Quote of the Day
Discoveries are often made by not following instructions; by going off the main road; by trying the untried.
Frank Tyger
Egypt and Anti-Christian Violence: An Update
Whereas I am an unabashed Christian (Roman Catholic), the complaint about interfaith tolerance is not simply a knee-jerk reaction of being a Christian. I am very aware of historical wars between Catholics and Protestants including Northern Ireland and in European history, not to mention the facts of the Spanish Inquisition and anti-Semitism.
In part, I will distinguish myself from many Christians in seeing Jesus' message as apolitical in nature (there are many Scriptural sources for this: e.g., the famous "give to Caesar what is Caesar's..."; Jesus' rejection of being made a king (John 6:15); Jesus' rebuke of Peter's use of a sword at the Passion; and Jesus notes to Pilate the nonviolence of His disciples (John 18:36)). I view Jesus' teachings in the context of individual, not collective behavior, in a manner wholly consistent with my libertarian-conservative perspective; I look at faith within this context of voluntary commitment to God; I see one's morals and actions as an external measure of one's commitment to God. (Note that ostensibly good acts can be reflexive if the intrinsic motive is to glorify my image to others, not primarily for the glory of God.)
I wouldn't say that I am indifferent to the resources and context underlying my commitment to God, namely the Roman Catholic tradition, but I don't see it as a zero-sum game. I know good people are raised in the Muslim tradition, the Jewish tradition and the Hindu tradition (among others), and I have a faith in the fundamental goodness of God's children as a whole.
This is not a religious blog, but I wanted to provide a context for this discussion. The US Conference on International Religious Freedom has noted a number of countries which have raised concerns. Chairman Leo's opening remarks provide a good current summary::
Over the past year, USCIRF has championed the rights of a wide range of religious communities: Uighur Muslims in China; Shi’a and Islmaili Muslims in Saudi Arabia; Christians and Ahmadis in Pakistan and Indonesia; Jews in Venezuela; Baha’is, Christians, and dissident Muslims in Iran; Buddhists in Vietnam and China; and a range of indigenous groups and movements in China, Egypt, Iraq, and Vietnam.
Two of the 14 countries on the list of worst violators are newcomers: Egypt and China. The Egyptians, before and after the resignation of Mubarak, have come under more scrutiny for egregious actions against the Coptic Christians, which make up about 9% of the population. Among other things, the report recommended some Egyptian military aid to be specifically dedicated to protection of the Copts.
In fact, the issuance of this report plus rumors that Christians were holding a female Christian convert to Islam against her will contributed to Muslim activist anger; Al Qaeda elements are urging the Muslim majority to take action against Christians. Relevant mob violence has gotten way out of proportion to relevant allegations involving less than a handful of alleged Muslim converts. (Christians are somewhat upset over what they see as the state unduly supporting the Muslim side; needless to say, many Egyptian Muslims are not at all receptive of Muslim conversions to Christianity.) Over the weekend there were firebombs of Christian churches and rock throwing at Christian protesters, now calling for international intervention to protect their human rights.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I think the Egyptian constitution must include a Bill of Rights protecting political minority rights, especially in this context the political and religious liberty of the Copts. I call on both sides to respect the decisions of the individual to choose their own approach to worship God, and the Egyptian government must be even-handed in dispute resolution. I assure both Christians and Muslims that the injury or death of another individual over matters of faith is never a glorification of God; God wishes all His children to be loved unconditionally. God welcomes all His children whom come to Him of their own volition and glorify Him by how they treat others.
Political Potpourri
The NBC/WSJ has President Obama at 52%, while Rasmussen and Gallup hold steady at 51%. Gingrich is expected to announce for the GOP nomination Wednesday, probably on the Sean Hannity FNC prime-time show. Gingrich is one of the best idea men on the conservative side; unfortunately, he doesn't have executive experience, he has high unfavorable numbers like Palin and Trump, there is lingering concern over the scandal underlying his stepping down as Speaker and eventually resigning, and he has problems with the social conservative base because of his 3 marriages. I think from a debate perspective, Gingrich can take the fight to Obama, but I don't see him winning the nomination.
Obama and Immigration
I think the President's victory lap at Ground Zero late last week was all about politics, and I see his attempting to use immigration as little more than a cynical attempt to pander for Latino votes next year. Obama's approach to immigration, especially if it doesn't involve fundamental reform to a temporary worker program, is absolutely dead on arrival.
