I must be a nerd

I have come to the conclusion that I am officially a self-proclaimed nerd. Up to this point in life, I think that I have only heard others apply that label to me and I have chosen to use descriptive labels such as nerdy instead of the noun version. However, I am willing to embrace the nerdiness and state that I am a nerd.

I came to this conclusion when I read the transcript of the Supreme Court oral arguments from last week's Snyder v. Phelps case. I read the transcript because I wanted to know how the oral arguments went, I decided not to wait for the audio of the oral arguments to be posted, and I wanted to know what Scalia said. Now I am anxiously awaiting the opinion/concurrence/dissent of Scalia. Notice I said the decision of Scalia instead of the decision of the Court. I think that out of all of the justices on the US Supreme Court, Justice Scalia is the one that I agree with most. Part of the reason for this is that Justice Scalia is rarely, if ever, guilty of making a decision based on emotion instead of the Constitution.

For example, Justice Scalia wrote an opinion that I thought that I did not agree with at the time it was issued. He wrote that a rape victim has to testify in front of the accuser. Although I do not remember the facts of the case now, I am sure it was probably a child victim making the victim someone that society naturally wants to protect. However, there is a Constitutional right of an accuser to confront a victim. Justice Scalia and the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right of the accused to confront the victim. At the time, I thought it was a horrible decision. The more I thought about it, the more I admired Justice Scalia for taking the facts away and looking only at the text of the Constitution.

I think that the Snyder v. Phelps case is similar. We have a constitutional right to free speech. The government can place reasonable restrictions on where the speech can occur. Those restrictions were in place at the soldier's funeral. The Phelps group was out of the eyesight and hearing of the family. The family member is the one who decided to turn on the TV to see the media coverage (which is a problem with the media, but I will not go there on this one). It was also the family member who decided to go to the website and see what was said about the son and family. Does that mean that the Phelps group should have said the things that they are saying? No. However, that does not mean that they should not have the right to say those things.

I am interested to see if the Supreme Court is going to uphold the group's right to speak in this situation. If there is ever a set of facts that the majority of Americans can get behind and say that it was not right for this to occur, protesting at a funeral qualifies. However, there is a right to protest (I should add peacefully because protesting can get out of hand and protesters can lose the right). I am interested to see what Scalia writes. I hope that he continues to uphold the Constitution. I hope that he resists the temptation to carve an exception to free speech. I think that restricting the group to a particular time and place is sufficient, but I do not think that they should have their speech stifled. I think that the world would be better off if the group would quit saying what it is saying. However, this can be said by someone about almost any group.

Interestingly, the Court will be deciding if the speech was an intentional infliction of emotional distress which is a civil cause of action. There are times when our words, although we have a right to say them, have consequences. I find it hard to pin an intentional infliction of emotional distress on someone who put a thought out there in the public discourse, but did not force the intended or unintended victim to watch. If the media had not jumped on the protesting like they did, the intended/unintended victim may have never seen the speech that harmed the victim. I guess the argument can be made that the speaker knew that the media would cover the event and the speech would be likely to reach the victim. I guess that the ultimate question becomes what speech can have financial consequences outside of threats which already have criminal/civil consequences and slander/libel which has civil consequences.

On a completely different note, I am surprised by the argument presented by Phelps' daughter at the oral arguments. She came off much more articulate and much less crazy than her father. She was surprisingly well prepared and carried herself better in the oral argument than she has in interviews since the arguments (and probably before too). Sure she had some crazy moments (repeated use of "in your grille"), but overall she presented the argument better than I expected (my expectations were pretty low so maybe it was easy to exceed the expectations).

The Problem with the Media

Something else I have been pondering about the scheduled Koran burning is that the media might be just as much at fault for putting the lives of Americans around the world in danger because of their treatment of the story. The burning is scheduled by a small church in Florida. If the media had not jumped on this story and made it much bigger than it probably would ever have been, I bet that very few, if any, lives would be in danger. Therefore, should this pastor decide to go through with his plan, and should someone around the world lose their life because of the decision, the media is at fault too for putting that person's life in danger. The persons committing the violence because of an idiotic display halfway around the world are also at fault, and should receive the blame as well. When idiots in Florida burn a book and idiots in the media cover the event, a person is not excused from responsibility for being an idiot that acts out in violence.

One final set of thoughts. I think that Christians need to be very wise before invoking certain American rights. This pastor has every right under the Constitution to do what he is planning to do. The Muslim community has every right to build a mosque at Ground Zero as well. However, just because we as Americans have the right to do something does not mean that we should do it. Christianity is supposed to be a peace loving religion just as some proponents of Islam state that it is a peace loving religion. However, Christians often take actions that do not promote peace. I am not suggesting peace at the expense of the gospel. There are going to be people who think that you are not promoting peace just because they do not recognize the gospel of Jesus Christ as true peace.

