Women Masters

So I am watching the Masters this weekend thinking about how unsuccessful Martha Burk was in her attempt to force Augusta National to allow women to join their club. If we were to have believed the media women membership was an inevitability yet here we are several years later and it is still an all boys club. Now I think that eventually they will let a woman join but I am just not sure when or who. And that's the bigger question. Who will be the first female to join the hallowed club? Here are a few potential candidates:

1. Oprah Winfrey. She would definitely bring a lot of positive attention plus she meets their standards for success and income.

2. Sandra Day O'Connor. Her resume as first woman supreme court justice is appealing and I hear she is a golfer.

3. Condaleeza Rice. As one of the highest ranking females in government she has the credentials to fit in with the rest of the members.

4. Annika Sorenstam. Considered by many to be the best woman golfer she would be considered an asset to the club that likes to be among the best.

5. Pat Summit. She is a southerner and very well respected for her accomplishments as a basketball coach.

These are just a few suggestions. I would like to hear if you have other famous, successful women that would fit in at Augusta.

Live from Pittsburgh

I have taken the Fetzer File on the road this week. I am in Pittsburgh to help my Grandpa as he recovers from hip surgery. I am a little nervous about helping and my Mom and Aunt gave me a laundry list of things to do.

I just made it to town and he looks great. I expected him to be a little more frail following the surgery but he seems to get around pretty good with his walker but I can tell he gets worn out easily. He still has his sense of humor and doesn't seem nearly as worried or concerned as my Mom or Aunt Nancy. Funny how others worry about us more than ourselves sometimes.

I am writing this post from a coffee shop near my Grandparents old house. It was a place my Grandma took me to over 10 years ago. I love the fact that is still here for me. And that they have wi-fi. Another thing that hasn't changed is the nursing home he is staying at. It is the same one my Great Grandmother lived in and the last time I went there was in 1991 maybe. They still have the same decorations and everything. I even think I saw the same few lonely women perched in the wheel chairs by the elevators to watch all the action.

My trip this morning was exactly what I needed. As I was surfing through the radio channels I came across a religious station and it reminded me to take the time and pray. It's amazing how cleansing it is to spend 45 miles in prayer. It was great to release some stress and to pray for others and well generally I am in a good mood because of it.

Tonight I am meeting up with my cousin to grab dinner. I haven't seen him since Christmas time so it will be nice to catch up. I'll write more later this week.

Tradition

This weekend my nephew David came to Lansing to watch the NCAA basketball games. He and I have made it a tradition to watch the final four each year. A couple years ago we went out to some backwoods bar to watch the games with my buddy Jason Feltz. We all three took turns hitting on our poor waitress. As you might have guessed, none of us got her phone number. Then two years ago I was in Las Vegas with David and my brother's entire family for the final four. We all made wagers on the game and David was the only one to win money. Hopefully next year we can get final four tickets since the games are being played in Detroit.

David is turning into a really fine young man. As we spent the weekend together, I was impressed with how grown up he has become and how well he handles all the drama in his life. I warned him ahead of time that this year I had church on Saturday night but he didn't complain about having to go or missing most of the first game. Because he works at a coffee shop, he was put in charge of making coffee for the service. He also haul chairs and speakers to help set up. After church we went to Trippers and watched the second game. Even though the game was a blowout, I still enjoyed spending time with him. We finished the night by heading home and playing cards.

He and I haven't seen each other as often this past year as I would have liked. By sharing March madness as a tradition it was a good excuse to make seeing each other a priority. When he and his brother were younger, we made it a tradition to get root beer floats at A&W when they would come to visit. I remember when my parents would take Vince and I out for root beer floats and it was a great time and I wanted to pass that along to them. As he's gotten older we now have our new basketball tradition. It's really fun to hear his enthusiasm for college basketball. It gives us something to share and I appreciate that. It's nice to know that we have at least one weekend a year set aside regardless of how the rest of the year is going. I look forward to watching many more games with him in the future.

Culture of Corruption

This week yet another political scandal broke, this time involving Sen. Debbie Stabenow's husband. Apparently, he was involved with a hooker and was discovered as part of a sting operation. I truly feel bad for Sen. Stabenow as she has to listen to this play out among the media. But lately it seems like every week, another Democratic politician is in the news regarding some type of scandal.

