RE: That guy whose wife was shot in the head. Man, that dude…I don’t even know what to say. All I can think of is Piper. “Doing Missions When Dying is Gain.” That was the talk he gave at Wheaton in ‘96. I have it on mp3. There were 3 p’s and I can’t remember the first, but the second was price and the third was the prize. He said the price was suffering. Dang. I just can’t stop thinking about it.

This one will flip you out. Read a bit of it.

VDH ROCKS AGAIN!!! This guy has our soon to be victory over the Baathite thugacracy down blow by blow. If reading this doesn’t get you excited you’re numb. Very cool.

Finished one of the toughest weeks of teaching I’ve had. I have decided to make my students be students. They are going to have to take notes, read and work in my class. There are going to be some f’s and the A’s are going to achieve something. Word has reached me that “Mr. Spencer’s class isn’t fun any more.” which means I am doing the right thing.

Once again, the question emerges: What methods best achieve the result of a change of heart regarding cooperating with the United States? We had this guy for 13 days till we said we had him. Must have been exciting. Any possibilities?

The Unions want to take on Wal-mart. Those poor miserably unhappy Wal-Mart employees need organized crime to come in and save them?

This- as sad and tragic as it is- is what it will take in this mess. People willing to die and people willing to forgive.

Chevy sponsors CCM and now evangelicals- and friends- are endorsing cars. Aren’t we just using Jesus for our causes?

Gotta say this about Pizza Tom, he loves the church and wants his money to do good. I respect the guy. (We need to send him a brochure.)

Scott: Seen any good movies lately? I was counting on you for a review of 8 mile.

Bart: Why don’t you challenge this guy to a football game? The BHT could sponsor it. “The Chronic Cup” sounds good to me. Of course, coaching always gives people the opportunity to do good things with young people.

What’s with the upsurge lately of this kind of crap? Or is it just that we’re hearing about it more? Sheesh. This guy should be fried.

I work for a lady who is Canadian. I asked her about the situation and she got ticked. Her response was that “we” (Canadians) need to “brighten up” and realize that “we” can be a semi-pacifist country because the US is protecting “our backside.” She’s a resident alien and a better citizen than many Americans, in my opinion.

Remember to repeat the mantra: “Islam is a peaceful religion!”

Jesse is being sued by … black people.

Suicide bombers may end up being Time’s “Person of the Year.”

Martin Sheen surfaces in the Canadian government. “Earlier in the day, a senior Canadian official, who asked not to be identified, called Mr. Bush “a moron” because of his efforts to push the war against Iraq to the top of NATO’s agenda. The summit was to focus on expansion and moderation of the alliance, but Mr. Bush has used his clout to make Iraq the only issue at the meeting.”

Gregory: Absolutely correct. And that is what my students have to admit. Minority set asides, affirmative action, race-based scholarships are discrimination just as much as historical discrimination in the south. And as for reparations, IMO if this goes, given the atmosphere of litigation in this country, it will rip America apart and set race relations back into the dark ages. I get JJ and Al on a black satellite network and they talk about this incessantly. Frightening. Political leaders with spine- if there are any- need to speak against this, particularly presidents.

Michael: “Racism is treating a person differently because of the color of their skin or any other definition of race.” – Let’s see if I have this correct:

• Hiring a person strictly because of the color of their skin, is racism. Does it still count as racism if the government is the one enforcing it? If so, affirmative action is racist.
  
• Giving out scholarships, based on race, is racism. Then, many of the government sponsored grants and scholarships are racist.
  

The problem in the black (I have no qualms about being PC, as at least some of the true “African-Americans” (from Africa) are white and some blacks in this country are not Americans or from Africa) America is they have been sold a bit of snake oil and they bought it. Their leaders tell them they are victims, and the government, and other groups, do everything possible to placate them. But, rather than accept the aid with gratitude and achieve, many believe they are victims and never accomplish anything worthwhile. It is really sad. What is worse, however, is successful blacks, who do not toe the party line, are chastised. Look at Clarence Thomas, Condaliza Rice, Collen Powell and J.C. Watts, for example.

