On the Road to Sanctification

"The culture that said there was no need to balance individual rights and community needs." 

--Roger Cohen, International Herald Tribune, 11.9.2008

In 2004 as a college freshman, at the time studying theology & ethics, I felt called to spend time abroad. It didn't how that would manifest or why I needed to, but I knew I did.

Four years on I am still sifting through the time I spent in France. Time spent with other college students from around the world, and time spent with many North African immigrants to the North East of France. 

During the study time in Strasbourg I read a small book, "Minister Cross Culturally: An Incarnational model for Personal Relationships", that has shaped my view of the world in profound ways since. 

Lingenfelter and Mayers explore the nature of humanity; our differences based on culture and our similarities based in Christ.  Time, Judgment, Handling Crises, Goals, Individual Worth, & Vulnerability shape how we view and are viewed cross culturally. 

Cohen's line struck a cord with me. American individualism is second only to American exceptionalism in defining our world view. Neither seem overtly Biblical to me. 

I read another book that summer, "How Now Shall We Live?" the Colson classic. His thesis served to fill the gap in theory and practice Lingenfelt and Mayers raised. 

According to Colson, and I think he has it right, you have two options when viewing God. He is either a.) Actively redeeming his creation or b.) He is the watch maker God who is hands off through history. 

The preponderance of evidence and the conviction of the spirit lead me to the first conclusion. That God is actively redeeming all of his creation, through his people. Sin will continue to corrupt and pollute, but the battle is won. 

The point?

Though our cultures are different, still equally flawed, in Christ not only are we one, we are  on the road of sanctification.

An Obama Victory

I think the resounding election results bring multiple trends into perspective. From my studies as a college student in the political science department to my own reading, events such as last Tuesday only happen once every couple of decades, if not a century.

Three major trends converged on one night to redirect the course of the country and the nature of the political discourse. 

1. Most obviously, the Presidential election served as a referendum on the past eight years of Republican leadership. As profound as the Obama movement was, voters clearly sent two messages; first was dissatisfaction, second was satisfaction.

2. The imagery of the newly crowned African-America first family was as powerful as it gets in this country. Set aside Jesse Jackson's self centered antics, the emotional response from all Americans was palpable. As if in one cathartic night we've put history in the past. Not to say future struggles are vanquished, but rather to say, this is a dynamic place and if you work hard enough and are blessed with the providence of timing all things are possible. 

3. The desire for center-left policies is large and growing. We are by nature a 51-49% country and that will not change, but the composition of that simple majority is changing. Free and unregulated markets scare people, private enterprise can't provide for the needs of all citizens,  people still look towards government for leadership and inspiration, and we no longer want to go it alone abroad.

Over the next days I would like to get into each of the trends more in depth, but for the time being, suffice it to say Tuesday November 4, 2008 was a defining moment in American history.

Barack Obama For President

I am no longer an undecided  voter. Barack Obama not only deserves to be our next president, he gives America the best chance for success in the future. 

Obama ran a supreme campaign. He managed a 500 person, mutli-thousand volunteer, $650 million dollar organization for two years. Over that period of extreme pressure, expectations and consequences the Obama organization was nearly flawless. 

Not only did the Obama organization shatter fund raising records, it redefined what a top-notch campaign looks like. If Obama can be such a capable leader of our federal government we are in good hands indeed.

Moreover, Obama was able to clearly build on his compelling biography with a singular and consistent narrative; people are more similar than they are different, and a president should unite all people not divide Americans into warring factions.

He outlined why he wanted to be president, and why he should be president. He then persevered through the longest primary contest on record, one in which all 50 states cast important votes. He was therefore vetted by the American voters through that process and was found to be the best democratic candidate.

In the general campaign he filled in the super structure of his primary policy proposals and promises. 

His foreign policy; a plan to draw down forces in Iraq, transfer forces to Afghanistan, reinforce diplomacy with rogue nations and develop a long term energy policy positions America for long term success abroad. This mix of orthodox liberal policies and new pragmatic alternatives is, in my view, the best combination as we try to recover from the Bush years.

Domestically, Obama has the most realistic view of the challenges facing America over the next decade. Americans spend the most money on health care per capita in the world, yet do not have the healthiest population by any measure. Our system needs fundamental reform. 

Health care is a human right, until we adopt policies that provide health care for all people we are failing as country. Obama acknowledges this as an expression of the Biblical teachings of Christ, "That what we do to the least of these, is what we do to Him".

