Posts
I had a relaxed holiday and I hope everyone else did, also. I don't care to comment on Veteran's Day. It's a day for inflated rhetoric, melodrama and flag-waving, none of which I'm particularly fond of participating in, especially the last one. As Zinn is quoted as saying regarding the flag, "there is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people". That's my take on Vet's Day. You're entitled to yours.
Well, I visited Arianna Huffington's newest creation, The Huffington Post.
Since I've written about the problems I see with her blog in another post, I won't go into much detail. I will say however that her blogroll is just another excuse for promoting more tripe from the rich and the famous. I mean, give me a break! Mark Cuban? Andrew Sullivan? Dave Barry? Plus the usual stars of the new media crowd such as The Daily Kos, Atrios, TalkLeft, etc; they of the proper "liberal" persuasion, just left-leaning enough to be hip, but god forbid that you skewer any of their sacred cows. Then, they unleash a fury upon you just as hate-filled and vitriolic as any Freeper or other fascist from the right.
Can you tell I'm weary of jumping through hoops and toeing the line, even if it's the so-called "right (or left)" side of the line?
On an upbeat note. While it's pretty low-key around the keyboard tonight, this writer just put the last few lines to bed on When Towns Had Teams. Clocking in at around 80,000 words and still in need of an intro and epilogue (pieces of cake, dude), the hardest part is done. My goal was to have a manuscript done by the end of May, and I'm pretty much on schedule. Now comes the next challenge--getting the book out to an audience by Christmas (A year later than intended). I'm relieved and feeling good in that I accomplished what I initially set out to do, which was to write a book about town team baseball. I'll have an announcement about something definite in the works over the next three or four weeks, so stay tuned. I guess I'll toast it with a cold Bud Light.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005
In a state of denial
Lo and behold, while perusing today's Maine Sunday Telegram, I was greeted on the front page of the Business Sunday section by the following article, titled, "Beginning of the end for oil?", by Matt Crenson of the AP.
About a year ago, I first blogged about Peak Oil and I have continued to follow the subject with considerable interest. Periodically, the topic is broached in the media. Increasingly, it now shows up in the most mainstream of places.
It's a subject that will become increasingly important, but like most issues, won't be given much credance by the average Joe (and Josephine), content to tune out events of consequence in order to live in their world of pseudo-reality television programming.
About a year ago, I first blogged about Peak Oil and I have continued to follow the subject with considerable interest. Periodically, the topic is broached in the media. Increasingly, it now shows up in the most mainstream of places.
It's a subject that will become increasingly important, but like most issues, won't be given much credance by the average Joe (and Josephine), content to tune out events of consequence in order to live in their world of pseudo-reality television programming.
Caring for the planet
Rarely, if ever do you find a so-called evangelical Xians straying from the ideology of the party of God, the Republicans. Despite obvious problems marrying the application of scripture to the Neo-Conservative juggernaut of the Bush administration, being a “good” Xian and being a loyal Republican are usually seen as one and the same for those on the right side of the religious spectrum—just ask James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Chuck Colson.
Interestingly, I saw a story on New England Cable News last weekend while at my hotel on the Cape, about students and faculty at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who were protesting the appearance of George Bush at their commencement. The fact that a group that self-identifies as evangelical, daring to voice an opinion contrary to the Fuhrer made me sit up and take notice, if only because it so goes against the grain of much of American evangelicalism.
This morning, in my local Sunday paper, there is an article about the events at Calvin College, written by Paul Nussbaum. Nussbaum’s article, carried by Knight Ridder, is titled, Preaching the gospel of green (No, it isn't about a naked embrace of capitalism). The general premise of the piece is about a growing evangelical movement in places like Calvin College and other places, concerned about protecting the environment and using scripture as its motivation.
