Why I'm More Afraid

One of the big reasons supporters are citing for John McCain is that he will be a better commander in chief and will keep us safer in the future. I don't think that is true. Indeed, I am afraid if John McCain becomes president that we will be less safe not more so.

here are a few reasons why I think that...

1. He presents himself as being truly unaware of the complexities of the world today. We all saw the news clip with Liebermann correcting him regarding the role of Iran in terrorism.

2. The most frightening piece of that is that he doesn't seem to see the difference between state actors and non-state actors and speaks as if they can be dealt with, excuse me, attacked in the same way. They cannot.

3. His hot temper just isn't the kind of temperament I want in a person who commands the military or especially one who has his finger on the button.

4. he has given up any moral ground that he held before. Read these words from Rabbi Rami Shapiro's blog, Toto, speaking about the Republican Convention... but the comment certainly reflects McCain's current stance

Rather than referencing John McCain’s war record as a sign that he would keep us out of war, rather than pointing to his brutal torture as proof that he would stop America’s use of torture; speaker after speaker glorified war and rumors of war. Rather than use the moral high ground to be moral, they used it to excuse the immoral.

5. He consistently paints the world in black and white, good and evil, us and them. It may play to his base but the real world just isn't that simple.

6. He seems ignorant of cultural and religious differences that are critical for dealing in constructive ways with the Islamic world, a world that is extremely diverse.

I don't believe that John McCain can build the coalitions that are required to work against non-state actors. I don't believe he trusts the power of our example over the example of our power. I don't believe he is able to get past a Cold War type understanding of the world.

sad but true

I'm not thrilled that Obama is running negative ads... but given the lies coming from the McCain camp, it is necessary to get the truth out there.

Truth and Lies

Now politicians often stretch facts or take their opponent's comments out of context for their own ends. Obama has done this. Anyone who heard McCain's comment that middle class begins at $5 million knows he was actually saying that he didn't want to raise taxes on anyone and that he wasn't really saying at income was the dividing line between middle class and wealthy. Still Obama has used that figure in his speeches.

But that isn't what I want to point out. At the RNC, there was almost no real policy discussion (compared with a little at the DNC) but there was a lot of outright lies regarding records. Here is an article from the Associated Press that points out some of the lies told from the podium at the RNC.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

And Palin is being portrayed as a fiscal conservative who cut pork and reduced the budget in Waslla and in Alaska... again not true

In fiscal 2003—the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget—the bonded long-term debt was $18,635,000. In fiscal 1996—the year before Palin took control of the budget—there was no general obligation debt. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 10]

I'm checking for the figures in Alaska, but I understand that similar changes took place in the state under her governorship.

Jon Stewart

After watching John McCain's speech last night, Cheryl said, let's watch Jon Stewart. I love Jon Stewart.

Bye Babe

My daughter and her new husband drove off this morning. They're moving to Phoenix.

It has been an interesting experience for me. I basically moved out of my parents home when I left for college at age 17. I didn't give it a thought. Alexis is 26 this year and has been in and out of our home since she first left for college. Even while she was away - as far as India and Hungary - she retained a tether to her parents home. Now, she has moved out on her own and her bedroom is empty.

All of the things that I didn't think about when I left home are weighing on my heart now. I wonder how far away from us she'll be when she has children. I don't want to not be a part of their lives. I worry about whether she and Christian will find paths that fulfill God's yearnings for them. I worry that they will have difficulty finding a community of friends and especially a faith community. I worry that Phoenix will not be a positive experience for them. I just worry about them. I already miss her and she's only been gone a few hours.


At the same time, I know that they are adults now and that they need to make these steps to find the path that is right for them. I know that this is an important part of their formation... and mine. I need to be able to let her go ad trust that she will make the choices that she needs to make and move in the directions for her. And I need to begin moving towards the next phase in my life. Our son is still at home, but one of these days he will leave too and Cheryl and I will need to find new ways to be together without our children immediately in the relationship.

on we go.

Obama!

I have a lot of respect for Andrew Sullivan and read his blog almost every day. I think he summed up what needs to be said about Obama after the speech this evening.

This is his commentary on the speech

It was a deeply substantive speech, full of policy detail, full of people other than the candidate, centered overwhelmingly on domestic economic anxiety. It was a liberal speech, more unabashedly, unashamedly liberal than any Democratic acceptance speech since the great era of American liberalism. But it made the case for that liberalism - in the context of the decline of the American dream, and the rise of cynicism and the collapse of cultural unity. His ability to portray that liberalism as a patriotic, unifying, ennobling tradition makes him the most lethal and remarkable Democratic figure since John F Kennedy.

What he didn't do was give an airy, abstract, dreamy confection of rhetoric. The McCain campaign set Obama up as a celebrity airhead, a Paris Hilton of wealth and elitism. And he let them portray him that way, and let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check.

He took every assault on him and turned them around. He showed not just that he understood the experience of many middle class Americans, but that he understood how the Republicans have succeeded in smearing him. And he didn't shrink from the personal charges; he rebutted them. Whoever else this was, it was not Adlai Stevenson. It was not Jimmy Carter. And it was less afraid and less calculating than Bill Clinton.

Above all, he took on national security - face on, full-throttle, enraged, as we should all be, at how disastrously American power has been handled these past eight years. He owned this issue in a way that no Democrat has owned it since Kennedy. That's a transformative event. To my mind, it is vital that both parties get to own the war on Jihadist terror and that we escape this awful Rove-Morris trap that poisons the discourse into narrow and petty partisan abuse of patriotism. Obama did this tonight. We are in his debt.

Look: I'm biased at this point. I'm one of those people, deeply distressed at what has happened to America, deeply ashamed of my own misjudgments, who has shifted out of my ideological comfort zone because this man seems different to me, and this moment in history seems different to me. I'm not sure we have many more chances to get off the addiction to foreign oil, to prevent a calamitous terrorist attack, to restore constitutional balance in the hurricane of a terror war.

I've said it before - months and months ago. I should say it again tonight. This is a remarkable man at a vital moment. America would be crazy to throw this opportunity away. America must not throw this opportunity away.

Know hope.

I know who I'm voting for...

Obama tax cut

Here's a quick little page that gives you an idea of what will happen to your taxes if Obama is elected. Bottom line for the vast majority of Americans... you get a tax cut.

Check out your tax cut

Steelers

Well, I finally got to see this year's Steelers team on television last night. They won, but I'm not sure that they should have. The blew a bunch of opportunities and the offensive line continued to fail at protecting the quarterback. That doesn't bode well when sportswriters say they have the most difficult schedule of anyone this year.

Byron Leftwich looked good as a back-up QB and if he continues to play like he did last night, Charlie Batch may not have a job once his collarbone heals. The new runningback - Rashard Mendenhall - looked great when he could hold onto the ball. He fumbled twice, both times wen it seemed as if the Steelers were moving the ball well. Both times, the Vikings recovered.

