-
·
Violence is not a given
I used to play over 30 hours of video games per week, so as a former gamer, the recent Supreme Court decision overturning a California ban on violent video games on free-speech grounds makes me happy. I’m predisposed to supporting a maligned and misunderstood industry. However, it is how the industry won that is deeply…
-
·
Household Budgets–politics style
Earlier, I made the case that you can’t really compare the federal budget to your personal budget, because it is too simple. Matt Bors makes the case that maybe it really is pretty simple, after all… [NOTE: Don’t be afraid to click the second link; it’s just a cartoon.]
-
·
In abuse, sex is the weapon, power is the cause
The sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church has caused a great deal of speculation and fighting–ideological, political, theological–and all (theoretically) for the betterment of the church. A new study, which I expect to do little to squash the fighting and speculating, attempts to make good PR for the Roman church by countering the…
-
·
Drop it like it’s hot?
In 2008, we were # 1. In 2009, we became #2. In 2010, we dropped to #3 in the world. In just two years, we went from playing world leader to catch up with China and Germany in the alternative energy market. As Gov. Jennifer Granholm highlights in this piece for the Huffington Post. Personally,…
-
·
Enough Cuts: it’s time to invest
Conversations about proposed funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and recent incidents with leadership, including high-profile resignations has brought a surprising amount of attention to PBS and NPR, the television and radio components of the Corporation. One of the central topics is whether or not the organization could survive any funding cut (not…
-
·
The federal budget is not the same as your family’s budget
Of course there is a lot that is the same. Both have income and expenses, set by annual budgets. Both are deeply affected by the stock market and other investments. In this simple way, we can all pretend we are in the same boat. But the truth is much different. First, unlike the average family,…
-
·
Seperate and Unequal: income inequality in the U.S.
Some have spent the better part of the last thirty years describing the dramatic economic shift toward the greater concentration of wealth in the ultra-wealthy, and the adverse effect this has had on the average American. Some have even chosen to mock this concern in recent years, suggesting that “redistribution of wealth” is something to…
-
·
Destroying Dogma
My sermon for Epiphany 5A is up here. The topic is Jesus’s preaching on freedom, law, and Kingdom-life. It followed the previous week’s discussion of the Beatitudes, called “Blessed“. This week continues the Sermon on the Mount and will be posted next week. Look for a teaser soon.