result our immune systems didn’t recognize it and didn’t react to it – being a suspicious old lady, i am not convinced that it wasnt purposely dispersed – the lab in Wuhan was working on creating “germs” with our dollars supplied by that U.S. doctor, whose name escapes me, AND that doctor was giving Trump advice and counsel from the start…. this whole episode doesn’t pass the smell test
Xenia, wait until you’re old and senile. Your dreams will be your greatest source of amusement. ☺
Patriotism comes, i think, with a heritage of ancestors that persevered through real hardships to build what we inherited… Or at the very least, some honest understanding of our history. We’ve come a long way. – IMV – There will always be evil actors among us. The blind and unredeemable. Only fair laws and honest law enforcement will keep us from a disastrous spiral into chaos
White privilege? Not in my family and we go back to before the war for independence. And reparations? Well how about the blood spilled in the Civil War? If you want reparations, go back and find your countrymen who sold your ancestors into slavery. I understand that they still do….
Can God bless America? Not with a self centered population who thumb their noses at Him
Or so it seems to me – dunno, though, do i? 🙆
God allowed us to have the (terrible ) leader that we wanted. Perhaps God has removed His protective hand from the U.S because the American church, which once acted as salt and light to our communities, has now gotten into bed with politicians. The churchs’ first love has been replaced by a worldly desire for political power. That’s my sad take on the mess America is in. Perhaps our situation will improve once the church repents.
B of C, we should all be seriously praying for that ! 🙏
Em,
Try to get your facts straight. For starters, the purpose of this now-cancelled 10-Year NIH research grant (started in 2014) and the construction of the Wuhan facility was to study zoonetic viruses in wake of SARS in 2002. Here is the link to the information on the grant (i also have the grant itself somewhere as PDF):
https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R01-AI110964-01
This is no different than what CDC does on a regular basis. Read the abstract in the link.
Second, the consensus is that the release was accidental as the this facility has had issues with Hazmat handling, Workplace Safety, and containment protocols in the past (and is par for the course for most countries). OSHA regulations and workplace safety are nowhere as developed (if they have any at all). Third, the consensus of virologists looking at the genetics, surface proteins, and the like is that the virus was not bioengineered in a lab.
Remember the principle of Occam’s Razor. And more importantly, remember the principle of Hanlon’s Razor which states, “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity (or incompetence.” Conspiracy theorists always overlook these 2 principles.
Thank you, CM… You are probably, hopefully, correct… 😺
I think the destruction of anti-slavery icons is more evidence of rejection of the nation than ignorance of history.
“Tear all the statues down!” Marxists gonna Marxist.
BD,
Though I would not put it past them that they are also ignorant of history (for some of them anyway). And invariably a mob mentality gets an inertia of all its own. Neither of course is any excuse for the destruction of property, arson, vandalism, etc.
Regarding item #10,
It seems idiotic, at the very least, that any pastor would authorize hugging inside the church or anywhere else among non intimate family members during a pandemic. If a pastor in my church suggested such a thing, I would work to kick the guy out, or leave if unsuccessful. It is evidence of either false doctrine (i.e., the Holy Spirit will protect you) or anti-science ignorance (i.e., the coronavirus is a politically motivated hoax).
My father knew a thing or two about patriotism.
He flew a B-17 in the air-war over Germany in the summer of 1944.
He and one of the waist gunners were the only two of the original crew who survived all 25 of their required missions.
More men were lost in the air-war over Germany than combined sailors and marines in the Pacific against the Japanese.
I posted the link to the CC outbreak and my cousin in the Midwest, a DDiv, lamented how sad it was that people seem to choose religious “fidelity” above science instead of using the brains God gave them to avoid getting and spreading the disease.
Re: mob mentality, that’s emotional contagion, a real thing. Doxing is the social media example. I’m still saddened that my son’s teacher this past year approved of the rioting “that’s what insurance is for.” No matter that people have been murdered, many minorities.
Meanwhile, the city of Duluth is talking about scrubbing the word “chief” from job titles because they think it’s offensive to native Americans. Now we’ve gone full stupid. As a native American, what I find offensive is white people assuming what is offensive to me. I’m not a Noble Savage.
“Black hat” “white hat” is also going away in terms of hacking.
The New Victor, I live in the PNW and am the son of an American Indian and even here in Seattle I haven’t heard anyone propose that kind of thing (yet). Is it possible there’s some bad conscience from some folks who remember (or themselves used) “chief” as some regional slur?