And what is up with Roethlisberger's hair?

All in all, I'm looking forward to the season.

It's All about the Economy

Well, it isn't, obviously, but it certainly is an issue that is important.

Obama has been criticized as planning to raise your taxes while McCain will cut them... the LA Times the other day published this chart, showing how your taxes would be affected if either candidate's tax policies were completely adopted.



Unless you're in the top 20% of incomes, you get a larger break with Obama. Now, if you're in the top 1%, then McCain is definitely the man fr your pocketbook.

And speaking of the top 1%... you've no doubt heard McCain's comment that he didn't know how many houses he owns. Here's a video to help him out...

Georgia on my mind

with the wedding last week and an impending move, I've had a bunch of blog entries building up and just waiting to be posted.

The situation in Georgia is one and I think represents one of the larges and most impactful costs of the Iraq debacle. The quotes from McCain and Bush would be laughable were the situation not so grave... "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations," and "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century" And there is the problem. We invaded 2 other sovereign nations and continue to occupy them both. Add to that torture and the blatant disregard for the rule of law and we have lost any moral authority that we had in the world.

family values

My friend, Bob Cornwall, shared this video from Matthew 25 on his blog Ponderings on a Faith Journey.



true that

Alexis & Christian

My little girl was married on 8/8/08 (yeah... I had to miss the opening exercises of the Olympics). I wanted to be only the dad so I didn't take any photos and was waiting to blg until somebody sent me some. These photos were taken by my brother-in-law, Bob.

The wedding was wonderful. It took place at First Baptist of Santa Barbara They have a breath-taking setting and enough room to host the number of guests we were expecting. The service was perfect with music by Thomas Leeb, Jessica Mireles, Jamie Green, and Stephanie Katavolos. Our friend, Larry Phillips came from Schenectady, New York to perform the ceremony. Friends and family came from all over including a maid of honor from France. It was just wonderful.

Folk stayed around for a few days and some of us went on a wine tour, others did a whale watch... and we laughed and cried and drank lots of wine together.

a few more photos...

Alexis and Christian



and our family...



Alexis and Christian are moving to Phoenix in a little more than a week. I'll miss having her nearby terribly but I am so happy that she and Christian are so in love and so committed to one another.

the "A" word

I've been thinking a lot about the rick Warren interviews of McCain & Obama. In general, I was pleased with the format but it was obvious that the questions that were asked and the way they were framed slanted the event towards McCain. One piece really stuck in my craw.

Warren asked about human rights for fetuses which was really about abortion and even described abortion as being a holocaust. McCain's answer was "at conception," which drew a lot of applause. Two questions came to me... if this is really a holocaust, why have you done nothing to stop it? And, do you realize the implications of your statement?

Frankly, I find the Republican stance on abortion disingenuous at best. They held all three branches of government for 6 years with a "pro-life" president, a "pro-life" Supreme Court, and "pro-life" legislature and didn't do anything to even lower the abortion rate let alone make it illegal. Why? The cynic in me says they want the issue as a wedge in election years. If it was illegal, they'd lose the wedge. Then what? No, they don't want to make abortion illegal because if they did, they would do something about it.

West Beach

We didn't make the cut... but thanks to everyone who voted for Jamie. Next time!!!

Obama ads

This is the way that politics should be done...



Now I know the criticism is that this is all well and good but how? And that isn't a bad criticism. Still, just raising real issues and positive dreams is so much better than character attacks.

Help!

Dear readers, as you all know, I play guitar with Jamie Green, an amazing singer songwriter here in Santa Barbara. Well, the local independent paper, called amazingly enough, The Independent, is sponsoring a music festival on the beach in September with Ziggy Marly, Natasha Bedingfield, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. A local act will play the main stage.

The contest for the main stage begins with a popular vote. The artists who can generate the most votes TODAY get to play a preliminary show where the act for the main stage will be chosen. Will you all please go to this site, scroll down and choose Jamie Green and vote for us? You must vote for three artists. You can vote as many times as you like today to help us make the first cut. The artists are in alphabetical order so scroll down to Jamie's name and click her along with two others (maybe my friends Fingersmyth, Andrew Jackson, The Hoagland Conspiracy, or Rob Raede or anyone else at random), and then be sure to scroll to the bottom to click on the cast your vote link.
Thanks.

Gwendolyn

In the midst of all of the craziness around our wedding - joy and stress, hope and fear, promise and more promise, I am reminded that life is not always so joyful and the issues we are facing are a blessing in every way. The problems that the wedding has presented are such small blips in life. Other problems are not blips.

This is a bit of the story of Gwendolyn Strong. The Strongs are a young family who live in Santa Barbara about whom I have learned.



You can help make a difference, if not for Gwendolyn, then for other families facing the same grim news of a diagnosis of SMA. Sign the petition for congress to provide needed funding to find a cure for this disease.

To learn more about Gwendolyn, check out the family blog.

stressed

I haven't posted in a while... and there is a reason.

My daughter, Alexis, is getting married tomorrow. All I can say is that I'm beginning to understand why certain cultures avoid having female children. I love her to death and I am incredibly proud of her but I really wouldn't want to do this again financially, emotionally, or any other way.

I have got soooo much new material to blog about and once things quiet down I'll try... except two weeks after the wedding we're scheduled to close on our condo and then move.

And Alexis and Christian are planning to move to Phoenix although neither has a job there yet.

On top of all that, we're doing a small construction project at the church that has had one interruption after another and it needs to be finished by August 25 so we can open our nursery school in the fall.

If we had tried to plan a summer with more stress than this one, I don't know what we could have changed short of a serious illness or a death in the family. Pray that neither of those happens for us and we will have made it through all of the craziness.

real estate

If you regularly read my blog you know that we've been on the quest to purchase property somewhere in the Santa Barbara area. We are moving along in our journey and have a contract on a condominium in Buellton in a new development called Juliette Walk. We're excited about the possibilities and more than a little nervous about the size of the mortgage plus commuting costs. Closing is scheduled for August 22 - two weeks after the wedding. We were trying to make this summer as low stress as possible.

We've been more sensitive to the market since we began looking and have been very aware of the craziness of the entire issue of housing in California since we moved here. In Santa Barbara it is not at all unusual to find 15 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment. People rent out garages as living space. Renters often pay by the bed and that fee could be a mortgage payment in much of the country. We know of at least one family of 5 that is renting an open porch... and many people live in their cars. We have an incredible shortage of housing and the affordability index is probably the worst in the nation. At the same time, our county planners recently OK'd the construction of a 13,000 square foot home on the mountainside just west of Goleta.

