Pax Plena

Pregnant at 100

2008-07-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Scientists at the Institute of Medical Biology in Singapore have predicted that pregnancy at age 100 could be possible within the next 30 years thanks to advancements in medical technology.

The news reminds me of the words of St. Paul:

"Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive."

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I cannot think of a less beneficial or a less constructive medical advancement than a pregnant centarian.

Media Bias and Obama's Iraq Trip

2008-07-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Sen. Barack Obama's up-coming campaign swing through Iraq was bound to raise eyebrows.

Yesterday, Washington Post columnist Howard Kurtz observed that no less than three network news anchors will accompany the Senator to assure that this is so.

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Oddly enough, when Republican Sen. John McCain made a similar trip to the region last March, nary a word was mentioned on the major networks about his trip. In fact, CBS refused to send any correspondents at all.

While the above is a stunning example of media bias, the resounding cognitive dissonance of the matter comes from Sen. Obama himself. Despite the overt fawning of America's media elite, Sen. Obama still seems to think that the press is 'conservative,' and that 'they' are out to get him (and his wife).

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Dowd on Satire and Obama

2008-07-16T09:57:00.001-07:00

In what must surely be a sign of the apocalypse, I find myself in full agreement with NYT columnist Mauren Dowd twice in one week.

Dowd's latest op-ed takes aim at Sen. Obama's New Yorker Magazine 'kerfluffle'. The publication's monthly cover depicts the Senator in traditional Muslim garb with his wife wielding an AK-47.

Naturally, team Obama was apoplectic. Yours truly plans to buy at least two copies when time allows.

Nevertheless, Ms. Dowd opines that the Senator's reaction to the magazine reinforces notions of the Senator as being humorless, and his campaign airless (both true). The best part of Ms Dowd's op-ed appears below:

When I interviewed Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for Rolling Stone a couple years ago, I wondered what Barack Obama would mean for them.

"It seems like a President Obama would be harder to make fun of than these guys," I said.

"Are you kidding me?" Stewart scoffed.

Then he and Colbert both said at the same time: "His dad was a goat-herder!"

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Politicians have been lampooned from the earliest days of our Republic. There is no reason that satire should cease just because Sen. Obama is running for President- and perhaps a bit dour.

Here's hoping America's comedians rise to the challenge.

Iran: The Case for Military Action

2008-07-15T11:44:00.001-07:00

Today's Wall Street Journal op-ed by John Bolton, America's former UN Ambassador, outlines the rationale for military strikes against the Iranian regime.

It may surprise some, but Mr. Bolton does not advocate air strikes by America. Rather, he argues that the U.S. should support Israel's efforts to disarm Iran's nuclear program through strategic air strikes- regardless of impact on oil prices.

The crux of the argument follows:

Thus, instead of debating how much longer to continue five years of failed diplomacy, we should be intensively considering what cooperation the U.S. will extend to Israel before, during and after a strike on Iran.

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Mr. Bolton seems to assume, with a certain fatalism, that strikes are an inevitability.

Perhaps they are.

But I think it is misguided to blindly support Israel's lead without first considering the costs of American acquiesce.

Specifically, I think Mr. Bolton's argument pays too little attention to the costs of gasoline that may result from such an attack. Given the economic impact of a major, attack-induced price hike, the implications for the United States could be dire. Based on this context, oil prices must be considered as much a function of National security as would a nuclear armed Iran.

Such caution provides a compelling reason to ramp up domestic oil production and to begin exploring alternative energy sources. But it is also a compelling reason not to support air strikes carte blanche.

Tony Snow, Dead at 53

2008-07-12T14:32:00.004-07:00

Given the recent deaths of several political figures, I have so far opted to remain silent about their passing. It makes sense to me that the many people who knew them should laud their excellence.

But today, Tony Snow has passed away at the age of 53, and this loss leaves me unable to keep silent.

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I never knew Tony Snow. Although I was fortunate to meet several politicos as they trekked through the State of New Hampshire, Tony Snow was among the Washington officials who remained beyond my six degrees of separation.

