On the End

http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=174659

On Good Counsel

Ok, I promised to re-visit the "What's next for Iraq?" issue with an answer and not just criticism. So I will, and I have my good friend's commentary to thank for the inspiration.

We need to reach back into history and see that a parliamentary system is the best way to wean a society away from dictatorship. English history should be our model instead of our own warped ideas about the Founding Fathers creation of democracy ex nihilo. When England began experimenting with democracy, the king retained a great deal of the power. Parliament could advise initially, then later gained control of the purse. Actual policy decisions were left to the executive for several hundred years or more. Now, we see a strong Parliament in England that did not spring up overnight. What happened in France was a wholesale destruction of the executive branch, and the result was nightmarish.

So, my proposal would be to create a Parliament but make it quite clear that the executive branch will hold the most power. Somebody has to make the decisions, and somebody has to be accountable to the minority groups. It is much easier to hold a Prime Minister accountable than a deliberative body. If that Prime Minister was charged with maintaining the peace and safety of every citizen, and then given the power to do so, minority groups may feel more at ease. Something has to preserve their rights, and although dictators are bad people who abuse power, they also prevent wholesale slaughter that leads to great unrest. It is in their best interests to be the sole agitator, so dictators never allow for two groups to obliterate each other. This dynamic will be missing in the early days of the Iraqi republic. A strong Prime Minister leading a large parliament will maintain some sense of continuity in society and encourage peace.

If freedom is to keep on the march, it needs to keep its wits about it. There is nothing natural about democracy. Every democratic nation on the globe today has only arrived there through great trial and countless mistakes. We forget this as Americans, being the inheritors of English common law and tradition. If only we had a few kings and military coups in our history, we would see how difficult a task we face in Iraq.

On Driving with Bono

I just got back from a little Thanksgiving jaunt down to Atlanta to spend the holiday with my wife's family. Many aunts and uncles. Great turkey. Southern hospitality. Marvelous.

Except for the 14+ hours plus it took to drive there. And then another 14+ back. But it was pretty easy going coming back north. My wife and I stopped at a Wal-Mart (confession time) and picked up U2's new disc, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ($9 at Wal-Mart that day) . I must say I am impressed. Somewhere between all those charity fundraisers, UN visits to Africa, and Super Bowl halftime shows, Bono and The Edge managed to cook up something special for the fans. I love it, but before you run out and buy it you must know that I am still spinning The Joshua Tree at least every month or two.

On Martial Law & Elections

I just put two and two together, folks.

Iraq has been declared (acknowledged?) under a state of martial law since the assualt on Fallujah began about a week ago. This entails travel restrictions, curfews, military police, the whole nine yards. This is all fine and good, and perhaps should have been done a few months ago. The martial law will continue until sometime in January.

Also coming in January, Iraq's first democratic elections. I do have my fingers crossed hoping this really works, but it seems like an abrupt transition, doesn't it? At best, there will be a three week period without martial law in which all the campaigning will be done. Iraqis spent decades under a military dictator, over a year of chaos after an invasion, several months more of martial law, and now we are pretending that it will only take a few weeks to install a democracy?

Ask yourself the question. If you were an Iraqi, would you trust the results of this election? Can we really expect society to just suddenly "open up" and become a liberal democracy that trusts in the electorate? Our election in 2000 was contested enough, and we are people with centuries of trust in the institutions of democracy. Iraqis have no such trust. As far as they know, the next president could become another dictator upon gaining power. Or the next government could severely discriminate against the minority parties. In a fragmented country with so many competing interests at work, it may not be realistic to expect everything to come together to form a 2 or 3 party system in the three weeks of peace and democracy that Iraq has coming. None of the minority groups are going to feel safe, and revolution or assasination may be viable options to the disenfranchised.

And don't ask me for a better idea yet. That is another blog, another day.

On My Name

A friend of mine had this website posted on his blog. It tells you what your name might mean for your personality. I dunno, but this seems kinds far-fetched. You read mine and tell me if you think it is accurate. And please, be gentle in your comments.

Matthew
Your name of Matthew has created a most expressive nature, idealistic and inspirational, driven with a strong inner urge to be of service in some way that would uplift humanity as a whole. However, there is a tendency to assume too heavy a burden of responsibility for others, which leads to worry and undue concern. People with problems are drawn to you as they recognize you as one who has understanding and gives not only sympathy and comfort but provides also some constructive advice or assistance. You have a generous quality to your nature, but you must guard carefully against giving more than you receive or you will find yourself doing without because you have helped someone else. You love people, family, home, and friends and try to be a parent to the whole human race. While you have generally stable conditions in your personal life, you may experience some problems in business affairs through a tendency to be scattering and inattentive to details. Any health problems would show as tension in the nervous system brought on by worry.

This might just be a whole lot of bunk, eh?

Check it out at http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/pak//names.cgi?&

On Trying to Be More Clear

I may not have made myself entirely clear yesterday, so I will reiterate. Please read carefully before posting a response.