Today's LA Times has an article that caught my eye. Candy Spelling - the widow of Aaron Spelling - purchased a new condo for $47 million which is a record for the US at $2,848 a square foot. The new condo is only 16,500 square feet (yes, that is the correct number of zeros) which is a huge drop from the 56,500 square foot home she currently lives in which is affectionately called - The Manor. Her lawyer observed that her current home is "awfully big for one person." Well, duh. I guess 16,500 square feet is more reasonable. It is unclear what the asking price for Manor will be when it goes up for sale. After all, it does include 11 bedrooms, 16 baths, a bowling alley, a gift wrapping room, and sits on 6 acres. It is the largest house in LA county. The condo will be ready to move in next year so Candy will have time to downsize.

In the meantime, there are three other houses in the LA area in the same ballpark price wise as Candy's new condo - a 10 bedroom, 12 bath, 18,000 square foot beachfront in Newport Beach for $38.5 million. An 8 bedroom, 11 bath, on 1.2 acres in Holmby Hills (the same neighborhood as Candy's current home) for $45 million. And a 3 story on 4.2 acres in Beverly hills with 9 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, pool, tennis court, etc... at $49 million.

They were all a little out of our price range plus the commute to work would have been too far.

I always wondered...

There seems to be an entire school of popular singers who so garble their words that nobody has any idea what they're really saying. Think of Bob Dylan. Remember that classic from the 60's "Louie, Louie."

Well, Joe Cocker was one of those singers. I could never figure out what he was saying although, I knew it was full of emotions. Someone was helpful enough to add captions to this video from Woodstock so we could understand what he was actually saying. And thanks Mike for finding it.

Isn't Youtube a wonderful thing?

hang

I was looking for some videos of an udu a Nigerian pottery drum on youtube and came across this video of a guy named Dante Bucci playing a hang... I did a little searching after that and found they are nearly impossible to find and when you find one, they are very expensive. If I come into money, I'll begin a serious search for one. There is a similar sounding but very differently designed instrument called a Hapi drum that might be an interesting substitute that is a lot easier to get and much less expensive. Anyway, here is the hang (pronounced hung)



I do have an udu - the drum that started the search - and it is a lot of fun. It is the drum I'm playing in the song on the player at the right called heartbeat.

here's a video of a guy from the Albany NY area named Brian Melick who is a wonderful percussionist who plays a lot of udu. He is playing 4 different sized udus at once. Normally, you'd only play 1.

More Hooters

I wonder how many people have googled "hooters" and found these blog entries?

Here they are again... this video is the original line-up of the Hooters from '82 before they incorporated the mandolins and were still pretty much a ska band. The tempo gets away from them a bit but what energy! You can see how much fun their shows were... everyone danced. The name "The Hooters" came from the use of the melodica, the little mouth blown keyboard that Rob Hyman is playing the solo on. Evidently that instrument was really popular in Jamaica back during the day.

The Hooters

I've been feeling nostalgic a bit these days and was going through videos of some of my old favorite bands from Philly on Youtube... The Hooters was our favorite band back from about 1980-84 or so. We were HUGE fans of the earliest incarnation of the band and still really liked them as they became more commercial. You may or may not remember them, but the main songwriters - Eric Bazilian (Cheryl had a crush on him back in the day) and Rob Hymen - wrote songs that you certainly do remember - True Colors and One of Us come immediately to mind.

Well, I ended up looking at some old Hooters videos, followed a link to Eric Bazilian's myspace page and discovered that they have toured some recently and even released a new CD in '07.

This is a video from that CD... I love it and will likely use the song at some time as "special music" in church.

Big Church #2

A few weeks ago I blogged about The Big Church in town. Well, it has pushed itself into my consciousness again. It seems they're starting a satalite church about 4 blocks from my church - Cambridge Drive Community Church.

I have to say that I have really mixed feelings.

I know all of the arguments that the only significant growth takes place in new churches... I have also seen the stats that show that the vast majority of folk who attend these mega-churches are just transfers from other churches. I know that folk who would be attracted there would never come to my congregation and that folk who attend my church are very unlikely to find that place attractive. At the same time, I do see them siphoning off our teens to be a part of their youth group - it is the biggest one around - and as often as not, their parents follow them even though they say they find the church and its theology distasteful. I also know there are lots and lots of people in Goleta who are unchurched and that one more congregation brings another opportunity for them to encounter the Living God. And you know my thoughts on the kind of experience they offer so I wonder whether in the end it really impedes an experience of the Holy rather than bringing people into the Kindom of God. And there is no question that I feel turf issues.

What do you think? Should I be upset? Worried? Concerned? Rejoicing?

redefining the American Dream

interesting question isn't it?

Iran

As I listen to the bluster and watch the posturing between Iran and Israel I can't help but think about the elementary school playground. Here are two guys with too much testosterone, each trying to mark out his territory. Both are threatening the other and both are reacting from fear. Either one could become the aggressor if the threat from the other seems imminent. After all, if you're really afraid of what the other can do, a preemptive strike makes sense (just ask W about that). So if you're afraid that Bully A might have a good right hook, sucker punch him before he has a chance and make sure that he can't get up. Of course, if he does get up, there might be serious consequences.

Israel practices air strikes, Iran shoots off missiles. Plans seem to be in place and everyone everywhere is talking about a war sometime around the US election with ether Israel of the US bombing Iran. All of the parties are afraid and fear blocks out rational thinking. The problem is that we aren't talking about children in the schoolyard. We're talking about nations. We have already seen the results of an ill-planned war in the middle east and the results would be disastrous if another is added to the mix. Just as with the current war, more aggression would just add to Iran's influence and power. Leaders who sing "bomb, bomb, Iran" only make things more unstable and more dangerous.

So what are the options. Someone needs to talk. Someone needs to tone down the rhetoric. Someone needs to bring reason to the table and diffuse the testosterone. The US needs to use all of its influence to calm Israel down. The world community needs to work together to stop Iran's nuclear program while at the same time giving them something so they don't feel as if they've "lost."

update on the Gap fire

The fire fighters have done an amazing job and have saved 100's of homes. Our house was within about 4 blocks of the mandatory evacuation area and the flames came within less than a mile of our house. scary.

at this point the fire has burned just under 10,000 acres but is controlled for the most part along the populated areas in Goleta. The smoke and ash comes and goes with the winds. We can't see active flames on the mountain any more but there are numerous plumes of smoke rising from the mountains.

The mandatory evacuation areas are much smaller and most of the folk who had to leave their homes have been allowed back. Life is feeling closer to normal.

here's a video news report from an LA television station about the evacuations. Don and Judy are members of our church as is Elaine who you see shaking hands with the governator. They were all back in their homes on Saturday.

The best coverage of the fire is being provided by the local alternative newspaper
The Independent. They have done an outstanding job, so if you are interested in learning more about the fire, follow the link.