In addition, the culture of debt that has taken over both individuals and government will plague us  for years to come. Barack Obama proposes to raise taxes in a few different ways, this reflects the need to shrink the national debt. Moreover, he has proposed direct revenue streams or cost savings options to pay for new government programs. This pay-as-you-go model is the only way forward.

Environmental and energy policy may become the most important issues facing America over the next 10 years. Obama has proposed a cap-and-trade carbon emissions system. This system would generate billions in government revenue that could not only pay down debt, but it can also be used to invest in new infrastructure projects, clean energy subsidies, public-private partnerships and other job creating projects. 

Such a system would not only define an Obama presidency domestically, it would position America to move away from Middle Eastern oil which would have direct ramifications on national security issues.

Lastly, Obama has run a democratic campaign to be the next president of the United States without turning to traditional hot-bottom issues as abortion, affirmative action, or religion to polarize the electorate into two distinct factions. 

Instead as he said in 2004 at John Kerry's convention he would seek to build "Not a red America or a blue America, but a United States of America". 

To this end Obama has campaigned in and is leading in many traditional red states. This has not only redefined electoral math, it has been done by design so that a president Obama can claim a mandate from all Americans, not just a coalition of liberal states plus strategic swing state voters.

For these and other reasons I will vote for Barack Obama.

today's Friedman

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/opinion/22friedman.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Obama plays fantasy football!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3653401&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

okay, i'm pretty sure i'm off the fence. how can you not vote for a guy who knows his NFL and who will give Rick Riley the run around? seriously i love this guy

should we talk to Iran?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/22/opinion/edcohen.php

Read the authors bio when you get a chance, WOW.

how to end the iraq war?

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/10/how-to-finish-t.html

I've heard Michael O'Halon speak many times, I regard him as one of the smartest defense analyst in the world. Moreover, he works with scholars across the spectrum, so in my view his perspective is very resonable and based on his research not his politics.

Joe the stinking Plumber

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/10/27/081027taco_talk_coll

Steve Coll is so smart it's stupid. You may disagree with his politics, but this guy has some serious game.

how will Obama govern?

Many conservatives fear, even dread the possibility of a Democratic administration and a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate. "Obama will run wild with Reid and Pelosi pushing him" is the common refrain on the Wall Street Journal editorial page. The National Review speculates daily about the far-left taking over America and turning us into some cream-puff socalists (Need we remind them the Bush administration has presided over the largest expansion of government since FDR and the largest market intrevention since the Great Depression?) and The Weekly Standard is convinced we migh as well move to Sweeden.

John Mecham, author of, "American Gospel" wrote in the latest NEWSWEEK the following, http://www.newsweek.com/id/164656 

He argues, "If you compare the Democratic Party to European Labor, in lots of ways [the Democrats] look quite conservative," says Wooldridge. Will a Democratic administration, he asks, "ban handguns? No. Will it throw its weight behind legalizing gay marriage in every state? No. So even if you have, as we will, a Democratic Washington, America will remain a fundamentally conservative country."

Despite all the hysteria, America will not cease to exsist as we know it come an Obama presidency

why i don't believe in american exceptionalism

observing the presidential election has lead me to conclude the battle of ideas boils down to one particular concept. the idea of 'American exceptionalism'. it is an idea that holds America as set apart from the world, a city on a hill, an example for other nations to ascribe to. that somehow, the DNA of our citizens is fundamentally different, and better than that of other people. American exceptionalism has been redefined as patriotism, that to truly support America, to love this country you have to think it is the best place on earth, with the prettiest women, toughest boys and smartest nerds of any nation in the history of mankind.

this exceptionalist view defines how McCain view American and the rest of the world. it is how he and many others (regardless of political party) interpret events and make decisions about the future. this view is not hidden, in fact it is explicitly advocated and that anything less in unpatriotic.  McCain and others argue for American intervention on behalf our better-ness, they argue for our leadership on behalf of our moral standing and they argue for our supremacy on behalf of our set-apart nature.

this is a view of America and the world that i think wrong. America and Americans are simply people, who because of benefits non can claim individual credit for have befallen us opportunity and choice. have America and Americans made better of our opportunity and choice than other nations and peoples? one could make that case. but that does not separate us from the world as in anyway better.

