jonmower.com blogs

Finn's Favorite Movies

Jonathan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:57:11 +0000

After we finished watching Holes tonight, Finn announced that it is his favorite movie...even better than Star Wars. He then pronounced the following hierarchy of quality motion pictures:

Holes
Star Wars
Milo and Otis
Up
Toy Story 2

Holes

Jonathan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:54:10 +0000

Lisa and the boys have been reading Holes, and tonight they finished it. We popped some popcorn and watched Holes (2003,PG) (ScreenIt! Review). From ScreenIt!:

After being wrongly sentenced to a hard-labor camp where he and other boys are forced to dig a five-foot hole each day, a teenager tries to figure out what they're digging for as well as whether he and his family are still living under a generations-old curse.

It was the second time around for the adults, and we all enjoyed it. Lisa commented about how closely the movie followed the book...as close as any book/film pair she's ever read/watched.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Into the Wild

Jonathan — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:35:26 +0000

Tonight we watched Into the Wild (2007, R) (ScreenIt! Review). From ScreenIt!:

Upon graduating from college, a young man drops out of society, and meets various interesting people as he hits the road, preparing himself for an extended stay in the Alaskan wilderness.

Lisa had read the book. I had heard much of the soundtrack (which I like, esp. "Rise"). It's an interesting story, and I thought the film did a decent job of telling it.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Chorus Tryout

Jonathan — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:49:22 +0000

Tonight Elliot has a tryout for a city-wide chorus. The boy loves to sing. His mom received a Wii American Idol game for Mother's Day, but Elliot is the one who has enjoyed it the most. Unfortunately for him, he seems to have inherited his dad's vocal skills rather than his mom's. He's always one of the smartest kids in the class and one of the better players on the team, but I think it's cool that he has the interest and the guts to try to pursue something that isn't one of his strengths. Whether he makes the chorus or not, I'm especially proud of him for giving it a shot.

Blast from the Past

Jonathan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:33:05 +0000

Blast from the Past

Jonathan — Sun, 31 May 2009 03:21:50 +0000

Petraeus on Closing Gitmo, Geneva Convention, etc.

Jonathan — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:24:04 +0000

From the Tumblelog May 10-16, 2009

Jonathan — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:20:35 +0000

May 16

watching E.T. for family movie night

May 15

swimming with the boys and now Pizza Sam’s.

» Mark Erelli

» Free Iron and Wine | Word Magazine

May 14

» "Dollhouse" DVD includes unaired pilot and "Epitaph One" episode

» HANGING OUT WITH A HOMELESS MAN

May 13

» Trouble Brewing | LeadershipJournal.net

May 11

at Lake Orion c of C this morning I noticed that the 50-something dude in front of us had a stack of DVDs…Firefly and Serenity. random.

» Can a Paywall Coexist With Sharing? I’m Afraid Not

» Health Care Deal In The Works? - The Atlantic Politics Channel

May 10

» Full Video: Obama's White House Correspondents Dinner Speech

Miscellany May 13, 2009

Jonathan — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:25:20 +0000

» While conservatives understandably are exercised about the apparent double standard of Wanda Sykes filleting Limbaugh while Obama sat by grinning (what if it had been a Republican president and a liberal being attacked?), we should also try to imagine how conservatives would react to a liberal former VP enjoying his retirement by attacking the sitting conservative president. Well, we don't have to imagine. In today's article skewering Cheney, Dowd gives several examples of how conservatives responded in similar situations when the tables were turned. So, which way do I prefer it? I guess I'd lean towards everyone feeling free to speak their minds...but let's have some consistency. Don't freak out over a conservative making a joke in poor taste if you don't do the same when a liberal does it. Don't freak out about a liberal ex-leader criticizing the actions of a sitting president if you don't do the same when a conservative does it.

» Timothy Noah makes the case for why he thinks Republicans are sore losers in presidential politics.

» Real Life Twitter (h/t Mike Todd)

Watch Real Life Twitter on CollegeHumor

» Stewart impales Pelosi:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Waffle House

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

From the Tumblelog May 3-9, 2009

Jonathan — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:32:06 +0000

May 09

golf at The Jackal in Brighton with Gary and Kevin after Chris’ grad party

Finn says that if Alvin and the Chipmunks were on American Idol they would definitely win

» Movies on TV this week - THE WEEK

» The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching - THE WEEK

May 08

Pizza Sam’s

» Student's Wikipedia hoax quote used worldwide in newspaper obituaries - The Irish Times - Wed, May 06, 2009

» How David Beats Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell - The New Yorker

May 07

» Details thin on stimulus contracts - USATODAY.com

» Religious Conservatives Are More Generous. But That's Only Half the Story

» Twitter / Jimmy Shaw: Obama takes Jesus' advice: ...