First it was Gov. Spitzer from NY and his affair with a prostitute and possible money laundering. Then his Lt. Gov. admitted his own affair, cocaine use and misuse of campaign funds. Next was the dishonorable Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, and his indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice. And unlike Spitzer who at least had the dignity to resign, Kilpatrick seems ready to drag the city through months of bad publicity and an expensive, racially sensitive trial.

These recent events give modern credence to one of my favorite Abraham Lincoln quotes: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Obviously, many of our current leaders are failing that character test.

What I find frustrating about these scandals is how they have been covered by the mainstream media. Two years ago when the Republicans were rightly being exposed for their wrongdoings, the public got bombarded by the "culture of corruption" line. This message hit home by making all Republicans look crooked and helped pave the way for the Democrats victory in 2006.

Yet here we have several high profile Democrats engaged in scandal after scandal and no one in the media is making that same connection. They want to report each story as their own separate incident without the underlying theme of Democratic corruption. Is the media so myopic that they cannot see a pattern of corruption this year? Or are they just trying to protect the brand image of Democrats in an election year?

I was reading the comments of a Democrat who posted a response to the Stabenow story making the case that these scandals are not a big deal because Democrats are not the party preaching moral values and therefore they are not hypocrites like Republicans. But isn't that argument basically just an admission that unlike Republicans, Democrats have no morals and therefore can't be held accountable?

Maybe we should hold those who espouse moral values to a higher standard, but does that really excuse everybody else from their moral shortcomings? Regardless of parties or their particular views of morality, we should expect more from our leaders. Unfortunately, we live in a society where even obvious scandals become opportunity for partisan politics instead actually holding the person accountable for their actions.

A good start

Well baseball season is finally upon us and my beloved Pirates are leading their division. What I liked most about last night's win over the Braves is the number runs and hits they managed. The last several years, their offense has been abysmal. If they continue to show signs of life, we could be headed to a 75 win season which for the Pirates would be remarkable.

But I will not let a good start lure me into making another foolish wager like I did last year. Which reminds me; I still owe Noah a free movie since his Reds finished ahead of the Pirates in the standings last year.

Oh and for all you Tigers fans, don't buy your world series tickets just yet. Losing to the Royals is never a good way to start any season let alone one that has such high expectations.

Finally, I don't want to brag or anything but my Pirates have more wins than the Tigers and Yankees combined. What a great season so far!

Good Friday

Last night I went to a church service at Blacksoil. This is the church that we almost merged with last year and I still try to maintain a strong connection with them. It was a very creative service that was held in separate stations that focused on contemplating the human elements of the cross. I'll be honest, it was difficult for me. I don't usually enjoy attending a service where I have to be so engaged. I prefer safe, less interactive services but I think my lack of comfort was the whole point. My discomfort grew at the last station where we had to paint a picture of what we were feeling. Due to my dislike of art, I really struggled to put what was I feeling on paper. I share all this not to say it was a bad service. In fact, it was exactly what I needed to make me focus on the cross.

At the very end they had a sheet hung up where they showed a slide show followed by the words "It is finished". Then they tore the sheet in half and the lights went out. It was pretty dark at this point and I heard a kid's voice ask nervously "Dad, where are you?". It was a poignant moment as I could hear Jesus' voice on the cross asking the exact same question. Those very words are stuck in my mind this morning as I remember the humanity of Jesus.

Women

Last weekend our pastor preached on the role of women both in marriage but also in the church. It was a risky sermon but he handled it well. Before he started he had us break into groups and share our thoughts on the subject. Surprisingly, I held the most progressive view of women in my group. In fact, the women at my table were the most traditional. I chalk up my view of women to being raised by a strong, single Mom and having several women friends who are in ministry.

The sermon focused on several key points but the one I want to focus on is the role of women within the church. He spoke from Corinthians and Timothy where Paul instructs women to be silent in the church. These passages seem out of place compared to countless other passages in the bible which seem to elevate women's status in society. To help explain this dichotomy my pastor prefaced Paul's instruction with 1 Corinthians 9 19 -23. Here is what that passage says:

"19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its
blessings. "

These verses instruct us to contextualize our message and our actions to fit different cultures in order to share the gospel more effectively. Using that idea to interpret Paul's instruction to women suggests that women were to be silent not because they weren't worthy of being involved but because that was what the culture expected. Paul did not want these churches to alienate their potential converts by having women participate in the church service despite their being nothing inherently improper about their participation.