this is the Obama view of America and Americans. that we are in a position to influence the world not because were are fundamentally different but rather because we are fundamentally the same. that our ability to empathize with all people gives us enormous ability to shape the present and the future. moreover, that the world faces challenges that cannot be tackled by a single nation and a single people. but instead we face challenges that call all of humanity to bind to what brings us together rather than the divisions that separate us.

this is a view of America and Americans i think is right. moreover, i think this a profoundly Christ-like view of the world. 

i do not think i as an American am in any way, shape or form different than a french man, an Arab man or a Chinese man. are our cultures different? will we have different values based on where and how were raised? will we view the world differently? yes. and this is where the exceptionalism theory would say, "and our way is right, or better or best".  to that i say no. we are all fallen people, running faulted nations apart of sinful peoples. there is no way to differentiate between the righteousness of Americans versus the sinfulness of another people.

it is important to these two candidates in this frame work. it truly defines how they (and we) see the world. how we craft policies and how we respond to crisis events. if you think Americans are fundamentally better than everyone else McCain is you man. if you think Americans are the same as everyone else Obama is yours.

will climate change cause wars?

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,579265,00.html

the unintended conseqeunces of climate change

(Rob, the headline was meant to get your goat...calm down)

It is not going to be a moderate regime.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122420205889842989.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

the need for environmentalism

http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200810/politics-drilling-us-west-1.html

this isn't as technical as it could be, but is was written for Outside Magazine. but this is a good look at some of the environmental issues facing our region under the next president, who ever he is.

stewardship of our resources will be a major issue in the next 8 years, conservatives (hard core types) will still argue global climate change is a natural occurrence or at least we can't prove human causality plus God gave us dominion of the earth, so let's use it. not only is that idea short sighted, it totally misrepresents why God gave us dominion over the earth. not mention its just throws out good science (science is the problem, remember?). 

when it comes to environment, science and religion i won't throw around the word fact, but i will say, that the consensus of world experts strongly suggests humans have impacted climate change significantly since the industrial revolution (Dickens was on to something). not mention our consumption is at a minimum wasteful and therefore arguably sinful, and by no responsible definition does it represent biblical stewardship.

under the Bush administration public land has been under assault. it doesn't help when oil company execs are shaping our environmental policy (not to say oil execs are trolls, but to say conservation and preservation are counter to their vested interests). the value of clean, clear open space has been devalued as a matter of ideology by conservatives. preserving forests, mountains, plains, wetlands, marshlands, breeding grounds, migration by-ways, have become an unimportant part of living on earth. not that they are liberal causes, they just don't matter.

that is sinful.

longer term stewardship, let alone coherent policy has simply been off the radar, it has been an alien concept since 1994. not to mention the groups that do advocate for environmental  issues have simply become havens for the far left to stash their most militant foot soldiers. 

the Sierra Club was founded by John Muir, the greatest environmentalism and outdoorsmen that this country has known (he was foreign so, he can't the greatest we've had). he would be disgraced by the current composition of the environmental movement in America. but that does not absolve conservatives of responsibility for presiding over a government for 32 of the last 40 years in which the environment and science have been pushed out of sight and out of mind.

are carbons caps, subsides for clean energy and MPG standards really the evils we should be fighting at this point? the other side of these issues escape me. sure there is bad environmental legislation on the books. there is bad legislation of all types on the books. we've had a terrible farm  bill for decades yet it's the bain of no politician, don't fall into the trap that says. "we've been burned by wacko environmentalists before" so anything pro environment is bad.

there are many sensible measure that can and should be in place to preserve and conserve. first, public land should be a tightly held commodity.  second, preserving National Parks, National Forests, State Park and State Forests is as important as any other domestic issue, if not more important. third, conserving our resources through clean energy, responsible drilling and mining, public awareness and sound policy is not optional, it is imperative. and lastly, these are the exact issues in which government should take an active role. while public/private partnerships are ideal, where none can be developed government has the resources and responsibility to take an active role in preserving our environment and conserving our natural resources.

views from the left

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/socialist_charges_from_bailout.html

Gene Robinson speaks for me.

back in the saddle

first. sorry for taking the day off yesterday. while it was a crazy day in the markets (up 960 points on the Dow), i didn't have much to say that hasn't been said. 

second. i need to give some props to Dr. Evil, he's been predicting an Obama administration would run wildly out of control with Pelosi and Reid at his tail. 

