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Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Let's Get Political

Observation I can't escape in this maddening election season: The Clinton campaign keeps killing Obama for his lack of experience.

Hillary was elected to the Senate in 2000, while Barack was elected in 2004. So the huge level of experience Clinton owns  over him is four years. FOUR YEARS! Seriously, how much do you think that extra four years in the Senate helps someone? If it was decades more, it would be an apt argument, but four years is not impressive enough to tout.

To bolster her case, Hillary stated, "Voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next president will face." 

That's fair. But what do you have to offer?

"'I think we need a president with more experience than that,'" said Clinton, who has repeatedly touted her own experience as first lady . . .

Experience as first lady?!?! So now being first lady qualifies as foreign policy experience? Flying around the world on the taxpayer dime to place wreaths and collect presents given to the US by foreign dignitaries makes you skilled in international issues? Is Laura Bush, who has been first lady nearly as long as Clinton was, now qualified to be a Senator as well?

Let's be honest: these party nominations never have anything to do with experience. Reagan was a frickin' actor and helped end the Cold War. Those scoring at home, that's ZERO foreign policy experience yielding HUGE international successes.

In the end it's all about likability and, unfortunately for her, the more Hillary talks the less likable she is. But since she's losing ground she's forced to talk and it's going to get worse. I predict, however, that things will come full circle when Edwards or Obama becomes the front-runner. Each have open flanks that can be exploited.

And with the chaos on the Republican side, this will most definitely be an election to remember.

p.s. I never knew that Obama's middle name was Hussein. Probably not the most marketable thing about him, eh? 

This Land Ain't Our Land

Somewhat inspired by Thanksgiving, I offer this: One of the things I've noted in my class on Christian History in America is the reaction that people had towards immigration. Immediately after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, a nativist movement emerged shunning those who were new to the country. It seems that ever generation or so, a new group of immigrants became the target of persecution. The frightening part is that much of this hatred was perpetuated from the pulpits of Protestant churches. It's sorta eerie to witness the current dislike of Mexican immigrants as some of the language sounds identical to that of over 100 years ago.*

That's why I found this map particularly enlightening. It shows the territory of the Cherokee nation [of which I am a descendant, by the way] which, before the American Revolution, found it's northern border at the Ohio River. After the war, their territory was reduced significantly, and now they have only a small portion of land between Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

It's impossible to go back in history and correct the wrongs that were committed that we now benefit from today; reparations are impossible to make and, in my opinion, pointless anyway. But we can learn the lessons from the past. We can accept who we really are. We are a nation of immigrants but once we build a foundation we fear losing what we've built. So instead asking for the tired, poor and huddled masses, we tell them to go back to their own country. Wonder if the Indians felt the same way.

I recognize that there are many issues concerning immigration that are need to be flushed out; people need to be legal, people need to pay taxes [well, as long as I have to anyway]. But we shouldn't persecute immigrants. This is a great country. There's plenty of space for all of us. If we're truly thankful for our country, we shouldn't hesitate to allow others to enjoy it as well.

For an explanation on the Cherokee map, read the full article here.

*Sidenote: Many who push for English to be declared our language do so out of fear of the spread of Spanish in our country; they're worried that they'll be outnumbered and will lose their culture. This too is expressed frequently by nativists throughout American history and yet it never became a reality. There have always been communities of immigrants in this country who maintain the use of their own language. Eventually immigrants, who understand the importance of learning the prevalant language, adapt to English, usually at the expense of their original culture.

Yikes! [fantasy football speaking]

OK, fantasy geeks, here's my story from this week. I'm narrowly in first place in my league but the play-offs are coming and I need to separate. Chad Johnson did me no favors and I was down six points going into tonight. I had Lendale White at running back while he had the Titans defense.

At 11pm I look at the score and I'm down by three ["so you're saying there's a chance?"] so I turn on the game to see how it ends. Late in the fourth quarter, Denver's Andre Hall runs one 60+ yards for a touchdown; so the guy I'm matched-up against loses three points and the score is tied. And I'm happy because I can at least avoid the "L." But with two minutes to go, Tennessee down by 2 scores, they throw a 10 yard pass to Lendale and I'm up by one. The very next pass, Vince Young throws an INT and the Broncos run out the clock.