» GOP Pollster: Our National Security Attacks On Obama Make Us Look “Irrelevant”

» Cantor Bows To Rush: "This Is Not A Listening Tour" (VIDEO)

» HBO picks up "Wire" creator's "Treme"

May 05

» Is the press showing more respect for Obama than Bush?

» Meeting friends of friends

» "Life" is over at NBC

» Happy "Star Wars" Day

» Murtha's Nephew Got Defense Contracts - washingtonpost.com

May 04

» The Patriot’s Bible and Justified Torture

May 03

» Firing tenured teachers can be a costly and tortuous task - Los Angeles Times

» The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

» It's all on Obama now - Los Angeles Times

» Voices Reflect Rising Sense of Racial Optimism - NYTimes.com

» Movies on TV this week

Miscellany 6 May 2009

Jonathan — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:24:24 +0000

» Who ever said America was on the road to perdition? Surely we've got things turned around now that we're getting tough on "fleeting expletives!"

» If you make a big deal about transparency regarding the ~$800 billion stimulus and about how every dime will be track-able at recovery.gov, you really ought to deliver...and if you don't, at least have the sense not to blame your failure on inadequate data storage capacity. This is 2009! (h/t WSJ)

» "Obama takes Jesus' advice: "when you pray, go into your room, close the door & pray to your Father, who is unseen"" Surely no one will take a dig at him for that, right? (link) (h/t Jimmy Shaw)

In Bruges

Jonathan — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:15:37 +0000

Last week I watched In Bruges (2008,R). From Wikipedia:

Two hitmen hide out in the Belgian city of Bruges, and amidst the city's storybook background they come to terms with issues of guilt, morality, and redemption.

I spent a few days in Belgium a couple years back (Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels), so the city was very familiar. I enjoyed the film.

I give it 4 out of 5.

From the Tumblelog April 26-May 2, 2009

Jonathan — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:26:13 +0000

May 02

Urine Town at the Center for the Arts

» Editorial Observer: When Israel Confronted and Rejected Torture

» LS Power suspends coal plant project

» Ronald Reagan: vengeful, score-settling, Hard Left ideologue

» Non-Simulated Deaths

May 01

at the Carpenter School carnival

» ACL Delivers Bold Line up for Season 35: including Dave Matthews Band

Apr 30

» TweetFace is a More Powerful Way to Update Facebook from Twitter

» Echo Chamber: Bill Callahan

» The Washington Times' False Popularity Contest

Apr 29

» Arlen Specter switching to the Democratic Party

Apr 28

3/4 through In Bruges. Will have to finish tomorrow.

the fact that everyone is entitled to his opinion does not make lunacy less insane

» Op-Ed Columnist - The Banality of Bush White House Evil - NYTimes.com

» Michael Oher drafted

» Obama Is Nudging Views on Race, a Survey Finds - NYTimes.com

» Apple Said to Be in Talks to Sell IPhone for Verizon - NYTimes.com

» MRC's Bozell: 'The Media and Obama: 100 Days and Still Madly in Love'

» Many Conservatives Don't Think Colbert is Joking -- Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

Apr 27

» make yourself invisible

» Waterboarding as Torture in U.S. Law

Miscellany April 27, 2009

Jonathan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:28:01 +0000

» This recent news story (about a 23-year-old resident of our town being hired by his uncle to kill his aunt but aborting the mission when one his cousins was also in the house when he arrived to do the deed) really got me somehow. You hear about stuff like this all of the time on TV and in places far the way, but it felt strange thinking about someone in my community being hired by his uncle to kill his aunt and acting on it.

» What little confidence I had left in the financial guys calling the shots in the current and previous administrations is dwindling quickly (e.g., this and this)

» I don't accept that whether or not torture "works" is the main issue in determining whether or not we should torture, but if you do: how bothered would you be if it was true that the real "...ticking time bomb was not another potential Qaeda attack on America but the Bush administration’s ticking timetable for selling a war in Iraq; it wanted to pressure Congress to pass a war resolution before the 2002 midterm elections" (link) ?

» Unless you're a Marine, please stop with the "Ooh-rah!"

The Most Bizarre Letter to the Editor Ever

Jonathan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:04:11 +0000

Last week our paper, the Midland Daily News, published a letter to the editor by Jeffrey D. Behr titled "World changing." After alluding to childhood trauma and thoughts of suicide, his reasons for writing letters to the editor despite the negative impact they might have on his business, and the ways he believes that the United States has become "perverse," Jeffrey ends his letter with with this fascinating paragraph:

We have elected Barack Hussein Obama to be our president. He and his wife are actually haters of America, bent on punishing anyone who disagrees with them and punishing America for slavery. My greatest prayer these days is that God will rise up our founders and give them a chance to make up for that terrible and evil mistake, giving them the power, utensils, equipment, command of animals, insects, viruses and bacteria. Their mission being to move over our great country and destroy all adult human beings who do not have authentic, good, honorable American spirits. When the smoke clears there would only be a remnant few still standing. People of all colors, sizes and shapes. Christians, Jews, Islamics, Catholics and agnostics too. We would at that point be the most powerful nation in the world in spite of the human loss.