I’ve been reading Graham Twelftree’s Jesus the Exorcist recently and it’s been interesting to read how in Greek accounts of itinerant exorcists sometimes a sign of an effective exorcism was the demon was described as tipping over a statue on the way out of the possessed. Vandalism and protest removal of statues seem pretty obviously different things. Some people are knocking down statues of people they regard as bad and others might just be getting a thrill damaging property. What’s been trippy is considering that some kind of symbolic public act such as knocking over a statue as a sign of a kind of exorcism doesn’t seem to have changed.
TNV and Wenatchee,
The irony is that the word “chief” is Middle English and comes from the Old French word “chief”. This in turn is derived from Latin word “caput”, which means head.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/chief
So it boggles the mind why this would be racist against Native Americans.
TNV,
Would it be this CC outbreak or a different one you are referring to?
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/i-accept-full-responsibility-calvary-chapel-pastor-talks-churchs-covid-19-outbreak
It’s the same one I linked to in the article…
Things I Think (and others may think the same)
#11 I’m personally thankful that a number of years ago a good man, Michael Newnham, was born on this day, July 8th. The world is better for his presence among us. Happy Birthday, Michael!!!🎂
Happy Birthday Micheal!
Thanks, Duane. I’m at the doctors getting some birthday antibiotics… 🙂
Thanks, Dan!
Michael,
As long as they are the minty fresh kind. Could be worse, you could celebrate your birthday with a colonoscopy appointment. 😀
Funny mommy? Maybe…
I recalled today that my children once asked me how i knew man had an immortal soul…. Weeel
“If i cut off your arm, are you still a person?” ” Yes. ”
” If i cut off both your arms, are you still a person? ” “Yes.”
” if i amputate both your legs also, are you still a person? ” “Yes.”
Well then if your whole body dies, do you think you are no longer a person? ” “Uhh, no ”
“See you have a soul that is still there!”
I hope you all had better mommies than my poor children. 😒
Should have waited for Open bkog, but i for i forget and i thought maybe we all needed a chuckle today
First. Happy Birthday. I’ve got some Whistlepig if you care to celebrate.
Second. Portland “protesters” burned a statue of an elk. I think this defies the definition of protest.
Third. When will Beth Moore ditch the SBC?
Fourth. I think unity will be a work of the Spirit, not an effort of believers.
I knew it was around here somewhere
A
HAPPY
AND A GOD BLESSED
BIRTHDAY
TO
MICHAEL
Thanks Em and fil.
I’m recovering from a bout of diverticulitis…at least I keep recovering… 🙂
Diverticulitis?
Michael, i know your mama warned you about chewing on thumbtacks! ! !
Praying
Em,
She didn’t warn me about Rocky Road ice cream…but I wouldn’t have listened anyway…
Michael,
Stick with old-school Vanilla or Mint-Chocolate Chip….
The patriotism thing?
I was in grammar school when we went into the war (WW2) … in So. Calif. lodging was hard to come by. I grew up in my grandparents home and since Glendale was just east of Burbank and her son was in engineering school, the house, a big house, was bursting at the seems with his fellow students, waves of newly minted of war planes flew over with some regularity on their way from Lockheed-Vega to engage the Nazis or the Japs (yes, then it was acceptable then to use that term). these students dearly loved my grandma and grandpa, strong evangelical fundys of an earlier time. Some of those young men would be drafted and die before ever having their own homes and families.
I had watched a P-38 go into a tailspin and crash a few blocks from our front yard when i was 4, so i can’t say the formations droning overhead thrilled me.
Our involvement in every war since that one has been questionable. Has America ( useful fools?) been doing the world’s dirty work? I think so and i suspect that has a lot to do with the difficulty the present generation has with patriotism – pride in flag and Country.
America on Patrol, played by the old Glenn Miller orchestra is on youtube along with a display of those old WW2 war planes and i’m telling you, if you’d been there – the 1940s – knowing so many beautiful young men were going to die, all skin hues btw, this song would stir your heart – joy mixed with tears
Now? Now war isn’t really final or noble, so maybe lagging patriotism IS understandable
The very best thing the Church can do is evangelize and teach – IMV – Christians at the core of our values again? Seems a reasonable hope…. to me at least
CM & Michawel, Burgundy cherry with hot fudge syrup isn’t bad, either. … 😋