Personally, on the 11M undocumented Latino problem, I would be open to a form of legal residency without a path of citizenship (but eligible from their country at the end of the line in accordance with reformed quota systems, with merit-based preferences, including educational / professional / entrepreneurial accomplishments / goals and English language fluency). This legal residency would be automatically renewed if they are not involved in serious crime and pay a certain penalty for not showing proof of authorized entry. I am particularly supportive of the Visa for Startup initiative.
Fukushima Nuclear Incident Update
Atomic Power Review notes:
- Monday: One particular area at reactor 1 is unacceptably high in radiation, and there will have to be some shielding done for human work to continue at the facility.
The Hiroshima Syndrome blogger published the first of his thrice-weekly posts. He noted improvements in the reactor 1 radiation levels following the installation of air filtering equipment (a prerequisite to working on external cooling). He's raised some questions about reactor 3 instrumentation, seeing an increase in temperature while pressure seems to remain stable. There is some belated reporting of strontium on some sample points at Daiichi, but workers there are already mandated to wear relevantly safe gear. There's some preliminary analysis within the evacuation zone outside the Daiichi site to prepare for the eventual removal of earthquake/tsunami-related debris. There is some question about the prime minister is pulling too much nuclear power offline to meet Japan's intermediate-term energy needs (and whether he has the authority to do that.)
Political Humor
"Supporters of Osama bin Laden want to rename the Arabian Sea after bin Laden’s death. They want to call it “Martyr’s Sea.” Please, hiding in your bedroom for six years with the blinds closed? How about “Chicken of the Sea?”" - Jay Leno
[Sharks in the Arabian Sea don't agree everything they find tastes like chicken...]
Apparently, Osama bin Laden was living in a mansion with no phone and no cable for six years. He'd been waiting for six years for the Time-Warner guy to show up. - David Letterman
[Why pay to see Al Jazeera when you watch the best of what Al Jazeera has to offer on demand for free?]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Chicago, "Saturday in the Park". Chicago had a reputation during the 1970's as the bridesmaid, never the bride, never quite making it to #1 on the charts until "If You Leave Me Now". I always loved the jazzy-flavored melodic pop. I have featured some of my favorites in past posts. Picking and choosing Chicago songs is like going to Baskin-Robbins and picking vanilla. [I have a contrarian streak; I happen to really like vanilla ice cream (which I haven't had in a while because of my weight), but it's fun watching people's expressions when you choose vanilla instead of another of 30-odd other flavors. I am in favor of ice cream diversity; perhaps it's predictable given my Franco-American heritage, but I also like maple walnut, among others.]
It would be hard to pick any favorite Chicago tune (I used to play the Greatest Hits 1982-1989 while doing aerobics at home), but on my short list would have to be "Old Days", "Love Me Tomorrow", "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", "25 or 6 to 4", and the following song, all written or co-written by one Peter Cetera. Robert Lamm sings lead in this song he co-wrote.
There is just some irresistible, optimistic feel to the song; it just exudes a lazy, sunny summer day, perhaps a family picnic in a park, people-watching. The story I've heard is that Lamm and the rest of the band had songwriter's block. They were touring NYC, and Lamm decided to get out of the hotel and walk in Central Park. I'm not a pop music guru, and I hesitate to analyze the work of other songwriters. (On an unrelated aside, I find pretentiously elitist, obscure poetry, music and art boring. I would like to think, for the quality of the underlying discussion, my blog is highly readable and well-organized.)
Here's my interpretation (which, with $5, will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks): I think it's a subtle protest song (i.e., Vietnam):
- You have this celebration going on--but a singer is ironically calling for us to change the world; like Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", there's a sense that singer knows his limitations: all he can do is sing a song, and he needs the help of others to achieve his dreams of peace. An Italian singer singing a love song, in a time of war. There's reference to the longing for a "real celebration", implying the current celebration is illusory. "I've been waiting so long for the day"; there is a Fourth of July every year--but he's referring to a day of peace after a long war.
- Colors? What colors? Colors of the day--the Fourth of July, i.e., the flag.
- "Funny days" I take to mean "ironic": people are celebrating, but people are still dying elsewhere, victims of war. "Every day's the Fourth of July": I take this as an alternative way of saying the Fourth of July is just another day, no better, no worse.
- Unlike Harrison's pessimistic classic, this song is positive and hopeful ("all is not lost"): there would be no reason of raising the prospect to change the world if the effort is doomed to failure.
- "Bronze man": a statue, typically a (military) hero. "Tell stories his own way": I take this as meaning historians filter out the bad side of war. Any human being has strengths and weaknesses.
You show this interpretation to Lamm and Cetera, and they would probably laugh at a clueless overanalysis of their classic song by an egghead... I promise not to bore my readers with future song interpretations; this isn't a music blog.
