Finally some sense… but don’t expect much more
The Supreme handed down a decision recently in the case of several white New Haven (Conn) 
firefighters who were denied promotions based on test results. Why, you ask? Because those same test results did not “make” room for promoting minorities, mainly blacks and hispanics. Because there were insufficient passing scores from the minority participants the city scrapped the test and refused to validate its results. Consequently several qualified white candidates were denied promotion.
The Supreme Court saw this for what it is: discrimination. As an aside let me say that some would call this “reverse discrimination.” That is an innacurate phrase. There is no reverse discrimination. Discrimination is making a choice or pre-judging based on an aspect of the individual that is beyond their control, or a part of their being rather than a choice they have made. To make a choice based on the fact that someone is white is every bit as much discrimination as making choice based on the fact that they’re black.
The truly substantial part of this decision is that it strikes down a decision from a lower court panel whose membership included my friend and yours, Sonia Sotomayor. Yes, that same Ms. Sotomayor who begins confirmation hearings next month to take a seat on the Supreme Court. I think Ms. Sotomayor’s racist agenda is becoming (and will become ever moreso) quite obvious. There is a difference between representation and “evening the odds.” Ms. Sotomayor is another in a long line of saviors who will unfairly and unjustly adjudicate in the hopes of undoing all the wrongs perpetrated on her people by the evil white man. That makes her no better than the ilk she hopes to vanquish, and it (once again) shows us exactly where Barack Obama hopes to take this nation.
Sound Bytes
Overheard while surfing TV…
Sarah Palin, in commenting on David Letterman dissing her teenage already-had-a-kid kid: “It’s no wonder these girls have low self-esteem…”
Really? So it’s Dave’s fault? That’s odd since young Ms. Palin already got knocked up before she ever landed on Letterman’s radar. I suspect if Ms. Palin suffers from low self-esteem it’s probably more related to having an absentee parent who’s more interested in her political career than she is in raising a teenager. Of course I could be wrong.
And Oprah… Oprah, Oprah, Oprah, in answering to criticism about her opinions: “I know my own truth…”
My own truth? That’s unreal! I have my own truth too! Of course, mine comes from God’s word and tells me that we aren’t really allowed to have our own truth. Turns out He’s not a big fan of situational ethics and variable truth. Being infallible and all He thinks - or at least this is what the Bible says - that we’d all be better off sticking with His truth. Go figure.
Sometimes this place really scares me.
Greed
Here I sit, in the Columbus airport, waiting for my daughter who is (naturally) late picking me up. I’m using their FREE internet. This is the third airport I’ve been in today, and the only one that has offered free internet access.
I could’ve gotten access in Memphis for only $2.99 for a 2-hour pass, but - daggone it - I’m not going to pay for it. It used to be free all over the place. Did it suddenly get more expensive? No, the infrastructure was already in place. It’s just like the ATM fees. When we first started using them they were free. Why did they suddenly have to start charging for “foreign” fees? How ridiculous! If there were charges they should’ve been levied up front when the networks were new and hadn’t paid for themselves.
GREED
On the other hand, I do get to eat at one of my favorite places - White Castle - and my daughter’s buying as penance for being late. So I guess everything will be alright.
Hypocritical Tolerance
Carrie Prejean got fired. You should remember her. She was Ms. California, one of the last two for the title of Ms. America, and had the misfortune of drawing a question from Perez Hilton on gay marriage. She answered from her heart - marriage is between a man and a woman - and the rest is history. Yes, the pageant says she was fired for breach of contract, but the truth is Ms. Prejean was fired for having an opinion.
Those in favor of gay marriage consider themselves tolerant. They are enlightened. They believe choice should rest solely as the right of the individual. Unless, of course, your choice is to have an opinion that runs contrary to their lifestyle. Ms. Prejean was nothing more than another barbie in a ridiculous circus that objectifies women and sets our young girls up for depression and failure. She isn’t a legislator. She holds very little in the way of influence in our society. Even if she had won nothing would have changed. (Seriously, can you think of one contribution a reigning Ms. America has made to our society? And no, naked pictures of Vanessa Williams don’t count.) But still she wasn’t allowed - by the tolerant - to have an opinion. That opinion itself may have been hypocritical considering some of the things Ms. Prejean has done in the past, but it is still her opinion.
So, is that really tolerance? I’m supposed to open-minded and let you do whatever you want, no matter how detestable or un-scriptural it might be to me, but Ms. Prejean cannot have an opinion and express it when asked. I’ve found the “tolerant” to be some of the most intolerant people around. That sounds more like hypocrisy than tolerance. Hypocrisy from the liberal faction? Wow, what a surprise.
And now something pleasant
This is from “One Take.” It’s a one take recording of one of my favorite hymns, “Wonderful Words of Life.” Enjoy.