David Brooks, 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/opinion/14brooks.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin, 

makes the same case in his column today. not that this means it will happen. but i always feel vindicated when my views are shared by other smart people.

well done rob.

one cold weekend

  Thursday night 8:30 pm I got the invite to hit the high Sierra for the weekend, Courtright reservoir. Weather reports predicted temps in the teens and snow flurries; up to 3 inches. Who listens to weathermen? 

After a noon time field trip to purchase some Patagonia Capeline 3 long underwear (Which would save my life), a crazy drive through experience at In-and-Out burger, and going back for some forgotten essentials the crew (Dubbed the bad news bears of climbers) hit the road.

Just passed Shaver we decided it was time to gear up, the snow was falling, some of it was sticking, and jeans and cotton T's just weren't getting it done. In true Christmas Story fashion we layer up for the final push.

Passing random campers and mossy oak clad rednecks we made our way past the camp grounds at Courtright, instead opting for the top of the first dome east of the dam. A quarter mile scramble by headlamp in what felt like single digits landed us on frozen tundra, exposed to winterly winds. 

After discovering the zippers on our three season tent (Which had a fly) worked about as well as the bailout package, Messrs. Brown and Barrows trekked there and back again with a four season tent held in reserve (No fly). 

Standing idly my bones were cold. 

As fast as the tent went up, it came back down. It seems in the cold and dark we managed to misassemble this "Bomb proof" shelter. On take three Larry, Curly Mo and Shemp figured it out. 

3 in and one to go, we were out of room in our cozy nylon shield. Last man in, first man out. Mr. Barrows at this point decides to take his down bag and every piece of clothing he owns into the wild. 

A cold night night inside the tent must have been ridiculous outside of it. Winds hit mid 20 mph and the mercury was shorter than a Brittany Spears marriage. 

Saturday we climbed.

    

those hack jobs did it again...

http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2008/10/mccain_to_rally_be_respectful.html

those videos were so fake that McCain felt the need to respond to them...

Russian Airplane

http://by115w.bay115.mail.live.com/mail/InboxLight.aspx?n=1673880777

If you think the economy and national defense are not related, look at this video. The Ruskies have a plane in the air that is way more bad ass than anything we have ON THE DRAWING BOARD. I don't know about you guys, but for me this is a serious paradigm shift. Is it possible that we are already slipping behind?

do we need bigger banks?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122360636585322023.html

this a short history (as called by the author) of banking in America. I am sure there are other prespectives. this one however is compelling. it would actually lend itself to the current politics of the economy quiet well. should the republicans adopt this philosophy i think they would do very well, not only in this election cycle but long term.

Brooks on the bankruptcy of republican ideas

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/opinion/10brooks.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

David Brooks in his column today walks through the bankruptcy of republicanism since Ronald Regan. Not that I would ever claim to be ahead of Brooks, but I said this yesterday in my thoughts on the debate. That probably tells you two things 1) I can blog and work at the same time and 2) I read too much. 

panic at the disco?

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/stevecoll/?xrail

Steve Coll is really smart. probably the smartest voice of the left. i read everything he writes, though some times it takes me a while. anyways, here's to good reading.

where does your candidate stand on the enviroment?

http://www.grist.org/candidate_chart_08.html

check it out.

the worst of America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjxzmaXAg9E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us

these videos were posted on a Economist magazine blog. They put recent comments at McCain/Palin rallies into a new context. people really are nasty creatures, wholly sinful, capable of nothing good apart from the saving grace of Christ. the scariest part, there are a lot of "christians" in those crowds.

McCain may have just lost my vote...

below is a press release from the McCain campaign, it shows how desperate he is. moreover, for the guy who was supposed to be of firm moral character this is like a schoolyard yelling match. read it out loud, it sounds pretty pathetic. 

"Barack Obama has voted in favor of for higher taxes 94 times and is promising over $900 billion in new government spending, but apparently he won't spend a dime to help hardworking Americans stay in their homes. In addition to explaining his friendship with unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers, Barack Obama should tell voters why he supports the $700 billion legislative rescue plan but now opposes using that money to help homeowners get the relief they need and strengthen our economy.

"John McCain's homeownership resurgence plan represents absolutely no new expense to the taxpayer, but simply refocuses priorities to more directly assist the homeowners who are hurting instead of greed on Wall Street.