But as an ardent follower of all things political, I feel I got to know Mr. Snow while watching his daily pressers. When it was first announced that Tony Snow would take over for Scott McClellan, I cannot recall being more excited about a new White House Press Secretary. Even then, history was writing Mr. McClellan's political epitaph. Any contrast to his bumbling style was welcomed.

As a result, I remained convinced in the Spring of 2006 that the fundamental problem of my Party was the ability to communicate our ideas in a civil, intelligible way. I knew that Tony Snow could help us do both. I was not disappointed. Mr. Snow's performance on the job, though lasting only 17 months, was the stuff of legend. His grandiose reactions to inane questions, and his rhetorical ability to challenge a question's premise was unequaled. It is unfortunate for us that he did not remain in the post longer.

But in my mind, what made Tony Snow a standout Press Secretary is that he took on duplicitous questions with a velvet hammer in an agreeable, charming manner. Given an age of partisanship and lambasting, the Republican Party needs more Tony Snows to guide us along the way. Scott McClellan double-talk does us far more harm than good.

The Tony Snow I grew to know from afar reminds me of the need to be polite, to be civil, and to be direct.

And perhaps most importantly, to punch with a smile.

Photo courtesy of Fox News.

Maureen Dowd on Picking the Right Spouse

2008-07-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

It is true that in the past I have referred to NYT columnist Maureen Dowd using indelicate language. Unfortunately, the word spinster comes to mind.

But for the single and the seeking, Ms. Dowd offers an interesting homily of sorts about picking the 'ideal husband.' I would argue that the advice from Father Pat Connor can equally apply to men and women. Even though it 'eliminates' everyone.

It also makes this blogger realize that perhaps I judged Ms. Dowd a bit too soon. The article is a good read. Enjoy!

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Pickens Plan? It's Blowing in the Wind

2008-07-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma Billionaire T. Boone Pickens made an unexpected visit to the air waves here in Arizona. While watching Fox News yesterday evening, a TV ad aired discussing the current energy crisis, and purporting to offer a solution from Mr. Pickens.

Somewhat intrigued by the Holdenville, OK accent, if not skeptical, I decided to take a look at the website to see what Mr. Pickens plan was. The website provided a brief summary:

The Pickens Plan is a bridge to the future — a blueprint to reduce foreign oil dependence by harnessing domestic energy alternatives, and buy us time to develop even greater new technologies.

Building new wind generation facilities and better utilizing our natural gas resources can replace more than one-third of our foreign oil imports in 10 years. But it will take leadership.

On January 20th, 2009, a new President will take office.

We're organizing behind the Pickens Plan now to ensure our voices will be heard by the next administration.

Together we can raise a call for change and set a new course for America's energy future in the first hundred days of the new presidency — breaking the hammerlock of foreign oil and building a new domestic energy future for America with a focus on sustainability.

You can start changing America's future today by supporting the Pickens Plan.

[Link]

In brief, the T. Boone Pickens plan for America's energy pickle is the wind. Well, wind energy, and an amalgam of domestic energy alternatives to oil.

I am far from the idealist that Mr. Pickens would seek to inspire. I can no more envision wind energy factories buttressing the Great Plains' economies than I can envision the conclusion of the war on terror. But as noted here, and here, I am not opposed to developing a long-term solution to America's energy crisis that includes renewable, alternative energy sources.

The problem with an all or nothing approach as suggested by Mr. Pickens is that it overlooks the potentially cost-saving policy of exploiting and developing America's domestic oil reserves. My view is that a mix of domestic oil development combined with revamped efforts to make alternative energy sources marketable is the wiser course to follow. Why pick one, when you can do both? Partnerships between the public and private sectors could easily provide a double-front for attacking the dilemma.

Some on the left have argued that we should invest in alternative energy sources so that we can move away from oil based energy sources permanently. But this is a different argument than the one made by Mr. Pickens. His point seems to be that we have need to develop alternative energy sources due to the National security implications brought on by our reliance on foreign sources of oil. Given the latest headlines, I am not inclined to disagree. Of course, there is also a pecuniary aspect to Mr. Pickens proposal. As the majority interest holder of BP Capital Management, Mr. Pickens stands to earn a pretty penny should his alternative energy policies be adopted.

Nevertheless, it remains an impressive proposal advocated by Holdenville, Oklahoma's only Billionaire. For those interested, the commercial appears below.

