30
May 12

Elliott Erwitt

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place. I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” Elliott Erwitt

I’ve often looked at Elliott Erwitt’s photos with much admiration. His philosophy has become my mantra when looking at just about anything. Photography has changed the way I see things. Seeking that part of an ordinary scene that is unusual and mostly unnoticed. Looking for the photo within the photo. Seeing the tree rather than the forest.

Here are a half dozen examples of his work… enjoy!








29
May 12

Book Review: When She Woke – Hillary Jordan

Just finished reading this book, a dystopian near-future story depicting an America where a third party, the Trinity Party, has come into power. The main theme of the story centers on Hannah, who, pregnant with a prominent pastor’s child, opts for an illegal abortion to protect him.

She was caught and subjected to “melachroming”, a process that colors the skin to blue, yellow, green, or red, depending on the crime. Chroming is the Trinity Party’s solution to overcrowded jails and prisons. Overcrowded due to the party’s strict fundamental laws and policies.

A fascinating read, it may be uncomfortable for fundamental Christians. Throughout the book, my thoughts drifted to the prospect of the Tea Party in power. This book explores what could happen when the line between church and state dissolves.

I give this book a hearty thumbs-up.


27
May 12

Honor Them by Reflecting on Why We Send Them…

By James Milstid

I’m not anti-war.  But I’m not pro-war either.  When it comes to defending our freedom, our shores, our human rights, I realize that sometimes diplomacy doesn’t solve the issues.  But too many times wars are waged because a leader is determined to leave a historical legacy of his “achievements”.

Consider the following quotes from the many people who understood how fruitless war can be:

1. “Old men declare war because they have failed to solve complex political and economic problems.” ~~Arthur Hoppe, columnist

2. “After each war there is a little less democracy left to save.” ~~Brooks Atkinson, theatre critic

3. “War does not determine who is right, only who is left.” ~~Bertrand Russell, British philosopher

4. “We Americans have no commission from God to police the world.” ~~Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States

5. “No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace, or ensure it of victory in time of war.” ~~Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

6. “War settles nothing.” ~~Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and 1st Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

7. “War in the end is always about betrayal, betrayal of the young by the old, of soldiers by politicians, and of idealists by cynics.” ~~Chris Hedges, American journalist and war correspondent

8. “After victory, you have more enemies.” ~~Cicero, Roman philosopher and statesman

9. “The best defense is no offense.” ~~Dr. Ivan Eland, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at The Independent Institute

10. “Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both. “ ~~Abraham Flexner, American educator

11. “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.” ~~Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

12. “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” ~~Albert Einstein, father of modern physics

13. “A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.” ~~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, writer and Nobel Prize winner

14. “Violence as a way of gaining power…is being camouflaged under the guise of tradition, national honor [and] national security…” ~~Alfred Adler, physician and psychotherapist

15. “Today the real test of power is not capacity to make war but capacity to prevent it.” ~~Anne O’Hare McCormick, foreign news correspondent

16. “All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.” ~~Alexis de Tocqueville, French political scientist, historian, and politician

17. “Make wars unprofitable and you make them impossible.” ~~A. Philip Randolph, leader in the civil rights and labor movements

18. “War should be the politics of last resort. And when we go to war, we should have a purpose that our people understand and support.” ~~Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and four-star general

19. “The dangerous patriot…drifts into chauvinism and exhibits blind enthusiasm for military actions.” ~~Colonel James A. Donovan, U.S. Marine Corps

20. “The failure to dissect the cause of war leaves us open for the next installment.” ~~Chris Hedges, American journalist and war correspondent

21. “We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives…inside ourselves.” ~~Albert Camus, French author, journalist, and philosopher

22. “No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country.” ~~Alexis de Tocqueville, French political scientist, historian, and politician

23. “We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security.” ~~Dwight D. Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and 1st Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

24. “Wisdom is better than weapons of war.” ~~Ecclesiastes 9:18

25. “I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it.” ~~Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and 1st Supreme Allied Commander, Europe


26
May 12

Front Page News…

The local newspaper in Statesville, NC decided to print the KKK’s flier, inviting “white people only” to a rally and cross lighting, on the front page. The flier takes up a good part of the page and dwarfs an ad for an urgent care center below it. The article is almost nonchalant about the event, like it’s a common event. Oh… and it’s “Free Admition (sic)”.


20
May 12

Wait a sec…


14
May 12

Bill Maher’s New Rules