"This is just the latest example of Barack Obama putting politics above the national interest, and his utter inability to be straight with the American people. The only thing the American people can trust about Barack Obama is that he's too big a risk in a time of crisis." ---Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008

5 thoughts on the election and the economy

watching the debate this week i was struck by a few things:

1.) the credit crisis has turned into an economic crisis. no longer are the problems relegated to the credit markets. because credit is frozen at a bank-to-bank level the impacts on private borrowers, small businesses and home owners are becoming more than we can handle. consumers can't make big purchases or little one's without fear, employers can't make payroll (because they can't borrow the money they need to pay people) and it's now to a point where California and Massachusetts can't sell bonds because no one can borrow money to buy them. so California is asking the federal government for $8 billion to fill the gap.

2.) the American economic crisis is a global economic crisis. when America sneezes the world still gets sick. put otherwise, decoupling does not exists. markets are more integrated, not less. the entire country of Iceland is capsizing into the Arctic because of their exposure to bad debt. Euro banks are acting in the interest of their home country and not Europe as whole, creating tension in the Zone as they call it.

3.) neither presidential candidates knows anything about these problems or how to fix them. neither does anyone else, despite Treasuries best efforts there is no confidence in the markets, assets and capital remain frozen and it's just getting worse. McCain makes rash judgements and exaggerated motions to act like he's in front of the curve. Obama is slow, methodical and seems at times too cerebral to actually do anything. who we need right now is Mayor Bloomberg.

4.) republicanism is bankrupt of good ideas. McCain said out of one side of his mouth that government action in the housing market, Fannie and Freddy, caused this problem, so, his solution? Have the government take over all the bad mortgages and work them out with home owners? Isn't that Fanny and Freddy on steroids? So much for the CRA being the problem...this more than anything is why Democrats will expand their grip on Washington, republicanism is dead and dumb and everyone who can breathe knows it. and that was supposed to be McCains game-changer!

5.) Obama oozes presidential while McCain is just oozing. Obama is calm, cool, stylish, basically everything McCain isn't. watching the debate put this on center stage for the world to see. i can't imagine after watching that anyone can really say McCain presents more presidential than Obama. it's like putting War Admiral next to a mule.

close call

This is a cabin in Curry Village, Yosemite Valley. I stayed in a canvas tent yards away from this three nights ago. Our Half-Dome summit attempt was thwarted by rain. (On the upside there were no fat tourists making me feel like a yuppie for doing the hike).

another perspective

http://www.edminsters.com/news/2008/10/08/spam-and-evil/

A friend of mine, Matt Edminster, is a pastor in Estonia. Originally from Butte, Montana, Matt is a climber and outdoors men. Like other climbers Matt has a penchant for writing. He's really good. Educated at Regent College in Vancouver B.C. he has the horse-power of a theologian and the perspective of an American living abroad. I read everything he writes and I would encourage you to do the same. His insights and analysis read like sermons you wish your pastor gave...

Cheers.

debate #2

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2008/10/round_two_begin/

Steve Celmons of the Washington Note, a highly respected blog in D.C gives a line by line break down of last nights debate. 

Which by the way has me heading back towards Obama.

WSJ smacks republicanism

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122342526024513543.html

Ouch!

i'm not sure if i can do it

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

Friedman highlights some of my main concerns about voting for the McCain, Palin ticket. They focus around Palin in this article, but I think they transcend her. McCain, even in last nights debate, endorses Republican policies that have been proven short-sighted at best, and is some cases just plain wrong. 

His support of the Bush budget proposals, his opposition to his own anti-torture legislation, I mean the guy has cast some pretty damning votes. Plus the cases he sites when he talks about how "mavericky" he his are all terrible bills, McCain-Fiengold is possibly the worst legislation in modern politics!

I am really starting to look into Bob Barr (http://www.bobbarr2008.com/) and Ralph Nader (http://www.votenader.org/) ...

who is in control?

http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/sermons/2.1.04.htm

Rob and I had a conversation about letting God be in control of all things; parenting, career choices, you name it. 

What it came down to was this, who are we reliant on for sufficiency? Are we, as Mark Roberts explains in the sermon link above, 1st century stoics? Or are we reliant on Christ? Only in the former will we find contentment.

calling dr. evil...

"Meanwhile, conservatives have found themselves casting wildly about for solutions that fit their preconceived notions. Having searched frantically for a big government villain behind the free-market meltdown, the finger of blame settled upon the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, which requires banks to lend to low-income neighborhoods. (In fact, as economist Janet Yellen has pointed out, banks that are subject to the CRA made subprime loans at a dramatically lower rate than independent mortgage companies, which are not covered by the CRA.)"

