Weds. morning links

Corrupt methods end up corrupting everything they touch. The institutions, the ideas and the people. And the more corrupt those methods are, the more swiftly they corrupt. Alinsky dedicated his book to the devil, but failed to draw the appropriate lessons from the futility of satanic ambition for accomplishing anything except putting the devil in charge.

Milton's devil chose to rule in hell, rather than serve in heaven. Alinskyism turns viable nations into hells where the majority of people are on the bottom and a small number of devils rule over them at the top

At two-year mark, health law’s legacy is confusion - States and employers wait for guidance

Incoherent: ‘Civil Rights’ and Modern Liberalism - The Century Foundation's Richard Kahlenberg finds the term increasingly malleable.

What Are Our Military Options in Syria?

More disasters America will face if we retreat from Afghanistan

Defending Israel Creates a Hostile Environment on Campus?

" there is a poisonous level of cynicism towards artists who depict war as anything other than meaningless."

Will Bush be vindicated? A case for the Iraq War

ObamaCare's Flawed Economic Foundations - The insurance mandate has almost nothing to do with remedying costs imposed on the system by those without coverage.

Romney: In November, ‘Economic Freedom Will be on the Ballot’

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 07:00 | Comments (15) | Trackbacks (0)

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I'm not a huge fan of Praise songs all the time, but if you read through the Psalms, you'll find several which would readily accept your description.

As the Preacher said, there's a season for everything, and sometimes a simple praise song is appropriate.

#1 DrTorch on 2012-03-21 08:06 (Reply)

Gas Nightmare. All valid points. But still doesn't change the NIMBY mindset. Just like everyone wants more s*x (Just not with my wife or daughters). Why does everyone deserve raises,COLA's,etc Except for the price of Fuel? I don't get that.
The fuel pricing system is a little strange though. I live within 50 miles of 3 refineries. Took a drive around the state last week. $4.09 at home. The further I got from the refineries, the lower price got ($3.59 in a little town in the middle of next to nowhere.) Came back home the next day to $4.13!
Something about competition drives lower prices? I didn't see that.
NIMBY's that don't want a pipeline. Would they rather have a freeway with trucks carrying it, or waiting for Unit Trains (110 cars) to pass on the tracks? I would think Greenies would be all in favor of pipelines for the wildlife that doesn't die walking over the pipe instead of getting killed trying to cross the road. Of course, the truck option does give you the highest employment, short of the Chinese model of a line of people carrying it in buckets!
I'm just glad the pricing model does work to the effect that even if gas is $5 IT IS THERE to buy (even if we can't afford it). Better than $2.50 (sorry, NO GAS).

#2 Jerry on 2012-03-21 08:42 (Reply)

Didn't Monty Python sum it up well in the holy grail: get up off your knees,stop groveling. Look at Me. And those Hymns...
Joe Allen seems a little down on the scene. I guess it would be better for those kids to be hanging at a Megadeath, Marlyn Manson,Hole, or worse,Celine Dion!
I do believe the church looses with the words on the overhead without the music. I'm no musician but can still follow the flow of the tune. It hurts to watch the praise team lead a "new" song, only to have most of the 50+ crowd standing there silent. They might get better participation as those old folks probably do know how to read music.

#3 Jerry on 2012-03-21 09:15 (Reply)

7-11 songs. Seven words repeated eleven times. Although I agree with DrTorch regarding the Psalms.

#4 Archer2010 on 2012-03-21 09:36 (Reply)

I REMEMBER. I remember living in the suburbs of Berkeley and working at the Oakland airport during Viet Nam. I remember the boys going over, and then a year later, I remember them coming home. Going over they may have gotten drunk the night before, but they were not stoned--didn't use drugs. But the college students were stoned on MJ. Then when the boys came home half of them were stoned also. I cannot forget a story going about at that time in the media that one of the reasons it was taking so long to get out of Nam was because the "elites" were trying to insure that the drug purchase/distribution networks were secured.