Wiffle Ball, Lawyers, and Common Sense

2008-07-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

The New York Times story about a brewing dispute in Greenwich, CT caught my attention yesterday evening. While the story does not indicate whether a suit has been filed, the suggestion is that one could be filed soon for the most innocuous of things: teenage kids playing wiffle ball.

In brief, a group of plucky adolescents decided to build a small wiffle ball field in a public lot designated as a drainage space. This being Connecticut, the locals bristled at the thought of miscreant teens sullying their otherwise plush neighborhood of $1.25 Million homes.

The field cost the kids all of $200 for green paint.

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One lawyer for the disgruntled neighbors complained:

"The field of dreams has turned into a nightmare for them," said Tom Heagney, the Greenwich lawyer for about six neighbors of the field.

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In response, the Greenwich Time, Greenwich's local newspaper, opined in favor of the kids:

It would be a terrible shame if the end result of this dispute is the field being taken down. What the young people achieved there is remarkable. About 10 to 15 teens spent three weeks clearing the lot of dense thickets and erecting plywood fences in the outfield, including a replica of Fenway's Green Monster. They painted the fences green, put down bases and hung a large American flag from a tree in foul territory down the left field line.

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While I am not sure that teenagers building a wiffle ball field is all that remarkable, I do agree that it would be a shame for the field to close. The NYT article raises the specter of negligence liability as a reason to close the field, but this position is myopic. The matter at hand is less about tort law, and more about the power of communities to find common sense resolutions to trivial problems.

In the grand scheme of things the negligence liability argument is a straw man. The broad definition of negligence is roughly any conduct that creates an unreasonable risk of harm to others (resulting in some actual harm). The general duty of care to avoid negligence liability can be roughly described as a general duty to exercise the care that would be exercised by a reasonable and prudent person under similar circumstances.

Given those wide parameters, it is difficult to imagine any conduct that would pass the test. Under the right confluence of circumstances, there is no conduct which cannot pose some risk of harm to others. From walking in a crosswalk (particularly in downtown Tucson), to riding a bike, to falling in a field playing wiffle ball, virtually anything we do in life includes some 'unreasonable' risk of harm. As for the reasonable person standard, were such a person to exist the individual would bear a striking resemblance to Seinfeld's 'bubble boy,' socially isolated, in-doors, and living with his parents.

Applying the standards above to the situation up in Greenwich, CT provides a powerful clarion for common sense. Shouldn't we allow kids to play without the risk of a lawsuit? Being a liberal rag, the NYT article concludes the opposite:

All kids deserve a Huck Finn summer. We perhaps have lost our collective minds about our overscheduled, overstressed young. But, in the end, maybe there was a reason that Kevin Costner built that Field of Dreams in Iowa and not in Greenwich.

Here, I suppose I agree with the NYT. There was a reason that the Field of Dreams was built in Iowa: folks in Iowa still have common sense. But in places like Greenwich lawyers have aided Americans in losing 'our collective minds.

Hope remains. So far, the city's Selectman, Lin Lavery, has put plans to scuttle the field on hold.

NYT on McCain's Health Care Plan

2008-07-09T13:43:00.001-07:00

The New York Times ran an interesting headline on Sen. McCain's health care plan today.

The Times headline ominously read:

McCain Plan to Aid States on Health Could Be Costly

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While the headline may or may not be true, it seems naïve to suppose that Sen. Obama's plan for universal health care will not be similarly cost prohibitive.

Perhaps an article on Sen. Obama's plan is forthcoming, but for now the silence is deafening.

Assessing Team McCain

2008-07-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have before described Dick Morris as being a bit whiny and perhaps even a dash petulant.

But his latest rifling of the GOP nominee is spot on. In conjuring a response to Sen. Obama's latest round of advertising, Mr. Morris argues as follows:

A good tag line for the ad would be: "John McCain: when you have real experience, you don't need to exaggerate."

But, if McCain doesn't answer, or just replies with his own positive ad, he will let Obama move to the center, a key mistake from which he may never recover. If Obama can hold his 5-10 point lead until the conventions, he will have set in place a pattern that will be very hard to change. With his new ad, Obama could even elevate his lead to double digits

[Link]

Bottom line, Sen. McCain needs to get mean.