As long as we have the gates open, how about reparations: The idea here is two-fold. First, that companies that profited from slavery should pay. And, second, that blacks who have suffered from slavery should be the recipients of the profits (minus the large chunk taken by the lawyers, of course). The standard is basically, if you are black and poor, you are paid. Since many blacks in this country were not descended from slaves, this is racist. The standard for paying is that a company ever made a profit on anything slavery related; as most companies that profited solely on slavery are defunct, the standard is very loose on this side.

The problem here is it is very hard to prove slavery as a link for being poor. When you look at the disparity between salaries (often touted by proponents of reparations), you find that a large majority of the disparity can be explained by the differences in education. Another chunk can be explained by comparing the relative salaries of the regions where different races live (taking racial percentage times the salary and averaging across the nation). I would also imagine, due to the welfare state, et al, that years of experience might factor in.

Differences in education: As single parent families have been shown to be a major factor in all sorts of issues, including education level, it appears the breakup of the familiy, which has plagued the black community may be the culprit. But, can this be shown to be from slavery? Up until the 50s, the black community was much better at staying together than the white community. The shift happened during the 60s. I believe the creation of the marriage penalty and the welfare state helped tremendously in breaking up the family. If my theory is correct, it is likely slavery had little impact on the financial disparity.

Does racism still exist? Do some white men truly try to hold the black man down? Certainly. But, I think we should allow these folks to come out of the closet and openly hang signs that state “I hate n____rs!” I believe society will better filter out those who openly harbor such feelings than government regulations, which just serve to hide the racist feelings behind a veneer of acceptability. From a hiring standpoint, except perhaps with publicly traded companies, I think a small business should be allowed to use color as a hiring choice. I would not be one who would choose to work for that company, but I think that a black man, rather than sue, should walk away. He would not enjoy working in that environment.

We have a basic right to be a flaming racist in this country. Most of us choose not to enact this right, which is a good thing. But, whitewashing the problem by creating hate crimes legislation and enforcing politically correct speech, does not solve the problem. The problem is still there; it is just hidden. Why not bring it out in the open, where the community can determine how to handle it. And, if the community stands behind such practices, those with sensibility will move out and let them wallow in their own little hateful society.

RonH: I also miss the days of outrageously funny bits. He has gone back to that somewhat. I only get to hear Rush on breaks when we are travelling. But here it is: the man was/is the most articulate populist voice of the the movement. He’s not an egghead. He hasn’t lost touch with the average person’s concerns. Unlike the so-called conservative leaders of the past decade (Gingrich especially) he answers everyone nose to nose with common sense, high octane conservatism. Yeah, he’s changed, but then the guy is an incredible success story. I respect him. I would be a liberal democrat if it weren’t for Rush. And Daschle’s criticism of Rush is cheap, whiney, drivel.

Dave Konig is very funny today. You will laugh!

My dog has a flea on his tail that he can’t reach, so he is going in endless circles. There must be a deeper meaning to this.

Tonight the psuedo-in-laws and my pseudo son in-law are coming for a late (after the play) dinner. I will not feel well again tomorrow morning. We counted, and Clay and Noel have been in 11 and 12 plays respectively. What a blessing for my kids to grow up here.

When I discuss racial issues with students, I put a definition of racism up on the board. “Racism is treating a person differently because of the color of their skin or any other definition of race.” Then, we vote on whether that is always wrong. Then we talk about any racial issue. Try it and watch what happens.

I’ve told this story I am sure, but it bears retelling. We had three African American basketball players who were offered full scholarships to a small liberal arts college up here in the mountains. These guys were poor students, but only through laziness, not limitation. The scholarship was a private one, with instructions to be given to African-American males who played ball and could make a 17 on the ACT. Of course, why a school would administer a racist scholarship such as this is amazing to me, but they did. Our then principal took these three guys under his wing, got them through the ACT (17’s all) and enrolled in the college. Now think about what those boys had. A full ride for doing nothing in high school and offering almost nothing to the college. I wish so much for a lot of kids I know. By Christmas, all three are gone. One is now in prison for armed robbery. The other two were asked to leave for behavior. (Just not showing up to class and practice.) Now, who is the problem here? To me, this is a parable of what is going on in the African American community and until they face it and say its their fault and do something about it, they are in a mess.

I feel like I’ve been on that Disney cruise Drudge is writing about. Uggh. Too much dinner too late.

