Religion and The Left - Halting Progress

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading Lisa Miller’s recent Newsweek piece about the religious case for gay marriage. It is a prime example of a troubling movement in the progressive sphere towards reclaiming religion – and religious argument – for the left. Ms. Miller articulates (with notable skill) the amazing and totally controversial point that the Bible plus gay marriage does not necessarily equal the horrific ascent of extra-spicy Satan. She states that “the Bible is a living document, powerful for more than 2,000 years because its truths speak to us even as we change through history.” I agree. It’s true. But where does this get us?

Well… nowhere… So the Bible “lives,” so what? The very “life” that makes the Good Book so adaptable to new and changing times also makes it a ready tool for bigotry and exclusion. (Ms. Miller dismisses the passages in Leviticus that condemn the act of love between two men as “an abomination,” as though they don’t really have that much value. They do. They’re written in the Bible.) Yet still, members of the progressive movement try to apprehend Biblical authority, to wrest it from the manicured hands of televangelists and talking heads that preach a conservative message, as if one day every pious, God-terrified puritan will get the liberal point. It’s infuriating to watch.

The difficulty with faith based arguments is they’re inherently cyclical. They have no resolution. Religious scholars have spent millennia, literally, arguing over the meaning of the Bible. Is God angry or merciful, is Jesus actually The Lord or just a divine arm of His will, Trinity or Unity, is there sex in heaven, the list goes on… These arguments have spawned wars and inquisitions. Christianity has splintered countless times into various sects, with mutually exclusive messages and rituals, because Churches couldn’t find One Good Answer. In religious debate, you cannot win and you cannot compromise, you can only run to your corner and prepare to spend infinity defending your cause. For this very reason, arguments of faith have no place in the democratic sphere. (Keen cynics have argued that democracy has never found One Good Answer. I disagree – we’ve found many good answers. We then accept that they are not, and cannot be, final, and move to the next problem. At least, when democracy functions... which is kinda hit or miss…)

Progressives must pull themselves from this field and take a position of debaters and thinkers, not believers. The religious right will claim they are being victimized, as is their wont. (He died on the cross, His apostles were martyrs, He is under-represented in Bio textbooks…) They’ll cry foul and ring church bells and preach the demise of Man. Let them. Just because they fight from the church does not mean we have to meet them at the pulpit.

There’s a logical argument to be made here, a position couched in reason, not belief. It must be emphasized above all else: Gay Marriage in no way infringes upon the rights of straight members of society, religious or not. (Sorry if gay marriage disgusts you, it is not your right to be free from disgust. And – actually – I’m really not sorry at all.) The rest is just discrimination.

Why Are Politicians So Cheap?

So if you haven't seen yet, Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois just got indicted for massive corruption. To summarize the accusations:

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement. "They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."

You can read more here.

This whole situation is itself worth a whole disposition (Obama effects, history of Rod, etc.), but the larger thing is that this is a great example of one of the most puzzling aspects of politicians: how little they're willing to sell themselves for.

Being from Illinois, I'm more used to this than many other (our last governor is currently in jail on similar charges). My good friend Guillermo (who is also from IL) and I have discussed this issue at length many times. Our general feeling is utter bewilderment that politicians will sell themselves for so little money, or at least money comparable to what they could earn legitimately outside of public office. If you wanted to make money, why the hell would you go into politics anyway??

Blagojevich was basically willing to sell the senate seat for about $300,000, about the same amount a lawyer at his age could make in private practice (especially a former governor). Heck, you may even be able to make that just sitting on corporate boards, lobbying or doing "consulting" work. Duke Cunningham sold out for a similar amount of money, as did Bill Jefferson and Ted Stevens (losing your seat b/c you didn't report a free chair??).