The gracious, bipartisan Senator bit might fly in the cloak room, but Sen. McCain needs to set the record straight on a number of issues in this general, Presidential election.

Lolcats: I Play No Game

2008-07-06T14:46:00.001-07:00

Just to complete our Sunday roundup, here's another amusing photo from Lolcats.

It's my motto too.

more cat pictures

Dartmouth Hits New Low: Colbert Featured in Alumni Magazine

2008-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

For such a revered institution, it amazes me how Dartmouth can sometimes be so stupid.

Somehow, our alumni magazine found a way to surpass itself by plastering liberal comedian Stephen Colbert across the cover.

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For those interested, the article can be found here.

For those not interested, your alumni donations that would otherwise have gone to Dartmouth can be better invested here.

Explaining Bush's Fundraising

2008-07-06T05:00:00.001-07:00

The Washington Post went to great lengths yesterday to try and account for the prodigious fundraising abilities of President Bush. Specifically, the piece made effort to explain why, despite the President's low-approval ratings, he remains a veritable Midas at GOP's fundraisers.

The story can be summarized in brief:

To look at it another way: Since the start of 2007, Bush alone is responsible for raising more money than the entire Democratic National Committee.

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While the President's poll numbers may be down, his fundraising numbers look to be as strong as ever. Not bad for a President long written-off for dead by the Democrats and the press.

It would be a point of particular irony if the President's fundraising prowess proved to be the weighty counter-punch to Sen. Obama's bid to buy the Presidency.

Obama's Iraq Fallout

2008-07-05T16:24:00.001-07:00

Sen. Barack Obama continued to try and blunt the political fallout emanating from this recent position flip on Iraq.

According to CNN, Sen. Obama claimed consistency in his Iraq policy:

"I wasn't saying anything that I hadn't said before. That I didn't say a year ago. Or when I was a U.S. senator. If you look at our position, it's been very consistent. The notion that we have to get out carefully has been a consistent position," he said.

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The Senator added that to the extent he had not been consistent, it was the media's fault, and expressed surprise at the attention paid to his reversal.

Such faux surprise seems a bit of a stretch given that Sen. Obama's campaign has hitherto rested on his ability to have 'finely calibrated every single word.'

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-04T14:33:00.001-07:00

In the summer of 2001, I had the opportunity to climb Pikes Peak, a 14,110 ft. mountain majestically located outside the Colorado hamlet of Maintou Springs. What made the trip memorable, aside from the miracle that I actually made the climb, was the beauty of the ascent. Being but a recent high school graduate, I knew somewhat of the history associated with Pikes Peak, but it was difficult to appreciate Katharine Lee Bates' 1893 hymn America the Beautiful without having had the benefit of my own trek up the mountain.

After a visit to the mountain top, I can say with memorable conviction that the words of the song aptly sum up everything we celebrate about America today. From our amber fields to our gleaming, alabaster cities, the song offers a true message of pride that all Americans can appreciate and tuck away into our National conscience.

In a few hours, the crowds will begin filling the Charles River Esplanade up in Boston, lining the East River in New York, and converging upon the National Mall in Washington, DC. The strains of Yankee Doodle Dandy, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic will fill the air. Mouths will gape at exploding colors of red, white, and blue. Here in Tucson, the festivities may be a bit muted by comparison. But even as the sun sets behind the Catalinas painting the desert sky, the annual celebration of America is warmly and fondly shared.

To mark the day, there is no better version of America the Beautiful than the rendition performed by Ray Charles. For those unfamiliar, Ray Charles was the blind son of an unwed couple that scraped by stacking boards and fixing cars. His impecunious lineage notwithstanding, Ray Charles would go on to become one of America's all-time music legends. The Ray Charles story reminds us that anything is possible in our great and blessed land. His version of our National Hymn reminds us why this is so.

On most days we duke it out here at Pax Plena between the left and the right, but timeless songs like Bates' hymn to America remind us that there is much to celebrate in the greatest Nation on Earth. So, here's three cheers from Pax Plena for the fifty-six, impudent men who signed our Declaration of Independence. Their bold 'expression of the American mind' remains the definitive sentiment of free people, across the ages.