Mind the Gap

When we visited England, if you rode the subway in London, you were familiar with the little saying "Mind the gap..." That has taken on new meaning with the Gap Fire which is burning within 2 or 3 miles of our house. 1700 homes have been evacuated, some within about 4 blocks of our house. It is frightening to watch as the fires burn down the mountain near us and very anxiety producing as we wonder what might happen next. Things seem relatively normal and then the power goes off or the winds shift and we just don't know what might happen. We're afraid to go anywhere for fear the winds would shift and we wouldn't be able to get home to get important papers, our cat, my guitars, photographs, computer backups, whatever. Even the normal activities of trying to write a sermon seem almost impossible. The frustrations and fears are almost paralyzing.

Some of our church members have been evacuated from their homes. Others have left to escape the terrible air quality and the frustration of not knowing what will happen next. I have no idea what to do with worship on Sunday.

If I think about things... many people around the world live with this kind of uncertainty and insecurity every day. I don't know how they do it. And on the other hand, I think of those who fight these fires and the stamina and commitment that requires.

Faith in Politics

If a political candidate is able to exclude his or her faith from their policy decisions, that faith is worthless. At the same time, it is a tightrope walk to keep one's faith at the forefront without imposing it upon others, especially when you are making policy. I hope Obama is able to do that. Time will tell.



FWIW, I don't know anything about The Matthew 25 Network beyond this.

Kenny Hill New World

Well... the Kenny Hill New World guitar is here. I love it. It has not been played a lot so it will open up considerably as it gets played but already the bass notes are rich and full and the trebles are sweet and warm.



It has a nice spruce top and Indian rosewood sides and back. The fingerboard is wider than a typical steel string but still more narrow than a classical plus it feels as if it has a slight radius - typical of steel strings and not found on classicals.

The next steps are to get a pickup for it so I can amplify it and use it to play out and to get the finish fixed. The previous owner had an unfortunate accident with the finish and a bit of it pulled off by the endgraft. I think the finish is French polish, an old method of applying shellac that is only used these days on high end classical guitars and in restoring antiques. The finish is extremely labor intensive and fragile but it sounds great on a guitar. The other upside is that it is relatively easy to repair. I'm waiting to hear back from the company before I move ahead with getting anything worked on.

In the meantime, I've started through a book on Brazilian guitar called Guitar Atlas: Brazil from Alfred Publishing. I'm learning all of these wonderful chord voicings that were previously completely outside of my guitar vocabulary. They sound great but boy is my hand getting tired. And the rhythms are a little different from anything I've done before too. Once I have a sense that I've got much of this under my belt, I'll try their book on African guitar and they even have a book of Japanese style guitar... I'm hoping it is reflective of koto playing. That would be fun too.

baseball

I'm not a big baseball fan but I do enjoy going to a few games a year and I certainly appreciate the athletics that you sometimes see at a good game. check this catch out.

Insurance

I find the discussions regarding health care fascinating. I don't know anyone who is happy with their insurance. Everyone I know thinks it costs too much, covers too little, and places too many constraints on their medical care. Add to that an associated press article shows that HMO's in California made over $4 billion in profits last year with many of the CEO's making more than $1 million in salaries.

Still, as soon as the discussion moves to universal health care, many of those same folk who were complaining about their own insurance begin a litany - "we have the best health care in the world," "can you imagine if the government ran health care?" "do you want a bureaucrat making decisions about your medical care?" "we need choice in our health care," "the free market will take care of any problems we have if we just allow it to work."

Of course the answers are simple - No we don't. They run the highway system would you rather that be privatized? how bout the military? (oops it is being privatized) Bureaucrats already make the decisions except instead of being public employees with the good of society as their aim, they are private employees whose only goal is profit Choice? I don't have any choice. My insurance company tells me what care I can have and who will provide it. Some things should not and cannot be governed by the free market and health care is one of them.

I have no illusions that either a single payer system or a government run system would be perfect. I also don't doubt that wealthy people leave Canada to have procedures done in the US and avoid waits. But I also have no doubts that either a single payer or government run health care system would be better and cheaper than what we have now.

FWIW, I'm feeling a little unhappy with my insurance these days. Three years ago,Alexis had major surgery on her jaw that was medically necessary. Our very expensive insurance didn't pay a penny. We were lucky to be in a position where we could pay for it with loans against my retirement account. Some 25 years ago, when I didn't have any insurance, I needed a root canal. We paid for that but couldn't swing a crown for the tooth. The dentists said it would be more fragile and would break someday. It broke last week - below the gum line. I went to the dentist who said they could do "crown lengthening" which my insurance covers, but there would be less than a 40% chance that the tooth would not fall out. The periodontist said the same thing. Plus it would involve cutting back my gums and removing some bone around that tooth and the two adjoining teeth...making them less stable as well. The dentist highly recommended a dental implant. Guess what. My insurance doesn't cover it. And it doesn't matter that two dentists agreed it was the best and cheapest effective care for my mouth.

At least I'm not like the woman in the video. Nobody dies from lack of a dental implant. Still, it doesn't need to be like it is - supporting obscene salaries and a profit motive where people's lives are in the balance.

Gig this weekend

This Sunday, June 22, 2:30-4:30 I have a gig at the Stearns Wharf Vintners Tasting Room on the wharf in Santa Barbara... and it's free!

I'll be playing with Jamie Green and Zak the Red on bass, plus Michele Moreno and Ali Handal (two wonderful singer/songwriters from LA) will be adding additional vocals. Stop by, watch the boats go by, enjoy a cool breeze off the ocean, drink some great wine, nibble on some cheese, and most of all, listen to some great music.

church

I have been a pastor since 1978 in three very different churches in radically different settings. I have a Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Drew University Theological School. I have done a reasonable job of keeping up with my continuing education and with reading. I know much of the latest church research and I know what the theorists say about churches and the people in churches. All that said... I don't understand why some churches grow and others do not.

This past Sunday, I took the Sunday off and we visited "The Big Church" in town. They have three services on Sunday for a total of 2 or 3 thousand people a week. When I ask the folk I meet whether they are part of a faith community, of those who say "yes," probably 50% say "The Big Church." So I thought there must be something great going on there. I went hoping to learn something about doing effective and engaging ministry in this community.

As I said, I don't understand. We arrived about 15 minutes early and easily found a parking space. We walked to the entrance... and didn't know where to go. There was no signage and nobody spoke a word to us. We followed some people and found the door to the worship space - a big old warehouse. It was dark with lots of pillars and the seating was benches like might be used as outdoor furniture with pads. Very uncomfortable. There was a loop of information, projected onto two places on the wall. From any place in the room, the image was partially blocked either by pillars or beams. On the platform, there was a piano, a drum set, a few microphones, a number of large potted plants, and a pulpit. The backdrop reflected the craftsman style architecture that is found in this area. There were no obviously Christian symbols anywhere.