The Founding Fathers raised from the dead and controlling the insects! Wow.

Elliot's First Piano Recital

Jonathan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:16:58 +0000

was last Monday night at the 1st United Methodist Church on Main Street. He played "America" by Samuel F. Smith and Henry Carey.

Here's a video of him practicing at home beforehand. This is the extended version he was supposed to play, but Lisa told him that she didn't think he should add the higher-key bit.

Here is a video of his performance at the recital:

Here's a photo from afterwards:

From the Tumblelog April 19-25, 2009

Jonathan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:14:38 +0000

Apr 25

Spent about half the day at the soccer fields. Finn won 7-1 and scored a goal. Elliot won 9-1 and scored three.

» Movies on TV this week

» The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

» Show of the week: Cry for Help

» Torture and The Follower of Jesus

Apr 24

with Lisa at the Fox Theatre in Detroit for Flight of the Conchords!

» Secure Enough to Sin, Baghdad Revisits Old Ways - NYTimes.com

» Op-Ed Columnist: Islam, Virgins and Grapes

» Alexandria Parking Meter Repairman Accused of Stealing $170,000 in Coins - washingtonpost.com

» Shepard Smith: "We are America!"

» What Michelle Malkin Once Believed Was Torture

Apr 23

Ah…the realization that someone you assumed was following you on Twitter ain’t.

» Op-Ed Contributor: My Tortured Decision

» Flashback: Bush’s FBI Director Said Torture Didn’t Foil Any Terror Plots

Apr 22

» Political Wisdom: In Torture Memos, Context Matters

Apr 21

» Bill Callahan plays Record Store Day: video and pictures

Apr 20

» Welfare for Bankers

» Tax Tea Party Time, Part Two - Bruce Bartlett - Forbes.com

No, actually, the government is not calling you a "right-wing extremist"

Jonathan — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:53:28 +0000

Friends, I understand that you have a very low opinion of the Obama administration and would not be surprised at all if they considered you to be an "extremist" because you are pro-gun, pro-life, believe in limited government, are concerned about illegal immigration, etc...BUT, I read the DHS report about right-wing extremists (link) that has your knickers in a twist. I also read a recent DHS report about left-wing extremists (link) and a recent press release from the FBI about left-wing extremists (link).

It is clear to me that all of the mainstream conservatives who are claiming that the DHS is calling them "right-wing extremists" are misreading what the report is saying (assuming they have read it). The report is about right-wing extremist groups. Reading the report (and the one about left-wing extremists groups), it is clear that extremism as far as the DHS is concerned is defined by the proclivity to resort to violence (which is common sense anyway because that is what DHS seeks to prevent). Violence is mentioned throughout the reports.

The reports do identify issues of concern to many right-wing extremist groups (states rights, gun rights, immigration, abortion, etc.) and left-wing extremists groups (globalization, the environment, animal rights, etc.)...BUT, those things are not what defines an extremist. Proclivity to violence is what defines extremists. Normal conservatives and liberals (like you and me) are also often concerned about immigration, abortion, the environment, animal rights, etc. Unless we are contemplating acts of violence and terrorism in response to our concerns, we are not extremists in the eyes of DHS. The DHS report does mention some specific examples of right-wing extremist groups (militias and white supremacists) but does not, given a fair reading, equate normal people who are concerned about abortion or gun rights with extremists like those.

Again, let me emphasize, there is an important distinction here that is critical to understanding these reports. The report on right-wing extremists does not identify core conservative values as extreme. Instead, it indicates that some extremists are motivated by core conservative values. The left-wing reports indicate that some extremists are motivated by a stereotypically core liberal value (environmentalism), but that is entirely different from identifying environmentalism as an extreme value! When someone states the fact that some extremist groups that perpetrate violence against abortion providers are (of course) motivated by opposition to abortion, obviously I should not take that to imply that I am an extremist just because I oppose abortion.

That, to me, is a common sense reading of the recent reports on extremism. Of course, I don't necessarily expect everyone to use common sense in reading reports like these. Some people will tell you that the DHS is calling you a "right-wing extremist" and, again, I understand that you are inclined to believe them (given your very low opinion of the Obama administration). However, as far as I can tell, those people who are telling you that are not actually telling you the truth.