Obama Flip-Flops on Iraq

2008-07-03T15:42:00.007-07:00

Nary a year ago, Democrat Presidential Candidate Sen. Barack Obama said:

We have to begin to end this war NOW! Not tomorrow. Not the next day. Not six months from now. But now.

The Senator's remarks can be found in the official Obama Campaign video here:

Today, the Senator's tune was piquantly tweaked as follows:

“I’ve always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed,” he said. “And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I’m sure I’ll have more information and will continue to refine my policies.”"

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Always is a very broad word. A quick look at the campaign video above shows a conspicuous absence of any cautions about troop security and stability. Always, indeed.

In fact, Sen. Obama's new position sounds a lot like Sen. Hillary Clinton's position. As Ripley might say, believe it, or not.

On the other hand, Sen. Obama's flip-flop teaches us much. Suddenly, the Senator's naive campaign slogan makes sense. Change we can believe in actually refers to Sen. Obama's ability to change the definition of words. For Sen. Obama, "now" means now only insofar as we can broaden its definition to include Sen. Obama's shifting policies.

Colombian Rescue Details Emerge

2008-07-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

CNN ran a fun, interesting story on the Colombian hostage rescue this past week.

According to accounts from the Colombian Government:

The agents gained the rebels' trust and rose to the top of FARC's leadership council as well as a team assigned to guard the hostages.

When the time was ripe, the moles used the authority they'd gained within the group to order the 15 hostages moved from three separate locations to one central area, and the game was on.

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The story has a happy ending for former opposition leader Ingrid Betancourt who spent a number of years in captivity. In the end, old fashioned, human intel trumped the sophistry of modern reconnaissance technologies.

The story had a slightly political element as well. GOP Presidential Candidate Sen. John McCain was briefed by Colombian President Uribe before the operation took place. The Senator was actually in Columbia highlighting trade policy and brandishing his National Security credentials. While the rescue had little to do with the Senator's influence, the classified briefing did allow for Sen. McCain to demonstrate the trust placed in him by other Heads of State.

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Personally, I think the happenstance offers a nice foil. Sen. Obama may come up with a cute 'Obamadential' seal, but it is Sen. McCain who has classified briefings with other Governments.

Oklahoma Bound: Sonics and Seattle Settle

2008-07-02T18:58:00.002-07:00

The landlord-tenant dispute between the City of Seattle and the Super Sonics NBA Basketball franchise was set to wrap up today with the Judge issuing her ruling this afternoon.

Instead, the parties settled at the 11th hour, and Oklahoma City will get its team in time for the 2008-2009 NBA season!

The AP reports:

The SuperSonics will move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season as part of a settlement with the city of Seattle, ending a contentious relationship that resulted in a trial in which the judge was due to issue her ruling Wednesday.

The settlement calls for Sonics owner Clay Bennett and the Professional Basketball Club LLC to pay up to $75 million to the city in exchange for the immediate termination of the KeyArena lease between the NBA team and the city.

The team’s name and colors will be staying in Seattle.

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Oklahoma City's new team will be getting the heck out of Dodge starting tomorrow. After months of legal wrangling, the win has to feel good for owner Clay Bennett and the Oklahoma-based Professional Basketball Club.

The Sonics colors were ugly anyway.

Make no mistake, this Blogger will be a proud supporter of the new team as soon as tickets become available. The team, generally, will be a tremendous boost to both the Oklahoma City economy and community alike. The city's downtown revitalization effort begun nearly a decade ago is paying many an unexpected dividend.

Now that the trial is settled, it's time to call out a particular individual for his foolishness.

Almost two years ago CBS Sports columnist Gregg Doyel sagely prognosticated:

If you're NBA groupie Oklahoma City, you're comforted that Tampa did finally get its expansion team, and Washington, D.C., did finally get the Expos. But compare those cities to OKC. No comparison, know what I mean? The sunny Tampa Bay market beats the crap out of dusty OKC. Washington, D.C., is one of the leading cities in the world, while Oklahoma City is one of the leading cities in Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma City will get its team and join some of America's finest cities in boasting its own NBA team. Here's hoping Doyel enjoys covering Oklahoma City's new team at the local Motel 6. We have nicer hotels but they probably exceed Doyel's expense account.