These stories of Daschle and McCain trashing Rush Limbaugh just amaze me. How much denial are the Democrats in. (I know he’s not a Democrat, but when the GOP is in the majority, he acts like one.) Talking like Rush is inciting the militia to threaten people. Does the guy listen to Rush? And McCain saying Rush is a “clown?” I wish he’d go back to being a clown sometimes. As it is, Limbaugh is so much smarter than almost anyone else in conservative circles that I am just constantly amazed. The guy is a self-taught political genius. And 20 million listeners. Are all of us sheep Mr. McCain? Any chance Rush is articulating what many of us beleive? What really annoys me is that Rush is careful to keep extremists and nut case conservatives off his show. As a target for post-election griping, Rush is a poor choice. Gripe at your own party Tom. They screwed the pooch. The unions didn’t come through. The blacks didn’t show up. Your candidates sucked. You threw the Wellstone funeral rally in our faces. And that was that. You lost because you are losers.

ScottW: A prime example of what the black community is doing to itself. I make this point to my black kids all the time. When I put you in a cotton field and make you call me massah at gunpoint, I am your problem. When you are endorsing immorality, drug use, illegitimacy, ignorance, crime and dependency, and applauding those who say you are too weak to do anything about it, you are hurting yourselves. Which is the bigger story today?

Speaking of racism, here’s a little ditty from the Chicago Sun-Times by a ball of intellegence named Mary Mitchell. According to Ms. Mitchell’s column, it was wrong of Micheal Jordan to have an affair. It was also wrong of him to pay off his mistress. But it was especially wrong… because the woman he had an affair with was white.

Ms. Mitchell goes on to explain that Jesse Jackson’s affair was well-received in the black community, and that R. Kelly having sex with a 17-year old black girl in a hotel room and videotaping it was all fine and dandy. Both were given the Mary Mitchell Stamp-O’-Approvalฎ because the mistress and child involved were of African descent. As if Mr. Jackson’s wife would say, “Jesse, you jerk – you slept around on me, took our marriage covenant and threw it in the garbage, and wiped your butt with our wedding vows… but at least it was with a black chick.”

Fortunately, I believe Ms. Mitchell represents the black community as much as Jesse J. and Louis F. are “leaders” of the black community. I have more faith in the black community than that.

Jack hasn’t been on much lately. Said he’d been “training.” Is this where he’s been? The truth is out there.

I didn’t see any deletions but I was hanging with the in laws most of the evening. All looks as it did when I checked in.

What is up? it looks like everything after 11:00am has been deleted….

Uhhh. Don’t eat at Back Yard Burger.

Yikes!!!

Michael, I would invite you but it would be redundant since I’m already in there ;-)

Is this the biggest zit you’ve ever seen?

Eric and MatthewJ: Cool subject. And I’m not being contentious. Hope I’m not coming off that way. I am never bashful to talk about race. I provoke discussions with my black students all the time, and I challenge every subject I can think of. I grew up in a black neighborhood, attended a majority black elementary school, played ball with my African-American friends, attended a high school with 35% blacks. I have classes that are majority black students. I counsel blacks, interview blacks and deal with black parents. BUT I’M NOT BLACK and I don’t know how it feels and I wouldn’t ever say that I know the black experience as a black person. So I gladly cede the insight to anyone. However….

I believe the black experience for young blacks today is only incidentally affected by white racism or even history up to 1970. The black treatment of their own race and their own issues is far more harmful to them than the impact of whites. What blacks are telling themselves is what’s creating the problem. I can’t accept that law enforcement is doing anything wrong by pulling over an African-American if the criminal profile is African-American. And if someone isn’t prepared to be turned down for a job or a promotion for any number of reason- color, gender, age, accent, weight, baldness and so on- then I’ve got to wonder how realistic that person is. When the speech about discrimination starts, I have to wonder if that is what the courageous African-Americans of the past fought to bequeath their descendents.