The church in Florida has an opportunity to promote true peace. By burning the Koran in such a public way, the church is Florida is being an example of hatred instead of love. I believe that this is just as unwise as certain Islamic leaders planning a mosque and Islamic cultural center so near to Ground Zero. Do both groups have every right to do what they are planning to do? Yes. Are both groups unwise for planning what they are planning? Definitely. One of the problems in the American church today is we want to talk about our individual rights too much. Just because we have the right to do something does not mean that it is wise to do it.

You Really Should Watch This

If you can make it to the end (I watched in two sittings to get there), you will not be sorry. Wow.



I do not think I have ever seen anyone that fired up sharing their name before they ever get to the heart of their message.

HT: @drmoore and Political Wire

Very Rare Political Sidenote

I imagine, due to recent actions or lack of action on the part of the President in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, that there was a conversation at the White House similar to the one below sometime soon after the inauguration:

President: Let's start fulfilling my campaign promises and bring the troops home.
Pentagon Official: Are you sure you want to do that Mr. President? Here are the things we could not tell you until you were Commander in Chief.
[Pentagon Official shares top-secret, extremely confidential, "if I tell you, I would have to kill you" information]
President: Oh. Hmmm. Now I am in a bad spot. I made all of those campaign promises and now I have to figure out how to keep them. What will I do?

Even if this is not what occurred, it is a logical explanation for the recent indications that the President may have to increase troop presence instead of decreasing it. Let's hope that the President will care more about our national security and the matters that we do not need to know, but need to trust the Commander in Chief to handle, than his inability to fulfill campaign promises (or his recent Nobel Peace Prize win).

Different Perspective

I thought I would share one last post about Obama for a while. I do not like to get too caught up in politics, and I do not like to share my political opinions. One thing that I think that me as a white person has a hard time comprehending is how big of a day the inauguration was for African-Americans. I know that people I know keep saying things like that he isn't fully black, or he isn't descended from slaves, or that he isn't even African-American, but the reality is that many African-Americans in this nation see that someone who looks like them, has a wife like them, has children that look like them is the leader of this nation.

One of these people is a man who is solid in his theology, and therefore does not agree with all of Obama's policies because of Obama's stance on abortion. Yet this man cannot help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for people who look like him because of the fact that Obama is in the White House. Therefore, I encourage you to take a look at the poem that he wrote on the morning after the inauguration so that you can begin to see how important this moment is for those of African descent. You can find it here.

Stealing my co-worker's humor ...

When Obama misused Scripture, he said it was time to put aside childish things. Apparently his chief of staff did not get the memo!

Inauguration Thoughts

Although these probably qualify as random thoughts, I am having them because of the inauguration, so they are labeled accordingly.

1. How fortunate we are as a nation that the transition of power is peaceful! Even though I did not vote for the incoming president, I am not planning any revolts or riots. Most people like me are not either. For that, we as a nation should be thankful!
   
2. The CNN/Facebook live coverage thing is very cool since I do not have a TV in my office … yet.
   
3. I am thinking it might be nearing the time when I should consider investing in a TV for my office. I have the cable hook-up, so all that is lacking is the TV. It would come in handy during football season and March Madness … and history making moments such as today.
   
4. I am re-thinking some of my wishes to be in politics … mainly because it looks really cold to go stand/sit to watch the inauguration.
   
5. President Clinton looks really old and has a bald spot on the back of his head … and I am sure he is going to enjoy the next few years given that Hillary accepted an appointment that is going to keep her away on business for extended periods. On the other hand, Hillary looks so young that she must have had some work done … unnaturally young.
   
6. I probably should be working away, but I cannot help but watch the coverage. Looks like I will be working through lunch instead.
   
7. I am so glad that my kids in New Orleans will never have to think ever again that they cannot be president just because of the color of their skin.
   
8. First President Bush has a House cane – pretty cool.
   
9. When the presidents started coming in, I completely gave up on work for a while … then I resized my other windows so that I can pretend to do work while watching.
   
10. Does a former president get to hear "Hail to the Chief" once he is no longer the chief? I guess not since that would not make sense when he is no longer chief.
    
11. Obama's girls are precious!
    
12. I like the introduction to the whole ceremonies better than the inaugural address.
    
13. I felt a sense of pride when I listened to the oath of office. It is amazing to watch history happen.
    
14. I did not like the inaugural address. It sounded too socialist (subtly of course) at times, and it did not give a nod to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I think that a slight little nod in King's direction was necessary to make a good speech great. Thank you coordinator of ceremonies for doing what the president did not have the courage to do.
    
15. Sometimes I wonder about all of the mentions of God that occur and whether we are taking God's name in vain. I am glad that Rick Warran was courageous enough to pray in Jesus' name.
    