An acoustic guitarist, pianist, bass player, and drummer came out. The guitarist talked for a while... kind of rambling... and they began a set of music. The first three songs were very difficult to sing (and I didn't know them). It seemed that a few people in the congregation (which was slowly growing) were singing along but most were not. Those who were seemed to be in their own little worlds. The sound was OK but nothing special. The musicians were adequate but only the bass player impressed me (he was GOOD). They then led a few songs that I knew and I sang along. Still, the majority of the congregation seemed to be unengaged. Even the musicians seemed to be doing their own thing...

One of the pastors came up and explained their new online giving opportunities, made announcements including two fundraisers being held to support church programs, and called for the offering. Two of the musicians did a song to canned background. By this time the space was pretty full.

Then the senior pastor came to the pulpit. His text was James 3:13-18. His sermon wasn't offensive, but it also didn't excite me, inspire me, or challenge me. It was merely there... and it seemed long. He was personable enough but there wasn't anything there. Then it ended, he called the prayer team forward, the band did another song and people began to leave.

As we drove home, Cheryl and I talked and neither of us could understand why anyone would go back. I never experienced a sense of corporateness about their worship. When people were worshiping, they seemed to be withdrawn into themselves. There was nothing outstanding and nothing that made the experience easily accessible. I have heard better music in many other churches in the area. I have heard better preaching just about everywhere. I have heard that they have great youth programs but there was nothing that indicated that from where we sat. There were very few children present - presumably they were someplace else, and very few teens - maybe they were someplace else too.

Again, I don't understand why anyone would go back a second Sunday. Some may appreciate the anonymity that it offered but that could easily be found elsewhere. The pieces are all done better elsewhere. The only piece that it seems to have that others don't is sheer size and the Walmart like "something for everyone" programing. Still, like Walmart, it struck me that nothing was quite what it could have been.

updates

it feels like I've been neglecting my blog recently... life has been crazy.

the deal on the condo in Buellton fell through so we're looking around to see what we might be able to find. We've looked at some places in Santa Barbara and Goleta and were very discouraged. Our price range really didn't purchase very much. Today we saw some units in Carpinteria (a little coastal town about 15 miles east of Santa Barbara) and saw some places that we really liked. They cost considerably more than in Buellton but the distance is much less and you're right on the ocean. The real down side is that the highway to Santa Barbara is often very congested in that direction and they are going to be working on it for about the next 5 years... making it worse.


Alexis received her masters degree from UCSB in Global and International Studies. Her interest has been the role of interfaith relationships in forming a civil society. Congratulations Alexis!

My GAS seems to have found a cure... I have agreed to purchase a Kenny Hill Crossover. Kenny Hill is a builder of high end classical guitars who also contracts with some small shops in Paracho, Mexico and in China to build guitars according to his designs. The crossover I'll be getting is from one of these small shops (I'm not sure where at this point). Most of the hybrid designs come from companies who specialize in steel strings and try their hand at a hybrid design so they can sell a nylon string to their loyal fans. For example, Taylor currently has a number of hybrid guitars and Martin has discontinued their design. The Hill company is coming from the other direction. They know how to build nylon string guitars and have designed one that is easier for steel string players to play. Theoretically, they do a better job of getting the guitar to sound like a real classical is supposed to sound. The word on the web is that the Hills do just that and sound amazing. It should arrive late next week. I'll write more about it then.

In the meantime, I've sold an amplifier and have an electric guitar for sale on e-bay and a violin on craigslist.

Saturday, my friend Jamie had a significant birthday and she had a great party... except I bit into a piece of a baguette smothered in a wonderful tapenade... and broke a tooth on a piece of olive pit. So, I'm off to see the dentist on Weds. It was still a great party with wonderful friends, great food, and fantastic music. Happy b'day Jamie!

some more wonderful guitar playing

I was looking on youtube for some more African music and some examples of different nylon string guitars and came across this

It isn't really African (he's from Canada), it isn't a nylon string guitar (but isn't the tone amazing?) but I found myself listening to it again and again. Boy, I love Lowden Guitars

The artist is Andy Sheppard

GAS again

Well... I've got Guitar Acquisition Syndrome again.

I love the sound of a nylon string guitar. I've always wanted to learn to play bossa nova and some of the African acoustic styles that work well with nylon strings... but I don't bond with traditional classical guitars. I've owned three or four through the years. I get one, play it for a while and it just doesn't work for me... I don't like the neck shape or nut width. And the guitars I've owned didn't have as much sustain as I prefer (perhaps a more expensive classical would have but these didn't). There is something about the sound though... some styles really require it and there is just something there...

These days, there are a number of companies that build a hybrid style guitar with nylon strings, bracing similar to a classical guitar, and a neck similar to a steel string guitar's neck. I think that should make the difference for me. So, I'm selling a few pieces of gear and beginning the search. Godin and Guild build guitars of this style that are in my price range.

In the meantime, here's a video of Sara Tavares playing a nylon string guitar. She does a wonderful mix of Brazilian, African, and Portuguese music. If you search my blog, there is another video of her doing a tune called Balance that I love.

Hillary?

Well, I read her speech from last night and it seems anything but a concession. I went to her website to leave a note telling her what I think she should do, only to discover that she already began the note for me - "I'm with you Hillary and I'm proud of everything we're fighting for."

I'm not so I didn't leave a note. She'll have to read it here. Hillary needs to concede immediately and spend every waking minute of every day telling her supporters that she lost the race fairly and squarely and that they ought to throw all of their support behind Obama. She should campaign for him in Appalachia. She should campaign among Latinos. She should visit every gathering of feminists and shout from the rooftop that this is not the time when we will have the opportunity to vote for a woman for president. That day is yet to come (and it will come). In the meantime, vote for Barack Obama.

There are those who argue that she should become VP. They argue that she deserves it and that if she is not on the ticket that a large percentage of her supporters will vote for McCain. They present Hillary and Obama as a dream ticket. I think this is a mistake for a lot of reasons.

1. Hillary has HUGE negative ratings. Yes, there are folk who love her but there are huge numbers who just plain hate her. It doesn't matter what she says or does, they just hate her. Having her on the ticket will energize those folk to get out to vote for McCain, a candidate that they're not excited about and who, without some other issue going on, may inspire them to stay home on election day.

2. She has alienated a lot of democrats during this campaign, especially in the African America community.

3. If Hillary concedes with grace and honesty, and then campaigns furiously for Obama, she can deliver many or most of her supporters to him.

4. Bill Clinton. Do we really think having him back at the white house is a good thing?

5. Don't we remember what the Republicans did while Bill was president? Don't we remember all of the ugliness and attacks. Don't we anticipate they'll pull out the same issues all over again?

6. There are positions where Hillary can make more of a difference than as VP. Put her on the cabinet, working on the health care mess. Let her run for governor of New York and let Obama help heal the wounds that she has inflicted in the black community by campaigning for her. Let her continue in the Senate where she could exercise significant leadership.

7. Having her on the ticket just feeds the frustration of her supporters and impede the healing that is needed in the party.