I am thinking now why is it so hard to muster up the courage and the determination to stop the flow of drugs from coming across our open border with Mexico? After all we are connected--no oceans--no long distance multiple transit points. And, then my mind jumps to Afghanistan.

#5 apple pie on 2012-03-21 10:15 (Reply)

"Often insipid, contentless, embarassing tripe. Even with wonderful musicians."
Most pop music since the 1800's.

#6 Talnik on 2012-03-21 10:31 (Reply)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqZc4cl5kh4&feature=related

maybe the words aren't the message --maybe they're just simple same so they don't hide the message --which is the performance --including the audience.

--like 12 bar blues, unless the frame is classic, there's no context for the talent to shine in.

#6.1 buddy larsen on 2012-03-21 11:29 (Reply)

I understand the negative view towards a culture that one is outside of but I don't believe the Christian concert was meant to be praise. Isn't it just a celebration of life with in a subset of a larger culture and should be viewed as such. I will not attempt to verify if the modern church praise songs help the believer focus on the divine. Not my call.

That said, there are few modern lyrics that impact me as deeply as the old hymns-some of which were added to bar tunes. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing comes to mind. There is something to the act of worshiping with the same creeds, rhythm and heart as believers hundreds of years ago.

That article on the New Old Lie is fantastic. I remember reading a C.S. Lewis quote that for some men the foxhole was the one time in their lives where they experienced true selflessness. Nihilism is choking out value from our culture.

#7 BrianInWisconsin on 2012-03-21 12:47 (Reply)

That's well said, re the context of a "Christian concert" as a celebration of life. From an Anglo-Catholic perspective, as liturgical music, power chords aren't going to cut it. Cardinal Ratzinger, who has written extensively about liturgical music (summarized here):

"The first Christmas carol of history . . . had no human origins — Saint Luke records it as the song of the angels who were the evangelists of the holy night: Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among men, those with whom he is pleased, those of good will. This song sets a standard ... "

#7.1 wirraway on 2012-03-21 14:35 (Reply)

Sound reasoning. A sound foundation. Sound currency. Sound is its own nonconvertible context, add words and text structures literally multiply to infinity.

#7.1.1 buddy larsen on 2012-03-22 01:50 (Reply)

-- Nihilism is choking out value from our culture --

"Hell is empty
And all the devils are here"

--The Tempest by the Bard

http://classiclit.about.com/od/tempestwshakespeare/a/aa_thetempestqu.htm

===

Alinsky dedicated his 'bible' to Lucifer, in the foreword or preface, somewhere like. 'Lucifer' translates as ''light bearer'' --sorta confusing, unless you read 'light' as weight rather than illumination.

Milton's hell among other things is a place where everytime you think you've reached the bottom, the bottom falls out and you fall still further.

yikes!

#8 buddy larsen on 2012-03-21 14:31 (Reply)

Light Bearer = not into heavy lifting....

Kind of like letting the Speaker of the House write 0bamacare....

--------

In time for Chicago voting: Zombie flicks are spooling up.

Now that's an inspirational...

#8.1 blert on 2012-03-21 14:37 (Reply)

--'light' as matter rather than energy --'matter' as in 'something's the matter here' (the premise of Lenin's famotorious "What is to be done, then?"). Matter the material, it's all that matters. Who cares about radiant beings, unless they have guns?

#8.1.1 buddy larsen on 2012-03-22 01:40 (Reply)

Buddy, are you saying it can always be worse? Or that we keep thinking President Obama has taken us as low as we can go only to find out the bottom has dropped out again?

#8.2 BrianInWisconsin on 2012-03-21 16:27 (Reply)

--i thought it was just a bon mot re Milton, but now that you mention it, who could gainsay it?

Today he made a 'we're doing fine' speech in front of the six employees of an Oklahoma solar panel outfit that had received $60,000,000 in stim dough, and is admitting 'sales are kinda slow' but is adding that 'things should pick up next year' when there's 'more infrastructure'.

Oops, there went the floor again, but hey, who's counting?

#8.2.1 buddy larsen on 2012-03-22 01:24 (Reply)

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Wednesday, March 21. 2012

Weds. morning links