Salon article
By Walter Shapiro
April 30, 2008
"The single biggest gap in party affiliation among white Americans is ... between those who attend church regularly and those who don't. Democrats, meanwhile, are scrambling to 'get religion,' even as a core segment of our constituency remains stubbornly secular."
-- Barack Obama, from "The Audacity of Hope"
Now Obama may be paying a political price (precise cost estimates will be available only after the May 6 North Carolina and Indiana primaries) for his embrace of wrong-way Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Just last month in his much-heralded race-and-religion address in Philadelphia, Obama, although he rejected Wright's ideological invective, still said of his longtime pastor, "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding and baptized my children." Only Tuesday, in Winston-Salem, N.C., did Obama finally read Wright out of his political congregation: "I want to use this press conference to make people absolutely clear that obviously whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed, as a consequence of this. I don't think that he showed much concern for me."
Deciphering Wright's motivations in delivering his recent jeremiads ranks right up there as a daunting psychological exercise with deconstructing Bill Clinton's campaign behavior. But what seems unambiguous is that Obama takes it personally that Wright chose to highlight his admiration for 20th-century hero Louis Farrakhan and to advance his diabolical theories about the origins of AIDS from the pulpit of the National Press Club. There was a wounded quality to Obama's comment: "I don't think he showed much concern for me."
Hillary Clinton has been as pantingly eager as Obama to testify about her religious beliefs in public, although her comments on theology often tend toward the saccharine. Just two weeks ago at a candidates-and-God religious forum broadcast on CNN from the campus of Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., the former first lady confided, "I have ever since I've been a little girl felt the presence of God in my life. And it has been a gift of grace that has for me been incredibly sustaining. But, really, ever since I was a child, I have felt the enveloping support and love of God. And I have had the experiences on many, many occasions where I felt like the holy spirit was there with me as I made a journey."
The point is not Clinton's and Obama's private religious beliefs, but their political calculation in searching for every possible forum to signal to religious voters that Democrats too are devout. The Republicans have long blurred the line between God and GOTV (Get Out the Vote), with Mike Huckabee, the runner-up for the GOP nomination, becoming probably the first major presidential candidate since William Jennings Bryan who unequivocally does not believe in evolution. Until recently -- with the exception of Jimmy Carter's 1976 born-again boasting -- the Democrats in their role as America's secular party have been far more reticent about reveling in religion.
Aside from a ritual "God bless America" as he concluded, Al Gore's only reference to the deity in his 2000 acceptance speech to the Democratic Convention was attacking "bean-counters at HMOs who ... don't have the right to play God." John Kerry, who had been schooled in the way that JFK handled the Catholic issue in 1960, was a reluctant warrior on the battlefields of religious pandering. Accepting the 2004 nomination, Kerry declared, "I don't wear my own faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by from Vietnam to this very day."
There are dozens of reasons (ranging from the Supreme Court to the inept campaign counsel of strategist Bob Shrum) why Gore and Kerry never made it to the White House. But after the narrow 2004 "why-o, why-o Ohio" defeat, the Democratic consultants -- all singing out of the same hymn book -- decided that the party's fatal mistake was getting whomped by a better than 3-to-1 margin among evangelical Christians. Thus was born the Democratic strategic gospel that the devil take the hindmost because in 2008 God would be in play.
In a sense, the Democrats have been lucky since they are blessed with two candidates who have been walking the pews of religion for decades -- from Obama's lyrical autobiographical account of joining the Trinity United Church of Christ to Clinton's public flirtation with the religiously based "politics of meaning" during her early White House years. But now the Democrats may be dealing with the dread consequences of answered prayers.
The wrath of Wright calls into question not Obama's faith but his judgment, the same quality that he trumpets when it comes to his early opposition to the Iraq war. Clinton, for her part, may currently be feeling like she has been touched by a miracle, but it is difficult to reckon how she has gained votes through her own public religiosity. In short, if the Democrats win back the White House this November, it will be presumably because of earthbound considerations like Iraq, the economy and gasoline prices. But if the Democrats lose -- especially if the Wright-way-to-pray issue haunts Obama -- then the only response from partisans will be an anguished, "Oh, God!"
