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fifty years have ridden off into the sunset
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I'm sorry but I'm just thinking of
the right words to say
I know they don't sound the way
I planned them to be
But if you wait around a while
I'll make you fall for me
I promise, I promise you I will
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Math. Absolutely horrible. There was not a single number on the test. Not. A. One. They were all variable-constants. So instead of everything neatly cancelling, you end up with fifteen different constants because you have to keep making up new ones!
Engineering. Quite good actually. Was much easier than I thought; was actually first one done and out the door in about half an hour.
Lab was cancelled. Praise God -- after two weeks of sweat, two midterms, and a lab writeup, I just can't think any more today.
Was late for room selection. Will see if that means God wants me to change rooms for next semester.
-David
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I've been blogging for a year now.
This surprises me. I never would have thought I could keep it going this long. In fact, one of the reasons I didn't start a blog until April was that I didn't want to be one of the three-post wonders. Em knows how much I was pondering this. ;-)
But I'm glad I did, more or less. It's been fun.
-David
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I need to update my blog links. So. Anyone want a plug?
-David
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| Meh |
| 12:39 AM, Monday, April 26, 2004 |
Instead of studying, or doing homework, I wrote my lesson for Friday.
But it's a great lesson! And I enjoyed writing it. And it gave me a chance to preach to my roommate.
But still. Meh.
Oh well. God will help me on my tests.
-David
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Since BoB (whoever that is) has complained about gay marriage and abortion being permitted if a Democrat were to enter the White House, I'm going to put down my thoughts on these subjects.
Be warned: these are tertium quid. If you can't handle an opinion that doesn't espouse one of the for or against opinions, don't read on.
And again: ad hominem attacks are not welcome on my weblog; I don't care whose side you take or what your opinion is. I have an IP ban. If you can't control yourself, ask me about it -- I'll be more reasonable with someone who knows they can't control themselves on a subject and asks to be banned than I will be with someone who just starts randomly flaming people. But if you're that out of control on these topics, perhaps you should consider stepping back from the computer and hitting yourself in the head with a frying pan.
Repeatedly.
Anyway. On gay marriage.
Marriage is a religious ceremony that is defined by the church, the Bible, and God. Very simple. It's the coming together of a man and a woman -- yes, a man and a woman -- for life. Divorce for any grounds other than adultery is ... well, adultery.
A civil union is a state-sponsored ceremony which defines the coming together of two people. They live together; they are considered a couple. Dissolution is permissible under the law.
Marriage and civil unions are different.
If a gay couple, male or female, engage in sexual relations, it is a sin. It is not blasphemy; I'm pretty sure it's only blaspheming if they mention God in their wedding vows.
But here's the kicker: marriage is a religious ceremony. That's what makes it different from a civil union.
Which is exactly why the state shouldn't be recognizing marriage at all. Period. Whether between two men, two women, or a man and a woman -- the state has no business involving itself in marriage. Religion hasn't had business involving itself in civil affairs since Jesus died.
As for abortion:
Don't be confused by the arguments people put forward. It's not about religious issues. It's not about the safety of the mothers. It's not about rape, not about abstinence, and it's sure as heck not about women's rights.
Very simply, it all revolves around one single question: Is a fetus a human being or not?
If a fetus is a human being, then abortion is murder. If a fetus is not a human being, then abortion is a surgical procedure not dissimilar to cancer treatment.
The thing is that this central issue cannot, should not, be decided by our government. It can't even be addressed -- it's a philosophical and moral issue that faces anyone who is considering an abortion. The question is fundamental to our law, but must not be restricted to our lawmakers to decide. Philosophical issues are, like religion, left in the hands of the individual, not the state.
I'm not going to put forth solutions. I think that you're bright people and could easily think of ways to determine an individual's beliefs on whether a fetus is a human being or not. An interesting dilemma is how you'd handle pregnant women, especially young and possibly single ones.
But it's something that must be left to each person to decide for themselves, without the judgment or condemnation that so often comes with the choice to have an abortion. If your religion, conscience, parent, guardian, mentor convinces you that abortion is baby-killing, then so be it: don't have an abortion. But it's not your right to force your opinion on anyone else, whether by legal, civil, or vigilante methods. And in the same way, if you believe that a fetus is not a human being, then feel free to voice your opinion, but don't assume that others will necessarily subscribe to it.
-David
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| For Kath |
| 2:47 AM, Monday, April 19, 2004 |
While I obviously can't tell you for sure, I like to think that I would have spoken out against certain excesses committed by the Roosevelt administration, mostly the illegal internment of many Japanese-American citizens in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, especially given the lack of similar treatment (though I'm not sure that's ENTIRELY a bad thing) regarding Germans and Italians in America. I'm not sure about the atomic bomb; that's a philosophical and moral question that will take a significant amount of thinking to decide and honestly I still don't have an answer for you on that topic.