16. I do not want "our common humanity" to "reveal itself" – humans are corrupt by nature, and a common humanity would accentuate that corruptness even more than it already is. I want God's common grace to reveal itself as a restraint upon our common humanity.
    
17. Last criticism of Obama's speech – misuse of Scripture. I cannot stand it when anyone misuses Scripture. Another thing that makes the speech not great.
    
18. I don't think I like poetry.
    
19. Although the CNN feed started out good, it ended up bad. At least there is something for them to work on in the next few years.
    
20. At least today is a reminder of how much and how often we should be praying for our leaders, and not just on inauguration day.

Update: I had one last thought that I forgot to post. I want Scalia's hat. That is the most awesome fashion accessory of the whole day. I am probably in a small minority on that one.

Burgess Election

I was actively involved in a local election for the first time. I am not a huge fan of politics (the process), so it was a big step for me to participate in the election. However, I think really highly of our local judge and feel that he is probably one of the most fair judges in the state of Texas. I am proud to share with you that not only did Judge Burgess win his election, but it was by a decisive margin. Here are the unofficial numbers once all the ballots were run:

Judge Burgess -- 29,006 (64%)
Butch Dunbar -- 16,204 (36%)

The race is a two-county race, and the margin of victory is overwhelming. There is historical significance to the results as well since this is the first time in Bowie County at least where an incumbent Republican has defeated a Democratic candidate. The campaign was one of the few in the area that was truly a bi-partisan effort. Congratulations Judge Burgess!

Prop 8

There is one result that I am actually stunned by in the election - the passing of Prop 8 in California. The amount of money that was spent to defeat this proposition is unbelievable. Add to that the belief (and reality) that California is one of the most liberal states, and the enormity of the decision should actually stun you. The results of that election are being somewhat overlooked because of the presidential election, but I think that this is probably one of the most newsworthy stories of the night.

My Thoughts Exactly!

John Piper's daughter-in-law Molly Piper has a blog entry that expresses some of my thoughts last night exactly - so I think you should read it!

Politics

I am not a fan of being political. I do vote regularly. I do have certain political views, but I usually keep them to myself. I do have to share this though - I am loving Palin as a VP candidate. I think that McCain and his campaign advisors are geniouses to choose her as a VP candidate for many reasons. (1) She is not Washington. Obama talks a lot about change, yet he chose a typical Washington VP candidate. I know he basically had to for various reasons, but it does not give the appearance of change. So what does McCain do in response? Look outside of Washington - about as far away from Washington as you can go. Brilliant. (2) She is a conservative woman who has a family instead of a feminist or someone married to someone for political reasons. (3) She had a baby she knew had a high likelihood of Downs Syndrome when doctors encouraged her to abort the baby. Finally the pro-life camp has someone who wears a skirt and has babies that can say that the opportunity presented itself, yet she made the right choice. (4) She energized a campaign that most Republicans seemed half-hearted and lukewarm about. I was not too happy about McCain as a choice, but it beat the alternative. Now, I am voting for McCain because it is a vote for Palin - and I am excited about it. From what I can tell, I am not the only one. Republicans have fallen in love with her, which has energized a movement that was needing energy. (5) Who cares if McCain dies now because Palin would take over. This has been important because, although McCain appears to be in good health for his age, the Democrats have been complaining about his age. McCain obviously needed someone that Republicans could get behind and support should he die. How awesome would it be for the Republicans to put the first woman in the White House! What a slap in the face to Hillary! Chances are that McCain will not be dying anytime during any potential presidency, but now he has people excited about what could happen if he did. That is genious. (6) Feminists hate the choice, which exposes feminists as not pro-women but pro-certain-type-of-woman-that-fits-the-feminist-mold. Feminists talk all the time about how women should be able to work and have a family and blah blah blah. Yet feminists are the ones that are complaining because this woman seems to be working and having a family. I read one feminist that said Palin should be home taking care of her kids. What? I thought that was against everything feminists believed in. Now the feminists moral relativism is on display. (7) People in the south now have a reason to vote for McCain. What good southern does not like guns and hunting. It does not hurt that she is good looking too. Again, brilliant.

One last thing that I love about the choice and the circumstances that surrounded it. Barack played up his VP pick, having people on the edge of their seats anticipating the announcement for days. Then when he announced it, people were not too impressed (or excited). No one was really on the edge of their seat for McCain's pick, and when he made the announcement, people were curious. Curiosity was good for McCain and Palin and the nation fell in love with her or loathed her overnight. Both feelings have created passion whereas people really did not care about Biden. The media has definitely given more press time to Palin than Biden, and I think that will bode well for the campaign. At least now McCain and Obama are getting closer to an even playing field, and November should be exciting. Republicans are now excited like the Democrats. Whoever came up with Palin in the McCain campaign needs to stick around if McCain wins the presidency because I am anxious to see what kind of Supreme Court justices might come out of that!