--The New Republic

trending towards mccain

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-chemerinsky7-2008oct07,0,6051351.story

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/catholics_abortion_again.html

these two articles push me towards voting for McCain. the first is about the importance of Supreme Court nominations. i am more comfortable with conservative justices, simply because the nature of their task. to change the law in the face of historical precedent and public opinion should be hard, not impossible, but really hard. which would require justices who favor the status quo or a return to a historical era. judicial "activism" seems to counter to the mission of the court in the triumvirate republic. the legislature exists to create laws, the court is there to review them.

abortion has been a major issue for me in this election, i didn't think it would be. i always considered abortion a battle already waged and won (not that i agree with it). but Obama's voting history in particular and his responses to abortion related questions have left me uneasy with him. i find it almost impossible to support him based on this single issue (though i've said i would never be a single issue voter).

the right to life cannot be negotiable and Obama supports choice (murder). if only McCain would give me a reason to vote for him and not against Obama i think i would be a decided voter, but he hasn't. so i remain undecided. 

60 minutes: the hunt for Bin Laden

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4502669n

The question I find myself asking, does it matter that Bin Laden made it out of Torah Bora? 

I think it shows the difficulty of managing the political nature of military conflicts in the Middle East, where we need to present offensive action in a manner that allows certain groups to save face.  

army field manual 3-07

http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/Repository/FM307/FM3-07.pdf

"America’s future abroad is unlikely to resemble Afghanistan or Iraq, where we grapple with the burden of nation-building under fire. Instead, we will work through and with the community of nations to defeat insurgency, assist fragile states, and provide vital humanitarian aid to the suffering. Achieving victory will assume new dimensions as we strengthen our ability to generate “soft” power to promote participation in government, spur economic development, and address the root causes of conflict among the disenfranchised populations of the world. At the heart of this effort is a comprehensive approach to stability operations that integrates the tools of statecraft with our military forces, international partners, humanitarian organizations, and the private sector."

Zakaria and Fukuyama; End of an Era?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/162272

Fareed Zakaria's weekly.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/162401/page/1

Francis Fukuyama famously wrote "the end of history" (http://www.wesjones.com/eoh.htm) in 1989. this work, "the end of America Inc." may be equally influential. 

update to 'party like it's 1929?'

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/is_this_a_replay_of_1929.html

from Robert Samuelson of Newsweek.

America in the eyes of the world

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/ali_ettefagh/2008/10/no_longer_a_financial_superpow.html

from the postglobal blog. very good read.

"The Gods of the Copybook Headings"

AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place. Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all. We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn: But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind, So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind. We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace, Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place, But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome. With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch, They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch; They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings; So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things. When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace. They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease. But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know." On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life (Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife) Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death." In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,  By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;  But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,  And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die." Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more. As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.  That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,  And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire; And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,  As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will bum,  The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return.

--Kipling

Thomas Sowell says it like it is

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/do_facts_matter.html

It is amazing to me how Sowell says exactly what I am thinking in the clearest terms. I just cannot understand how the Republicans cannot frame this arguement to their advantage.

bailout gets bailed out

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/business/economy/04bailout.html?hp

House Republican still voted against the bailout in majority, but enough of them felt the heat to get it passed. It is telling that Senate leaders had to turn this thing into a Christmas tree to get it through.

Republicans seem to be positioning for 2011 and 2012, rebuilding their conservative credentials as limited government fiscal hawks. it's much easier to be ideological when you are in the minority, without the burden of governing. 

Should Democrats expand on their majorities in both houses and take the White House I speculate we will see a new round of Republican congressmen, a bit more principled and a lot less ambitious.

the vp debate thingy

i'm pretty sure there is like zero history of a VP debate changing the outcome of an election (if i am wrong please correct me). nonetheless, we should probably talk about last nights debate, if you could call it that, between Biden and Palin.

Biden: he seemed very polished, controlled and to the points compared to typical Joe. the one man gaff machine was apparently retired before last nights show. in reality the only thing Biden needed to do was get out without having made so male vs female issue out of the whole thing. he did that, which is a win for him and Obama. I thought her took her to school a few times early and mailed it in (knowing that no one on earth could pay attention to the whole thing).