So on the last completion of the game, in the last game of the week, I get the point I need to get the "W."

And this is yet another reason why fantasy baseball takes more skill.

Out Of Sync

My Sunday night thought vomit ahead. Let's see where it takes me. Last week was somewhat brutal. Among other things:

  • I was finally getting over a cold while Kelly was developing one.
  • The National Missionary Convention was in many ways a blessing, but it also ran me ragged. I did get to carry around a walkie talkie [Travolta asks, "ain't it cool?"] but that meant people were constantly asking me things that I didn't know. I also walked miles around the convention center this week which gets old rather quickly.
  • I still attempted to go to class this week but was somewhat frustrated with aspects of the discussions we had.
  • Both our dishwasher and freezer went on the fritz when I had no time to examine them.
  • I did play indoor soccer [late] Friday night, scored a goal but missed two easy other ones. I think it was because I was exhausted, but I felt a little old out there. I hate that.
  • While the Buckeyes gave me something to smile about, I was bummed last night when the Bearcats couldn't get it done verses West Virginia. That could've been awesome.
  • There was a bird stuck in our chimney this afternoon. Well, I think it was stuck in the chase [between the flue and the outer cover] and I couldn't figure out how to get it out. It's no longer making noise so while I'm optimistic that it made it out, I'm afraid it died in there.
  • A guest of someone in our condo didn't set the brake in their car and it rolled into somebody's deck, then into the street. It's amazing that no one was injured.
  • The Bengals . . . well, you know.
  • I performed a Sunday afternoon wedding right before church.

So with all this going on, I was glad I had Larry Budde preach for me tonight; it was one less thing to have to worry about this week. Larry is the first person besides Aaron or me to teach at Echo. He did an incredible job. Some church should hire him to preach. Tye did a great job leading worship and artfully transitioned into our communion time. Susan filled in with our children's ministry tonight and excelled. Tim, Tim, and Dale moved like a perfectly oiled machine, setting up and tearing down in no time flat.

Basically . . . tonight . . .  was . . . flawless.

And . . . um . . . I had nothing to do with it.

It's been an incredibly humbling experience to be a part of Echo and to appreciate the talents that God has assembled in our little church. As closely tied my life is to Echo, it's wonderful to be reminded again that it's more than me.

Additionally, as we focus on thoughts of thanksgiving this week, it's difficult for me to get too down on all these negative things in my life. After a few days observing missionaries, seeing the many sacrifices they make to share their faith, I feel like a tool for even thinking about seeking pity.

I have a beautiful wife, a precious child, a supportive family, a fantastic church, encouraging friends and, above all, an amazing God.

I . . . am . . . blessed.

Even when I'm not feeling quite right, I'm doing alright.

We Don't Care About The Young Folk

I was just downtown moving some overhead projectors and checking on our church's registration for the National Missionary Convention. The well-intentioned registration person engaged me in the following dialogue: Her: "Hi, how can I help you?"

Me: "I'm just checking on our church's registration for the convention."

Her: "Did your church register you?"

Me: "Actually, I registered our church. I'm the minister."

Her: "You're the youth minister of a church?"

Me: "No, I'm the real minister and I am checking on our registration."

Her: "You mean for the Teen Convention?"

Me: "No, the one for adults."

Ugh. I know what she was thinking: "there's no way a church let's this kid be their minister." Of course, considering that I started Echo, I'm not sure a church actually let me be their minister.

Does it say something that if I'm not wearing khaki's and a button down shirt [I was sporting denim and a zip-up sweater], or if I'm not in my 50's with a little gut, or if I'm not balding while totting a cellphone clip on my belt, that I don't appear to be an actual minister? We wonder why we're having problem attracting young guys to ministry. Could it be that we prefer our ministers to look . . . well, geeky?

