On today’s edition of “Meet the Press,” during which time Colin Powell dealt a body blow to the McCain campaign by endorsing Barack Obama, Powell made a brilliant observation that, frankly, I wish had occurred to me.
He commented on how people in the GOP party (he wasn’t talking about McCain per se, but the party in general) kept accusing Obama of being a Muslim. And he said the first and obvious answer is that Obama is a Christian and always has been. But the better and more appropriate answer should be–so what if he were? Why should some seven year old American kid who aspires to be president and happens to be Muslim be receiving the message that, because of his religion, he can forget about it? And Powell went on to describe a photograph he saw of a military grave with a mourning mother, and there wasn’t a cross or a star of David on the soldier’s tombstone, but instead the crescent of the Muslim. What does it say about this country, Powell wondered, that that kind of message is being sent out? That young Muslims can fight and die for this country but never be involved in running it.
It’s even more striking when one considers that back in 1960, JFK being Catholic was a HUGE deal because people contended that a Catholic shouldn’t be president because he’d be taking marching orders from the Vatican. One only hopes that forty years from now we’ll look back on the notion that a Muslim can never be president with the same “isn’t that a silly idea” attitude that we now look back on the thought that a Catholic–or for that matter, a black man–couldn’t ever be President.
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I get a bit fed up with those straight out of highschool (same age as my younger kids). They seem to waste a lot of time with the stuff that really doesn’t matter. This is the 2nd post grad degree I’ve undertaken (I have a grad dip as well as a BA already).
I get a bit fed up with those straight out of highschool (same age as my younger kids). They seem to waste a lot of time with the stuff that really doesn’t matter. This is the 2nd post grad degree I’ve undertaken (I have a grad dip as well as a BA already).
Jerry,
It deals with “What is Time?” It was a fascinating subject that gave me a far greater appreciation and understanding of astronomy and mathematics that I thought that I (as a totally non-maths/physics person) could ever have.
Jerry,
It deals with “What is Time?” It was a fascinating subject that gave me a far greater appreciation and understanding of astronomy and mathematics that I thought that I (as a totally non-maths/physics person) could ever have.
There’s no reason to believe time unfolds linearly.
When Oliver Sacks was presented with patients who see the unfolding of events out of sequence — eg. seeing the match touching the matchbook, then the match igniting, then the match striking — because he’s a decent person, he didn’t invalidate their account of their experiences. He said it’s perfectly plausible that linear time is one of those things the brain constructs in the way Rudy has been complaining about (or whatever; his complaints haven’t been making sense to me). It’s also completely compatible with physics as it was taught in NJ public schools Reagan-era.
It deals with “What is Time?” It was a fascinating subject that gave me a far greater appreciation and understanding of astronomy and mathematics that I thought that I (as a totally non-maths/physics person) could ever have.
Sounds way more fun than our version was.
It deals with “What is Time?” It was a fascinating subject that gave me a far greater appreciation and understanding of astronomy and mathematics that I thought that I (as a totally non-maths/physics person) could ever have.
Sounds way more fun than our version was.
…if I understand this correctly, the universe expanded to much of it’s unimaginable size in an extremely brief moment of time–would that not violate the whole idea o the speed of light being the top speed possible? Or is it that when there is no such thing as distance and time the simple calculation of Speed=distance/time no longer applies?
Google “inflationary theory”. You’ll find clearer explanations than I can give on that topic.
Travel faster than light in an Einsteinian continuum could indeed result in a reversal of entropy – but since it would also require transfinite energy, I regard the time-travel aspect as secondary… 🙂
…if I understand this correctly, the universe expanded to much of it’s unimaginable size in an extremely brief moment of time–would that not violate the whole idea o the speed of light being the top speed possible? Or is it that when there is no such thing as distance and time the simple calculation of Speed=distance/time no longer applies?
Google “inflationary theory”. You’ll find clearer explanations than I can give on that topic.
Travel faster than light in an Einsteinian continuum could indeed result in a reversal of entropy – but since it would also require transfinite energy, I regard the time-travel aspect as secondary… 🙂
“Rudy, after reading everything you’ve written in the past 36 hours I don’t think you’re really TRYING to be offensive here — I just think you haven’t clue one how atheists actually think and (dare I say it? dare, dare) reason.”
Well….thank you for the benefit of the doubt…I think. We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Could argue further, but I forsee this spiraling into whether Neo would have still knocked over that Vase or not.