I am constantly confronted with the tension between cultural sensitivity and color blindness. I think both have to be dealt with, and I am the first one to say these people were brought here against their will, subjected to genocide and discriminated against for decades. All I can say is that isn’t all of the story. MLK had it right: the content of character, not the color of skin. (MatthewJ: Invite me to your class as an example of a Neanderthal ;-)

I’m thinking mainly in terms of experience. I also think the lived reality of an African American is different than mine and I want to understand it as much as I can so that one day Sunday morning will not be the most segregated time of the week in America. Never in my life have I been followed in a store the way my roommate in high-school was (and I actually could observe it) and never in my life have I been pulled over because I fit the discription of a criminal, which seems to be the excuse du jour for traffic stops on many African-Americans. I like Jesse Jackson the least of anyone in this country. If I wasn’t a Christian I would probably carry a hatred for the man, so I don’t want anyone to think that I’m going off in his direction. I’m just saying it’s easy for us to say that the playing field is level or better for minorities when we are the majority and I’m not so sure it is. I got to go to the college I dreamed of, the seminary I wanted to attend, and have never been turned down for a job so I’ve never been affected by affirmative action or whatever it’s being called these days. I’m still trying to figure out what I think in all of this. It’s a little different for me at least within my family and friends because of my relationship to my high school roommate who, to this day, is the only male other than my Dad that I’ve truly loved.

I just re-read the post in question, and I notice that I did say “their lot in life is different from yours and mine.” What I meant by that is simply the most literal interpretation: black people are different and have a different life than MatthewJ and I (and the rest of us). As do hispanics and midgets and Norwegians. What I was not saying is that should have any bearing on entitlement and victim-hood. It should not. But it is true that there are cultural differences between blacks and whites.

I totally concede your points, Michael. When I was talking about a dream deferred, I was referring specifically to the character in Go Down Moses, and how that applies to anyone who has had a similar experience (black or white). As far as opportunity—I also agree. Blacks are given far more breaks. My point is more of an existential one: it’s rough for anyone, black or white, who has so many people expecting so many things out of them because of something they have no control over. And that does happen to a lot of black people in our country: some whites expect one thing, some blacks expect another, and the person is left to think, Gee, can’t I just be? I am not implying (at all) that this is a uniquely black experience, or that it should translate over into any kind of entitlement or advantages. Anyone can (and many people do, in a million different specific examples) feel the same way, regardless of color or ethnicity, and in America, I believe every citizen should have equal opportunity, regardless of background/color/blah blah blah. Please don’t think I am placing blacks in a special role of victimhood—the human experience is hard at times, and every human is a victim to some degree. Get over it, is my philosophy, as you well know. My intent was to merely raise an existential issue and one that is frustrating to blacks (although not exclusively to blacks).

Far be it from me that I would think I could play editor to the guys at Foxnews.com, but anyone else find this little piece on Michael Jackson a bit odd? Take this quote for example: “Top shrinks last night said Jacko was a disturbed, out-of-control freak and urged authorities to step in.”

Eric and Matthew: As a guy who works with a lot of African-Americans, I have to say I do not see how the young people I work with have had any dreams taken away from them. They’ve won the lottery of history and get to live in a time and place where they get a hundred breaks my kids won’t get without doing the work and all because of something done to their ancestors. I’ve worked in inner city, but I also live in Clay County. These problems aren’t about race. They are about engrained cultural attitudes and individual behavior. Any black student of mine can achieve anything any white student of mine can achieve. In fact, probably more. He will go to Harvard quicker. He will get a government job faster. So what if some redneck calls him a name or some racist turns him down for a promotion. Big whoop. Everybody has to go some miles uphill. Asians, West Indians, Hispanics, East Europeans: They face similar issues, and don’t have the political muscle that African Americans enjoy. I am happy for them to act black. Just have the courage to bring some moral judgment to your culture, and don’t blame all those fatherless kids on the Man, or say- as one young lady said to me two years ago- that whites are holding her black. While she sat in my class with 20 white kids who made worse grades. The current black experience in America is not what it was pre-1970.

I agree with you mostly. I don’t think (and I would bet you don’t either) that their situation excuses any illicit behavior or makes them entitled to anything automatically. Like I said, I’m certainly not saying you are arguing that way, but a lot of people do. But it is certainly true that their lot in life is different from your and mine, especially when it comes to what you were referring to: implied or expressed expectations for how they are “supposed” to act because they are black—either pressure from some blacks, who expect them to be a certain way, or from some whites, who expect them to be the opposite way. That would be frustrating for any one of us!