During my waning days of involvement with any formal affiliation with Xianity, I found it particularly difficult to find any writing or other commentary coming from the evangelical community that gave any credence to being good stewards of the earth. Other than a tiny book written by a Reformed theologian named Francis Schaeffer, known more for his pro-life advocacy of his latter years than anything else, there was little or nothing coming from any leaders of the evangelical community that varied from the “pave it over” mindset driving much of our national debate on the environment. Schaeffer’s book, Pollution and the Death of Man: A Christian View of Ecology, must have caused considerable ripples in conservative theological circles when it was released originally in 1972. From the book comes the following passage, showing Schaeffer’s divergence from much of what passes for stewardship then and most certainly today; “...the hippies of the 1960s did understand something. They were right in fighting the plastic culture, and the church should have been fighting it too... More than this, they were right in the fact that the plastic culture - modern man, the mechanistic worldview in university textbooks and in practice, the total threat of the machine, the establishment technology, the bourgeois upper middle class - is poor in its sensitivity to nature... As a utopian group, the counterculture understands something very real, both as to the culture as a culture, but also as to the poverty of modern man's concept of nature and the way the machine is eating up nature on every side.”
According to Nussbaum’s article, some evangelicals are seeking to find common ground with members of other faiths in the formation of a “Noah’s Alliance”. This grouping would seek to protect endangered species. According to their draft statement being circulated among Xian and Jewish scientists, “Ours is a time for a concert of religious voices to proclaim our privilege and responsibility for not allowing the great lineages of God’s living creatures to be broken.”
While my thinking and worldview tends more towards a postmodern approach, relying less on the spiritual realm and more on my own wits and intellect, I applaud any group that seeks to embrace a philosophy of concern and care for the earth and its diversity of species. This religious concern for the earth isn’t a new one, as Native spirituality, as well as many pagan groups such as Wiccans have long embraced an approach the values the planet and doesn’t place profit above stewardship.
Interestingly, I saw a story on New England Cable News last weekend while at my hotel on the Cape, about students and faculty at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who were protesting the appearance of George Bush at their commencement. The fact that a group that self-identifies as evangelical, daring to voice an opinion contrary to the Fuhrer made me sit up and take notice, if only because it so goes against the grain of much of American evangelicalism.
This morning, in my local Sunday paper, there is an article about the events at Calvin College, written by Paul Nussbaum. Nussbaum’s article, carried by Knight Ridder, is titled, Preaching the gospel of green (No, it isn't about a naked embrace of capitalism). The general premise of the piece is about a growing evangelical movement in places like Calvin College and other places, concerned about protecting the environment and using scripture as its motivation.
During my waning days of involvement with any formal affiliation with Xianity, I found it particularly difficult to find any writing or other commentary coming from the evangelical community that gave any credence to being good stewards of the earth. Other than a tiny book written by a Reformed theologian named Francis Schaeffer, known more for his pro-life advocacy of his latter years than anything else, there was little or nothing coming from any leaders of the evangelical community that varied from the “pave it over” mindset driving much of our national debate on the environment. Schaeffer’s book, Pollution and the Death of Man: A Christian View of Ecology, must have caused considerable ripples in conservative theological circles when it was released originally in 1972. From the book comes the following passage, showing Schaeffer’s divergence from much of what passes for stewardship then and most certainly today; “...the hippies of the 1960s did understand something. They were right in fighting the plastic culture, and the church should have been fighting it too... More than this, they were right in the fact that the plastic culture - modern man, the mechanistic worldview in university textbooks and in practice, the total threat of the machine, the establishment technology, the bourgeois upper middle class - is poor in its sensitivity to nature... As a utopian group, the counterculture understands something very real, both as to the culture as a culture, but also as to the poverty of modern man's concept of nature and the way the machine is eating up nature on every side.”
According to Nussbaum’s article, some evangelicals are seeking to find common ground with members of other faiths in the formation of a “Noah’s Alliance”. This grouping would seek to protect endangered species. According to their draft statement being circulated among Xian and Jewish scientists, “Ours is a time for a concert of religious voices to proclaim our privilege and responsibility for not allowing the great lineages of God’s living creatures to be broken.”
While my thinking and worldview tends more towards a postmodern approach, relying less on the spiritual realm and more on my own wits and intellect, I applaud any group that seeks to embrace a philosophy of concern and care for the earth and its diversity of species. This religious concern for the earth isn’t a new one, as Native spirituality, as well as many pagan groups such as Wiccans have long embraced an approach the values the planet and doesn’t place profit above stewardship.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Ending bipartisanship
With the refusal to end debate on U.N. ambassador John Bolton by Senate Democrats, the happy, happy, joy, joy, “let’s just all get along” mood of the Senate evaporated quickly. With Bolton’s history of abusing authority and manipulating intelligence, his lack of regard for official U.S. policy and the tendency to promote his own ideology, it appears this guy was tainted from the start. But to President Bush and his hard line followers, they aren’t going to let it concern them in the least.
