A Political Moment with Lil Wayne and John Hagee

From the June 2008 issue of Blender Magazine, an interview with Lil Wayne:

BLENDER: Who do you want to take the White House?

LIL WAYNE: Barack, I guess, but I can't made a real opinion. I ain't watching no debates. I just want my people to understand that Hillary and Barack are not running for president--they running to be able to run for president. There's a Republican party, too--we ain't about to win fool! A woman or a black man versus and old white dude? F**k no! They gonna be like, This black **s n***a trying to come in my Oval Office? F*****k no. The world about to end in 2012 anyway. 'Cause the Mayans made calendars, and they stop at 2012. I got encyclopedias on the bus. The world is gonna end as we know it. you can see it already. A planet doesn't exist: There's no more Pluto. Planes flying into buildings--and not just the Twin Towers, but dudes who play baseball are flying planes into buildings. Mosquitoes bite you and you die. And a black man and a woman are running for president!

Wow. Awesome. Articulate.

Zionist/Dispensational mega-church pastor John Hagee has been in the news recently too as he has been forced to apologize for anti Catholic remarks. In a recent rebuttal to public criticism, Hagee states:

“In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholics and Protestant relations with the Jews,” Hagee wrote. “In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not.” -The Kansas City Star

Nice save. As McCain's primary endorsement from the Religious Right, is it possible that Hagee realizes his weighty words could turn Catholic voters away from pro-war McCain? Or is he sincere?

Or, is Hagee's endorsement more of an eschatological tactic and less of a patriotic commitment? Says Hagee:

"If we can get 50 million evangelicals in America to join hands with five million of the Jewish people in the United States of America, it will be a marriage made in heaven." -VOA

A match made in heaven indeed, when Hagee's outlook on things apocalyptic requires Israel's possession of the entire biblical land of Palestine in order for the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ to take place, as he feels is according scriptural prophecy. McCain's involvement in the Middle East and helpful hand to Israel just might speed things along in Hagee's mind.

Two men, both comical at times, both with strong convictions that the end is near, both with strong political affiliations (however polarized they might be), both utter words that influence many, and both in one blog post, perhaps for the very first time).

Car Wreck Ghost

More often than not, the consonant consumer faces an unfortunate dilemma as they approach the vast expanse of oratory media. The polarization between music that titillates the ear but is lyrically shallow and melodies that ought not to have ever existed yet satisfies the mind is farther than the east is from the west. However, my eighteen year old brother in law has bridged the chasm.

It would be well worth any curious connoisseur's time to swing by his MySpace site and check out his creation, Car Wreck Ghost. There are two versions, both are fantastic. I am partial to the acoustic, but only slightly. It has it all...harmonies, hooks, and intelligence.

The Housing Bill...House Endorsed, Ivan Execrated

There are actually two bills floating around the bureaucratic epicenter of the United States. One of the measures is a $300 billion doozy aimed at the extrication of the housing slump (rescue those facing foreclosure), the other is a $15 billion beautification measure; property owners can apply for grants/loans to fix up unsightly properties. While both bills found favor in the House, a Bush veto looms.

I know the market is less than favorable right now--I myself have an under priced house on the market that has generated little interest as there are fewer shoppers than a few years ago. The liberal lending bonanza is over. No more sub prime, zero down, instant credit, variable rate frivolity.

But these bills are bogus.

What is the role of government? Is it to offer handouts to those who could not manage the first handout? If someone is unable to manage their resources to the point of forfeiting their home, how will they mange a few billion shekels they did not work for in the first place?

I am not completely unsympathetic. I bought my first home zero down. But I bought a house within my means. I did not take a loan that I could no longer afford if I suddenly had to start paying twice as much for groceries and gasoline. I bought a house that was a bargain...an ugly bargain...but I still own it.

"The Maker," by Daniel Lanois

The pantheistic/animistic statement, "everything is sacred" bugs a lot of people, namely monotheists, but in a sense, I kind of get it...in the sense that John Calvin stated, "all truth is God's truth."

