Random tunage from my iPod

Here's what's randomly played on my iPod this morning (out of 1000 tunes)

Pregnant Pause - Daniel Amos
There She Goes - Sixpence None the Richer
Sanctuary - Daniel Amos
BPD - Over the Rhine
Create In Me A Clean Heart - Keith Green
Cold Cold Night - the 77's
The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Pride of Life - Smalltown Poets
River of Grace - Rick Altizer
Horrendous Disc (UK mix) - Daniel Amos
Shaded Pain - Lifesavers Underground
Holy, Holy, Holy - Ashley Cleveland
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Winter Waltz - Monk
You Satisfy - Lost Dogs
How Many - Rick Altizer

back pain blues

I'm at home with a sore back today. It seems that working with boxes at the warehouse over the last three weeks has finally caught up with me. Fortunately, we just got DSL at home, so I can enjoy the web while laying here with a heating pad on my back.

Pat is at it again....

Well everyone's favorite evangelical crackpot is at it again. This time he is claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was God's judgement upon him for clearing out the Gaza settlements. Cringe!

I consider myself to a be a pro-Israel, conservative but I draw the line when it comes to ascribing events in the natural world to God Almighty (especially when it comes to Israel). I don't know the mind of God. Does God approve or disapprove of peace between Israel and the Palestinians? I don't believe there is a simple answer to that question. Can the modern state of Israel rightfully claim the moniker and blessings of "the chosen people" of the Old Testament? How did Christ's ministry, death and resurrection change God's relationship with the political state of Israel? Should the state of Israel be given a free pass on issues of human and civil rights in that name of being God's chosen people? Does God really mete out judgement on those nations that support the peace process by sending hurricanes and earthquakes (some interpret our recent hurricane troubles to our support of the Israeli peace plan)?

I for one am skeptical of such claims. Is it possible - yes (God is sovereign and can do what He pleases no matter how strange it may seem to me). Does God intervene in the lives of his people and in the events on this earth - I would again say yes (to say otherwise would make me a Deist). But I believe that we need to be careful in interpreting the "hand of God" into historical and current events. We don't have the whole picture. We cannot know the whole mind of God. What we do have is the Word of God as revealed in the Bible that provides glimpses into the mind of God and shows some of the ways in which He has interacted with his creation. In our attempts to divine "purpose" behind historical, current, and tragic events, we must exercise both humility and faith. Our humility acknowledges that God can not be put in a box ("My ways are higher than your ways" Isaiah 55:8-9), and our faith acknowledges that God's sovereign will is being worked out by both visible and invisible means.

Pat Robertson seems to lack humility when he opens his rather large mouth to make his proclamations. On what authority does Mr. Robertson base his opinions? Has God given Pat Robertson special revelation? Let us also remember that Pat also claimed that the events of 9/11 were God's judgement against America and that God is also going to rain judgement down on Orlando, FL because Disney has a gay day.

So I once again say to Pat, "Shut Your Pie-hole!!!"

Is Walmart Good for America?

Last night, I caught most of the PBS/Frontline documentary Is Walmart Good for America. It was a fascinating look at the mega-retailer, free trade, our trade imbalance with China, and our modern consumption-based economy.

Frontline doesn't hide its bias very well, but it is still a thought provoking program. I don't believe there is a simple answer to the question. Walmart may indeed bully its suppliers and exacerbate our trade imbalance. Is this a reflection of Walmart's lack of ethics or the result of a changing market forces in a new global economy? Probably both. So how should I as the average joe consumer supposed to respond? Boycott Walmart? If I did that, I'd probably have to boycott every other major "big box" retailer in the area. That limits my options and means higher prices for the goods I need. Is that good for America? Bob Dylan penned the song "The Times They are a Changin'" and I think we are indeed in one of those great transition times (at least economically).

I would have liked to have seen some probing into the role unions have played in the exodus of manufacturing jobs from the US. Chinese workers may be underpaid, but US workers in the last 30 years have been over paid (one worker featured in the program was being paid over 50k a year to operate a machine - why get an education if you can do that?). Too what degree have unions gotten too greedy in demanding their "fair share" of the pie thus pushing corporations to outsource to cheaper labor markets? You probably won't hear too many in the mainstream media ask that question? Walmart is a much easier target.