Perhaps I've said to much. I'm in no way the epitome of cool [proven by my use of the word "epitome"] but I'm just calling this one like I see it.

Truth be told, I almost always enjoy it when someone says, "you don't look like a minister." Because, usually, it's said in a good way. postscript: That song referenced in the title of this post is my ringtone. If you're unfamiliar with it, familiarize.

Not So Amazing

In the midst of a writer's strike [which I really should comment on sometime] my hope was put in a good season of Amazing Race to hold my attention. Unfortunately, it seems the producers settled for parity this year instead of excellence. None of the teams on this year's edition could win in any other season. It makes for a race that any team could conceivably win, which could keep it interesting, but I'm thinking it will soon get annoying. From the typical beauty queens, to the brother/sister team that think they're the smartest, to the goth couple from Louisville that would get laughed at by goth people from a major metropolitan area [no real goth people continually talk about themselves like they do], it's set up to be a season of mediocrity.

Here's to hoping for a few compelling break-downs to keep me into it.

The System Sucks

College presidents are greedy. Otherwise they'd give us a Division 1A [excuse me, FBS] play-off. Instead we have the BCS and, besides those greedy presidents, no one is happy. Note yesterday's loss by Ohio State to upstart Illinois. Every analyst I've heard/read since yesterday said that the Buckeyes are now out of the championship picture, despite the fact that they are one of many one-loss teams. Honestly, that loss yesterday didn't surprise me. Ron Zook can recruit, his team played flawless football, and the Buckeyes young QB picked a bad time for his worst game. But instead of respecting that Illinois is better than "rankings" would say, we dog the Big Ten as weak compared to other BCS conferences.

So now, the way I see it, we'll get a Big 12 verses SEC championship game. Oregon could make a case, but since they lost to a now 6-4 Cal team, they'll get screwed. If West Virginia wins out [which won't happen 'cause UC will beat them Saturday] they won't be considered because the Big East is viewed as weak. All other one loss teams will be ignored if they don't play in the Southeast or the Great Plains. The Big 12 now has 3 teams ranked in the top 10. And LSU is the best team in the nation because they are the best team in the SEC? Make sense?

This is all crap because these rankings are totally subjective. Even the computer rankings are skewed as they have factored in certain strength of schedule based upon conference rankings. And no one likes to talk about the fact that the mighty SEC and Big 12 are afraid to play a strong non-conference schedule. "That's because getting through are league is brutal," they claim. Whatever. Getting through any league is brutal. Any team can win at any time, and this season has proved that.

This brings me back to Ohio State: they deserve to still be in the mix. Say what you will about league strengths but while the matched up poorly against Florida in last year's championship, they would manhandle whoever the Big 12 sends to the BCS. It's all about how a team matches up. And, unfortunately those match-ups are based on premonitions of supremacy that sports writers and coaches carry with them into the voting booth.

What this goes to show us is that one of the greatest American sports will never be THE greatest until we scrap this BCS crap and play some kind of playoff. Maybe this is the season it finally gets too ridiculous to ignore.

Old School

I don't usually hype what we're doing on Sunday nights at Echo because I look forward to every week, but tomorrow night will be very cool. Daesik, a native South Korean who is enrolled at the Conservatory of Music in a PhD program, will be playing the organ and piano. Our "hip, emerging" church will be singing from hymnals as we focus on the concept Future|Past.

It always takes a little more planning on my end when we do these kind of services but I'm really excited about how this will turn out.

So if you're not busy tomorrow night, we'd love to have you join us at 6:30.

Nice, Vikes

I'm not sure Mike Brown is even this cheap. The Minnesota Vikings docked Troy Williamson a week's pay for attending his grandmother's funeral. The Vikings normally give three days for bereavement but Williamson needed more time as he basically had to plan the arrangements himself as one of his brothers is in a coma and his other siblings are in the armed forces. No mercy from Minnesota's management, however. So they gloss over when their players get caught on a sex-boat cruise, but are hardcore when a player loses a loved one.

Makes sense, huh?