I figured you weren’t going to be back on today. I didn’t want to look needy ;-) I wrote a paper on Rider my senior year of high-school. I really liked his character and was angered that he was treated so unjustly. I think a lot of African-Americans feel like they’ve had their dreams (or anything else) dangled in front of them. After seeing that film, I sure look at them differently because I finally understood that they have to act a part, so to speak, in a lot of their situations and only get to be black when at home or with friends. Didn’t want to start a race thing on here, but it’s been on my mind.

Hey MatthewJ: Where did your post go? I typed a response to it, and it was gone when I posted. People will think I’m participating in phantom conversations (much like they do when I wander the streets drooling and wearing only a gauze loin-cloth—but that’s another matter entirely).

Sorry to disappear—I had to go teach.
MatthewJ: Cool! I haven’t seen the film you referred to, but I certainly remember Rider from “The Pantaloon in Black” from Go Down, Moses. From what you said, I think he would have been great to bring up in response to the question raised. The plight of poor Mannie and Rider’s response is a great example of, as Langston Hughes would have said, “a dream deferred.” Great symbolic picture of the anger a person can feel when he is denied that which is dangled before him like a carrot and then jerked away the moment he reaches for it.

Jack: In the “words” of Henny Youngman’s rim-shot man: ba-dump-ching! Be nice to me, or you never know what you’ll get in the mail for Christmas…

Eric: Since no one else will help you with the tape ministry, I will put my oar in the water. Here is How to Start a Tape Ministry in 4 Easy Steps
1. Get some tape.
2. Stick it to something.
3. Observe it closely.
4. If it has any needs, minister to them.

You’re welcome.

Scott: You’ve been very helpful. Thank you so much. You too, Matthew. At least now I can talk to my pastor like I at least sort of know what I’m talking about :-)

The Baptist church I attend recently purchased a Fender Passport 250. It’s not perfect, but it can handle a room the size of a gym pretty handily, and they run under $1,000 (add about $150 for speaker stands). You may also want to look at purchasing an actual small 6-8 channel PA system. They aren’t as portable, but they may give you better sound – and you can find decent ones used. Either way, then you could hook up a tape deck of some sort (like a boom box) to the PA and tape directly off that.

If ya’ll are strapped for cash, a boom box with an external $10 mike from Radio Shack can do what you need, but it will sound like you recorded it off a $10 mike onto a boom box (think a microcassette recorder). If the people who will want the tapes don’t care about the speaker sounding like he’s talking into a can from 20 ft away, you may want to test out something like that. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper, and someone in your congregation probably has a boom box to loan.

Duplication, however, can be a little trickier. You can duplicate on a boom box or stereo that has a dual tape deck, and they’ll usually work fine, but they’ll take as long as it took to record. If you have a 90 minute tape, it’ll take 90 minutes to duplicate. Some dual tape decks have a hi-speed copy option, where you sacrifice a little quality for a little duplication speed.

You can buy expensive tape duplication equipment, but that type of equipment usually works best if you have a clean-off-the-PA recording. Since you probably won’t (even with a PA), you may want to forgo the duplication equipment until your church gets a little bigger. You can get good CD-Duplication equipment, but not everybody has CD’s, and the equipment usually requires that you have a CD Master Copy (which you probably won’t).

Another option you can look at is a professional duplication service. There’s quite a few around, and they’re usually not awfully expensive, especially if you buy the blank tapes from them. Check with them to see what they can handle and how much they’d charge, and how many they’d require for a minimum run. They’ll sometimes give churches discounts.

It wouldn’t be the highest quality sound in the world, but if you could get a mic ($15.00 at Wal Mart) close enough to the pastor’s mouth and hit record on that “boom box” of yours, you’d get a decent recording. Then just throw it into a dual tape deck for copies. It’s what my Wesley Foundation in college used to do.

MIKE:

I wonder if the kid who threatened violence would feel so Froggy if he knew that the mere threat of such an act would bring a large boulder resting on his cranium. I had many middle schoolers that were like this in the public schools, and it seemed that the only thing they understood in that situation was that i would defend my class with all the energy contained in a force 5 hurricane. if they actually thought that I would stand up to them, they were quite chilly. I know that this may seem a means of escalation, and that’s true, only if you call them out in front of their peers. they are dying for someone to set their boundries for them. of course, i could be wrong.