I am not entirely sure if this was the sole reason Paul wrote what he did but let's assume that is the case. How should we apply this principle today? Should we adapt modern church practices to fit the broader culture? I know many women, both Christian and non-Christian, who are repelled by the way the church has traditionally treated women. Rightly or wrongly, they view church as relegating them to second class citizenship due to lack of leadership opportunities or an emphasis on submitting to male leadership. These practices and attitudes can be a big stumbling block to the message of the gospel. In fact, you could make the case that barring women from real leadership roles in the church is the modern equivalent of having women speak in church in Corinth or Ephesus; both were culturally unacceptable.

If we were to apply Paul's principle today, the church would be at the forefront on gender equality issues setting an example to the rest of society that women are important and equal in God's eyes. This would mean women as senior pastors instead of being pigeonholed in children and women's ministries. It would mean allowing women to chair the board of elders. It would mean viewing single adult women with careers as equally important as married, stay at home mothers.

At this point, several of my more traditional friends are beginning to feel uncomfortable as they read this and will argue why we shouldn't change our views just to appease the culture. But I will say it is at least possible that Paul instructed the early church to do just that. My point is that we should acknowledge that the church's traditional role of women in ministry and leadership is a barrier to many modern women. Saying "if they don't like it tough, it's in the Bible" isn't a legitimate answer for these women. We need to have a more thoughtful and respectful answer for them. And just maybe that answer will lead to changes concerning the role of women in the church.

Initial thoughts

This is my favorite time of the year. They just announced the NCAA brackets on CBS and frankly could they draw the announcement out any longer. I wish they would speed things up but I guess they want to build the anticipation. Here are my initial thoughts:

1. The committee had no respect for the Big 10. Maybe this is deserved but how is Wisconsin, who won both the regular season and tournament, not at least a 2 seed. MSU surprisingly has the second best draw of the conference as a 5 seed but they have a tough match up with Pitt in round two. But the real injustice was moving Purdue down to a 6 seed and IU to an 8 seed.
2. The east coast bias is alive and well as the Big East gets 8 teams despite being ranked as the 5th best conference by the RPI. Villanova did not deserve to be in. I really don't see what the hype is all about and the conference will probably disappoint again.
3. Duke gets over seeded again. How many years in a row can they over seed the same team? They didn't win the regular season and didn't even make the tourney finals in a conference with only 4 total bids yet they are still a 2 seed? I realize Coach K has a lot of tourney wins but he owes many of them to the committee who annually give him the easiest schedule to sweet 16.
4. The big conferences get richer while the little guys get stiffed again. Of the 34 at-large bids only 6 went to mid majors. You would think that George Mason's run would have opened the eyes of the committee members to the mid majors place in the tournament but apparently not.
5. Tennessee got screwed big time. Not only do they lose the 1 seed, they get the 2 seed in N. Carolina's bracket. Then they have potential tough match ups in both rounds two and three. Tennessee deserved much better; like say Duke's draw.
6. UCLA appears to have the easiest road of all the 1 seeds while Memphis has probably the toughest bracket. If UCLA doesn't get to the final four I'll be stunned. On the flip side having to play Texas in Texas will be no picnic for Memphis.
7. There are no obvious sleepers yet. Usually one mid major stands out above the rest but not this year. A lot of people say Davidson but having Georgetown in the second round keeps them from being a major threat. And no 12 seeds look like winners this year. Which of course means all of them will win. I may pick Temple over MSU just to spite all the Spartan fans.

Big Chocolate

Lately it is easy to become angry at large corporations and industries who are making millions in profits while the general US economy teeters on the brink of depression. But one company deserves credit for being a good corporate citizen as they compete in the global economy. The company is Cadbury Schweppes and they are one of the largest candy makers in the world.

I first learned about their partnership with cocoa farmers in an article that appeared in the Economist. Cadbury has agreed to spend 87 million over the next ten years to help farmers in Ghana increase their cocoa production as well as diversify their farms by planting red peppers, mangoes and coconuts. They are also investing in drinking wells, schools, teachers and libraries that will be used by the entire village.

Now I realize that their gesture is not solely philanthropic as they are reliant upon these farmers for a large majority of their cocoa production. But their commitment to improving the lives of their partners, makes good sense from both a business and humanitarian perspective. Cadbury can now depend on a long term, steady supply of cocoa while the farmers receive new skills, improved health conditions and increased educational opportunities for them and their families.