I don't pretend to know the answer of why politicians are so cheap, but I can take a few guesses:
- Politicians are natural risk takers. It takes a lot of cajones (men or women) to run for office, and almost every successful politician had to battle against the odds to win one or more seats
- Politicians aren't very good in the private sector. Why do people go into any field? Some of it may be circumstance, but those that rise to the top are usually good at what they do, but may not be good at other things. So politicians are great at politics and getting elected (although maybe not governing), but could be baffled by complex legal cases and situations where personal charisma won't get them very far. And as they've spent most of their careers doing politics, they don't have good experience on the private side of things.
- Politicians are lazy. After working at the heights of political power, media exposure and public adulation, it's hard to go back to drudgery of "normal" work. That may be why so many politicians become lobbyist. They stay in the game, but can still get paid. All they have to do is throw out their ethics.
- Politicians don't think they'll get caught. A version of the explanation for why politicians are always caught in sex scandals - so many people do corrupt stuff and don't get caught so they don't think they will ever get caught. Which means we're only scratching the surface of corruption.
- Stupidity / narcissism / hubris. No magical analysis on this, just that anyone willing to go on a "corruption crime spree" has to have something wrong with them. They've reached the heights of political power, but see that they still don't have economic power and think that they can get that too.

Anyway, would love other people's thoughts on why politicians are so cheap, both in terms of legal and illegal influence. If I were selling out my ethical principles, endangering my family, putting my career at risk, and opening up the possibility of serious prison time, I'd make sure I got something in the high 7 digits at least!

Artist of the Day: Mugison

Chalk this up a gem of a find: an Icelandic one-man band calling himself Mugison. And it is freaking awesome. Even if Iceland's economy is in shambles, they still put out some pretty great music.

This has so many elements of traditional American blues, R&B and rock, with a deliciously low-fi edge. Dirty guitars, dirty organs, dirty everything. The man himself (Örn Elías Guðmundsson, for anybody who has a clue how to pronounce that) has a voice that recalls an amalgamation of Tom Waits and Beck, which he somehow manages to layer into fantastic harmonies on top of everything.

Mugiboogie dropped in September. I'm looking forward to learning more about this guy - and hopefully somebody will bring him stateside for a tour.


Jesus is a Good Name To Moan - Mugison





For fans of: Tom Waits, Beck, The Black Keys, The White Stripes, Drive By Truckers

Surgery Via Text Message a Success

Normally I would have a problem with a surgeon whipping out his cell in the middle of a life-saving operation, but I'm giving this guy a pass.

It seems that Peace Corps doctor David Nott ran across a boy in the Congo with a particularly... difficult... situation, and ended up amputating his upper arm and shoulder by following directions he received via text message from another doctor in London.

Secretly, I don't know whether I find this encouraging or terrifying. It is not a small part of me that wants to believe surgery is performed exclusively in zero-gravity environments with the help of space-age lasers and Data from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation.' (Yes, I know that's not really that case, I have seen 'Gettysburg,' lay off me...) Either way, I'm in awe of the accomplishment. My hat goes off to the man.

Jack Black as Jesus in Prop 8 - The Musical

I mean, the headline pretty much says it all. Watch:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Thanks to Nate for drawing my attention to this.

Artist of the Day: Yeasayer

I'll give it a shot of trying to keep this segment updated semi-regularly...but no promises.

I went to see Yeasayer last night at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite concert venues in the city. The people who work there are always a pleasure, and the acoustics are unrivaled by any other spot in Washington DC proper. But I'm not doing concert reviews here...at least not yet.

Yeasayer is an odd band, and I'm certainly a bit behind the times in writing about them. They're probably destined to remain a niche group with a niche audience. But that doesn't change the fact that they're well worth checking out if you're open to something that sounds...well...like nothing else. Their debut album - All Hour Cymbals - is chock full of masterful musicianship, odd vocal samples, and insane, incredible beats that would appeal to hip hop heads as readily as indie rock kids. And they can bring it live - vocals were dead on, harmonies were interesting and beautiful, and their technical ability as musicians is mind blowing. I challenge you to find a bass player that executes live the way that Ira Wolf Tuton does.

Sometimes I find the best music is the most difficult to describe, because it is doing something that is foreign and challenging to the listener. The album as a whole isn't completely consistent - but there are certain highlights, some of which I've posted here. There are elements of world music here, electronic music, psychedelic and folk music...but it works as a glorious mess of sound and style. I'm not sure where they'll end up going with it, but I remain impressed - and I would see them again. Check 'em out.


Sunrise - Yeasayer



For fans of: Animal Collective, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Kanye West, Santogold, M.I.A.

Peter Beinart on National Security

Most of my writing on this blog will focus on foreign affairs and sports. Not in relation, but those are two of the items which I feel most comfortable writing about. So...