“The honeymoon is over,” said Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) after senators voted 56-42 to end debate on Bolton’s nomination. This fell four votes short of the required 60 needed to end the filibuster and move the vote for confirmation. The vote for confirmation would require only a simple majority of votes.
For me, the fact that the Democrats are still providing some opposition to the fascists in control is a good thing. I don’t buy into this whole bi-partisanship myth about it being necessary for government to function. The less smoothly the government operates, the better, in my opinion. I’m with Thoreau on this one in “that government is best which governs least.” If there is an inability for both parties to come together, in my opinion, this ‘ain’t a bad thing at all.
Why would you want to work together with people who desire to dismantle what remains of a social safety net that’s worked well for over 50 years? Why would you help a crew that has a mentality that in many cases wants to send us back to the Salem Witch Trials? The Republican Party, at least it’s hard-right proponents, favor shutting down dissent via the Patriot Act, waging unending war and have us committed to Iraq for the next decade or more, plus gives us a failed system of education reform in No Child Left Behind? On top of that, they favor despoiling our environment, as well as extending tax breaks to the wealthiest citizens, at the expense of the working class stuck holding the bag (robbing the workers and giving it to the rulers). I think it’s high time the Democrats stopped going along, if the few of us who still hold progressive or non-theocratic ideals have any hope for the future. If you have any ethics and a shred of dignity left as a Democrat, how can you side with criminals?
The Republican Party is under the control of theocratic thugs and xian fundamentalists—fiscal radicals who are keen on dismantling government and don’t care how high the deficit goes. Unfortunately, the Democrat Party has shifted rightward, so now, the average member of that party is the equivalent of yesterday’s moderate Republicans. Thankfully, Democrats still are holding the ground (barely) on issues of tolerance—gay rights, rights for women, minorities and the disabled—in these areas, they are still attempting to expand democracy outward. But by doing this, they’ve paid dearly, particularly with the media being complicit with the Republican’s ability to spin the truth on the issues. Unfortunately, people most likely to be hurt by these policies are the ones marching blissfully towards the cliff.
I don’t care about bipartisanship one iota and I hope that Democrats dig in their heels and stop siding with crooks and criminals and men who have no compunction at all about violating the rule of law. I hope blocking the Bolton nomination emboldens Democrats and that they continue to piss off Republicans. By doing this, they’re doing what an opposition party should be doing.
“The honeymoon is over,” said Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) after senators voted 56-42 to end debate on Bolton’s nomination. This fell four votes short of the required 60 needed to end the filibuster and move the vote for confirmation. The vote for confirmation would require only a simple majority of votes.
For me, the fact that the Democrats are still providing some opposition to the fascists in control is a good thing. I don’t buy into this whole bi-partisanship myth about it being necessary for government to function. The less smoothly the government operates, the better, in my opinion. I’m with Thoreau on this one in “that government is best which governs least.” If there is an inability for both parties to come together, in my opinion, this ‘ain’t a bad thing at all.
Why would you want to work together with people who desire to dismantle what remains of a social safety net that’s worked well for over 50 years? Why would you help a crew that has a mentality that in many cases wants to send us back to the Salem Witch Trials? The Republican Party, at least it’s hard-right proponents, favor shutting down dissent via the Patriot Act, waging unending war and have us committed to Iraq for the next decade or more, plus gives us a failed system of education reform in No Child Left Behind? On top of that, they favor despoiling our environment, as well as extending tax breaks to the wealthiest citizens, at the expense of the working class stuck holding the bag (robbing the workers and giving it to the rulers). I think it’s high time the Democrats stopped going along, if the few of us who still hold progressive or non-theocratic ideals have any hope for the future. If you have any ethics and a shred of dignity left as a Democrat, how can you side with criminals?