People may not know, but I am a huge music buff. I don't tout it much so as to not come off as pseduo-hipster. While historically some songs were definitely considered more spiritual and others more fun, in my opinion the delineation between secular and sacred tunes is a more modern fundamentalist invention. Thus you won't find me boycotting either. I can chill out to Jonathan Foreman or Sigur Ros.

However, in the same sense that I get a shudder of excitement from observing a display of cultivated morality in an obscure and primitive culture, like the Mek Tribe, a morality that wholly mirrors a tenet of Christianity, the feeling is same when I see the same thing occur in the lyrical content of a "secular" artist who bridges the polarized chasm between Christian and non-Christian music.

One such artist is Daniel Lanois; legendary producer, songwriter, musician. While many of Lanois' compositions reverberate with biblical imagery and phraseology, none is more apparently spiritual than his masterpiece, "The Maker." Take some time to watch this video from 1989 that not only transcends ages with its timeless sound, but inspires and soothes--and this from outside of "sacred."

Adderall--A Glimpse Into My Personality

Those who know me well know that I am quite disorganized, and that my short attention span impels me to relinquish incomplete projects I am embroiled in for new, fresh projects.

When I was in college, while I did hold down a full time job, the expense of tuition forced me to search for money in odd places. So I surrendered my body to medical science, voluntarily allowing physicians to test new forms of medicine in my system. I got so lucky as to be chosen for a study of a new generic form of Adderall for side effects. Besides a little cotton mouth and an overall fuzzy euphoric sensation, I remember cruising through a nearly 500 page compilation of the works of the Apostolic Fathers (not an "easy" read) in about five hours, which led me to believe I may be slight ADD, and that Adderall is cool.

All that to say; I will be coming back to these posts for follow-up soon:

The Confines of Government and Christian Civic Responsibility
Thoughts on Baptism

My Wife, the Nurse

I hate being sick...I feel so useless and ugly, and I cannot do the things I normally enjoy and cherish...especially on the weekend. This weekend I have been plagued by the flu. Aches, fever, fluid in lungs, etc. But God gave me a beautiful wife who possesses double the commiseration I lack, and has waited on me, more or less, hand and foot, making this experience far less uncomfortable than it could have been.

While I think it is more natural for a woman to be endowed with the gift of empathy, I believe Sandra is far more endowed than the rest. Thank you San!

(Stop by her blog if you have a chance)

Human Animal Hybrids--The Human Fertalisation and Embryology Bill

The Human Fertalisation and Embryology Bill has caused more than a stir in the UK, and I understand why. The US has not been exempt from stem cell issues. In fact, George W. Bush vetoed the House/Senate passed embryonic stem cell bill. Bush was in favor of stem cell research so long as the research did not utilize fertilized human eggs.

But the Human Fertalisation and Embryology Bill that has bounced around Parliament (and I believe was approved last September) has the controversial edge, hands down. Under the bill, Scientists are authorized to create human/animal hybrids. Simply put, the process involves taking an animal egg, removing nearly all the genetic material, and replacing it with DNA from a human cell. The new embryo, referred to as admixed, is reportedly 99% human. The embryo is grown in the lab for a few days and then harvested for stem cells.

Apparently it is more advantageous to use these hybrid cells due to the shortage of human eggs, and the results are better. The harvested stem cells are used in research to cure various diseases.

As was stated, the embryos are harvested for stem cells and then destroyed. But one cannot help but wonder what monstrosity might be birthed should the embryo be allowed to develop to term, and as curious a race as the human race is, it would not surprise me if a morbidly curious scientist were to allow such development.

Below is Cardinal O'Briens response. How do you respond?

A Friar's Journey

I read a lot of blogs, and once in a while, one impacts me to the point of posting it's link here. As I read through "Monastic Mumblings"--a blog that chronicles a man's spiritual journey, with the Brotherhood of St. Gregory as his final destination. His writing exudes true compassion, gentleness, humility, intellectual insight, and today, grief as he mourns on the anniversary of the passing of his wife. Read his blog. Say a prayer for him.

Along the lines of those who commit themselves to service and piety as members of a religious order, check out another personal favorite of mine; Nun Blog.