Flight of the Conchords

Jonathan — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:34:37 +0000

Last night Lisa and I went to see Flight of the Conchords at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. If a slow internet connection at work hadn't caused me to time out in my first attempt to order tickets, we would have been on something like the fifth row. As it was, we still had decent seats. On the positive side, we were far enough back that Lisa couldn't throw her skivvies at Jemaine. The Fox Theatre is an amazing place, built in the 20's and restored for $12 million in the 80's. Jemaine and Bret got several jokes out of it: since it's the only place they've been in Detroit, they assume that all of Detroit is decorated as ornately as the Fox...or that Detroit obviously spent all of its money on the Fox and had no money left for anything else of decent quality in the city. Lisa thought the Fox was very cool but was annoyed by the uncomfortable seats. It was definitely a fun, enjoyable show.

"Business Time" is still our favorite from FotC (Beware, don't play if easily offended by crude or risque musical humor):

Update: the photo I took of the marquee:

Miscellany 25 April 2009

Jonathan — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:20:45 +0000

» I was bummed to hear that This I Believe was being dropped from NPR but then glad to hear that the project and podcast will continue.

» This guy (Major David Frakt, Air Force Reserves judge advocate and defense counsel in the Pentagon’s Office of Military Commissions, guest on "On Point" in January in an episode on Closing Guantanamo) must get a lot more jokes about his name in the post-BSG era

» I was disappointed to hear that Reaper won't be coming back for a 3rd season...also worried that Life may suffer the same fate.

» Situations like this (link) give civil rights efforts a bad name. New Haven, CT, gave their firefighters a test to determine who was qualified to be promoted. Then they threw out the results because it would have meant that no blacks and few Hispanics would have been promoted this time. Either they should be ashamed for giving a test that did a lousy job of judging worthiness for firefighter promotion...or they were embarrassed by the results and would rather promote to leadership roles people who are less prepared to lead in the life-or-death job of firefighting than face the apparent reality that there happened to be no blacks and few Hispanics who are currently ready to be promoted in the New Haven fire department. It's not hard to understand why folks get upset when we discriminate in the name of eliminating discrimination. Let's get rid of racial and other pernicious forms of discrimination, but I don't think this helps.

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Jonathan — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:03:49 +0000

Last weekend we visited the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and had lots of fun learning. Here are a few photos:

Mark Erelli

Jonathan — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:02:49 +0000

Last Friday night we went to see Mark Erelli (Wikipedia) in concert in Ann Arbor, MI. It was part of the Green Wood Coffee House Series at the "North Campus of First United Methodist Church." It's basically a small fellowship hall/sanctuary sort of place...where they have Saturday night service, etc. I don't remember how I heard about the show. We arrived about a half hour early, and there were only about 5 other folks in the audience. By the time the show got started (no opening act), I guess there were about 25 people there...probably half or more of which were associated with Green Wood and the median age was probably 50 or greater. It's a shame the crowd was so small. I can only assume they didn't do a good job promoting the show (though, somehow, I heard about it). I guess Erelli has a history of performing at this venue (it was mentioned that his appearance there was 2005).

I would have filmed the show, but I had forgotten to ask Mark's permission ahead of time and decided not to embarrass Lisa by filming first and asking forgiveness later. But here are a couple of photos:

The set was something on the order of 90 minutes. As expected, it was heavy on material from his most recent album, Delivered (the only one we had heard beforehand).

He mentioned that there was a folk gathering of sorts at the airport. Dar Williams was on the plane with him and Richie Valens was at baggage claim.

Apparently there was profanity in the first song (I didn't notice it) and afterwards Erelli apologized for using a curse word in front of the kids and jokingly told them that they should "never say that word."

One of the first few songs he played was Volunteers (written from the perspective of a national guard volunteer who ends up in Iraq; lyrics here). Here it is streaming via lala:

Volunteers - Mark Erelli

Here is video of an in-studio performance of Volunteers:

Moving to the next song, he commented that he was transitioning from a downer to a song about drinking "Five Beer Moon." Here is streaming from lala:

Five Beer Moon - Mark Erelli

Erelli talked about how many of his songs are hybrids, part autobiographical and part not. He introduced "Baltimore" by mentioning that although it describes a bottle of little white pills to make it through an 8 hour drive, Erelli prefers Starbucks. Here is "Baltimore" streaming from lala:

Baltimore - Mark Erelli

He introduced the one song he played on the mandolin, "Imaginary Wars," by saying that based on his clean-cut appearance people don't realize that he almost took a serious wrong turn at age 9 into eco-terrorism. A developer had plans for a forest next to his neighborhood, and he and his pals made plans to fight back. Here is "Imaginary Wars" streaming from lala:

Imaginary Wars - Mark Erelli

Here is video of a live performance of Imaginary Wars:

Mark talked about playing in the opening act on a Tim McGraw & Faith Hill tour during the summer of 2007, mostly playing hockey arenas in Canada. His was due to deliver their child any day, so he was expecting that call. He got a laugh when he said he wrote the song "Once" in the shower...fully clothed...in the locker room of one of those hockey arenas. Here is "Once" streaming from lala:

Once - Mark Erelli

Here is a live performance of Once:

At some point he mentioned Ann Arbor's famous music venue The Ark. He commented that playing Green Wood was nice because he got the chance to play a full set instead of always only playing 4 or 5 songs at The Ark (i.e., always being an opening act there).