The Republican Party is under the control of theocratic thugs and xian fundamentalists—fiscal radicals who are keen on dismantling government and don’t care how high the deficit goes. Unfortunately, the Democrat Party has shifted rightward, so now, the average member of that party is the equivalent of yesterday’s moderate Republicans. Thankfully, Democrats still are holding the ground (barely) on issues of tolerance—gay rights, rights for women, minorities and the disabled—in these areas, they are still attempting to expand democracy outward. But by doing this, they’ve paid dearly, particularly with the media being complicit with the Republican’s ability to spin the truth on the issues. Unfortunately, people most likely to be hurt by these policies are the ones marching blissfully towards the cliff.
I don’t care about bipartisanship one iota and I hope that Democrats dig in their heels and stop siding with crooks and criminals and men who have no compunction at all about violating the rule of law. I hope blocking the Bolton nomination emboldens Democrats and that they continue to piss off Republicans. By doing this, they’re doing what an opposition party should be doing.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Lacking optimism
[Warning--the following is a rant. If rants are not your cup-o-tea, then do us both a favor and avert your eyes]
I’m not feeling particularly optimistic today. After waking up to my fourth consecutive day of rain, much of it running into my basement via my leaky window on the rear of my house, needless to say, I’m not in a great frame of mind.
On top of the dreadfully gloomy weather, my summer baseball season, the one that as president of the league, I’m supposed to be looking forward to, is already giving me headaches galore.
--After spending the past three weeks on the phone, calling potential sponsors, writing press releases and articles promoting the league, I find out last night that my new uniforms, as well as the uniforms ordered for our new Lewiston/Auburn team won’t be coming in for Sunday’s game. At least my players will be able to wear last year’s uniforms. The new L/A team will be adorned in a patchwork of who-knows-what, this after our local paper runs a big article urging fans to come out and see the new team. Oh, and did I tell you that they also don’t have any catcher’s gear? On top of all of that, last night, I drive to Portland to a quick league get together where each manager got his game baseballs, score sheets for the scorebooks and lineup cards—a regular preseason ritual that takes place before the season. Our commissioner, a good man who has been involved in keeping local baseball alive for over 30 years, is droning on to the other coaches about staying organized. As I looked around at the other coaches, young men in their early to mid-20’s, I realized that not one thing that our commissioner was telling them would be embraced by them. They’ll go out and be the same disorganized ball clubs they were last year, scrambling to make sure that they have nine guys to field a team, not calling games in, failing to turn stat sheets in—the kind of things that make it increasingly difficult for me to do what I do—basically promote the league as a place for college kids to play in the summer. I on the other hand, will obsessively tend to every detail, throw batting practice, hit fungoes and work 30 hour weeks making sure that the summer experience helps them become better players (and maybe people) And what will I receive for my efforts? I’ll listen to college kids bitch at me because I didn’t put enough ice in the cooler, missed a base hit on the stat sheet, or failed to make sure that they were pampered enough. Parents will yell at me for not waving runners in from third, or for a pitching change I make late in the game. So why can't we get more guys like myself to take a summer team--men that know the game and no longer care to play, but have what it takes to manage a team--gee, I wonder!
--While spending much of the past three weeks trying to organize this train wreck of a summer league, so that talented college kids from Maine have a place to play summer baseball in their home state, my book has been pushed aside, just two chapters from completion. Happily, I can report that I completed my next to last chapter, so all that remains is my last chapter and an epilogue. You would think that I’d be happy with this and anxious for it to be completed, yet, because I’ve decided to go the independent publishing route, I have a whole new bevy of tasks that I must complete just to make sure that this year-long labor of love sees the light of day.
On top of all of this, I have mothers (yes, mothers!) calling me to find out why their 21-year-old sons haven’t been called about playing on a team. One particular mother was rather rude and snotty on the phone, after she called me while I was in the middle of rush hour traffic. I was polite and told her that I didn’t have a spot because my roster was full. Should I have been brutally honest and told her that the reason her son hasn’t been picked is because he throws straight fastballs that resemble batting practice tosses and that no one wants him? Or should I have said to her, “Lady, don’t you think it’s time you cut the cord and let Junior fend for himself?” Good lord!! I feel like a G’ damn babysitter to a bunch of three- year-olds most of the fucking time!
I’ve not been able to focus too much on the goings-on of politics and the congressional squabbles. While my little corner of the world doesn’t amount to a hill of beans compared to the bigger things taking place in the world, my fixation on the immediate has narrowed my vision to a narcissistic pinpoint.