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Angelic laughter
(On two kinds of laughter)
Those who consider the Devil to be a partisan of Evil and angels warriors for Good accept the demagogy of angels. Thigs are clearly more complicated.
Angels are not partisans of Good, but of divine creation. The Devil, on the other hand, denies all rational meaning to God's world.
World domination, as everyone knows, is divided between demons and angels. But the good of the world doe not require the latter to gain precedence over the former (as I thought when I was young); al it needs is a certain equilibrum of power. If there is too much uncontested meaning on earth (the reign of angels), man collapses under the burden; if the world loses all meaning (the reign of demons), life is every bit as impossible.
Things deprived suddenly of their private meaning, the place assigned them in the ostensible order of things (a Moscow-trained Marxist who believes in horoscopes), make us laugh. Initially, therefor, laughter is the province if the Devil. It has a certain malice to it (things have turned out differently from the way they tried to seem), but a certain beneficent relief as well (things are looser than thy seemed, we have greater latitude in living with them, their gracity does not oppress us).
The first time an angel heard the Devil's laughter, he was horrified. It was in the middle of a feast with a lot of people around, and one afther another the joined the Devil's laugther. It was terribly contagious. The angel was all too aware the laugther was aimed at God and the wonder of His works. He knew he had to act fast, but felt weak and defenseless. And unable to fabricate anything of his own, he simply turned his enemy's tactics against him. He opened his mouth and let out a wobbly, breathy sound in the upper reaches of his vocal register (much like the sound Gabrielle and Michelle produced in the streets of the little town one the Riviera) and endowed it withe the opposite meaning. Whereas the Devil's laugther pointed out the meaninglessness of things, the angel's shout rejoiced in how rationally oraganized, well conceived, beautiful, good, and sensible everything was.
There they stood, Devil and angel, face to face, mouths open, both making more or less the same sound, but each expressing himself in a unique timbre - absolute opposites. And seeing the laughing angel, the Devil laughed all the harder, all the louder, all the more openly, beause the laughing angel was infinitely laughable.
Laughable laughter is cataclysmic. And even so, the angels have gained something to it. They have tricked us all with their semantic hoax. Their imitation laughter and its original (the Devil's) have the same name. People nowadays do not even realize that one and the same external phenomenon embrace two completely conctradictory attitudes. There are two kinds of laugther, and we lack the words to distinguish them.
The book of Laughter and forgetting, M.K.
Part Three: The Angels, chapter 4
Those who consider the Devil to be a partisan of Evil and angels warriors for Good accept the demagogy of angels. Thigs are clearly more complicated.
Angels are not partisans of Good, but of divine creation. The Devil, on the other hand, denies all rational meaning to God's world.
World domination, as everyone knows, is divided between demons and angels. But the good of the world doe not require the latter to gain precedence over the former (as I thought when I was young); al it needs is a certain equilibrum of power. If there is too much uncontested meaning on earth (the reign of angels), man collapses under the burden; if the world loses all meaning (the reign of demons), life is every bit as impossible.
Things deprived suddenly of their private meaning, the place assigned them in the ostensible order of things (a Moscow-trained Marxist who believes in horoscopes), make us laugh. Initially, therefor, laughter is the province if the Devil. It has a certain malice to it (things have turned out differently from the way they tried to seem), but a certain beneficent relief as well (things are looser than thy seemed, we have greater latitude in living with them, their gracity does not oppress us).
