The Bishops vs. The Talking Heads

Yes, I listened to that big Republican blowhard on the radio this morning.  He was ranting about how terrible health care reform would be and how President Obama and the Democrats cannot be trusted.  I got so sick of hearing this that I turned to another station and hear the same things, but from the mouth of Rush Limbaugh.  Yes, the first radio station that I listened to was a "Catholic" radio station.  If one didn't recognize the voice of the host, one would have had to wait for a commercial to realize that the station claims to be "Catholic".  It is no wonder that a rift is growing between the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and many well-known "Catholic" media outlets.  Many of these outlets have taken significant liberties in their interpretations of the USCCB's positions, especially those related to health care reform.

I'll save you the time and anguish involved in trying to learn about the Catholic perspective on health care reform through "Catholic" media outlets.  Stick with the Bishops on this one, folks.

http://usccb.org/healthcare/position.shtml

Signs Of The Times

Where I live, people are getting sick of winter.  Many people are looking for signs that spring is on the way.  A few weeks ago, thousands of people gathered around a groundhog in our area to await his prognostication for the arrival of spring.  This past weekend, forecasters predicted that a huge snowstorm would strike on Monday morning.  We got a "dusting".  However, on Tuesday morning, we had an unexpected snowfall that caught street and highways crews "off guard".  I just drove through unexpected blizzard conditions.

Why do we look for the signs and announcements of things to come - even when those signs and announcements are often inaccurate?  Whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow or a robin is spotted, spring arrives, without fail, at about the same time - give or take a couple of days - every year.  Knowing what type of weather to expect can be helpful, but not as helpful as always being prepared for any type of weather. 

We have to be careful about paying so much attention to the "signs" of upcoming events that we fail to even recognize the actual events.

Faith, Inc.

Recently, I attended a presentation by a nationally known speaker on a "hot" theological topic.  I won't give the name of the speaker or the topic, but those of you with any sense of current theological issues could probably guess the speaker and the topic.

The topic was an issue with which I have some familiarity.  The speaker was quite entertaining.  Even if one knew nothing about the topic, one would still find the speaker interesting and entertaining.  However, after listening to the speaker spend two hours talking on the issue, I realized I would have gotten just as much out of the presentation if the speaker just handed me a brochure with about 10 points on it.

I sensed that the speaker is genuinely interested and expert in the topic that was presented.  However, I also sensed that when the profits from selling books and seminars related to the topic dip below a certain level, the speaker will move to another "hot" topic that will lead to increased speaking engagements and book/DVD sales.  The presentation was not about spreading the word about a theological issue.  It was about selling merchandise.

Everything about the presentation was choreographed by the speaker and his entourage:  the lighting, what the speaker wore, the timing of the presentation, the regular plugs for costly seminars, books and DVDs, etc.  It was interesting to note that, after the presentation, there where plenty of books authored by the speaker available for sale.  However, the main book source on the topic, a book that is not published by the speaker's publishing house, was conveniently sold out.

The presentation was simply to "slick" for me.  While driving home from the presentation, I felt like I had just endured a time-share presentation.

Of Olympic Proportions

I don't watch many sporting events on television.  I will watch the mighty Packers of Green Bay trounce their National Football League foes (or their attempts to do so) on a regular basis.  Other sporting events are not of much interest to me - with the exception of the Olympic Games.

There is something to be said about athletes that are competing for the sake of competing.  Sure, they realize that success will likely lead to lucrative contracts.  Yet, I sense that the goal for most of the Olympians is to stand on the podium with a gold medal around your neck while the anthem of your country plays.  There is a certain "pureness" to the Olympics that does not exist in other sporting events.

It Could Have Been Me

While driving home from my voting site yesterday, I found myself behind a small scooter.  Given that it was under 30 degrees, I had to question the judgement of the person operating the scooter.  Two wheels and ice are not a good combination.   As I waited behind the scooter at a four way stop, I could not help but think that what I was seeing was a kooky exception.  I had that thought a second before the large and loud Harley Davidson motorcycle pulled up to the interesection.  Just like deer, when one sees a two wheeled vehicle on a wintery road, one has to be on the lookout for other two wheeled vehicles. 

In the seconds after seeing the motorcycle, I was reminded that my own scooter and motorcycle riding history includes short trips around town in every calendar month of the year.

Negative Compound Interest

The situation in Haiti is evidence why it is so important to work to eradicate poverty in the world.  It was bad enough that such a poor nation would have to suffer the consequences of such a terrible natural disaster.  Now we see the aftershocks that are the work of humans, rather than nature.  We see and hear reports about people taking advantage of the situation:  stealing, raping, enslaving, etc.  Somehow, Haiti went from bad to worse.

What would have happened if a similar earthquake struck the U.S.?  Think of the earthquake that struck California during the World Series several years back.  A bridge overpass collapsed onto the freeway below it.  We went nuts about that!  Aid rushed in immediately.  Other structures were inspected to ensure that they were safe.  Haiti had no such response, even though the devastation they are suffering is far more intense that what happened after the California earthquake.  In Haiti, suffering leads to more suffering.  It seems that is how people that make money off of Haiti want it.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Yesterday, I watched the movie "Marley and Me", a movie based on a non-fiction book from a few years ago.  The book was based on the columns written over several years by a newspaper writer.  Since many of his columns were related to dealing with his rambunctious and large dog, several people suggested that the writer pull the "Marley" columns together into a book.  In a nutshell, the book presents the story of a young and growing family from the eyes of the pet dog - from the time the couple adopts the "clearance puppy" to the time many years later when the writer makes the decision to put Marley to sleep after a long life.

As a person with a wife and a dog that has been with us since just after we were married over ten years ago, the movie certainly struck a chord with me.  I do not look forward to the time when our beloved dog completes his journey with us. 

About 30 minutes after I finished the movie (I was still recovering), my wife blurted out "They got a dog!"  The "they" are my sister's brother and his family.  In the past few months, they experienced the death of their dog of nearly 15 years, the death of a father/grandfather, a job loss and a child leaving home for college.  They certainly could use a nice addition to their lives.  It appears that this addition arrived last week in the form of an English Springer Spaniel puppy by the name of Jackson.