Regarding the Bush administration, much of my anger with him is the repetition of history which we already know doesn't work -- the creation of internment camps for Muslim and Middle Eastern people in America, the detention of thousands of such people, the "random" checks by security personnel which are completely unrandom (when someone you know gets checked EVERY TIME, it's pretty easy to tell it's not random -- if she'd thrown a Qu'ran under her arm, they'd probably have arrested her at gunpoint), the suspension of liberties in the laughable so-called "Patriot Act", the sheer arrogance and gall in the We Stand Alone philosophy, the inappropriate disdain for the United Nations and various country's opinions shown in, among other things, the declarations that "if you are not with us, you are against us", the outpouring of public suspiscion which was aided and abetted by the Bush administration in the wake of 9-11, the obsession with external patriotism, the kickbacks and favors granted to companies such as Haliburton, Enron, and various other campaign contributors (did you know that all but two of Bush's cabinet-level advisors have links to at least three and generally many more companies, several of which are involved in the "reconstruction" of Iraq), the forcing of our ethics and morals upon a people who don't care (this is how we got into this mess in the first place, people), the kicking-by-the-wayside of the people of Afghanistan now that Osama Bin Laden is confirmed to be NOT in the country (when was the last time you heard something about the reconstruction and democratizing of Afghanistan, I wonder?), and various other promises by the Bush Regime which have, quite naturally, gone unfulfilled.
The laughable promise to "leave no child behind" has turned into a finger-pointing festival where the states don't have enough money to try to meet the standards established by the federal government. If a FRACTION of the $87 billion!!! that is being spent in Iraq were to be diverted to school systems, they would have a massive amount of funds to meet the needs of their students.
The economy is shot to hell and Bush's tax cuts are making it worse. Skilled jobs are being exported to various countries; he's supporting business over academic research -- business pays more, because academic research is non-profit and tends to be in the public domain. Unskilled jobs are being filled by imported labor, most of whom are illegal aliens which Bush is doing nothing to prevent. The war on drugs is failing miserably, because all Bush's money is going to foreign policy.
Now ... what, precisely, sounds like Roosevelt's administration in that? Aside from the fact that we went to war ...
-David
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Every Me in America liked freedom a lot
But The Bush who lived in Crawford. ... did NOT!
The Bush hated freedom, considered it treason
The liberal democrats were always the reason
It could be his head was screwed on too far right
It could be perhaps that his briefs were too tight
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his brain was two sizes too small.
But whatever the reason, his brain or his briefs
He paced in his mansion, despising the Mes
Staring out at the nation with a sour, Bushy frown
At the debates over politics going on in the town
For he knew every Me in the country would know
How the White House election in November did go
"And they're casting their votes!" He snarled with a sneer
"Tomorrow's the day! It's practically here!"
Then he growled, with his slick fingers nervously pounding
"I MUST find some way to keep Gore's votes from counting!"
Or tomorrow, he'd see the national cheers
As we welcomed a sane leader for another four years
So he ran to the phone! to his father he called
And over the line his confusion he bawled
When he finished his crying, his father replied
"I taught you better! or Lord knows I tried,
So call up your brother, have him rig the election
And we'll get you in as the Supreme Court's selection."
What a devilish plan! What evil delight!
As his followers miscounted votes on that night
They ripped up the ballots, declared "hanging chad"
Making dictators proud and George Washington sad
The debate in the nation would rage on for years
Amid heartaches and sorrow, through much pain and tears
But Scalia and Thomas and Rehnquist declared
O'Connor and Kennedy's verdict they shared
That The Bush was the President, he'd stolen four years
The multitudes sobbed amid millionaires' cheers
And The Bush got to work on subverting our rights
While creating new wars, new conflicts and fights
How bad could it be, though? He couldn't run amuck
But eight months through his reign, a tragedy struck
September eleventh, two thousand and one
Bright the day dawned, but news darkened the sun
Planes had been hijacked, nobody knew how
And the World Trade Center would fall to the ground
Well, didn't that take the cake! The Bush went insane
And vowed that all terrorists would feel the pain
Of their victims, times over, time, times, and a half!
The world would see Bush Almighty's wrath!
He would pour out the cup of loud lamentations
No matter the outcry from the United Nations!
And the plans for Al-Qaeda Bush Almighty revealed?
The fate of these terrorists soon would be sealed
He'd target civilians, bomb innocent people
In the center of Kabul, erect a Methodist steeple
Never mind the forgiveness, forget Matthew Five
He'd strike at those terrorists and leave none alive!