This partnership should serve as a model for other companies doing business in underdeveloped regions. Cadbury could have walked away from Ghana and decided to find cheaper suppliers but they didn't. Instead they invested in their farming partners. In an age of putting the bottom line before people, I am encouraged by their actions. In fact, I plan to buy a Cadbury egg to show my support.

The VP

Last week I had the opportunity to help at a fundraiser for Congressman Walberg. A good friend of mine works for Walberg and so I gladly jumped at the chance to help him. An added bonus was finding out Dick Cheney was the special guest for the event. While I realize Cheney's popularity is not soaring, I still admire and appreciate him and was anxious to see him in person.

The morning of the event, I received a call from a number I didn't recognize and let it go to voicemail. The same number called back 10 seconds later and I decided to pick it up and see who it was. I hear a voice ask me if this is Jeff Cobb and I tell him it is, and then he tells me he is from Secret Service and I was to be available to answer their call throughout the rest of the day. It was a little unsettling to have them call but kind of cool to say "when secret service called me this morning". I used that line a lot throughout the day and into the weekend.

The event went very well. They drew a huge crowd and undoubtedly raised a lot of money. They held the fundraiser at a private home in Marshall and it was the biggest house I have ever been to. I don't know if this is true or not but somebody told me the house was 15,000 square feet and it felt every bit that big. In fact, they had a VIP reception in the kitchen which consisted of close to a hundred guests and it didn't even seem crowded.

I had two main jobs during the day, first I was on sign duty which was actually quite fun despite the frozen ground. My friend Ryan and I and a few others put up probably 100 signs or more on the property and along the route where the guests would be arriving. You could see his orange signs a mile away. Very eye catching. Then my next duty was to greet people as they came through security and direct them to the proper locations in the house. This was a great job as I was able to meet and visit with all the guests. Plus it was nice to be inside from the cold.

After all the guests arrived, I should have stayed upstairs as the other volunteers who stayed up there had their picture taken with Cheney. But I have a crush on one of the other volunteers so I went downstairs to chase her down. Despite missing out on the picture, it all ended well because I got to visit with her and also eat while we waited for the VP to arrive. For Cheney's speech, I was able to sneak up to the front of the line just next to the Congressman's family. His speech was filled with mostly boilerplate on the economy and the war on terror but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I will say though, Cheney looks even more serious in person than he does on camera. After Cheney spoke, Congressman Walberg addressed the crowd and he was very good. As a former preacher, he has an impressive way of communicating to his audience.

All in all it was a very fun day and I am glad I was able to see the Vice President and help out Congressman Walberg.

The Politics of Hope?

I just read an article which contains the content of one Dr. Jeremiah Wrights speeches given at Howard University in 2006. For those who don't know who he is, Wright is the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and also the spiritual mentor of Barack Obama. In fact, Dr. Wright married Barack and his wife Michelle.

The speech in the article illustrates Dr. Wright's disdain for America or more accurately white America. It is filled with hate and wild conspiracies that would almost be comical except that he apparently believes them. For instance here are a couple quotes: (The we he refers to is America)

1. "Racism is alive and well. Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run..... no black woman can ever be considered for anything outside what she can give with her body"
2. "We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns, and the training of professional killers"
3. "We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God"
4. "We started the AIDS virus, and now that it is out of control, we still put more money in the military than in medicine"

These quotes draw a pretty ugly picture of Dr. Wright's view of America. But why should we care what Dr Wright says? His words are important because of his close relationship with Obama. How can Obama legitimately claim to be about hope and civil discourse when one of his closest associates is filled with bigotry and hatred? I am not saying that Obama agrees with all Wright's comments but his relationship at least implies a passive agreement in principle.

I have never seen an article or story where Obama explicitly takes Dr. Wright to task for his vile comments. He usually just says blandly that they disagree on some things but he never says specifically what those disagreements are. I don't know any sensible person who attends a church without sharing at least a majority of the opinions of their pastor. In fact, right or wrong, most people I know leave a church as soon as they hear one or two things they disagree with from the pulpit.

I find it difficult to accept that Obama is being honest when says he doesn't agree with Dr. Wright. Their views probably diverge in some areas but are we really to presume that listening to his teachings for 20 years has not influenced Obama's politics? The fact that Obama continues to attend his church and study under his teachings says more to me than some generic comments about their supposed disagreements.

