I'm Not Holding My Breath

Turns out my BFF Rush Limbaugh was taken to the hospital due to a suspected heart attack.

I don't wish the man ill, of course - such feelings would say more about me than about him, and that's not the kind of person I want to be.


But I can't help hoping that this end-of-year event might be indicative of what the upcoming decade might hold. The old, fundamentalist whackadoo's are on their way out, replaced by a more moderate viewpoint, capable of compromise and bipartisanship, capable of choosing the best course for all of us, not just for their party, or their cronies, or their special interest contributers.

I hope, I hope, I hope.

But I'm not holding my breath.

I <3 Jimmy Carter, Part II

It's no secret that I love Jimmy Carter, for a variety of reasons. I consider him to be one of the most moral and upstanding statesmen of his generation. I believe his example is one that gives me something to aspire to, and that he stands as a stunning role model for those people of faith who also value critical thinking skills and the pursuit of secular truth.

I've been making my way through his books, and while his sojourn into fiction was singularly unimpressive, I'm enjoying his nonfiction. I'm currently listening to Our Endangered Values, and in spite of our diametrically opposed religious viewpoints, I'm having more and more "what he said!" moments. Here is a man who has lived his whole life as a person of deep faith, and yet his viewpoints are ones that I can find common ground with. Part of that has to do with the fact that he's an unapologetic liberal, of course, but he also stands as an example of how devout Christians can act in the public sphere with compassion and a capacity for compromise.

For example, here is a quote from this book where President Carter discusses the label "fundamentalist," and how it pertains to a society's ability to come to terms with all its members:

For generations, leaders within my own church and denomination had described themselves as “fundamentalists,” claiming that they were clinging to the fundamental elements of our Baptist beliefs and resisting the pressures and influence of the modern world. This inclination to “cling to unchanging principles” is an understandable and benign aspect of religion, and a general attitude that I have shared during most of my life. I soon learned that there was a more intense form of fundamentalism, with some prevailing characteristics:

• Almost invariably, fundamentalist movements are led by authoritarian males who consider themselves to be superior to others and, within religious groups, have an overwhelming commitment to subjugate women and to dominate their fellow believers.
• Although fundamentalists usually believe that the past is better than the present, they retain certain self-beneficial aspects of both their historic religious beliefs and the modern world.
• Fundamentalists draw clear distinctions between themselves, as true believers, and others, convinced that they are right and that anyone who contradicts them is ignorant and possibly evil.
• Fundamentalists are militant in fighting against any challenge to their beliefs. They are often angry and sometimes resort to verbal or even physical abuse against those who interfere with the implementation of their agenda.
• Fundamentalists tend to make their self-definition increasingly narrow and restricted, to isolate themselves, to demagogue emotional issues, and to view change, cooperation, negotiation, and other efforts to resolve differences as signs of weakness.

To summarize, there are three words that characterize this brand of fundamentalism: rigidity, domination, and exclusion.

I was walking the Boogie-Dog as I listened to this passage, and it's a good thing I was the only one on the path. I was waving my arms like a loon, saying, "Yes, yes! Exactly! That's exactly right!" He applies this definition to both religious and political fundamentalists, and points out how very unproductive such a mindset is. It's difficult to achieve any kind of political compromise or work with others of differing viewpoints towards a common goal if you're too busy engaging in smug assholery to listen for areas of commonality.

He goes on to point out the inherent hypocrisies in some of the fundamentalist positions, including the dichotomy between someone who claims to be 'pro-life' but simultaneously supports the death penalty; the subjugation of women by religious hierarchy; and the infiltration of the religious right into politics.

All of these positions are things I've ranted about before, but since I'm a dirty, dirty heathen (and a liberal!), my opinion doesn't really mean much in the eyes of the devout. But Jimmy Carter? The most devout president in recent memory?* He's got some credibility, and the fact that he has the intellectual honesty to call out his own coreligionists makes me admire him even more.

I don't agree with every position taken by former President Carter. Such adulation leaves no room for meaningful dialogue, and would probably make him stunningly uncomfortable. It really is too bad he was such a poor president, because he is an incredibly effective human being.


*Yes, including W. Comparing the thoughtful, analytic, studious faith of Jimmy Carter to the blind devotion of W is like comparing my science background (i.e., fan-girl) to that of a scientist with an advanced degree - i.e., just plain silly.

Motivating Scintillating Content

I realize the content around here hasn't been too scintillating of late. For those of you who follow HCDSM and expect some daily entertainment, I'll just apologize now for my suckage, and admit that I'm not entirely sure how much longer it's going to last.

It's a direct result of apathy, which is a direct result of situational depression. I can't go into details surrounding why I'm currently depressed, as I don't think it's appropriate to put other people's business out on the Internet without their permission. However, if you guessed "the holidays" coupled with "family drama" you win the prize. The prize, of course, being that you get to listen to me bitch, cry and whine in private venues. Aren't you lucky.