Erelli was standing underneath a cross and commented that it always makes him feel a little strange when he performs in that sort of setting. He mentioned that he was raised Catholic and that, although that's no longer part of his life, he gets some of those familiar feelings (of guilt, if I remember correctly) whenever he is performing in a church.

Mark told the story of his participation in the Darwin Song Project. As he wrote in his April newsletter:

My other "live wire" moment came during my trip last month to England to take part in the Darwin Song Project. It sounds as much like a reality TV show as it does an artistic endeavor: eight folksingers from across the US and the UK holed up in an English country farmhouse for a week to collaborate on songs inspired by the life and work of Charles Darwin, in honor of the 200th anniversary of his birth. It was an amazing experience, I co-wrote two songs, and as a group we wrote about 18 songs in a week. We were to perform these songs for a sold-out crowd at the week's end, and the real kicker was that they'd be recorded for an eventual live DVD/CD release.

He performed "Kingdom Come" which he described as starting with parasitic wasps and ending with strong agnosticism if not atheism.

At some point towards the middle of the show he commented on the boys making it through the concert with aid from their Gameboys (DSs, actually). He said he was looking forward to the Gameboy stage with his son who at this point is at the stage of fascination with numbers and letters. He said that, though he'd been away less than a day, it was already weird not to have his child with him calling out every letter or number he saw.

He also played "Troubadour Blues" (streaming from lala):

Troubadour Blues - Mark Erelli

and "Not Alone" (streaming from lala):

Not Alone - Mark Erelli

and "Passing Through" (during which he invited the crowd to join in on the chorus) (streaming from lala):

Passing Through - Mark Erelli

and "Unravelled" (streaming from lala):

Unraveled - Mark Erelli

and "Snowed In" (streaming from lala):

Snowed In - Mark Erelli

and "Undone" (streaming from lala):

Undone - Mark Erelli

among others that I didn't recognize or can't remember (if I'd been thinking, I'd have consulted the set list). "Not Alone" is one of my favorites from his most recent album, along with "Hope Dies Last" and "Delivered"; we were disappointed he didn't play "Hope Dies Last."

Mark didn't bother to leave the stage for the encore. Someone requested "Congress Street" and Erelli was glad to get a request for a "deep cut." Someone else requested another song too (a "gospel song"). Mark vacillated at first but then took the advice to play both.

Towards the end Erelli commented that our kids had made it through the whole show and took that as a good sign. As we left, he was sitting in the lobby selling cds. He shook my hand and thanked us for bringing the kids which he thought was cool.

We really enjoyed the show and the intimate setting. At first Lisa was skeptical about making the trip to Ann Arbor, but in the end it was well-worth the trouble to see such a talented musician.

Here are some photos of the family before the show:

Next is tomorrow nights "Flight of the Conchords" show in Detroit.

National Indebtedness

Jonathan — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:41:52 +0000

I recently cited an article on taxes in Forbes by Bruce Bartlett, economist and former Reagan administration official. From a recent follow-up from Bartlett:

The truth is that the greatest addition to national indebtedness occurred in 2003 when Bush rammed through the Republican Congress a massive expansion of Medicare to provide drug benefits even though the system was already broke. According to the latest report from Medicare's trustees, the drug benefit added $7.9 trillion to the nation's indebtedness. This should have led to massive tax protests on April 15, 2004. But, of course, there weren't any. Those protesting this week were only protesting because it is a Democrat who has increased the deficit. When a Republican did worse, it's like Emily Litella used to say, "Never mind."

Of course, people are free to protest whatever they want whenever they want, and are also free to change their minds. Maybe this week's tax protesters would have been out protesting even if McCain were president, but I don't think so. I believe this was largely a partisan exercise designed to improve the fortunes of the Republican Party, not an expression of genuine concern about taxes or our nation's fiscal future.

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. That only comes from having credibility gained by the correct presentation of facts and analysis and a willingness to be even-handed--criticizing one's own side when it is wrong and not only speaking up when the other party does the same thing.