In addition to a forthcoming post on changes in Philly sports in the aftermath of actually winning a championship, I wanted to point out a recent article by the man who I think deserves more acclaim and credit for his insight than he receives. His editorial in this week's issue of TIME Magazine encapsulates his analytical abilities, writing style and profound ability to look at all angles of a situation. Every time I read something by Peter Beinart, I come away thinking two things: that he's a really smart guy and that I agree with him. While you might not concur with him as often as I do, I believe you will agree that he possesses an intelligent grasp of political, and particularly international, events.

The link below will take you to his recent piece on why President-Elect Obama is selecting those like Senator Hillary Clinton and General Jim Jones for his national security team. Not only is Obama attempting to mollify the political right for the future with these moves, but Beinart also somewhat assuages me, an opponent of choosing Clinton to be his Secretary of State. I am certainly not alone, as numerous experts much more well-versed than I have labeled the appointment of Clinton in particular as dubious. These selections are not signs that Obama will abandon his position of leading U.S. foreign policy in a new direction from his presidential predecessor, but rather delineate a vital recognition that in politics you must protect your flanks while working with people who can still carry out your policies. A clean break with the past is not procluded with the (temporary?) inclusion of someone like Bob Gates in his Cabinet.

Beinart does an excellent job of synthesizing this material in his piece. He also wrote a great cover story for TIME just after the election on parallels in political shifts between 2008 and previous political eras. Great articles in TIME Magazine sadly stand out these days, and Beinart seems to author his fair share of them.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1862446,00.html

Artist of the Day: Ladyhawke

I won't keep up with this every day, but now and again I'm going to start posting some tracks from musicians that I find particularly interesting.

Today - I give you Ladyhawke. She's a New Zealander that sounds fresh out of 1987. These tracks could soundtrack a John Hughes movie - I can't help but think of Molly Ringwald every time I put this album on. But beyond the obvious cues from past decades, this music still manages to sound fresh to me - I think it has to do with the ways in which she sings, the lyrical content, and the guitar tones (which I think are fantastic). Not to mention: the hooks are outrageous.

Listen and love (and know that the full album is just as good):







For fans of: Cut Copy, Cyndi Lauper, Moloko, Stevie Nicks, Annie, The Knife

Barack Obama knows how to party.

From the Washington Times:

These are heady times.

Hoping to tap in to an inaugural bonanza, the D.C. Council Tuesday night voted 12-1 to push back last call to 5 a.m. and allow bars and restaurants to serve food around the clock during inauguration week.

As a resident of the District proper, I'm starting to get excited and a bit nervous about what this city is going to look like come January. It certainly is going to be a switch to have all of the bars in my neighborhood open three or four hours later - especially given that the window next to my bed faces a city street heavy with foot traffic from a few dance clubs and bars up the street.

Hooray for people stumbling home drunk past my house as the sun rises! Just don't wake me up (assuming I'm not out there with you...). Undoubtedly, Washington is going to be the place to be in January.

Reasons I Can't Wait for the Future: Lilypads

This is the first post in what I hope will be a long series about real and potential advances in technology that make me jump up and down in my desk chair. Just a little. I have to keep it somewhat professional here at the WAVY offices.

Posts will range from "entirely plausible" to "Indiana Jones 4." To kick everything off, I'm going with the latter: I give you The Lilypad, a floating metropolis that can supposedly provide life, liberty and the pursuit of happyness for 50,000 people. No word on shuffleboard, but I've got my fingers crossed.

I'd put up a picture, but they wouldn't let me copy anything from the site, and I'm terrified of breaching terms of use since the MySpace case. In its place, I give you... this thing... which is kinda the same idea...



(Which could probably also get me (read: Chris) sent to jail...)

Every now and then these floating city ideas come up, inevitably looking fantastic and making me wish for the high seas and handheld devices that make Skittles appear out of thin air. Fortunately for me, my gleeful anticipation is not sullied by little things like "science." Thinking about that might make me ask questions about waste management, energy efficiency, and disaster prevention (didn't these people see "Poseidon"?? Rogue waves are for real). For now I'm just excited about getting an underwater apartment in 2057.

That is, of course, assuming that we're not all reduced to grey goo by then.