Michigan Roads

Ok, I have just about enough of the crappy roads here in Michigan. The potholes this year are ridiculous. Downtown Beirut has better roads than we do. I was on my way home this morning along Mt Hope Rd and I seriously felt like I was off roading because the terrain was so bumpy. But unfortunately, I am not sure anybody has the political will to do anything to fix them. The other day driving in the capitol parking lot, I hit a huge hole and figured if the politicians can't even keep their own parking lot smooth, what hope is there for the rest of us. The problem is that for the past decade we have borrowed money as a state to finance new road projects. This works well during election years and helped jump start many needed projects. However, now we are stuck paying the bill. This coupled with a reduction in the amount of gas tax has lead to less repairs and maintenance and ultimately many more potholes. One solution being thrown around is to raise the gas tax since that is the primary means of revenue for the roads. Personally, I am all for it and with the way gas prices fluctuate nobody would know the difference. I mean gas just jumped up 30 cents this week. What would an additional 10 cents in tax matter? But I realize I am in the minority and that passing any tax, especially a gas tax in an election year is not possible. So I guess I will have to put up with the potholes a while longer or until the state comes up with some new money to fix them.

Advice for McCain

By Tuesday, Hilary Clinton will be done and we will finally have our match up in the fall election. McCain versus Obama is a very intriguing race. While the common wisdom is that 2008 will be a Democratic year, I am convinced that McCain has a very real opportunity to win in the fall. Here is how he can do it.

All elections are decided by one of three factors: personality, ideology and competence. Obviously Obama has a big advantage in terms of personality. That is why he is winning the democratic primary. Let's face it, Hillary's cold and sour personality was no match for him. In fact, it's a testament to her grit and determination that she has lasted as long as she has. To counter Obama's charm and personality he needs to focus on his own personal narrative of courage, patriotism and independence as a contrast to Obama. But if the race is predominantly about personality McCain loses.

McCain also needs to avoid the mistake of making this year's race about ideology. It will be tempting to do this because of Obama's extremely liberal record and because he'll see this as a way to make amends with the conservative base. McCain has already demonstrated he can win without appeasing conservatives in the primary so why should he go there in the general election. Besides, Obama comes across as post partisan regardless of his liberal record. Candidates should play to their strengths and McCain's strength is not being a partisan ideologue. The majority of the country is not liberal or conservative but somewhere in the middle which is where McCain is. He should stay there.

What McCain needs to do is make the election about experience and competence. Not just competence in running government but a demonstrated record of accomplishing the bi-partisan change that Obama claims to represent. Unlike Hillary's 35 years of "experience" McCain has a real record of results so I think his argument will work better than hers did in the primary. He can honestly claim success working across the aisle and standing up to members of his own party to do what he considered the right thing. While Obama talks the talk, McCain has walked the walk.

McCain needs to hammer away that Obama has never actually demonstrated any success working with Republicans on major issues or been willing to fight his own party. This approach will help peal away the independents who are yearning for change in Washington. McCain can say he was delivering change while Obama was still making speeches in inner city Chicago. This also allows him to turn his age into a benefit instead of a negative. He can say that he knows how Washington works and has the relationships needed to effect change while Obama doesn't because of his youth and inexperience. McCain's message should be who do you trust to deliver change? If he effectively makes this case, McCain will win easily in November.

People that bug me

I woke up in a grumpy mood this morning and decided to vent. Enjoy my latest rant and be thankful I kept it to only celebrities.

Matt Millen - One wonders how he keeps his job. The man reeks of incompetence and manages the Lions like a 12 year old managing a fantasy football team. And while I am a Steelers fan, I do get stuck having to watch the results of his poor decision making every week thanks to the NFL's outdated regional TV coverage. If Nancy Pelosi and others were truly interested in stopping torture they should consider banning the Lions from TV.

Michael Jordan -Has there ever been a more over hyped and yes overrated player than Michael Jordan. I get nauseous every time I see a story about him being the greatest athlete of all time. He wasn't even the greatest NBA player of all time. Yet thanks to Nike and NBC most people are brainwashed into thinking he was better than he really was. To sum up my dislike for him, I passionately cheer against the Bobcats simply because he is part owner.

Katie Couric - For those of you who still believe that media is fair and unbiased, I present Katie Couric as a living argument against you. I will never understand why CBS turned over their news coverage to her as she has taken what was already a tainted product (thank you Dan Rather) and turned into a joke. She was fine I guess doing morning talk about recipes and hair salons but she is hardly a serious journalist and America knows it. I predict she will be off the air within the year and all I can say is good night and good riddance.