Something that puzzles me is that NFL players get paid "game checks;" So they take the players' salaries and divide it by sixteen. So what exactly are they getting paid for? Do they only get paid for working the weekend? If so, why is it a big deal if they miss practice? That's why I find this story even more ironic: how many guys get paid when they're hurt and sitting on the sideline? Isn't that basically what happened to Williamson?

Update: Like Sally stated, the Vikings reversed their decision and paid Williamson [too little, too late?]. Williamson, in turn, donated his game check to charity in his grandmother's name.

Even Badder Dog

Haven't really kept up on all the latest Dog the Bounty Hunter screw-up news but Kelly and I decided to listen to his racist rant on YouTube [listening to YouTube?]. Stick a fork in his career; he's done. There's no recovery from that tirade. This got me thinking of a church in our brotherhood that brought in Dog on a Sunday morning to get people to visit. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but does allowing a celeb in the pulpit prove as helpful when they go off the deep end?

Hey, there are no safe bets. Any minister can have a moral failure and that can definitely taint a church. But bringing in a high profile celebrity/politician just to get butts in the seats can do more harm than good.

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One Flew Over The Atheist's Nest

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From the New York Times: Antony Flew, a retired Oxford educated atheist, is now coming out in his old age as a believer in a higher power. Evangelicals shouldn't get too excited as he doesn't claim to believe in Christianity, but I do find it fascinating that a person can totally deviate from one's life beliefs like this. He has a book due out soon. Should be an interesting read.

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Do As I Say

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The crazy Pat Robertson news of the day should be concerning the news that China will ban Bibles from the Olympic Village for next year's games. Doesn't this seem perfectly tailored PR story where he can decry the adverse influences of the godless Chinese government? Instead, crazy Uncle Pat comes out and endorses Rudy Giuliani, a man with whom he has major philosophical/theological differences, for President. Basically, Robertson defends this decision because he sees Rudy as someone who "can win the general election.”

He picked the wrong horse. He should have endorsed Hillary. Here's how I arrive at this conclusion:

1) Basically, the way I read it, Pat picked Rudy because he thinks he can win the Presidency. So instead of holding to his (shaky) beliefs, he kicks them to the curb and goes for the "W." Well if that's how he chooses his endorsement, why not go all the way and pick the HRC?

2) I'm pretty confident in saying that the Robertson endorsement isn't what it once was, if it ever really was anything in the first place. I'll go even further and say that Rudy is actually worse off having Pat back him [no one really seeks out that Ted Kaczynski endorsement, do they?]. If Uncle Pat really wants the Republicans to win, he would've been better served to back Hillary.

In short, Robertson Endorsement = Black Death.

This ensures Rudy will not win in 2008.

Election Recap

I'm a day late in honor of the Board of Elections taking until 2am to announce results . . . for a local election. So for next year's presidential election, expect results December 3rd. Hamilton County voters said no to the jail tax and county officials responded by telling us that they'll stop picking up criminals and throw them back on the street. Way to endear yourselves to the public, guys. I imagine, despite the doomsday announcements dropped today, that the county will be just fine.

The Cincinnati Public school levy failed and this is no surprise. Here's to hoping that some new board members will make a difference.

The most interesting thing was that all nine incumbents were reelected to City Council. These folk weren't the most inept council ever, but they weren't anywhere near stellar either. I think they lucked out with the Banks deal coming so close to Election Day. I would predict that this bodes well for Mayor Mallory to be reelected in 2009.

And the biggest piece of news was the I was not denied the right to vote yesterday because my drivers license still bears my old address. I was ready to drop old Ohio Revised Code 3505.18A on them but was not hassled at all.

God Bless America.

Not A South Park Guy

. . . but tonight's espidode was about Guitar Hero so I had to watch. Very funny take. I still don't get why people flush so much time into to fake guitar playing. Also, this commercial kept coming on about a new video game called Assassin's Creed that takes place during Crusader era in the Holy Land. I am not a gamer, but it looks pretty sweet . . . probably cheaper than a Holy Land tour too.