I hear on good authority from Dan Rather that the crow tastes especially good at CBS.

Trial docs from the Federal Court in Washington can be found here.

The latest headlines out of Oklahoma City can be accessed here.

Detroit Hurt By Fuel Prices

2008-07-02T05:00:00.004-07:00

An article in the New York Times yesterday highlighted the pinch Detroit is feeling by rising fuel costs. The 'slowdown' was typified as follows:

The economic slowdown and high gasoline prices hit the carmakers hard last month.

Honda’s lineup of small cars helped its United States sales climb to a record for the second consecutive month, but its major competitors reported significant declines in June, the worst month yet in a miserable year for the automobile industry.

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First, describing the sales slump as a 'slowdown' is a bit like calling the war in Iraq a 'snafu.' The comment is easily in the running for understatement of the year. The reality is that when Ford, Toyota, and GM all see sales plummet, while Honda's smaller, more fuel efficient fleet posts a sales record, the circumstance is less likely to be a 'slowdown' than a market shift.

While I feel the pain of blue-collar workers, I do not feel sympathy for the companies. The lesson for Detroit is that fuel efficiency is in and largess is out. There is no mistake that Honda's fuel efficient sedans outsold the others' fleets of SUVs and trucks. My hunch is that the American market for these vehicles has not suddenly vanished, but that consumer demand for more fuel efficient vehicles is on the rise.

Given this, the obvious way for carmakers to recoup their losses is to make more fuel efficient vehicles. In some ways, the ratio between gas prices and CAFE standards represents a sort of perverse inflation. Whereas fuel prices have increased dramatically, vehicles efficiencies have not kept par with the price increase.

I suspect most Americans would mind the price increase less, if their gas purchase would take them further down the road. With environmental types howling about global warming, this would seem to be a natural policy solution that all sides could find agreeable.

As the World Turns Redux

2008-07-01T05:00:00.002-07:00

Many thanks to Ms. Joyce Pines and our friends at the Kalamazoo Gazette for giving Pax Plena a plug in last week's opinion section.

Ms. Pines commented on our post here regarding the June 21st, AP wire piece by Alan Fram and Eileen Putman:

Hey, it's just a story. Many of the bloggers apparently failed to understand that the piece was an analysis, which meant it contained opinions and that it wasn't a straight news story. The Kalamazoo Gazette clearly marks such pieces "analysis."

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Ms. Pines, then, subtly turned the conversation by introducing a video of Cookie Monster's appearance on the Colbert Report. Her natural message being, 'it's just a story,' and perhaps that Americans should eat more cookies.

I cannot begrudge Ms. Pines her view- particularly since she kindly (if sarcastically) offered a link to these humble environs. But I do think her assessment misses the point.

While it's true that there is a distinction between opinion pieces and news stories, the conflation between the two in the Fram/Putman piece is exactly the type of unhealthy mix that our post took to task.

Simply put, the prescriptive element of the whole things is that the two need to be clearly distinguished. While I will offer my kudos to the Kalamazoo Gazette for marking the line for readers as Ms. Pines indicated, the AP failed to follow Kalamazoo's lead.

Regarding the opinion offered, our post argued vehemently against it, called its analysis misguided, and then dismissed it as un-American- correctly, I think.

How this misapprehended the difference between news and analysis as Ms. Pines indicated, I'm not quite sure.

Is It All About the Money?

2008-06-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Politico is reporting that former MA Gov. Mitt Romney has risen to the top of Sen. McCain's VP short list.

Why? Perhaps it is Mitt's ability to reform the party? Or the mass enthusiasm he generates for the ticket? Perhaps it's his stellar ability to reign in the evangelical base?

For none of these reasons, actually. But Gov. Romney can raise $50 Million in 60 days.

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Assuming the report is true, it would seem that the GOP VP spot is all about the money.

Suffice it to say, selecting Mitt Romney for Vice-President would be a powerful abrogation of Sen. McCain's hard-earned, maverick mantle. Romney brings nothing else to the ticket (besides $) and is simply business as usual.