Lou Holtz - I hate Notre Dame football and Lou Holtz is their embodiment. I never thought he was a great coach but ironically, he is actually worse on ESPN. It's almost embarrassing to hear him reveal how little he knows about college football. I especially laughed this year as he would predict Notre Dame to surprise us and win week after week. Good call Lou. Most shocking of all is that people pay money to hear him give a motivational speech. The only thing motivating would be hearing him resign from ESPN.

Barbara Streisand - If there one thing more pretentious than Notre Dame football, it is Barbara. Growing up I never understood what her appeal was. Her movies are boring and her singing is mediocre. She essentially has no fans under age 60 and yet she still feels compelled to act like a prima donna and give us her unsolicited political commentary. Just keep it to yourself.

Hillary Clinton - Watching her lose in the primary is bitter sweet. I am enjoying watching her lose but part of me wanted a Republican to drive the final stake through her heart. She is cold, calculating, corrupt and cynical. I could go on with additional C words but I'll stop while I am ahead. Tuesday can't come soon enough so we can finally get her and her husband off center stage and "move on".

Mike Murdock - Some of you might be saying who. Well he is one of those greedy, blood sucking TV evangelists on Sunday morning. Every week after watching Chris Matthews I come across his show where is asking people to send in $1000 dollars as seeds of faith and promising them a great return on their investment. I guess it works, but only for him as he lives in a mansion while those sending the money never see a dime. I pray that he will drop dead in the middle of his of show and be revealed as the hustler that he really is.

Jesse Jackson - Speaking of hustlers, Jackson is the personification of everything white America dislikes about black people. He tries to guilt and intimidate white people by threatening them with charges of racism. Worse yet he plays to the fears and victim hood of black people by offering them empty promises and countless scapegoats to blame for their problems. How hard must it be for him to see Obama succeed? I thought the only way black people rose to the top in this country was through Jackson's blessings and government intervention. Apparently not. Hopefully Obama's rise will bring in new black leadership.

Paris Hilton - Does anybody embody what's wrong with America more than Paris. She is a spoiled no talent hack who came to fame via Internet porn. And yet the media and public seems to care about her. Maybe that says more about us than her. Oh and her dumb blond routine is annoying. At least when Jessica Simpson does it she looks good.

Dr. Phil - Who knew you could make so much fame and fortune by issuing empty platitudes and fortune cookie wisdom. But I guess there really are enough suckers out there who think he can help solve their problems. People, if you are watching Dr. Phil, that is your problem. His advice is condescending and useless like "don't dream it, do it". Give me a break. He is basically just a better looking reincarnation of Dr. Laura.

Why is Africa different than the Middle East

I just read a fascinating article about George Bush and his recent trip to Africa. It was written by Bob Geldof who is hardly a supporter of the Bush administration, yet he displays a certain amount of admiration for his work in Africa. This article was revealing because it shows just much his success in Africa is blunted by his overall failings in other areas. President Bush's support for Africa is unrivaled by any standard yet he gets very little credit for bringing hope to a very dim continent. Instead, he will always be measured for using military force in the middle east in response to September 11th. It's too bad because Bush deserves more credit for his bold successes in African policy.

In retrospect, one wonders what would have happened if he had applied the same principles he is using in Africa to the middle east. His main goal in Africa is to reduce suffering and bring hope by funding many health care and development projects. For the most part these have been successful ventures and the African people seem to appreciate our help and support. Would we have more support in the middle east if we had taken that same approach instead of going to war?

Now I write this as one of the last few supporters of going to war in Iraq. I thought it was the right thing back then and I still support finishing our work there. But I am beginning to wonder if there isn't a missing component of compassion for this part of the world. Would our money be better spent investing in humanitarian activities instead of militarily? This approach would seem to help buttress America's image and influence in that region but more importantly it would reveal a broader respect for humanity that Bush has already demonstrated in Africa.