8. Most importantly, Obama has promised a different kind of politics. As far as I can see, he has exemplified this in his campaign. Hillary's campaign has been politics as usual. How can she possibly fit into his ticket?

So Hillary, do what you should have done as soon as the numbers became clear weeks ago - pull out and throw your support behind Obama. Stop the veiled threats. Stop calling into question the integrity of the process and its results. Stop playing games and move on. If you need to attack someone, go after McCain.

two of a kind

I love paradoxes. Indeed, I think paradox is at the core of any Christian theology worth doing.

As I look at John McCain, I feel a paradox. As the funny video below says, he really promises to be just like George Bush. That represents my greatest hope - because if people actually know and believe that he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of being elected and my greatest fear - because if people don't see that he could be elected and we'd have 4 more years of the same. I don't think the world can take that.

In the meantime, have a smile courtesy of MoveOn...

hmmm...

finally, a photo of the pot at the end of the rainbow has been traveling around the internet



doesn't that feel just like the way life goes sometimes?

Recount

I finally watched the HBO film, Recount this evening. It was painful to relive those days. As I watched, I kept wondering how those main characters feel now. Is James Baker proud that he engineered the election of W? Do the Florida officials feel that they were faithful to the law? Do the Supreme Court Justices still feel that they served the constitution? Does Al Gore still believe that he did the right thing by not continuing the fight? And I wonder how things would have been different? Would 9/11 still have happened? And if it had, how differently would Al Gore have reacted as president? Where would we be now?

Obviously, we cannot know how things would have been different. We do know how critical these kinds of decisions are not only for the United States but for the entire world. We do know that politics at the presidential level is not a game to be played and that ego, blind ambition, and partisanship are not worthy motivators when it comes to counting votes.

remix

There is sooooo much amazing music out there and soooo many talented people and soooo much of it is findable because of the web. It feels almost impossible to keep track of it all.

Real World Records has a really cool thing associated with one of their websites. You can download the raw files of a number of their recordings which can then be manipulated, mixed, and posted as "new" work on the website. A few years ago they had a competition to remix Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey." The last few days I've been listening to a number of the remixes again. Some are just amazing.

Here is a link to the original video of Peter Gabriel's recording of the song in case you need a reminder of what it sounds like (sorry youtube won't allow me to embed the video).

and here is one of my favorite remixes... "The Ballad of Enos" Remix by Loveshadow



Pretty amazing isn't it?

fledglings 2

The fledglings died. It struck me more than I expected.

The other morning I went out back and found them in the corner. One was dead and the other curled up next to it. I removed the dead body and put it in a hollow spot in the church park. A few hours later the second had died.

The parents continued to watch over their bodies fr the rest of the day and whenever anyone approached they would scold. Even now, a few days later, they still yell at me when I go out the back door.

bummer

I had a friend who did street ministry. Kevin heard every possible story from someone wanting help that you can imagine. His rule was simple - verify, verify, verify. If the story was true, then he helped.

Verify, verify, verify is a good rule for the Internet too. Whenever I get those chain e-mails, I always check them out and then send an e-mail to the sender telling them the truth.

Unfortunately, I haven't been quite as careful about youtube videos etc... evidently the Wii Wii post below was an April Fools joke. Still funny but not real... so if you were planning to purchase Super Pii Pii Brothers, you'll have to wait for someone else to release it.

Wii Wii

We have a saying in our house regarding boy's bathrooms - "boys are happy if they hit something." In large degree that is true for men as well, just check out any gas station's men's room and you'll see what I mean.

It took a Japanese company to look at the technology of the Wii and those facts... and come up with a game...



unbelievable

Fledglings

Crows amaze me. They build strong communities, care for one another, even look after one another's young, form monogamous pairs, and they are committed parents. We have a nest in one of the palm trees in our back yard and on Monday a fledgling fell from the nest. It wasn't injured and quickly made its way into the bougainvillea at the corner of our patio.

We talked to some wildlife people who told us this is a common occurrence at this time of their life cycle and that as long as the fledgling was not injured, the parents would feed it until it was large enough to fly. They also protect it. Walk out our back door and immediately they begin to scold you. Before we knew what would happen, I put on some leather gloves and picked the fledgling up. The entire murder gather in the trees around our back yard - at least 20 crows - all yelling at me to leave the young one alone. When I put him back in the bougainvillea, all left except the parents.

Tuesday morning when I went for my daily walk, the parents followed me, yelling all of the time, for three blocks and then returned to watch over the young crow.

This morning a second fledgling fell from the nest so now we have two young crows in our back yard. It is noisy, but fun to watch them and wait with their parents until they take to the sky.

McCain and Iraq

These words are from a foreign policy speech given by John McCain

By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced. Civil war has been prevented; militias disbanded; the Iraqi Security Force is professional and competent; al Qaeda in Iraq has been defeated; and the Government of Iraq is capable of imposing its authority in every province of Iraq and defending the integrity of its borders. The United States maintains a military presence there, but a much smaller one, and it does not play a direct combat role.

While some of the goals seem wonderful, others are either ridiculous or just wrong. Even if you agree with all of the goals, the rest of the speech gives no indication of any new initiatives to get there. Essentially, he wants to continue the Bush policies in Iraq but somehow will achieve these radically different. It reminds me of the old definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over again, hoping to get different results.

My only hope is that the American public doesn't elect this man... doing the same thing over yet again, hoping to get different results.

The ants suffer

There is an African aphorism... "when elephants fight, it is the ants who suffer."

All too often we have forgotten the ants in the mess we have caused in Iraq. The government uses words like "collateral damage" to describe the deaths of civilians and never even began counting them let alone stopped counting. We rarely see images or hear stories of the civilians, mostly too poor to escape, left behind. Of course, every dead child is the seeds of an entire family of terrorists yearning for revenge.

In an air attack on Sadr City, 2 year old Ali Hussein was injured as his house fell in on him. He died at the hospital.



The Washington Post published this photo and was castigated by some readers for showing an "anti-war" image and for publishing a photo in poor taste. As Helen Thomas reminded us in her column, "so is war."

obsessing

Guitar players can obsess over the smallest details. We worry about which strings will sound best. We are subject to arguments over which cable will transmit the sound best from the guitar to the amp and sometimes are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on each facet of the tone chain. We argue about what type of transistor sounds best in which position in an amplifier. Some of us seek out NOS tubes like junkies looking for a fix. Acoustic players argue over the sound characteristics of different woods and whether currently available Brazilian rosewood sounds as good as wood that was available years ago. One amazing guitarist, Eric Johnson, even claims to be able to hear the difference of different brands of 9 volt batteries in his effects boxes. (Listen to him play - I'm not going to argue!)

Some of us spend huge amounts of money and even more time researching these little details to get our tone just right. Of course, that is time that isn't spent practicing or making music.