The first time an angel heard the Devil's laughter, he was horrified. It was in the middle of a feast with a lot of people around, and one afther another the joined the Devil's laugther. It was terribly contagious. The angel was all too aware the laugther was aimed at God and the wonder of His works. He knew he had to act fast, but felt weak and defenseless. And unable to fabricate anything of his own, he simply turned his enemy's tactics against him. He opened his mouth and let out a wobbly, breathy sound in the upper reaches of his vocal register (much like the sound Gabrielle and Michelle produced in the streets of the little town one the Riviera) and endowed it withe the opposite meaning. Whereas the Devil's laugther pointed out the meaninglessness of things, the angel's shout rejoiced in how rationally oraganized, well conceived, beautiful, good, and sensible everything was.
There they stood, Devil and angel, face to face, mouths open, both making more or less the same sound, but each expressing himself in a unique timbre - absolute opposites. And seeing the laughing angel, the Devil laughed all the harder, all the louder, all the more openly, beause the laughing angel was infinitely laughable.
Laughable laughter is cataclysmic. And even so, the angels have gained something to it. They have tricked us all with their semantic hoax. Their imitation laughter and its original (the Devil's) have the same name. People nowadays do not even realize that one and the same external phenomenon embrace two completely conctradictory attitudes. There are two kinds of laugther, and we lack the words to distinguish them.
The book of Laughter and forgetting, M.K.
Part Three: The Angels, chapter 4
Computer OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.
Computer addiction is an obsessive addiction to computer use sometimes known as Dependency.
A variation of computer addiction is the proposed Internet addiction disorder, which suggests that people can not only be addicted to an object, such as a computer, but also an environment, i.e. the Internet.
There are easy ways to diagnose the like.
Fot one you can install Visual TimeAnalyzer.
Visual TimeAnalyzer automatically tracks all computer usage and presents detailed, richly illustrated reports.
* Easily log individual users or specific projects, and compile detailed accounts of time spent within each program.
* Track work time, pauses, projects, costs, software and internet use.
There is a 3 week trial, but this period is more than sufficient to get a basic idea of habit and rithm.
Another tool that can be used for the diagnosis is a small applet called PC On/Off Time
This free time tracking tool shows the times your computer has been active during the last 3 weeks, with no previous setup required. The software doesn't need to run in the background, because Windows OS tracks login and logoff times (working hours) by default, and the program analyses it.
If compulsive behaviour is observed, one can take measures.
Timeslot (Dutch) might be an option
You want that the child can use the computer, but within limits. But how do you arrange this without getting into a fight each time?
You do it by installing a simple and free piece of software: Timeslot. It aids the child to conform with the rules concerning the amount one can use the PC.
How does it work?
You can configure how ong a child can use the computer. It's easy to adjust the given time, any time you want. You just log in using the parent login. The programs basic policy is to shut down all programs when one exceeds the allocated time. I found security proper as I was unable to prevent the program from starting up once installed. Software removal is only possible using the parent login. Only backdoor is the date using safe mode.
An alternative is Parental Lock Guard (English)
Parental Lock Guard is a comprehensive application ideal for guarding your PC. With the powerfull defending mechanism, it can NOT be stoped in any usual way (without administrators password) known to the large people population: no close button, usual "X" buttons, no Task Manager "End process" or any "third party" software utility that can shut it down! That is also the biggest difference from the other applicatins with the same contents.
Computer addiction is an obsessive addiction to computer use sometimes known as Dependency.
A variation of computer addiction is the proposed Internet addiction disorder, which suggests that people can not only be addicted to an object, such as a computer, but also an environment, i.e. the Internet.
There are easy ways to diagnose the like.
Fot one you can install Visual TimeAnalyzer.
Visual TimeAnalyzer automatically tracks all computer usage and presents detailed, richly illustrated reports.
* Easily log individual users or specific projects, and compile detailed accounts of time spent within each program.
* Track work time, pauses, projects, costs, software and internet use.
There is a 3 week trial, but this period is more than sufficient to get a basic idea of habit and rithm.
Another tool that can be used for the diagnosis is a small applet called PC On/Off Time
This free time tracking tool shows the times your computer has been active during the last 3 weeks, with no previous setup required. The software doesn't need to run in the background, because Windows OS tracks login and logoff times (working hours) by default, and the program analyses it.