But first to repress the nation he commanded
A new Inquisition of hate he demanded!
The Department of Homeland Security
An oxymoron made by morons, you see
Rumsfeld and Rice, to abolish liberties strove
With Cheney and Perle, Ashcroft, Powell, and Rove
A dozen dictators who soon would declare
That there would be scales to determine the terror!
What they meant to say was the scale's display
Was the number of rights suspended that day
They pushed through new bills and created new powers
To combat the chances of new falling towers
They arrested hundreds, detained thousands more
Suspended Miranda rights, "in time of war"
They used the fear of being attacked again
To stir up the public like sheep in a pen
Cows by the dozen! Cows to the slaughter!
Cows that would serve as great cannon fodder!
Anyone who wouldn't wear American flags
Were derided as communist terrorist fags
And anyone who spoke against Bush The Almighty
Was smited by dozens of patriots flighty
And heaven forfend you deride the regime!
You're supporting the godless terrorist scheme!
You're dividing the nation! You're making us fall!
You're using the rights that were given to all!
You're unpatriotic because you dissent
No matter what's in that old document
Called the Constitution, which we're supposed to defend
But hey! Let's abolish it! On King Bush we'll depend!
And oh, you're against us if you are not for us
And you'll feel the wrath of The Bush's chorus
Of voices and soldiers, of crying to God
For vengeance and hatred and liberties trod
The world heard this as our ultimatum:
Terrorists: y'all better drop dead or hate 'em
The Bush went on the warpath, attacked with great zeal
Lambasted the French for keeping it real
Met hatred with hatred and terror with terror
He'd show those heathens just who was in error
And then it was over, the war had been won
But The Bush wasn't finished with his bloodthirsty fun
So he fixed on a man who'd caused his family great pain
This guy in Iraq called Saddam Hussein
And so in far Baghdad the Cloned War released
Amid millions of voices who cried out for peace
The protesters marched in full force on D.C.
But The Bush wasn't swayed by the populous sea
"We're going to war!" he told all of the world
"They've got WMD, and the flag's been unfurled!
It's for all of the victims when the Trade Center fell
We owe it to them to send heathens to hell!"
So he went for Iraq, blew up plenty of folks
Amid lots of comments and "Daddy Bush" jokes
But The Bush persevered! His soldiers were loyal!
They'd give up their lives to defend Bush's oil!
They went after Basra, after Tikrit and Mosul
While Bush played the idiot to Don Rumsfeld's fool
Baghdad was toppled, the Baath party died
And Bush looked to justify his warrior's pride
"They had old WMD! Or at least they were making
New ones to use, or maybe we're faking
At the least they were looking for ways to create 'em!
Come on! It's Iraq! You've just gotta hate 'em!"
He went for my daddy ten long years ago!
I wanted to kill him, cause Dick told me so!"
So the truth was revealed, though not quite so clear
It was only revealed to those who would hear
The subtext of statements, and flip-flopping changes
From Bush The Almighty, on his cattle ranges
But it's interesting the White House hasn't defended
The number of funerals The Bush has attended
Which, if you're curious, is a big, massive zero
That's gotta make him an American Hero
He's not gone to one funeral for those soldiers of fate
Not visited one grave site for the grunts of his state
But he had time for campaigning, for gathering funds
'cause in two thousand and four, again he will run
Guess the parents and children and spouses and neighbors
Of soldiers don't give enough campaigning favors
Unlike the elite at Haliburton and Co.
Who're STILL one of The Bush's biggest givers of dough
And let's not leave out Enron, Ken Lay's little deal
He may be in jail, but continues to steal
What's next on the pad in the White House, I wonder
Guess time will but tell if The Bush has more thunder
They say that The Bush has more invasions to plan
He's working real hard to conquer Iran
And barring a change in the board of directors
Oil prices are shooting like Iraqi defectors
Oh! And what of the great Afghani freedom plan
To save the oppressed people from the Taliban?
Where has that gone? It's been trampled and trodden
Since Afghanistan doesn't have Osama Bin Laden
But hey! We'll keep searching till all of his tramps
Are safely in jail, and safely on stamps
Well, that about sums up The Bush's regime
But sadly, his war crimes are just gathering steam
Iraq wants us out! It's a battle royal!
And who can blame them? We're stealing their oil!
And we're forcing our ethics on all of their best
Forgetting that our interference started this mess
Hey, it could turn out all right, we could have a new nation
That welcomes the U.S.'s impending invasion
But stand firm, my comrades, for six months stay strong
And the day will come that we've awaited so long
On November the second, two thousand and four
We will all see The Bush ... getting kicked out the door.
-David
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Okay, so it's a little beyond Tuesday, but I've just been so busy this week. Tuesday night I was out with the group until 1am or so. BJ wasn't there, actually that's been happening a lot this semester since he's working now, and so I'm just being called to step up as an on-campus leader.