DC Guitar Journal has a wonderful post about this with the photo below from the circuit board of a Blackstone Mosfet Overdrive (a great sounding overdrive pedal that I don't own). Jon Blackstone evidently got it right...



stop obsessing and play some music. got that right

housing

The southern part of Santa Barbara county is one of the least affordable places to purchase a home in the United States. The median income is around $69K while the median house price is now down to about $1.1 million. Do the math. The history of the community and the patterns of ownership are complicated but the future is clear. The middle class is rapidly disappearing. Both the private and the public sector have difficulty getting employees because folk cannot afford to live here.

Add to that the fact that Santa Barbara is relatively cut off in every direction. To the south is ocean. There is one road north that goes across the Santa Ynez Mountains. In the valley, there are a number of small towns but the commute across the pass is treacherous and it takes about 45 minutes to get to the closest towns. To the east, there is also one road - the 101. Housing is spotty heading along the coast to Ventura (about 25 miles from Santa Barbara) and traffic is horrendous - remember, one road and much of it is two lanes in either direction. Many workers in the SB area commute from Ventura, Oxnard (the next town to the southeast), and further along this highway. Take 101 west along the coast and then north and the nearest town is Buellton, about 30 miles away with Lompoc about 50 and Santa Maria about 60. Fewer people commute from this direction and there is virtually no development for 30 miles so traffic is very reasonable and prices are more affordable, getting cheaper the further away you travel from Santa Barbara.

Churches in Santa Barbara without parsonages have had a terrible time attracting pastors. Those with parsonages (like Cambridge Drive) can attract pastors but often they don't stay long term. The loss of potential to build equity and the increased taxes that come when one doesn't have a mortgage make their tenures short.

We have lived in a parsonage the last 5.5 years and it has been a good experience. The house is very nice. We enjoy our neighbors. The church folk have been wonderful. Still every year, we have bristled at the size of our taxes, especially as we have watched those dollars fund the war in Iraq. And every year we wonder how not owning property would effect our retirement years. We have looked at the rare "workforce" housing projects in Santa Barbara - projects with restrictions on price, appreciation, and income of the owners. We haven't qualified for any that have opened up while we have been here. Even if we had, there are lotteries for the limited spots.

Recently we learned of some new projects in Buellton and we placed an offer on a condo in a project called Vintage Walk. The prices are still ridiculous compared to much of the country, we'd be giving ourselves a 30 mile commute (+9 more for Cheryl), moving into a smaller space with fewer amenities, and we'd live in a different community than where I do my ministry. The up side is that we could begin to build some equity and if the urban plan for Buellton takes place, we'd be in the middle of a very quaint little walking village. We'd stay put a lot longer than otherwise. Plus... Buellton is in the wine country. Remember Sideways? The condo we've made an offer on is about 3 blocks or so from the motel they stayed in.

Just what we needed to add more stress to our lives and more expense at the same time we're planning a wedding for Alexis. Still it feels good and right. I just heard that our offer has been accepted. We just need to hear back from the mortgage people and forward we go!

Oh Tay!

One of my favorite blogs is Andrew Sullivan's The Daily Dish. Today he had this video up and it brought back such wonderful memories and made me laugh so here it is for my readers...

Singing part 2

Hey! I sang a bit this morning as I walked... but I did feel self-conscious.

see this post for more.

Seder

Last night the
Interfaith Initiative of Santa Barbara sponsored an interfaith Seder at the Congregation B'nai B'rith. It was a wonderful interfaith event with representatives from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha'i, Buddhist, and Hindu faiths participating. Readings from each tradition were part of the celebration.

It was a wonderful reflection of what we can become as we respect each other's religions and look to the truth that each tradition brings to our common table. The calls for liberation for all people were clear and meaningful. I know that "Jerusalem" was seen as a symbol for a place of peace and "Egypt" was symbolic of oppressors. At the same time, I kept thinking of the Muslim participants and wondering how they reacted to the multiple statements about Egypt and the calls - "next year in Jerusalem." I wondered whether they saw the choice of symbols as being a bit too close to home.

At that point, I was saddened as I was reminded how others of any variety of faiths use similar events to draw lines, excluding one another, or even worse, as calls to violence. Far too many religious festivals build walls rather than bridges.

I have cut down the blogs I read to a relatively short list, but one of my favorites is Rabbi Rami. He has a thoughtful and challenging post on the Passover on his blog that asks some very difficult questions. Head over there, read it, and struggle with the questions he adds to the traditional Seder questions. And let me know what you think.

sing a song

Have you ever thought about how much children sing. When they're playing, when they're concentrating, when they're doing nothing in particular, they often sing. Sometimes it is a song they know. Sometimes it is a song they make up as they go along, but they sing. A lot.

At some point in our culture, people stop singing. I rarely sing. Not in the car. Not in the shower. Not when I'm walking. Not when I'm working. Sometimes I find myself wanting to sing, especially when I'm walking as I often listen to my mp3 player while I walk, but I quickly catch myself and don't. And it isn't because I don't sing well. I was a voice major in college after all. I just don't sing. Adults don't sing much in our culture. And when they do it stands out. Have you ever stopped at alight and looked over at the car next to you, only to see a lone driver singing along to the radio? The first reaction is to laugh as if they are doing something that grown ups don't do. Or in your house, a family member is in the shower and over the sound of the water you hear a song... and you look at another family member and laugh as if it is something childish.

That isn't true everywhere. When we visited India, I noticed adults walking down the street singing. They didn't make up songs like children, but they still sang.

Yesterday, I was listening to NPR and heard a short report about the City of Dimen in China and the Dong people. Singing is central to the way the Dong people communicate. They sing to greet visitors. They sing to tell stories. They sing their history. They sing of the beauty of nature around them whether it is imitating the sounds of the cicadas in the trees or just admiring that beauty. The reporter, Amy Tan says, "There's a lot about being out in the field working and realizing that even though your life is very hard and you're working constantly and it never stops, no matter what the season or the weather, there is this beauty."

Here's a video with a recording of The Cicada Song



In singing, the people are reminded to see the beauty and they add to the beauty. Me? Sometimes I see the beauty. Sometimes I take it for granted. I rarely add to it. In that lack of action, I feel as if I've lost something wonderful. Today, I'm going to try to sing a bit. If you see me, promise not to laugh.

I've Been Tagged

the blogosphere is a funny place. I find amazing information and insights. I also waste time that could be used in constructive ways. Most of all, it widens my community. Sometimes that is through substantive dialogue but sometimes it is in smaller silly ways that I think are still important. Getting tagged is one of those. Bob Cornwall tagged me. I see it as an affirmation of our friendship. Thanks Bob.

The rules are:
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. Ten years ago I was doing . . .

I was living in Albany, NY and pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Emmanuel is a great church and that community was very important in my own formation. A fun piece that was going on 10 years ago was that I was doig a music project with my daughter Alexis. We quickly figured out that people were going to see her, not me, and we became Alexis d.