If compulsive behaviour is observed, one can take measures.
Timeslot (Dutch) might be an option
You want that the child can use the computer, but within limits. But how do you arrange this without getting into a fight each time?
You do it by installing a simple and free piece of software: Timeslot. It aids the child to conform with the rules concerning the amount one can use the PC.
How does it work?
You can configure how ong a child can use the computer. It's easy to adjust the given time, any time you want. You just log in using the parent login. The programs basic policy is to shut down all programs when one exceeds the allocated time. I found security proper as I was unable to prevent the program from starting up once installed. Software removal is only possible using the parent login. Only backdoor is the date using safe mode.
An alternative is Parental Lock Guard (English)
Parental Lock Guard is a comprehensive application ideal for guarding your PC. With the powerfull defending mechanism, it can NOT be stoped in any usual way (without administrators password) known to the large people population: no close button, usual "X" buttons, no Task Manager "End process" or any "third party" software utility that can shut it down! That is also the biggest difference from the other applicatins with the same contents.
Monday, April 7, 2008
De praktische kant
Hel
Het lege hoofd drijft door mijn haar
De uren een schakel, van het heg
Steeds opnieuw in dezelfde cirkel
Rond en rond, en de maan vaart om
En al het kijken en denken
Gaan alleen daar
Waar geen waar is
En k niet naar de eigen voet Kijk
Doof leven
Woorden zonder klank
En alle stemmen steeds dezelfde zoem
Dat is geen droom
Het is een
Alleen
Hemel
Hier, is de lucht
Hier is, het water
Hier is er, aarde.
En dat groeit
Je zaait
Je plukt
En je bemint de vrucht
Want dat is het licht, dat is de liefde
Amen
Het lege hoofd drijft door mijn haar
De uren een schakel, van het heg
Steeds opnieuw in dezelfde cirkel
Rond en rond, en de maan vaart om
En al het kijken en denken
Gaan alleen daar
Waar geen waar is
En k niet naar de eigen voet Kijk
Doof leven
Woorden zonder klank
En alle stemmen steeds dezelfde zoem
Dat is geen droom
Het is een
Alleen
Hemel
Hier, is de lucht
Hier is, het water
Hier is er, aarde.
En dat groeit
Je zaait
Je plukt
En je bemint de vrucht
Want dat is het licht, dat is de liefde
Amen
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Knowing is not enough
Are you speaking the truth? Well, now, after such a confession, I believe that you are sincere and good at heart. If you do not attain happiness, always remember the - right road, and try not to leave it.
Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute. Avoid being scornful, both to others and to yourself.
What seems to you bad within you will grow purer from the very fact of your observing it in yourself. Avoid fear, too, though fear is only the consequence of every sort of falsehood. Never be frightened at your own faint-heartedness in attaining love. Don’t be frightened overmuch even at your evil actions.
I am sorry I can say nothing more consoling to you, for love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in the sight of all. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on the stage.
But active love is labour and fortitude, and for some people too, perhaps, a complete science. But I predict that just when you see with horror that in spite of all your efforts you are getting farther from your goal instead of nearer to it — at that very moment I predict that you will reach it.
ebooks.edu
Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute. Avoid being scornful, both to others and to yourself.
What seems to you bad within you will grow purer from the very fact of your observing it in yourself. Avoid fear, too, though fear is only the consequence of every sort of falsehood. Never be frightened at your own faint-heartedness in attaining love. Don’t be frightened overmuch even at your evil actions.
I am sorry I can say nothing more consoling to you, for love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in the sight of all. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on the stage.
But active love is labour and fortitude, and for some people too, perhaps, a complete science. But I predict that just when you see with horror that in spite of all your efforts you are getting farther from your goal instead of nearer to it — at that very moment I predict that you will reach it.
ebooks.edu
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