President Jesus Christ

2008-06-30T13:01:00.005-07:00

CNN ran an interesting article highlighting projected voting trends among young, evangelical Christians. To typify young evangelicals, the article describes an obviously left of center group that is driving a vegetable oil-powered bus, and touting the Lord Jesus Himself for President.

In an interview with the group's leader, the organization's efforts were explained as follows:

After the speech in an interview with CNN, Claiborne said, "This is not about going left or right, this is about going deeper and trying to understand together. Rather than endorse candidates, we ask them to endorse what is at the heart of Jesus and that is the poor or the peacemakers and when we see that then we'll get behind them."

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While I'm not convinced that Christ would have us choose between the poor 'or' the peacemakers, I am obliged to support the rights of most groups to raise political awareness, and I do- even here.

Yet, it occurs to me that this organization, misses the point in a very fundamental way. Jesus would never seek elected office. The matter is not about what Jesus would do politically as the group implies. The matter is about how one's faith informs one's policy.

It is fair to say that Jesus had a heart for the poor. He clearly did. But the policy question to consider is the manner in which we should address the problem. When this question is considered, the answers and prescriptions vary widely.

Specifically, would the Lord opt to provide the indigent with an equality of economic opportunity or would he strive for abject economic equality regardless of its fiscal consequences? In a governmental context, no one is leading the coalition to increase the number of poor people. But great rifts exist when one seeks to address extant poverty in the United States.

Similarly, no one disputes that Jesus was the Prince of Peace or that war is a terrible thing. But meaningful disagreements exist as to how America should handle threats and potential threats to her National security. Would Jesus rather see Israel destroyed by a nuclear armed Iran, or would Jesus advocate a preemptive strike by Israel's closest ally? Would Jesus view preemptive war as a reasonable security measure, or would the Son of God dismiss it as imperial warmongering? Reasonable minds can disagree.

While I applaud efforts to engage people of faith politically, my point is that caution should be exercised where obvious answers are assumed to ambiguous questions. Caution need not forestall discussion, but it should cause us to approach the exploration with humility.

For who can know the mind of God? (Rom. 11.34)

Song of the Week: Troubadour

2008-06-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

In an age where people and artists continually reinvent themselves, I have come to appreciate consistency. Going on nearly four decades in country music, George Strait is a bastion of tradition in a sea of ever changing artists. Last weekend I stumbled across George Strait's new Troubadour album and was pleased to see that the King of Country still has it.

With one song from the new album already atop the country billboards, Strait's stipped-down version of country music has made him the stuff of legend. The most obvious example of this nearly minimalist style is found in the first single on the album eponymously titled Troubadour. The song is at points both wistful and self-affirming. It's unique simplicity earns it the title, Pax Plena Song of the Week.

Country music fans will appreciate that the songs on the entire album are pure George Strait. Far from having the rock flourishes of a Keith Urban, George Strait's brand of country music reminds one of driving dusty roads in West Texas. With Strait, the generic trappings of Nashville are displaced for want of Frio County, Texas. The music is real.

In terms of sound, the drive of the album is obviously Strait's voice, but its instrumentation is guided by the pure strum of an acoustic guitar, and the crying fiddle that personifies country music. A small trap set keeps beat, but its role in the song is far subordinate to the elements mentioned above.

But what makes Troubadour stand out from an impressive gallery of songs on the album is its lyrics. The words of the song force one to consider self-definition. Because Strait's music style, already has quite the established definition, the challenge in the lyrics comes with authority.

For instance, in the chorus, the singer muses that even as old age approaches some goals remain the same (viz., still trying to make a name), though they have now been tempered by a profound self-assurance (viz., Knowing nothing's gonna change what I am). This simple introspection strikes at the heart of the very negotiation made between ambition and definition. For those who resolve the conflict, there is no need to fret comparisons with others because we are who we are at the end of the day. Take it or leave it. I would submit that most folks can relate to the questions posed. The problems the song presents are just as relevant in Pearsall, TX as they are in New York City.

George Strait reminds us that in some ways we are all troubadours. Our songs are simply different.

Please enjoy the Pax Plena Song of the Week, Troubadour in the video below. Lyrics follow after the jump.