I'm sure many of the protesters were very concerned about Bush's spending and (hypothetically) feel like they would have reacted the same if McCain had been the one bailing out the banks and stimulating the economy. Still, in the last ~ 30 years of ballooning deficits, there have only been 2 years when the Republicans controlled neither the White House or Congress, yet conservatives have picked such a period of relative impotence to take to the streets about taxes and debt? That doesn't seem like good timing to me.

From the Tumblelog April 12-18, 2009

Jonathan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:42:42 +0000

Apr 18

lunch at Zingerman’s then back to the museum

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Apr 17

» We Are Now Indonesia

intermission at Erelli concert. The 25 or so in attendance are getting a good show.

Olga’s Kitchen in Ann Arbor

Apr 16

» U.S. Stymied as Guns Flow to Mexican Cartels

» Video Prank at Domino’s Taints Brand

» Scarborough ignores Bush FBI report to claim Obama administration stoking fear

» Obtained: Federal Agency’s Memo Warning Of “Left Wing Extremists”

» Elvis Perkins: Hopeful And Melancholy

» The Wire Bible

» Economy and Community

» Joe the Plumber at Michigan Tea Party: Saying ‘In God We Trust’ Will Get You Shot In Some Places

» The Tea Parties

» Of Course It's Only Based on a Couple Data Points - Tom Toles

Apr 15

» Glenn Harlan Reynolds: Tax Day Becomes Protest Day

» Protest stops Tancredo's UNC speech - Immigration - News & Observer

» Harold Meyerson - Revolutionary Rush - washingtonpost.com

» Anti-Obama Taxpayer Tea Parties steeped in insanity - Los Angeles Times

» Tax Tea Party Time? - Forbes.com

» Conservative hypocrisy about Obama's proposal to limit charitable tax deductions for the rich.

» Speakers whistle and boo as public hearing on Consumers Energy coal plant turns nasty - Bay City News - The Latest News, Blogs, Photos & Videos – MLive.com

» Tax Day Tea Party

» Bill Callahan In-Store - Pittsburgh City Paper

» Religious Right Backs the Tea Parties

» Bill Callahan Does "Rococo Zephyr," "Faith/Void" In A Record Store - Video - Stereogum

» Obama+Notre Dame= Loud controversy!; Obama+Georgetown=Crickets chirping in silence

Apr 14

» Media Having Trouble Finding Right Angle On Obama's Double-Homicide | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

» Will Oldham: The 'Prince' Of Kentucky

Apr 13

» Gray: Obama, please take a bow

» Michigan considers changing teacher licensing rules | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

» Mission From Africa

Apr 12

» A Career in Community Organizing Becomes an Enviable Option - NYTimes.com

From the Tumblelog April 5-11, 2009

Jonathan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:33:51 +0000

Apr 11

» Communication depends entirely on the Web - THE WEEK

» [ReligionProf]Joss Whedon Accepts Award, Drops Dollhouse Hints, Names Winner Of Buffy/River Fight [Joss Whedon] | from "io9"

» The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

reading Outcasts United

Apr 09

» Off The Top Of The Backboard, Into The Rafters, Off The Heating Duct, Down A Suspension Wire...Nothing But Net [Duan!]

» How Much Americans Actually Pay in Taxes

» Commentary: Liking Obama, opposing his White House - CNN.com

Lost + stationary bike

Apr 08

» Hail to the Boss!

» With Online Tools, Lost-and-Found Gets an Upgrade - NYTimes.com

» Bush Was Friendly to Muslims, Too: the Obama Team's Response

Apr 07

» Words I never thought I'd hear from a Secretary of Defense

» Obama's "Christian Nation" Comments & the Myth of the Judeo-Christian Heritage

» Robert Gates follows through on his promises to reform the Pentagon.

» Still Haunted

» What interview questions did D.E. Shaw ask Larry Summers?

» Referee Fail

guess there’s no need to stay up late after all

Apr 06

» Obama Team Divided Over Release of Torture Memos | Newsweek Politics | Newsweek.com

» Dept. of partisanship

» Pew Official Disputes Right-Wing Claim That Poll Proves Obama Is “Polarizing”

» Why Didn't Ashcroft-the-Christian Stop The Torture?