Swing Vote
So, I finally got around to watching “Swing Vote” the other night. I’m not a big Costner fan. He’s basically the exact same dude in every film and he’s been proving that since his landmark “Robin of Des Moine” peformance in Robin Hood a few years ago. Surely you remember that one, when everyone in the film had the appropriate accent except him. Kind of like Cruse in Valkyrie. I guess when you’re that good your acting transcends accuracy.
Anyway, the first thing I said as I was watching this with Donna was, “I’m turning it off if they portray the Democrat as a cool, in-touch hipster and the Republican as an ogre.” That’s generally what happens in films portraying the politial process. There is a definite media bias and anyone who thinks otherwise is either blind or an idiot.
I was pleasantly surprised. The film was even-handed and portrayed what most of us have known for a long time: Either side of the aisle will do, say or promise anything to get the vote. And likewise there are still a few folks left in either party that have some modicum of decency and conscience. The only difference I saw in the entire film was the campaign managers. The Repubs had Stanley Tucci who just looks evil (although he’s had some very funny roles in the past) while the Dems had Nathan Lane who’s basically a big gay teddy bear. Nonetheless Lane was every bit as ruthless and dishonest in the film as Tucci.
This is a decent film, funny, and an good commentary on just how sad the American political process really is.
A Wise Latina?
The president’s supreme court nominee - Sonia Sotomayor - said in 2001 that a “wise Latina” would make better decisions than a white male. How many white men would even have the opportunity for confirmation with a similar but racially reversed statement on their record? 
When will we ever learn that people should be judged on the content of their character and not the color of their skin? It shouldn’t matter one whit whether Sotomayor is the first Hispanic on the court or not. Is she the best person for the job? That’s the only question that matters.
And of course our friend Barack Obama weighed in with all the clarity and integrity I would expect from him. He said he was sure Sotomayor would have “restated” her remarks given an opportunity. Well of course she would. Anyone who said something that ridiculous would love the opportunity to restate it. But, does that mean she would feel any differently? It’s the difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught. And like so many others on both sides of the aisle, Ms. Sotomayor would probably say anything that moved her up the proverbial ladder.
Shocked
I just checked my Yahoo mail, and on the way in (on the main page) was this headline:
Adam Lambert: “I’m gay.”
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been so shocked at a headline since
Tiger Woods: “I’m good at golf.”
Just when I think I can’t be surprised any more…
An Extreme World
I live in a world of extremes. For some reason - possibly a mini-stroke or just old age - I’ve had an immensely difficult time hitting a softball lately. Yea, that’s right, a softball. I’ve played softball for 35 years and never had a hard time hitting, but this year I suck. That makes me extremely frustrated. Then I leave the game and my sweetheart - Donna - tells me how much she loves me and cuddles up next to me on the couch, and suddenly I’m extremely content.
Truthfully, that’s a pretty inconsequential chain of events, especially the part about the softball. But let me tell you about another set of extremes.
I worked this year at Spirit West Coast in Del Mar, CA. I loved it. It was hard work (backstage production) but I had a great time and met some great people. I was standing backstage during one of the morning worship times while Todd Agnew was leading. I looked out on the crowd and saw every type of person imaginable: young, old, black, brown, white, skinny, fat, tattooed, tall, short… everyone with their hands raised and singing at the top of their lungs. As I looked at that I thought, “you know, this world is going to be OK.” We hear every day how this place is going to hell in a handbasket but when I see such a diverse group all doing the same thing for the same reason I know that we’re going to make it.
Then there’s the other extreme.
My sweetie watching "Bachelorette"
My girlfriend enjoys watching “The Bachelorette.” I’m not condemning her for that. After all, I watch WWE! But the show itself disturbs me at a level I cannot explain. Honestly, I think there is more redeeming social value in “Faces of Death” parts 1 through ad nauseum then there is in this program. Every week we get to hear how someone really thinks they could spend the rest of their life with someone else who they’ve known for 3 weeks and get to spend about 15 minutes a week with. And if that skewed sense of relationship isn’t bad enough, they get to act it all out on national television. Nothing I have ever encountered trivializes love like this program and its ilk. All the “Do-It-Yourself” shows like “This Old House” and so on spawned from our inability to perform the simple tasks illustrated on those very shows. The Food Network is so popular because we simply don’t have enough time to cook any more. So, we live vicariously through these talking heads who tell us how to do something we should’ve learned from our mothers. Apparently the same is true with love. As a nation we have no idea how to love. We don’t know what love is. (Cue Foreigner) And rather than invest the time to find out, we live vicariously through this train wreck of a program which should be impossible to hear due to the spinning of all our parents and grandparents in their graves.
Do you want to learn something? Turn the TV off and get your hands dirty. And don’t think for a second that I’m anti-TV. I watch more than I should. But it’s entertainment, not a lifeline.
Hello everyone
Posted by dmizesr in Miscellany on June 9th, 2009
I’ll try to do more later, but I just wanted to say “Hi.” Nice, huh? Dear Lord I look stupid…