My friend Stick's comment yesterday nailed it. The red states voted against Kerry because Democrats have been seen as weak on defense as far back as Nixon. It had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with the culture of the South and American politics.

Southern Baptist voters do vote for Bush. They also vote to ban homosexual marriage. And they rarely (if ever) vote for a Democrat. But this is no different from the rest of the South. I am only saying that it is possible that the Southern part should trump the Baptist part when analyzing the election. Look again at Oklahoma. Did Christian voters go against their church and vote to allow gambling on Indian Land and the lottery? I am saying no. People were not listening to their pastors (though their pastors were egging them on undoubtedly). They were voting how they normally do. Christians may have voted their "values", but those values are more easily identified as Southern than Christian.

What is at stake here? Do not look at Bush's majority in the popular vote as the result of a religious revival or national renewal movement. Those were not all Christians. True Christians are probably as divided as my friend Stick said in his comment. Both parties stink. Regional and traditional politics won this election. The media is just trying to ignore the fact that the majority of America was red. So they blame it on the religious zealots who make easy prey. The easiest way to discredit Bush is to blame his election on religious fanaticism. This is certainly not the case. The majority of America does not seem to like gay marriage, abortion, the UN, and France. And that majority is certainly not exclusively Christian. But that makes for a boring news story.

On the Christian Right to Rule

I know I told you I was done with politics until after the new year, but I cannot be silent any longer. I hear so many people sounding off about the role Christianity played in the election that I feel like I have to say something.

I am only going to say this once: Do not blame/praise Christians for the re-election of Geroge W. Bush. It is not our fault/victory. It is indicative of a large scale political movement in America that just happens to somewhat coincide with the ramblings of madmen like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Richard Land.

First, let it be remembered that these "Southern fundamentalists" all reside in states that were blood red long before Bush or Kerry. The "solid South" is a phenomenon that is as old as Nixon. No red state was going to vote for Kerry with national defense on the line. Everybody south of the Mason-Dixon and west of the Great Lakes but short of the coast "knows" that Democrats are weak on defense.

Second, the churches that the "moral majority" represent are not growing. Christianity in the South is in a long and slow spiral when you look at actual church attendance. You cannot have a Christian resurgence without a resurgence of Christianity. No massive revivals are breaking out anywhere, including the red states. The Southern Baptist Convention is in the midst of budget cuts, and the long-term prognosis is not so great. The church leaders have no national majority behind them. They just happened to be on the winning side.

Finally, take a close look at the election results in Oklahoma. All those Christians who flocked to the polls as a majority certainly voted for GWB and Tom Coburn and the ban on same-sex marriage. But they also must have voted against "Christian morality" as defined by their church leaders (www.gamblingmouse.com) when they approved both the state lottery and casino style gambling on Indian land. How can the church achieve such stunning victory yet also suffer such astonishing defeat? Simple, voters were not informed by religious convictions but socio-political concerns. (Isn't that a liberal democracy in action, though?)

I do not find a very convincing argument anywhere pointing to GWB riding a tide of religious renewal to a stunning victory. And do not think for a minute that GWB considers conservative evangelicals as anything other than a "part" of his base. He has not, and will not, recognize any of these religious leaders as integral to his win. There will be no cabinet appointements from Bob Jones University, or even from Oklahoma Baptist U. He had the red states before a single Christian ever marked a ballot. That is politics at work, America. Before we go to the press and claim to have a "moral majority", we better come clean and admit that our "moral" majority is not necessarily a "Christian" majority.

On Hiatus

I am going to be mending for a few days, so there will be no post until the weekend probably. Until then, I leave you with this. . .

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2004-11-16-anf-bias_x.htm

That should give you enough to talk about with your friends until I am back to a more regular schedule.

On the Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Tall and skinny guys just never have things go their way. I have been trying for years to get used to the idea that pants will just never cover my ankles. But the latest piece of info declaring that tall skinny guys will never rule the earth came to me last Thursday in the form of a collapsed lung. It seems that tall skinny guys are susceptible to that bane of humankind, the spontaneous pneumothorax.

In about an hour I went from sitting and reading a book (dangerous, man, dangerous) to an emergency room. My right lung had sprung a leak, and the air that was filling my chesty cavity was collapsing it. To solve the problem (!), they stuck a metal tube into my chest cavity and pressed it against my lung. For 24 hours they pulled out all the extra air from my chest and allowed my lung to reinflate. Then they had to make sure they did not cause any extra leaks. Four days, 150cc of morphine, and countless blood pressure checks later, they released me. A warning to all you tall, skinny guys: this hurt like the dickens! I have a wound that pierces half of my abdominal cavity!

On the bright side, I got to know the healthcare professionals at the lovely Princeton Medical Center. It is a teaching hospital, so all the residents and medical students flocked to my bedside every moring and evening to catch the next thrilling chapter of the saga. My thorax will be discussed for weeks, I am sure. If you ever want to visit PMC, be sure to take advantage of the valet parking next to the emergency entrance.