» A Budget Deficit - Obama's big-government plan and the GOP's uninspiring alternative. by Matthew Continetti

» Pilot and Tech Support

» The Brody File | Exclusive: Dungy's Role on Obama's Faith-Based Council

What I'm Playing April 2009

Jonathan — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:16:48 +0000

Here's an embedded playlist of what I've been listening to lately (you can use it stream the songs):

April 2009

Anonanimal by Andrew Bird
The Prowl by Dan Auerbach
Unreal is Here by Chavez
While You Were Sleeping by Elvis Perkins
Not Alone by Mark Erelli
Sunset Soon Forgotten by Iron & Wine
Ladybug by The Terrible Twos
Street Walkin' by Dan Auerbach
The Guard Attacks by Chavez
For Today by Jessica Lea Mayfield
Alphabutt by Kimya Dawson
Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown # 1 by Los Campesinos!
Hope Dies Last by Mark Erelli
Too Sick to Pray by Phosphorescent
Homecoming Queen by Sparklehorse
Delivered by Mark Erelli
Four Fingered Fisherman by Sun Kil Moon
When I Get to Eleven by The Terrible Twos
Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare by Matt & Kim
Xs on Your Eyes by Plus Minus
My Brother Did It by Justin Roberts
All My Mistakes by The Avett Brothers
Steel on Steel by J Tillman
Home by Saturday by Hayden
Rise by Eddie Vedder
Boss Kitty by Oxes

Tea Parties

Jonathan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:00:26 +0000

Some folks are eager to frame them as a grass-roots movement; others emphasize connections to inside-the-beltway interest groups. Who cares? I don't know why it matters. Regardless of who the true instigators are (probably plenty from both categories), there are obviously a multitude of regular folks turning out for these protests. It does seem kind of funny to me though that folks who just a few days ago were deriding turning off your lights for "Earth Hour" as a silly and risible publicity stunt don't see sending a message with tea bags as the same.

So what are they protesting? Supposedly it's not anti-Obama protests (the signs in the crowd seem to tell a different story). It's apparently a protest against taxes. That doesn't make too much sense to me.

As Bruce Bartlett pointed out in Forbes:

The irony of these protests is that federal revenues as a share of the gross domestic product will be lower this year than any year since 1950. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government will take only 15.5% of GDP in taxes this year, compared to 17.7% last year, 18.8% in 2007 and 20.9% in 2000.

The truth is that the U.S. is a relatively low-tax country no matter how you slice the data. The following tables illustrate this fact by comparing the U.S. to other members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based research organization.

Total Taxes as a Share of GDP, 2006

Denmark

49.1

U.K.

37.1

Ireland

31.9

Sweden

49.1

Hungary

37.1

Greece

31.3

Belgium

44.5

Czech Rep.

36.9

Australia

30.6

France

44.2

N.Z.

36.7

Slovak Rep.

29.8

Norway

43.9

Spain

36.6

Switzerland

29.6

Finland

43.5

Luxembourg

35.9

U.S.

28.0

Italy

42.1

Portugal

35.7

Japan

27.9

Austria

41.7

Germany

35.6

Korea

26.8

Iceland

41.5

Poland

33.5

Turkey

24.5

Netherlands

39.3

Canada

33.3

Mexico

20.6

Source: OECD

The new guy is cutting taxes on nearly everyone and raising taxes a few percent on the richest among us to rates still comparable to the rates under Reagan. The rich do pay more than their share, but not in the extreme. Though it's done all the time, quoting a statistic like the top X % of earners pay Y % of taxes (Y >> X) without mentioning the % of income Z that those folks earn (Z approximately equal to Y) doesn't say much.

The only explanation that makes any sense to me is that the protest is about the future higher taxes that will be an eventual consequence of our deficit spending. However, Obama's proposed spending isn't a radical departure from the way that all the administrations from Reagan forward (Clinton's excepted) have been ballooning the deficit. Here's that plot I mentioned recently from zFacts.com that illustrates the debt as a percentage of GDP:

From Data360, here is a plot of debt history in absolute terms.

To me, the real difference is that Reagan ballooned the deficit to grow the military, Bush did it to pay for the war in Iraq, and Obama proposes to fund the economic stimulus, healthcare reform, and addressing climate change.

At this point, the Republicans who are suddenly so worked up about spending really can't do much about it anyway. There's a Democratic president and large Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. A couple years ago when there was a Republican president and Republican majorities in the House and Senate (and rapidly ballooning deficits)...now that's when conservatives could have done something. For some reason they didn't. Now that they've lost the presidency and their congressional majorities and we're in the middle of an economic crisis for which (economic conventional wisdom tells us) deficit spending is the prescription for facilitating a faster recovery...of course now is the time to really get behind fiscal responsibility...you know, now when the Republicans don't have the power to do actually do anything about it. Uh huh.