“Rudy, after reading everything you’ve written in the past 36 hours I don’t think you’re really TRYING to be offensive here — I just think you haven’t clue one how atheists actually think and (dare I say it? dare, dare) reason.”
Well….thank you for the benefit of the doubt…I think. We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Could argue further, but I forsee this spiraling into whether Neo would have still knocked over that Vase or not.
Travel faster than light in an Einsteinian continuum could indeed result in a reversal of entropy – but since it would also require transfinite energy, I regard the time-travel aspect as secondary… 🙂
‘By His Bootstraps’ much? ~8?)`
I’d say that the truth in some instances outweighes people’s own desires. I really don’t care about the “Hussein” bit and I cringe a little when I hear a Conservative or a Republican say it… but in general, aside from this election and certain politics, I think you’re wrong. (One of my favorite candidates lost in part because he campaigned as his nickname but the ballot would legally only allow his real name… that’s not the biggest reason he lost but he could have had 30 more points probably). I hate it when newspapers refer to people by their preferred names and not their actual names. History doesn’t give a shite about desire when there is truth on the table… or it shouldn’t.
1) Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama is not a body blow to John McCain. John McCain has already lost and people know that he is the loser. Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama because he knew this already and that he can’t lose from this endorsement.
2) People on the Right may accuse Barack Obama of being a Muslim but attacking those fools is a waste of Americans’ time. Serious people don’t attack Barack Obama for being a Muslim (which he is not) but for his belief in Black Liberation Theology, which is an American cultural derivation of Christianity. It is counterproductive, as they are contradictory messages, to claim that Barack Obama is a Muslim and a promoter/believer in a Christian denomination.
3) I always cringe and question when some third party, especially one of the Right, insists that Barack Obama is a Christian. They may be correct or incorrect, but if I were going to tackle a subject of a Presidential candidate’s faith I wouldn’t be so superficial. For that reason I’m not going to tackle a Presidential candidate’s faith in writing. (It is 100% more likely that Senator Obama is a Christian than a Muslim).
4) Nobody who fears or believes that Barack Obama is a Muslim has any fear that he is the sort of peaceful, loving Muslim that I may or may not be friends with in my professional or persona life. Those fools fear that he is the kind of Muslim that would go easy on the blow-stuff-up “Evil Muslims”, which is a low-blow type of politics that I despise. Those stupid fools make the rest of the Right look bad.
5) I think one could create a valid study as to whether Senator Obama’s chosen church promotes a valid Christian faith or simply a naked political movement but I’m not the guy who would make that study. As a default position I’ll say it is a Christian church promoting Christian faith.
6) If Colin Powell was being brave or actually being effective in hurting the McCain campaign he would have endorsed Barack Obama when McCain was ten points ahead. If he also really held Sarah Palin as the reason he would have endorsed Barack Obama when her VP nomination was rallying members of the Right.
7) Colin Powell is always incorrect when he declares that the Republican Party is oh so right-wing. I am an Arch-Conservative. I am Very Conservative. I am that Right-Wing guy, with the books and the Russell Kirk and the Milton Friedman and the Burke and Elliot and stuff. The Republican Party, by and large, is not that right-wing. The Republican Party believes in spending lots of money, and currently serves up heaping loads of Big Government policy, like $700,000,000,000 bailouts and write-a-check stimulus packages. The Republican Candidate for POTUS is an open-borders guy, same as Barack Obama, who believes in man-made global warming, same as Barack Obama, who believes in strict restrictions on campaign finance and spending, similar to Barack Obama, who thinks ANWR is a pristine paradise that should not be used to find resources, same as Barack Obama, who is hesitant to use our own natural resources locally, similar to Barack Obama… I’m trying to remember why I could possibly vote for this John McCain guy. It certainly is not for a policy reason.
8) If Colin Powell really is the center-left guy he’s claimed to be at times, then I’d calculate that John McCain is more like him than Barack Obama is. Certainly though, John McCain is more similar to Colin Powell than either of them are to me.
9) If there is an American political Party out there that is really, truly, of the Right… where people believe in personal responsibility and that their community who knows their names will help them, they should not even assume to trust their government… it is not the Party of Bloomberg, McCain, Ted Stevens, Phil Gramm, the Governator.
10) Barack Obama does not need a Republican’s endorsement to win. He will win and that is that. Colin Powell wasn’t dealing John McCain a body blow, he was merely dealing the tombstone a hefty pat.