Which isn't really comfortable sometimes, but I guess that's the point.
Anyway, had a good study with Steve on prayer and on requests ... talked with Melissa for a bit afterwards as well, who's doing really well, am quite encouraged by her. So I wasn't going to write a long thing up that night.
Wednesday night, I didn't get back from class until 10pm, then I was studying out Matthew 6 and it took all my attention until I went to bed.
So I was planning for Thursday. I had some minor things to do, but nothing that big. Right? Well, it never works out that way. This is a good thing, but sometimes it's nice to have a schedule. At any rate, Thursday went well -- got everything done that I needed to get accomplished, but someone we were going to study with decided not to go through with it. Which, honestly, was unfortunate, but it did give me and Hector a chance to play some basketball. And yea, it was good.
Then about 10 I get a call from Jia, who wanted me and Hector to come over to help with some issues. One of our friends was missing, which is very unlike him. Anyway, we got together for a while and prayed, then said friend walked in the door at quarter to 12. Knowing he was doing good work, we weren't too worried, but we're human -- sometimes that gets in the way.
At any rate, had a study with Sam and challenged him on some things that he really needed to consider. Am worried about that, a bit, but know that it's not really my problem to worry about, but that it's in God's hands. Then broke about 1 for Kelly, and ended up talking with Jia and Hector until 3:15.
As I said: there are times when being somewhat of a go-to guy on campus can be difficult. I love the work, and it makes me happy that God is using me in such a way, but it keeps me so busy sometimes. Still, I know I can do more. And by grace, perhaps I shall in the future.
Friday was spent with Jia, Hector, and Sam until 4. Talked for a good while with them, then decided that going back to Sam's room wouldn't have been the most fruitful thing and instead broke for my dorm. Spent an hour outside in the Word and it was beautiful -- lovely day, wonderful time ... then at 6 grabbed food with Bryan, had our mentorship meeting. Talked for a while about stuff concerning each other, the ministry, and that sort of thing. Then around 8, headed off to the sports complex. Jay got there around 9, and we played 3 or 4 games of full-court basketball. My shot was on the first game, which surprised me because it was a bit of a flat shot and my practice shots were frankly horrible. But I was enjoying it.
Got back to Bryan's place around 12ish and we all basically just crashed. Got up a bit late, but then talked with Jay and Bryan for a while. Jay left at 1, then Ladi came over at 1:30 and we left Bryan and headed off to grab something to eat and to talk.
Talked with Ladi until about 5, showed him the Life Talks website and stuff, and planned out some interesting stuff for the ministry. Found out will be giving the lesson at the last fellowship on the 30th, so will have to work that out. Shouldn't be too hard. Found out am also going to have to step up next semester for Life Talks. Should be fine. Found out might have someone to mentor. Will be requiring large amounts of grace and mercy.
So ... yeah, that's my week in a nutshell.
Oh yeah, this was going to be about the Poconos. Oh well. Later.
-David
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When the grave robber comes ...
There's a step that we all take alone
An appointment we have with the great unknown
Like a vapor, this life is waiting to pass
Like the flowers that fade like the withering grass
But life seems so long, and death so complete
And the grave an impossible portion to cheat
But there's One who has been there who still lives to tell
There is One who has been through both Heaven and Hell
And the grave will come up empty-handed that day
Jesus will come and steal us away
Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite
When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night
Where is the victory, where is the prize
When the grave robber comes and death finally dies
When the grave robber comes ...
Many still mourn, many still weep
For those whom they love who have fallen asleep
But we have this hope, though our hearts may still ache
Just one shout from above and they all will awake
And in the reunion of joy will we sing
Death will be swallowed in sweet victory
Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite
When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night
Where is the victory, where is the prize
When the grave robber comes and death finally dies
When the last enemy is gone
Out of the dust will come a song
Those asleep will be awakened
Not a one will be forsaken
He shall wipe away all tears
He will steal away our fears
There will be no sad tomorrow
There will be no pain or sorrow
Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite
When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night
Where is the victory, where is the prize
When the grave robber comes and death finally dies
Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite
When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night
Where is the victory?
-David
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I'm back. I'll probably write up a summary of the trip on Tuesday or something, but until then, ask me about it if you want.
-David
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| Ho-hum |
| 12:11 PM, Wednesday, April 07, 2004 |
Off to the Poconos. Ciao.
-David
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... is when you realize your April Fools' prank suckered a ridiculous number of people spanning four major message boards, a few minor message boards, plenty of IM conversations, a phone call, two or more blogs, and a whole bunch of the "Forum Militia" people.
Heh.
-David
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