During the civil rights movement, most white Protestant churches in the South--those that now make up the Southern Baptist Convention--stood solidly against desegregation. Some of the children of those good churchgoers are as unwilling to accept the legitimacy of a black president as their parents were to accept riding on a bus next to blacks.
It is impossible to have a rational discussion about policy differences with people who run around screaming about killing Granny and calling the president a communist, a socialist, and a Nazi. The new practitioners of the paranoid style are impervious to reason and facts. I thought Obama was extremely eloquent in the conclusion to his speech, when he spoke about two sides of the American character--the side that almost instinctively distrusts government and the side that cares about other, less fortunate citizens. I'm sure that the Obama-haters weren't listening to a word he said. What we are seeing now is a third and worse facet of the American character--the bullying, ignorant facet in which certain people view anyone else's gain as their loss.
Twitter has its uses! @AndySkib tweeted: "you know about auto-tuning the news? " Very cool - here is the first one in a series of at least eight, subjects are March Madness, economic woes, & Pentagon budget cuts:
Good Morning America Summer Concert Series. David Cook is about to do his 100th show on Friday. I think it's time he takes a break to work on a new album - I am ready for something new.
It is a hoot to read the comment sections of articles about this performance. Someone was complaining that Cook & Allen should not be wearing plaid shirts in NYC. Someone else responded that plaid is a mid-western comfort thing. I have to say I am in the minority - I really enjoyed Cook and Kris, but I find Adam's looks a little creepy and his performances are always just slightly over the top. I guess I prefer the kind of rock, like this cover of Little Lies, that David and Kris do.
Michael Dove, a Yale anthropologist, has a terrific op-ed in today's NYT called "Dreams from his Mother." According to Dove, Dr. Soetoro was one of the earliest proponents of microcredit, and also one of the few who was not afraid to point out its shortcomings to the Suharto regime.
The God of this City lyrics and music are written and originally performed by Bluetree, a worship band from Belfast, Ireland whose music ranges from rock to electronica. It is the title track of their critically acclaimed album. The song has also been covered by Dove Award winning Christian worship leader and songwriter Chris Tomlin.
Bluetree members wrote the God of this City lyrics and music while touring and performing on a mission trip in Pattaya, Thailand where the band performed at a club and brothel called the Climax Bar in the city’s Red light district. Originally a song for the city of Pattaya, it has become popular in churches all over the world.
The Kris Allen God of this City video and performance has brought even more prominence and attention to the inspirational song as the video has gone viral in the aftermath of his American Idol victory. Prior to becoming the season 8 winner, the 23-year-old Kris Allen, Conway, Arkansas was known as a worship leader at New Life Church and on the campus at University of Central Arkansas with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries.
Therese Borchard has an interesting article on Lent. Her 12 ways of praying are modern, somewhat contradictory, but very refreshing: 1. Fold Your Hands, 2. Say Thank You, 3. Light a Candle, 4. Sing the Verses, 5. Use Prayer Beads, 6. Yell Like Hell, 7. Stare at Something Holy, 8. Repeat One Word, 9. Laugh, 10. Eat and Drink, 11. Talk to the Saints, 12. Give Something Up.
I always appreciate new ways of looking at ancient traditions. Happily, I found this article on Huffington Post. What a switch from AlterNet, where writers and commenters consistently denigrate faith and religion.