Troubadour
By George Strait

I still feel 25,
most of the time.
I still raise a little cain with the boys.
Honky tonk and pretty woman.
Lord I'm still right there with them.
Singing above the crowd and the noise.

(Chorus)
Sometimes I feel like Jesse James,
Still trying to make a name.
Knowing nothings gonna change what I am.
I was a young troubadour,
when I rode in on a song.
and I'll be an old troubadour,
when I'm gone.

Well, The truth about a mirror,
It's that a damn old mirrow.
Don't really tell the whole truth,
It don't show what's deep inside.
Oh read between the lines,
it's really no reflection of my youth.

(Repeat Chorus)

I was a young troubadour,
when I rode in on a song.
and I'll be an old troubadour,
when I'm gone.
I'll be an old troubadour,
when I'm gone.

Stupid Questions Get Stupid Answers

2008-06-27T10:19:00.003-07:00

I cannot in good conscience say that I appreciate David Addington, the Vice-President's Chief of Staff. I know very little about the man.

But I can say, without reservation, that I appreciate the carnival he brought to Capitol Hill yesterday.

Here is a brief sample from the Washington Post's Dana Millbank:

He had the grace of Gollum as he quarreled with his questioners. In response to one of the chairman's questions, he neither looked up nor spoke before finishing a note he was writing to himself.

When Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz(D-Fla.) questioned his failure to remember conversations about interrogation techniques, he only looked at her and asked: "Is there a question pending, ma'am?"

Finally, at the end of the hearing, Addington was asked whether he would meet privately to discuss classified matters. "You have my number," he said. "If you issue a subpoena, we'll go through this again."

[Link]

Supposedly, Addington is 'Cheney's Cheney.' I hope this means that the Vice-President would similarly refuse to suffer fools. Or at least refuse to answer the Democrats' silly questions.

Obama and Dobson Spar Over the Bible

2008-06-25T11:51:00.003-07:00

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson's radio address yesterday took Democrat Presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, to task for conflating Jewish law with the Gospel.

According to the AP, the brouhaha began when Sen. Obama made remarks early in the campaign about faith and policy to liberal evangelical Christians:

"Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the. United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?" Obama said. "Would we go with James Dobson's or Al Sharpton's?" referring to the civil rights leader.

In response, Dr. Dobson aired his hermeneutical grievances with the Senator on his weekly radio address. The AP report notes that Dr. Dobson took issue with the Senator's equation of Old Testament laws with Christ's Sermon on the Mount:

Dobson took aim at examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy — chapters like Leviticus, which Obama said suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination, or Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, "a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application.

""Folks haven't been reading their Bibles," Obama said.

On a base level, it strikes me as disingenuous that Sen. Obama would make such a coarse comparison between the two scriptures. Sen. Obama is a Harvard trained lawyer. From his legal education, it should be obvious that texts generally are parsed with considerable nuance.

Rather than treat the Bible with such consideration, Sen. Obama seems to have taken the rather glib view that the Old Testament is as applicable to Christians as the words of Christ Himself.

Quite the contrary, the Gospel is premised upon a firm rejection of legalism as a means of attaining salvation. Legalism in this context is defined as the strict adherance to religious law in order to gain God's favor and earn Salvation. By contrast, many Christians adhere to a form of antinomianism holding that the traditions of Jewish law do not bind them because of Christ's sacrifice in providing Salvation to those who believe.

Assuming the AP quoted Sen. Obama's remarks correctly, Dr. Dobson's claims of distortion by Sen. Obama are well founded. Many Christians accept that the Bible in its totality is God's word, but most believers do not hold the view that the Jewish laws of Leviticus should guide contemporary morality- let alone public policy. For the record, this is also the position of many Jews as well.

The issue, then, is not that "folks haven't been reading their Bibles.". The issue is that theology is more complex than Sen. Obama made it out to be. Ironically, this was the very point, Sen. Obama was attempting to make: religion is complex.

Whether Sen. Obama's distortion was deliberate as Dr. Dobson indicated is up for debate. But the remarks were, indeed, an unfortunate conflation that undercuts Sen. Obama's overtures toward evangelicals.

[Link]