2. 5 Things on Today's To Do List

attend a luncheon with the Coastal Housing Coalition and meet the new director, Debbie Cox Bultan
finish planning worship for Sunday
rehearse with the church band
spend some quality time with my wife
practice some guitar

3. Things I'd do if I were a billionare

This is a difficult question as I think being wealthy is much more difficult and dangerous than being poor with middle class... in the middle. The first thing I'd do would be a bit selfish... I'd purchase a house here in Santa Barbara. The lion's share of the money would go into a foundation that if I was choosing today, would be used to help leverage change in Santa Barbara to relieve the housing crisis we have here. Other posibilities might be education, musical instruments for poor children... I'd give a significant amount to Juniata College. And to be really selfish, I'd probably pick up a few amazing guitars and amps.

4. 3 Bad Habits

too much time on the web
watch more tv than I should
don't always finish what I start

5. Five Places I've lived

Santa Barbara, CA
Albany, NY
Philadelphia
Three Springs, PA
Wilkinsburg, PA

6. Five Jobs I've had in life:

Pastor
guitar player
radio DJ
garbage collector
deli counter guy

7. Tagged Ones

Fernando Gros
Dave Miller
Jon Reid
Alexis d
Angela Spain<

The Samaritan Woman at the Well

hunger

Often actions have unintended consequences. The Iraq war has driven up oil prices which has pushed the desire for alternative fuels such as ethanol produced from grain. These two trends are major contributors to the rapid rise in food prices around the world as the cost for transporting the food skyrockets and competition for the grain increases as more of it is converted into ethanol rather than used for food. I've read and heard that the amount of grain needed to produce enough ethanol to fill the tank of one American SUV is equal to the amount of grain eaten by one of those poorest people in a year! Yes, it takes a year's food to fill a tank once. In many areas of the world the price of rice, wheat, and corn has doubled in the past few weeks. For me it is an inconvenience. For the poor of the world, many of whom live on a dollar a day, it is a crisis.

This summer the G8 meets and they must include the alleviation of hunger as a priority for the next year. By clicking here you can sign the following petition

President Bush,

The soaring cost of staple foods and the resulting hunger crisis has caused riots from Haiti to Bangladesh, threatens hundreds of thousands of people with starvation and could push one hundred million more people deeper into poverty. Please build on your recent commitment by taking immediate action to:

1) Prioritize issues of global poverty, including the world hunger crisis on the agenda of the G8 Summit this July in Japan.

2) At the summit, secure commitments for additional resources for all types of food assistance and increased agricultural productivity in developing countries.

And visit Bread for the World to learn more about the growing hunger crisis.

Obama quote

We've heard and read lots regarding the comments that Obama made that have been characterized as elitist by Hillary Clinton and others. It is important to read them in context. Make of them what you will but at least consider them in a larger context.

So, it depends on where you are, but I think it's fair to say that the places where we are going to have to do the most work are the places where people feel most cynical about government. The people are mis-appre...I think they're misunderstanding why the demographics in our, in this contest have broken out as they are. Because everybody just ascribes it to 'white working-class don't wanna work -- don't wanna vote for the black guy.' That's...there were intimations of that in an article in the Sunday New York Times today - kind of implies that it's sort of a race thing.

Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama (laughter), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).

But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What's the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- close tax loopholes, roll back, you know, the tax cuts for the top 1 percent. Obama's gonna give tax breaks to middle-class folks and we're gonna provide health care for every American. So we'll go down a series of talking points.

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing.

angry renters

I have to say that I am ambivalent about the housing crisis. I certainly don' want to see folk losing their homes. I know that there were some predatory lending practices going on. I know that the tanking of the economy just made the entire mess worse. And I know that the ripples from the housing crisis effect all of the economy.

Still, nobody forced people to purchase homes that they couldn't afford. People need to be responsible for their decisions... as do financial institutions. Both bet that the market would climb forever and it didn't.

Below is a short video from a group called angry renters that makes a strong argument. I know it is over-simplified and I see many/all of the complexities of the issue. What do you think? Where does responsibility lie and what can/should be done?

tax day

I have to tell you that tax day is not a happy day for us. As a pastor, we pay quarterly paymets so even with the best of planning, we still have to pay a chunk of money. If something didn't work correctly through the year, we pay a chunk for two years. All of that is depressing but there is more. There is a piece of the tax code that I try to ignore for most of the year but when we finally do our income taxes, I am faced with it.

We owned a home in Albany. It was one of the least expensive places to purchase a home and in the 14 years we were there, we saw almost no appreciation in the value. Still, it was a great house and there are other benefits to owning as we later came to appreciate. In California, we live in a parsonage. Owning a home was out of the realm of possibility here because property values are completely out of whack. What we hadn't really figured out though, was that the difference of not having the mortgage payment would cause our taxes to just about double.

Purchase a house and you get to deduct your interest (which just happens to be the biggest part of your house payment for most of the life of the mortgage) and your property taxes and because that pushes you well past the standard deduction, you get to deduct all of your charitable giving too. It ends up essentially being a government subsidy as you hopefully build equity while you are receiving a huge tax break. And the bigger your payment, the bigger the deduction! Rent... and you get none of that. No tax break. No equity. Nada.

So who lives in rental housing? Folk who can't afford to purchase property. So once again the haves get the breaks and the have nots get... fill in the blank.

And I know that was part of the driving force behind many poor folk getting in over their heads in the housing market... they thought that finally they could get their leg up. That just adds to the ambivalence I mentioned in the earlier posting.

Girl Fight

Over the last few days there has been a lot of discussion regarding a group of teenage girls who posted a video on YouTube of the beating of another girl. "Should the parents be held responsible?" "What is happening in our society that kids think this is an appropriate way to solve differences?" "Where they just trying to be 'famous' for their 15 minutes?" "What do we need to do as a society to address this behavior?"

It seems clear to me that the answer begins at the top. We have a president whose first answer to any problem is violence. When he felt that Iraq was a threat or not responding appropriately to international demands, a preemptive strike and a prolonged military occupation was the solution. When he talks about Iran, threats of attack are the norm. When the situation between the Israelis and Palestinians is raised, diplomacy is ruled out with important groups virtually insuring that the violence will continue.

And it doesn't stop with the current president. When John McCain speaks about the situation in Iraq/Iran, he shows a profound misunderstanding of the differences or relationships between the various factions and seems to have little interest in learning those differences. Instead, his default position is to joke, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" and to assure us that "we will have more wars."

When the default answer for the leaders of our country is to resort to violence, how can we expect anything different from our children? Wouldn't it be wonderful if the default reaction was to have a diplomatic surge rather than a military one? Wouldn't it be wonderful if the first reaction to an enemy was to work to make friends or at least to find areas of common interest rather than saber rattling? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could point to our leaders and say to our children, "look how they solve conflict and follow in their example"?