I agree that fiscal responsibility is a good idea. Obviously, we can't continue to pile up national debt forever. Sooner or later, we're going to have to make some tough choices. By the way, Americans now have a more favorable view of taxes than they've had in a long time (link). As I've said here and elsewhere before, I don't mind paying my taxes all that much. Evidently this is because I have a very different view of the value of government than the tax protesters do. I think government does much good. It also wastes plenty by the hands of both Republicans and Democrats, but I don't think that invalidates all the good. I don't begrudge the social safety net that my taxes provide. Sure, there are abusers, but (apparently unlike the Tea Baggers) I think the safety net is mostly about helping good people through some of the rough spots, not funneling a bunch of money from good hardworking people to freeloading losers. Michael Westmoreland-White puts it this way:

Taxes are the price of civilization. With taxes, we pay our police, firefighters, teachers, and other public servants. If we want good roads, bridges that don’t fall down, levees that don’t break, an electric grid that works, we must pay taxes. If we want our elderly cared for, we pay taxes. (Poverty in old age used to be a chronic problem. Since the advent of Social Security taxes and Medicare, poverty in old age is relatively rare in the U.S. Children’s poverty, however, is a huge problem in the U.S.) If we want our veterans cared for, we pay taxes. If we want good government, we pay taxes.

It is true that taxes can be high and oppressive. The Bible has plenty of examples of such. But, in the U.S., we have some of the lowest tax rates–and, because of that, some of the worst public services. When anti-tax sentiments run wild in state and local legislatures, these governments must enact “hidden taxes” to get needed revenue: higher fines and court fees (and speeding quotas); higher rates for public parking; higher driver’s license fees, etc.

The strangest thing to me out of all of this is that so many Christians apparently experience no cognitive dissonance when it comes to embracing tax protests. On some level, tax protest seems to me to be fundamentally selfish (and, of course, I must admit that I'm selfish in many ways too). The New Testament says plenty about money, poverty, selfishness, etc. but it's not really fairly summarized by "what's mine is mine, don't try to take it."

Remember these passages?

Matthew 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"

21 "Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

and

Matthew 6:19-24

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

and

Matthew 19:16-26

16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

18 "Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Don't get me wrong. I'm not just pointing fingers at the Christian tax protesters. I'm pointing at all of us, myself included. It's commonly accepted that most of us Americans are rich by global and historical standards. I worry about us. I worry about me. Am I a rich young man like the one mentioned above? If not, why not? I'm not surprised that plenty of Christians are bothered about taxes. I am surprised by the intensity of those feelings. Prominent Christian organizations are even actively promoting the tea parties.

What it really comes down to is that if this were the kind of sign that most Christians could truthfully hold up in protest, I'd feel a lot better about the anti-tax movement.

Jesus said: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." Don't try to spread my wealth because I've already done it!

By the way, there's a nice collection of Tea Party photos here: link

Taking Chance

Jonathan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:18:39 +0000

The other night we finished watching Taking Chance (2009). From Wikipedia:

Taking Chance is a 2009 historical drama based upon the experiences of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) escorting the body of a Marine, PFC Chance Phelps (posthumously promoted to LCpl), back to his hometown from the Iraq War.

I liked it. It has a very deliberate pace, which is appropriate. There aren't any Chance flashbacks. At first I thought that was kind of unusual, but then I decided it was unusual in a good way. All of the ritual involved in bringing a soldier's body home was interesting too...something I'd never seen before.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Miscellany 10 Apr 09

Jonathan — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:46:44 +0000

» I like digital samaritans

» You might be confusing tyranny with losing...

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» A reminder about the big picture regarding faith and politics

Psalm 146:3-6

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
       in mortal men, who cannot save.

4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
       on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
       whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
       the sea, and everything in them—
       the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

Isaiah 14:13-17

13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
       or instructed him as his counselor?

14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
       and who taught him the right way?
       Who was it that taught him knowledge
       or showed him the path of understanding?

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
       they are regarded as dust on the scales;
       he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
       nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
       they are regarded by him as worthless
       and less than nothing.

Blindness

Jonathan — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:44:05 +0000

I recently finished reading José Saramago's novel Blindness. From Wikipedia:

Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows.

I enjoyed it...enough to go ahead and order and start the sequel, Seeing. I couldn't help thinking of The Road (another society in extreme crisis). With an exception or two (one of them big), Blindness didn't explore the potential for evil, for the strong to prey on the weak, to the extent that The Road did.

Denmark	49.1	U.K.	37.1	Ireland	31.9
Sweden	49.1	Hungary	37.1	Greece	31.3
Belgium	44.5	Czech Rep.	36.9	Australia	30.6
France	44.2	N.Z.	36.7	Slovak Rep.	29.8
Norway	43.9	Spain	36.6	Switzerland	29.6
Finland	43.5	Luxembourg	35.9	U.S.	28.0
Italy	42.1	Portugal	35.7	Japan	27.9
Austria	41.7	Germany	35.6	Korea	26.8
Iceland	41.5	Poland	33.5	Turkey	24.5
Netherlands	39.3	Canada	33.3	Mexico	20.6