I’d say that the truth in some instances outweighes people’s own desires. I really don’t care about the “Hussein” bit and I cringe a little when I hear a Conservative or a Republican say it… but in general, aside from this election and certain politics, I think you’re wrong. (One of my favorite candidates lost in part because he campaigned as his nickname but the ballot would legally only allow his real name… that’s not the biggest reason he lost but he could have had 30 more points probably). I hate it when newspapers refer to people by their preferred names and not their actual names. History doesn’t give a shite about desire when there is truth on the table… or it shouldn’t.
1) Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama is not a body blow to John McCain. John McCain has already lost and people know that he is the loser. Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama because he knew this already and that he can’t lose from this endorsement.
2) People on the Right may accuse Barack Obama of being a Muslim but attacking those fools is a waste of Americans’ time. Serious people don’t attack Barack Obama for being a Muslim (which he is not) but for his belief in Black Liberation Theology, which is an American cultural derivation of Christianity. It is counterproductive, as they are contradictory messages, to claim that Barack Obama is a Muslim and a promoter/believer in a Christian denomination.
3) I always cringe and question when some third party, especially one of the Right, insists that Barack Obama is a Christian. They may be correct or incorrect, but if I were going to tackle a subject of a Presidential candidate’s faith I wouldn’t be so superficial. For that reason I’m not going to tackle a Presidential candidate’s faith in writing. (It is 100% more likely that Senator Obama is a Christian than a Muslim).
4) Nobody who fears or believes that Barack Obama is a Muslim has any fear that he is the sort of peaceful, loving Muslim that I may or may not be friends with in my professional or persona life. Those fools fear that he is the kind of Muslim that would go easy on the blow-stuff-up “Evil Muslims”, which is a low-blow type of politics that I despise. Those stupid fools make the rest of the Right look bad.
5) I think one could create a valid study as to whether Senator Obama’s chosen church promotes a valid Christian faith or simply a naked political movement but I’m not the guy who would make that study. As a default position I’ll say it is a Christian church promoting Christian faith.
6) If Colin Powell was being brave or actually being effective in hurting the McCain campaign he would have endorsed Barack Obama when McCain was ten points ahead. If he also really held Sarah Palin as the reason he would have endorsed Barack Obama when her VP nomination was rallying members of the Right.
7) Colin Powell is always incorrect when he declares that the Republican Party is oh so right-wing. I am an Arch-Conservative. I am Very Conservative. I am that Right-Wing guy, with the books and the Russell Kirk and the Milton Friedman and the Burke and Elliot and stuff. The Republican Party, by and large, is not that right-wing. The Republican Party believes in spending lots of money, and currently serves up heaping loads of Big Government policy, like $700,000,000,000 bailouts and write-a-check stimulus packages. The Republican Candidate for POTUS is an open-borders guy, same as Barack Obama, who believes in man-made global warming, same as Barack Obama, who believes in strict restrictions on campaign finance and spending, similar to Barack Obama, who thinks ANWR is a pristine paradise that should not be used to find resources, same as Barack Obama, who is hesitant to use our own natural resources locally, similar to Barack Obama… I’m trying to remember why I could possibly vote for this John McCain guy. It certainly is not for a policy reason.
8) If Colin Powell really is the center-left guy he’s claimed to be at times, then I’d calculate that John McCain is more like him than Barack Obama is. Certainly though, John McCain is more similar to Colin Powell than either of them are to me.
9) If there is an American political Party out there that is really, truly, of the Right… where people believe in personal responsibility and that their community who knows their names will help them, they should not even assume to trust their government… it is not the Party of Bloomberg, McCain, Ted Stevens, Phil Gramm, the Governator.
10) Barack Obama does not need a Republican’s endorsement to win. He will win and that is that. Colin Powell wasn’t dealing John McCain a body blow, he was merely dealing the tombstone a hefty pat.
Just because someone is Muslim does not necessarily mean that they are evil. But that doesn’t mean that Islam—like my religion, Roman Catholicism—isn’t above criticism. I’m not necessarily afraid of a Muslim President, but I’ll be dámņëd before I let shariah become law in the United States.
And yes, I have already voted for Barack Obama.
Just because someone is Muslim does not necessarily mean that they are evil. But that doesn’t mean that Islam—like my religion, Roman Catholicism—isn’t above criticism. I’m not necessarily afraid of a Muslim President, but I’ll be dámņëd before I let shariah become law in the United States.
And yes, I have already voted for Barack Obama.