In any event, I'm hoping that the New Year will give me some motivation to seek out topics that will result in new, scintillating content. In the meanwhile, I'll ask your indulgence while I try and reach an emotional equilibrium that does not involve sticking my head in an oven in the hopes that the Hindus are correct and I'll get a "do over."

On a related note, I'd like to point out that the Smart Man has been very patient with my general moping around and poor company. He's a keeper that way. But we knew that.

Here's hoping for a better 2010.

Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind

Via my celebrity boyfriend The Bad Astronomer, I have discovered a YouTube channel that makes my heart sing and fills me with NERD LOVE.* It's the YouTube channel of the Nobel Prize, and it's simply filled with sciencey goodness as ordinary folks ask burning questions of Nobel Laureates, who then answer in a way a layperson can understand. HOW COOL IS THIS?

As an example, here is Nobel Laureate John Mather, astronomer and the principle investigator of the soon-to-be too cool for school James Webb Space Telescope. The question he fields relates to whether or not the LHC will actually suck the world into a vortex of black holes. Long time readers of this space will know why I chose this example, and why it fills me with glee to use it. Please note that Dr. Mather is an actual scientist with an actual Ph.D in an actual scientific discipline.



::swoon::



*I also heard today on The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe that my propensity towards Nerd Love may actually have an evolutionary motivation. Because the success of our society is so wrapped up in STEM, choosing mates based on their Nerd Cred has now become a "survival of the fittest" issue. Sweet.

Avatar

The Smart Man and I went to see Avatar yesterday with the Incomparable Anne™, her folks, and her brother and lovely sister-in-law.

It was AWESOME. AWESOME. And did I mention it was AWESOME?

Okay, enough gushing. There are reviews all over the Internet, so I'm not going to pick the movie apart or go on and on and on about the technology that made the Na'vi so incredibly realistic (and it did), but I am going to nitpick on a couple of interrelated things.

Over at Stonekettle Station, my friend Jim Wright was complaining about how James Cameron always seems to make the military the bad guy in his movies, and how he found that pretty offensive, since he's a career military man. I find such typecasting offensive myownself, for what should be obvious reasons. But in this case, I think Jim missed the mark just a bit. The offensive Colonel and his ilk in this film aren't military, at least not in the way that Jim and I are. They're mercenaries, and that's a whole different kettle of fish. Real military men and women, the ones that I'm proud to call my shipmates and brothers and sisters-in-arms, would not consider signing up with a mercenary outfit, and especially wouldn't sign up as a mercenary for a corporation. Because the real villain wasn't the mercenaries. It was the corporation who thought it just fine and dandy to demonize and destroy the natives in order to line their pockets. Sort of like our recent economic crisis, come to think about it.

The other, related, nit is that I really want to know who writes the dialogue for the professional soldiers in Cameron's films. The Smart Man says it's written the way it is because Cameron simply doesn't understand that the military is a profession, not some crazed testosterone fest, and I tend to agree. The Colonel's "safety brief" at the beginning of the movie could just as easily been given by Gunny Highway as by the futuristic Colonel, and made me roll my eyes more than a little. The fighting men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces are highly trained and highly professional, and while esprit de corps requires a certain amount of rhetoric, Cameron takes it so far over the top that it made me throw up in my mouth a little. Next time, James, find yourself a military adviser to help with the cultural aspects of military life. I know a retired Chief Warrant Officer who might want the job...

Miscellany

Well, Christmas Day is over, although it doesn't really feel like it. We haven't opened our presents yet, since our new tradition is that we do so after our annual New Year's Biscuits and Gravy breakfast and present-palooza. So I have another week before I get to the LOOT. Since I already got my big gift from the Smart Man, it's not that big of a deal.

I actually went to Weight Watchers this morning, and discovered that yes, I had in fact gained some weight over the last week. SHOCKING (not). I've been eating foods that aren't really conducive to weight loss, so I'll just count my lucky stars that I only gained back what I had lost the previous week. I'm back to counting points today, and hope to end the year with achieving my short term goal of 35 pounds lost in 2009, thus leaving me 30 pounds as my goal for 2010. At least I actually got up and went to the meeting. Given today's weather, I would have preferred to just stay home.

I've started knitting for the 2010 Excelsior House donation (see how I'm not waiting until the last minute this time?). So far I have one hat and half a scarf. Woohoo.

In other news, my Hot Sister, who you might remember is a techno-phobe, has recently joined the 21st century and started using text messaging on her cell phone. Of course I've been teasing her about it. Her response? "Humph." Then she yelled at the neighborhood kids to get off her lawn.

Today me, the Smart Man, the Incomparable Anne™, and possibly her folks are going to see Avatar. Most of the things I've heard about this movie have been positive, so we're looking forward to it. Then it's home for some yummy, yummy Chicken and Dumplings.

Have a good Saturday!

Boogie Blogging Friday, Christmas Edition

A big, big Christmas bone for a big, big dog.