So what am I to do? Quit on baseball? Burn my manuscript? Pack up my car and drive off into the sunset? I don’t know. I do know that the chaos of last season’s Twilight League and the headaches of just managing a team led me to figure out how we got to the place we are concerning local baseball. I’m not sure what this season’s Chinese fire drill of a season will produce. I just hope that things quiet down some and I can just fall into the peaceful routine of coaching and the comforting activities that the games bring.
I’m not feeling particularly optimistic today. After waking up to my fourth consecutive day of rain, much of it running into my basement via my leaky window on the rear of my house, needless to say, I’m not in a great frame of mind.
On top of the dreadfully gloomy weather, my summer baseball season, the one that as president of the league, I’m supposed to be looking forward to, is already giving me headaches galore.
--After spending the past three weeks on the phone, calling potential sponsors, writing press releases and articles promoting the league, I find out last night that my new uniforms, as well as the uniforms ordered for our new Lewiston/Auburn team won’t be coming in for Sunday’s game. At least my players will be able to wear last year’s uniforms. The new L/A team will be adorned in a patchwork of who-knows-what, this after our local paper runs a big article urging fans to come out and see the new team. Oh, and did I tell you that they also don’t have any catcher’s gear? On top of all of that, last night, I drive to Portland to a quick league get together where each manager got his game baseballs, score sheets for the scorebooks and lineup cards—a regular preseason ritual that takes place before the season. Our commissioner, a good man who has been involved in keeping local baseball alive for over 30 years, is droning on to the other coaches about staying organized. As I looked around at the other coaches, young men in their early to mid-20’s, I realized that not one thing that our commissioner was telling them would be embraced by them. They’ll go out and be the same disorganized ball clubs they were last year, scrambling to make sure that they have nine guys to field a team, not calling games in, failing to turn stat sheets in—the kind of things that make it increasingly difficult for me to do what I do—basically promote the league as a place for college kids to play in the summer. I on the other hand, will obsessively tend to every detail, throw batting practice, hit fungoes and work 30 hour weeks making sure that the summer experience helps them become better players (and maybe people) And what will I receive for my efforts? I’ll listen to college kids bitch at me because I didn’t put enough ice in the cooler, missed a base hit on the stat sheet, or failed to make sure that they were pampered enough. Parents will yell at me for not waving runners in from third, or for a pitching change I make late in the game. So why can't we get more guys like myself to take a summer team--men that know the game and no longer care to play, but have what it takes to manage a team--gee, I wonder!
--While spending much of the past three weeks trying to organize this train wreck of a summer league, so that talented college kids from Maine have a place to play summer baseball in their home state, my book has been pushed aside, just two chapters from completion. Happily, I can report that I completed my next to last chapter, so all that remains is my last chapter and an epilogue. You would think that I’d be happy with this and anxious for it to be completed, yet, because I’ve decided to go the independent publishing route, I have a whole new bevy of tasks that I must complete just to make sure that this year-long labor of love sees the light of day.
On top of all of this, I have mothers (yes, mothers!) calling me to find out why their 21-year-old sons haven’t been called about playing on a team. One particular mother was rather rude and snotty on the phone, after she called me while I was in the middle of rush hour traffic. I was polite and told her that I didn’t have a spot because my roster was full. Should I have been brutally honest and told her that the reason her son hasn’t been picked is because he throws straight fastballs that resemble batting practice tosses and that no one wants him? Or should I have said to her, “Lady, don’t you think it’s time you cut the cord and let Junior fend for himself?” Good lord!! I feel like a G’ damn babysitter to a bunch of three- year-olds most of the fucking time!
I’ve not been able to focus too much on the goings-on of politics and the congressional squabbles. While my little corner of the world doesn’t amount to a hill of beans compared to the bigger things taking place in the world, my fixation on the immediate has narrowed my vision to a narcissistic pinpoint.
So what am I to do? Quit on baseball? Burn my manuscript? Pack up my car and drive off into the sunset? I don’t know. I do know that the chaos of last season’s Twilight League and the headaches of just managing a team led me to figure out how we got to the place we are concerning local baseball. I’m not sure what this season’s Chinese fire drill of a season will produce. I just hope that things quiet down some and I can just fall into the peaceful routine of coaching and the comforting activities that the games bring.
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