On Church Signs

I am not fond of church marketing. A well-advertised church is usually larger, more wealthy, and often empties out quickly on Sundays after the benediction. The congregation is more prone to leave when the pastor does, never really finding a home among the people. Churches usually market things like music and entertaining preaching, things which I do not put a high premium on personally.

But yet, I got an interesting e-mail this week. The church I am now a member (and a deacon) of is situated on a roadside where at least 5,000 cars a day pass by. If it sounds hard to believe, just trust me. It is a New Jersey phenomenon. One of those 5,000 people yesterday saw our sign and wrote an e-mail via the church website (again, not something I personally spent time on). She wanted to know if there is anything to hope for in this world. So, our webmaster told her what we as a church hope for. I don't guess this would have happened without a good sign.

So, help me out people. Do I need to lighten up and get on board with the Rick Warren PR train? Is that the way the 21st century church is going to do things? I think I feel a catharsis coming on.

On Growing Up a Stoops

Whatever happened to Mike Stoops? C'mon, surely you remember the brother of Bob Stoops and one-time co-defensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma. It seems like so long ago he set out to create his own name. He left the long shadow of his brother in Norman for the head coaching job at Arizona. Does that jog your memory?

I am really rooting for the guy, honestly. But you gotta wonder what might have been. I don't think the new arrangment has benefitted anyone. Arizona is 1-7 this year and has made its debut on ESPN's Bottom 10 (which, incidentally, is a must read every week).

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10049

Not only does Arizona stink, OU's defense cannot seem to remember that wide outs are eligible receivers in college football. The DB's in Soonerland are getting beat like they stole something several times a quarter. I bet that Thanksgiving will be interesting at the Stoops' house.

On Dear Alma Mater

I guess times are tight on Bison Hill. Money is scarce, and since the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma spent all their money campaigning against the state lottery (and failing, I might add), they have none to give to their flagship school.

Never fear, however. The geniuses in the PR department came up with a grand scheme. This baby is gonna sell like Spam-cakes, so you better check it out now. They might sell out by next March or something. It will make a great gift idea; but if you get one for me, I will never speak to you again.

www.raleychapel.com

Buy one today!
Or tomorrow!
Or at all!
Please?!?!

On My Classes

Just in case somebody out is wondering what I do all day, here is a list of my current course enrollment along with a few remarks. This is what I do with 85% of my time.

Systematic Theology II> Observing Presbyterians as they worship, I mean, read Calvin's Institutes.

Interpretation of Job> Not a class about the economy.

History of the Radical Reformation> It was radical. It was reformation. Hence the name.

Church, Community, Nation> A 1960s revolutionary becomes an Episcopal minister, then earns a PhD and teaches Presbyterian seminary students. I could not make this stuff up if I tried.

Preaching> This is a participatory lab. I now hear 6 sermons a week. Pity me.

Internship> I am an assistant to the Baptist chaplain at Princeton University working with students. If I have ever made anyone around me feel dumb, I sincerely apologize. I now feel dumb every day.

Give me some feedback. What should I be taking?

On Keeping One's Word

I could have a whole lot to say today about what has transpired within the last 48 hours. But, I promised that I was done with politics for the year. I intend to keep that promise, hoping that my example will encourage others to do the same. Maybe someday, this blog entry will be a turning point in history. It will represent the day we all began telling the truth. People will look back and say, "Man, I don't know what a 'resident alien' is, but that guy sure inspired me to be a straight-shooter." Good luck, America. And good night.

I am Matt Porter, and I approved this message.
This message paid for by Porter-Kinzie '08

In Case You Missed It...

The election has so dominated national news that I wanted to make sure that nobody missed out on this story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6387111/

It looks like the casinos in Atlantic City will be open for the holidays. A new deal with the union means that there will be no strike and no interruptions in casino services. The entire Eastern seaboard rejoices along with Donald Trump. It is a shame that Brokaw, Rather, Blitzer, and Co will miss this historic occasion.

On Campaign Media Coverage

Tomorrow, it will all be over. Worst case scenario: talk of legal action and recounts becomes the lead story until about mid-January. But that will still mean that we will no longer be subjected to the brainless, worthless, pointless excuse for political coverage that is being presented on your TV.

All CNN has to say about Bush-Kerry is how big their "war chests" are and what state they are campaigning in today. This is followed by a 10 second blurb from one of their recent speeches in which Bush uses the word "resolve" and says "freedom is on the march" a few times. Kerry's sound bite is usually a cheap knock-off using slightly different phrases while also questioning Bush's sanity.

Instead of the serious debates and discussions that should mark a democratic election, we are presented with a horse race between two competing "messages". The media actually compares spin now instead of talking about facts (that perve O'Reilly included). For my last political statment of the year, I say "Good luck, and may the best-marketed talking head win."