Palin: seriously, at some level every one has to realize that this is a mistake. nothing personal. but we all know a guy like her (they're always guys, she seems to be the only girl in this category); they bounced around from school to school, communications major to mass comm to sports journalism to phys ed., always the life of the party, pretty funny, good street sense but not a great student, you know the person at your next high school reunion who will show up a cool job and a hot wife...and make you scratch your head and say, "how did that happen?" we all know this guy. would you want him to president? look yourself in the mirror and ask your self would i want __________ to be running the free world? 

look if it all goes south and Obama doesn't make it out of turn four Joe can hold it together, i really believe that. on the other hand, if Palin is forced into the presidency i am in no way confident she can even make the thing work, let alone Marshall the free world.

from todays yosemite report

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers who blanched at a $700 billion financial rescue package have found time to honor the brave men who climbed Yosemite National Park's El Capitan peak a half-century ago. Kicking off a round of commemorations, the House this week approved a resolution saluting three climbers who were the first to scale North America's tallest free-standing granite monolith. The resolution sets the stage for a 50th anniversary...The House resolution honors Wayne Merry, Fresno resident George Whitmore and Warren J. Harding, who took 47 daysin 1957 and 1958 to climb El Capitan's so-called "Nose Route." Theirs was a full-blown siege, complete with sizable support crew, fixed ropes and established camps along the vertical way.

update

to all underground readers:

i have labelled each post, and will label subsequent posts with a one word category. this is so you can look up other, older posts on a subject without scrolling through previous pages. simply click the label (bottowm right) and it will pull up all the posts in that category.

we are not labeling posts to attract more web traffic, to date this blog is a word of mouth enterprise and will likly remain so for sometime. so do not expect numerous labels and or buzz word labels per post.

cheers!

views from Iraq

http://www.realclearworld.com/static/rcw_iraq_blog.html

These are first hand blog posts by soldiers, diplomats and expats working in Iraq. Not to say that one perspective is right and another is wrong, but I feel like I can put more wieght into the opinions of the people in country, doing the work, fighting the fights. 

This is a series, so I think I will put a link to it in our blog roll for all to follow. I would consider this "must" reading.

party like it's 1929?

http://www.economist.com/finance/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=12327393

This is an article from The Economist circa 1929, November 23 to be exact. It's a bit wordy, but worth a trip into history for some strangely relevant reading.

are the republicans rational?

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/the-price-of-disgust/

It seems that Republicans have placed themselves in an interesting gambit; principal versus practice. Will they cut off their nose to spite the face? 

We will find out soon

lessons of a hermit

So I was reading Andrew Lee Butters (No, he's not a wacko assassin) blog post about searching for a hermit in the mountains of Lebanon, 

http://timeblog.com/middle_east/2008/09/how_to_talk_to_a_hermit.html

Which was enough to get my mind going in ways I am sure are detrimental to my long term  job security.

The notion of trekking through mountains and valleys, to meet with God and in so doing discovering life at it's core, is the most human of all epics. 

Butters isn't overly spiritual, he's barley at all. But imagery here is powerful. It inspires me to leave this facade we call life to search for true living, communion with God. 

There is something radically appealing about the hermit, something I want. I don't think God is calling me to be a hermit, but he may be calling me to pay one a visit....

kudlows take on where we stand

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/10/our_sheila_bair_necessity.html

a good look at the little talked about FDIC.

painful palin

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/palins_conservative_problem.html

it is painful to watch Palin in this interview, i mean really, at what point did some one say "yeah, this is a good idea"?

more on Russia

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/russia_and_the_us_in_a_postaug.html

seems my scholarly blog posted created disucssion among the academics...

Quote For The Day

If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?

the re-rise of russia

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/30/opinion/edkissinger.php

Kissinger outlines the way forward with Russia. As I have been postulating for some time, Russia/China expansion will come to be the foreign policy issues that define the next administration. 

That is not to say Islamic terrorism will not play a role, because it will. But the difference is the staying power of Putin and Hu is much stronger than non state actors like Al-Qeada. Russia and China have the two most important aspects of global power, resources and consumers; terrorists have neither.

Moreover, the fundamentalism that terrorist use to legitimize their operations alienate the very people they are supposed to attract. Islamic terrorism kills many more Muslims than Jews or Christians. In Iraq, Saudi Arabia and to a growing extent Afghanistan and Pakistan Muslim on Muslim viloence has turned popular support against Al-Qeada and it's want-to-be's.

