Ministry and Meteorology? » Opinion

Tired of the Hot Air again

jeff — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:35:43 +0000

I’m getting tired of the distractions and feel that I need to vent, because the gate keepers of the media, both left and right insist on talking about things of no consequence. What am I talking about? I try to remain balanced in the things that I read so that I can see issues from both sides. I don’t care whether it is left or right that has proposed it. I care if it would work and be beneficial. As I wrote in an earlier post, I have drifted to become libertarian in thinking.

The problem that I have with the politics currently in play is the ad hominen attacks not just from the right, but the left. I think that it was a little funny that there were teleprompters in a classroom for the President, but do we have to constantly hear about it? And now the left, as if to get even, says did you see Sarah Palin with her crib notes in her hand? Oooo, burn. I have stopped watching news tv, because they are all running on entertainment. Looking for the ratings. I don’t want reporters editorializing as they report. I want them to ask hard questions. I unsubscribed from Blogging for Michigan because they continued to play blame the other side politics and use sexual terms for people they disagree with.

I don’t need celebrities telling me what to think, or worse, telling me that I’m unintelligent. There is dangerous divide of us versus them happening in our society. It doesn’t matter who started it, but it must end. Compromising in Congress shouldn’t be about who can take money back to their district, but truly finding the middle ground and work out the best deal to both sides.

I know some people that have attended some of the tea party protests. They aren’t, “intellectually malnourished,” and don’t necessarily subscribe to the right wing fringe that gets quoted in the papers and on MSNBC by Mr. Olbermann. I found the Tea Party Convention unimportant and slightly offensive so I didn’t watch it. The tea party movement looks more like a movement of folks at the local level. I’ll be watching what my local reps do so that I can see if I want them out or in.

Besides as a Christian (a Christ follower), I want to walk in love and help those that need help and healing, like Jesus did. From that, we might actually solve problems.

My thoughts on Climategate

jeff — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:18:21 +0000

I was going to write something longer, but the video from Canadian Broadcasting Company sums up my ideas. My position has always been that the science, based on model predictions is not complete and that the physics incorporated in the models while always getting better will not emulate the world perfectly. There has been some evidence of some warming, but I have always had my doubts about the man-made parts. Not that we don’t contribute, but I don’t think to the extent that they have been alarming. I also think that don’t practice good stewardship, and when God said to subdue the land, He didn’t mean rape it, which we have, but that’s another post.

Fair Use What Does It Entail?

jeff — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:15:02 +0000

Earlier tonight, my wife began posting some videos of our daughter in a school play. In fact, I wanted to create a post of the play list to show here as well. However, someone from the school saw them and asked her if she would take them down so the school doesn’t get into trouble with the Rogers and Hammerstein Organization who licenses the performances. My wife had gone to bed, and since they were on her Facebook account, I couldn’t take them down. However, I thought this would fall under fair use for what we had done? Don’t get me wrong, the school is afraid of being sued and I don’t want to impinge on somebody’s copyright, but can’t I take the excerpts of my daughter and put them somewhere so that my parents can see them (In fact, all I shot were the scenes that she was in, and pretty much only her.)?

I did some digging and Center for Social Media has put together a Code of Best Practices for fair use. The one I think that fits this situation is this:

4.Reproducing, reposting or quoting in order to memorialize, preserve, or rescue an experience, an event, or a cultural phenomenon

Isn’t that what any parent would be doing if their child were in a play and you are just trying to get their scenes? Is this appropriate for fair use? I need some help with this. Anyone have an answer?

As a Christian, I Dread This Time of Year

jeff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:01:09 +0000

Okay, maybe dread is a little strong, but the way we celebrate Christmas in the U. S. to me is just wrong. What I mean is this, the church fights about the wrong stuff with this “War on Christmas,” stuff, instead of the problem that is more insidious. Consumerism.

Henry Neufeld, a United Methodist blogger, makes the point that I have been feeling for a long time.

While we’re worried about losing the external trappings of Christmas, such as public trees and manger displays, the real war on Christmas is practically won already. Christmas has almost nothing at all to do with Jesus. This has been my opinion for many years. Christmas as celebrated in America, even in most of our churches, is about us and our economic prosperity, not about Jesus and his good news.

This is something that needs to be taken out of the church. It is hard to extract, but I think that if we extract this consumeristic view of Christmas, we may just get a revival in this land. I think that some of this is happening. It will be a slow process.

Read his whole post.

The Real War on Christmas « Threads from Henry’s Web.

Tired of the Hot Air

jeff — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:18:22 +0000

Recently, I have been reading things about the politics of the country, and I have to say that it has been going in a depressing direction. I’m not talking about politically, but the fact that there is little civility in the process. As a kid, there was Watergate and then the country floundered for years. When I was in high school, Ronald Reagan became President and by a such a resounding margin that it looked like the Democrats wouldn’t recover. However, after Pres. George 41, we elected Bill Clinton, twice. Those 12 years, I felt that there we gradually walked away from the discussion and drifted toward the dissonance of hot air on both sides of the spectrum.

So where do I lie on the spectrum? In the middle. I have voted for Republicans and Democrats. I have described myself as a little right of center, but when I take quizzes I’m left of center.

I recently listened to a pastor talking about the fact that Christians should do things to bring healing, but the political scene had devolved into each side making a caricature of the other and shredding the caricature. I’m tired of it.

I read a blog about state politics from from the Democratic side of the aisle and about 1/4 of it is good, with 3/4 hot air. Notice, I didn’t mention Republican blog, they were all hot air. That’s why Michigan is in the mess it is in, hot air from both sides. We are floundering.

So I’m tired of Glenn Beck, Bill O’reilly, and Rush Limbaugh. I’m tired of Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, and the Daily Kos. While they all may have good or interesting points from time to time, or they may catch the others in inaccuracies, they all yell and create hot air on both sides of the spectrum. An astronomer that I watched during a Q&A for a book that he wrote mentioned that if we could get rid of the hot air on both sides, maybe we could have a conversation.

I get tired of Jimmy Carter insulting me by calling me racist if I disagree with a policy, or others from the left calling me a teabagger (a sexual insult) if I go to a protest. I get tired of the Republicans using me because they think my protest against the current ones in power will help them.

I read today,

“We’re being out-Alinskyed by the anti-Alinskys”- Ben Jealous, NAACP president, on the ACORN story and other conservative Internet exposes.

I had to look that up what was being Alinskyed? I found this link on the rules for radicals. Read the link to understand it fully, but suffice it to say that this dude came up with ways to confront the powers that be. I’m not sure, but I almost feel like we in the middle need to rise up and confront the fringes. If you have something constructive to say, say it, and be part of the conversation, if you have hot air, prepare to be confronted.

The American Democratic Debate Process

jeff — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:58:25 +0000

I often feel that the extreme right and extreme left pull us into this kind of discourse. Not because they have any new ideas, but they just can’t bring themselves to agree at all with the other side.

Wobbling Earth Triggers Climate Change: Discovery Channel

jeff — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:13:08 +0000

Usually, when I read something about climate change from Discovery Channel, it usually goes out and talks about man-made global warming. Sorry, but with my background in atmospheric science, there are too many things that the climate models lack to attribute things all to man’s disregard to taking care of the planet. However, this article surprised me. A good read for most laypeople.

Wobbling Earth Triggers Climate Change: Discovery Channel.