Pledge to the Flag Daily

Hillary Clinton thinks that every child should say the pledge of allegiance every day.

"...I personally believe every American child should start the day saying the pledge of allegiance. I did, and I believe every child should.”

I grew up saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day up through most of high school. This is when I thought that it is a Christian's Duty to "submit to the governing authorities," "rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." Later in college, I began to understand that national boundaries are man-made; depending on your view of free will, there may or may not be implied approval from God about them. I have come to the conclusion that my first allegiance is to the Kingdom of Heaven, not any kingdom on earth. I am a stranger here and my identity is not of this place.

Religious considerations aside, Americans need to start thinking globally. Prevailing attitudes about other countries, (short-sighted and "unilateral") are mirrored in our disastrous foreign policy of late. We need to think about environmental and quality-of-life issues for people other than ourselves. Pledging our allegiance to a country (in the name of God) is more serious than we think. It could also take on the mantra-like quality of a nightly conversion at bedtime.

True Gold

Couldn't resist posting this.





Randall Munroe is a physicist whose full time job now consists of alternately shocking and entertaining the entire internet with his ever-stylish stick figure drawings. Sometimes he adds a little theoretical math and applies it to everyday situations. His comics have been known to contain strong language and may not be suitable for young children. (Hint: hover your mouse over the picture) This particular piece is meaningful to me because I was once a rabid starwars novel fan. I know...hard to believe...

Obamarama

Obama on illegal immigration:

"These are people who are trying to make a living. I understand they broke the law. But let me tell you something: if the minimum wage in Canada was $100 an hour ..."

...I'd probably be up there.

Here's his victory speech in Iowa:


I was worried. I was worried that my hopes would be dashed in the political system. I suppose I've overcome political heartbreak before (when Clinton beat Bush in '92, I cried), but we're SO CLOSE this time. I'm thinking about the amount of cynicism I see towards governmental structures generated by marginalized people. Our system needs this. It's not panacea, but it will do a lot of good.


Technorati Tags: Obama

E'en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come

Music by Paul Manz, text adapted by Ruth Manz

Revelation 21:1-4

Peace be to you and grace from him
Who freed us from our sins,
Who loved us all and shed his blood
That we might saved be.

Sing holy, holy to our Lord,
The Lord, Almighty God,
Who was and is and is to come;
Sing holy, holy, Lord!

Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell therein,
Rejoice on earth, ye saints below,
For Christ is coming, is coming soon,
For Christ is coming soon!

E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come,
And night shall be no more;
They need no light nor lamp nor sun,
For Christ will be their All!

Post-Hiatus

Greeting
I'm not going to wish you all a happy new year because I think happy is a transient state of mind. Instead, I bid you a New Year of Shalom. May you find true understanding and love in grace.

New Year's Dates
Last night at a New Year's Party I met a young lady named Julie. She is a liberal-Mormon-turned-baptist and fierce American. Her New Year's Resolution for last year was to truly become an American, to try to understand conservatives and blue collar workers, to get a taste for baseball and church and patriotism. She told me that this last year was one of the best ones she's ever had and this year's Resolution is to have a year just like last year. One particularly poignant thing she shared with me was her desire to start a vernacular movement. On her travels from Utah she has been spreading this new paradigm. Consider: how long will we continue to call our dates Two-Thousand-And...? In the last century, we said Nineteen-something. This year is a fantastic time to ease ourselves into the new way of doing things. Instead of two-thousand-and-eight, rather: Twenty-O-Eight. The elision of the syllables between twentY, Oh and EIGHt. Starting this process in 2009 or 2010 would be a much more difficult transition. While we're all trying to remember to write 2007 2008 we should also train ourselves to say it in the most forward-looking way possible. Do it for Julie.

A Declaration of War
I have found mouse-droppings behind my refrigerator and beside my suitcase. This is simply untenable. I saw one today climb out of Gabbie's Trashcan. Attention Mice: This is your last warning. Leave my premises or I will be forced to take Lethal Action (in the guise of self-defense of course). This warning is superficial and is intended to keep yours truly out of a war-crimes trial. I have already purchased said munitions with blood diamonds. Illegal immigrants will not be tolerated! I realize that the economic trade agreement that I made with the gas company means that my sovereign space is warmer than yours, and that I am inadvertently polluting yours, but that does not mean that you are allowed to illegally sneak into my territory and reap the same benefits for which I have worked so hard. If you turn yourselves in, no one will be euthanized, merely deported. You have 10 minutes.

Memo
To all of you Proponents of Amnesty for Illegal Mice in My Apartment: Take A Hike!

Technorati Tags: New Year's, Illegal Immigration, Mice