In addition, as Muslim populations grow in Europe they will by osmosis assimilate into those societies. I realize this will take longer than eight years, but the trends were begin to bear themselves out. Whereas currently Muslims are gehttoized and are therefore angry, simple population projects will change these dynamics.

On the other hand, the rise of state super powers with questionable ambitions and histories like Russia and China are much more lasting occurrences that will demand the best of American leaders.

weekend fun

two good blog posts from US News & World Report

1.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/9/30/how-mccain-can-mount-a-comeback.html

2.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/flowchart/2008/9/29/bailout-take-ii-what-the-feds-do-next.html

debate break down

http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2008/09/warrior_mccain_diplomat_obama.html

This is a good break down of the debate that was supposed to focus on foriegn policy. becuase of the credit crisis not all of the issues that should have been addressed were.

CA ballot props

There are two propositions that address the right to life and the nature of life. Props 4 & 8 respectively deserve our attention. 

Prop 4:

 http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_4_(2008) is a parental notification law, stating that a minor seeking an abortion needs to notify her parents before she undertakes the procedure. This is common sense, a 16 year old girl can't see an R rated movie without Mom and Dad, she should not be able to make a decision about life or death on her own.

Prop 8:

 http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=California_Proposition_8_(2008) would amend the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and woman, only. Regularly I would not support such an amendment, because I generally don't think governments need to get involved in such matters. However,  when the Supreme Court decided to take an active policy role in this debate, over turning Prop 22 (passed in 2000 by 68%) and the will of the voters, Prop 8 deserves our support.

today's brooks fix

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/opinion/30brooks.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Pelosi's floor speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey3ZlsmIkz4

This is Nancy Pelosi's floor speech before today's vote on the bailout package

Many Republicans are placing blame on this speech for the failed vote. 

As lame as the speech is, it would be even worse if Republicans seriously voted against the legislation because they were offended.

how did this happen?

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2008/09/why_the_bailout_bill_failed.html?hpid=topnews

This is the best analysis of how the bailout failed that I have found yet. It's still early, but this is as good of a break down as there is going to be for some time. 

the politics of the bailout

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/09/a_crisis_resists_the_usual_rem.html

I know I am not smart enough to make a comment on this bailout package. But politically, the Democrats are coming out much better. Dodd and Frank, say what you will about them personally, were able to get what they wanted out of this thing. Limits on executive pay will play very well on the mythical "Main Street" all politicians speak of.

On the other hand, while prudent, the Republicans worked to scale back the package. However, if it fails, they are now in a place to catch all the blame. Moreover, Wachovia along with two Euro banks failed over the weekend. Future bank failures, however unpreventable, may end up on the laps of Republicans who called for less cash up front.

The Wall Street Journal and the Investors Business Daily seem to think this will have little to no impact on the taxpayers because of the stock provisions, and the ability to buy mortgages on the cheap. That seems overly optimistic. These are the same publications who lauded these Wall Street firms for creating mortgaged back securities. They along with Al Greenspan thought spreading all this risk around was a good thing, that looks very short sighted now.

Buckle your seat belts...

on the bailout

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/clueless/

This is a must read conversation between David Brooks and Gail Collins about the state of the proposed bailout package. 

At one point Brooks (Formerly of the National Review) says if the the republicans block the deal and it backfires, 

"We will enter another Depression, the Republican Party will be blamed and the G.O.P. will cease to exist. 

I’m not exaggerating."

These really are heady times.

bring back the foreign policy debate

While the economy has replaced foreign policy as the most important issue to voters, and rightly so for the time being, I think we should not loose focus abroad.

Hamas and Hizbullah in the Palestine and Lebanon, given 1o more years like the last 10 will be extremely difficult to contain, maybe even impossible.

The AfPak tribal regions are HQ for Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, corrupt ISO officials and some of the worst terrorists in the world. Again, we cannot afford the next 10 years to be like the last.

Iran and North Korea seek to become nuclear states, a development that would be hugely troubling given those nations track records.

Russia has transitioned from the doormat of Europe into the Russia of the cold war era, defiant, expansionist and powerful because of its resources.

China is rewriting what we thought possible in terms of political governance and economic growth. Capitalist Dictatorships could be strikingly en vogue should the Chinese keep this up.

And these are only what we know, and to use the infamous Donald Rumsfeld quote, "We don't know what we don't know".

and for all of that, tonights debate focusing on foriegn policy may not even take place, becuase of the financial bailout meetings!