Some improvements are already happening in many parts of Iraq such as rebuilding the health care and education systems. I suspect this is one reason we are making political progress over the last couple months But more can be done and I am hopeful President Bush will apply the lessons he is learning in Africa to the conflict in the middle east.

it aint fare, I like jim class

I just read a very interesting article about the Albuquerque school system. The school system wants to limit the electives for students who are failing in the major subject areas and instead require them to take remedial classes. As you might imagine, many of these students are upset at this action and so they decided to send letters to the editor in protest. However, it appears their letter writing campaign may have backfired. Apparently, many of the letters were full of spelling and grammatical errors which only highlighted the very real need for remedial classes. If their writing skills and disrespect for the English language weren't so sad the irony would be very amusing.

Unfortunately, this story illustrates a broader problem in many of our schools. We simply have a lot of kids who are failing and ill prepared from lack of smarts, motivation, expectations or some combination thereof. Personally, I applaud the Albuquerque schools for taking a stand and hope they follow through on their requirements. I hope these students appreciate the school's efforts to give them at least one more opportunity to learn the basics. Without that academic baseline, these same kids will be left without a lot of options as they compete for jobs in the real world. A world where nobody cares if they got an A in choir or home economics but instead whether they can read and write.

Givng a Ride

Last summer a friend of mine asked me if I could give her boyfriend Paul a ride to work. He works on Sunday morning and the buses do not start running until later in the morning. When I agreed to do it, I thought it would only be one time but when I realized that he had a need every week I decided to offer him a ride on a weekly basis.

So for the past several months Paul and I spend every Sunday morning together for about 15 minutes as we ride across town to his job. He and I are very different people, he is a huge science fiction fan which I am not. I think I've learned more about alternative universes and supernatural powers than I knew was even possible. Occasionally we even stray into some personal aspect of our lives and those are the times that I enjoy him most. He has a lot of stories to share about himself growing up although I have begun to hear a couple stories being recycled. I get a sense that there are not many other people in his life who will take the time to listen to his stories so I am happy to do it. Underneath our dissimilar interests I have discovered that I enjoy Paul's company and that would have never been possible without spending time with him each week.

I share my experience to highlight how easy it is to invest in other people. In the past, I was always searching for ways to make a difference when opportunities were staring me right in the face. Giving Paul a ride is a simple task despite having to get up early on Sunday morning. Yet it allows him to keep the hours at his job and pay his bills. Lately, I have also been giving rides to other people as they call me. Using my car to help people has really changed my perspective on owning a car. Instead of complaining about how loud it is or what's wrong with it, I now view it as a blessing and responsibility.

So who is Brian McLaren

I have been reading a book called a Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. It's the second book I have read by him and I am really enjoying it. I first heard of him a couple years ago and at the time I was skeptical because he likes to challenge the established evangelical church's view of the world. In fact, many consider him the moral prophet of the "emerging church" because of his unorthodox views.

Basically his writing is designed to spur on those Christians who are stuck in their faith by challenging their view of what it means to be a Christian. Instead of rules and teachings defining faith, he focuses on what exactly it means to have a relationship with Jesus. It's refreshing if not dangerous to shed Jesus from the confines of what we think we know and reexamine what a relationship with Jesus really looks like. Do I passionately love Jesus above all other things or is it more a relationship of convenience similar to many of my human relationships? Do I follow his example or do I choose the comfortable, acceptable life that is often embraced by the church? Why do I believe so strongly that my view of Jesus is superior to other peoples views? Am I more interested in church or more interested in Jesus?

While I sometimes find myself disagreeing with him or getting frustrated that I have to answer these questions, he offers a fresh view of faith in Jesus and I like that. After reading him, I began to check out what others thought of him and was surprised just how divisive a figure he was. Some people appreciate him like I do, while others are highly critical of his writings. I find the gap between these impressions fascinating if not a little sad. They reveal a growing division within the church between those who are frustrated with the current church and their current faith and those are fearful that he is watering down traditional Christian teaching.

McLaren's writings are not for the weak of faith. I would encourage reading him but be prepared to be challenged. You may be surprised by just how much you agree with him.

The View From My Window

I took this picture the other day from my window at work. I hate the snow but it sure does make the city prettier.

Lessons Learned from the Romney Campaign

With Romney's recent departure from the race we learned a few key points about political campaigns.

1. Money matters but not if it comes mostly from the candidate. Romney spent a lot of his money on the race and in fact outspent McCain in numerous states but still did not win. Why? Because despite raising a significant amount of cash a large portion came from his own wealth. It may be jealousy but most people don't like rich people trying to "buy the election". Michigan saw the same thing last year with Dick Devos. But more than jealousy I think it hurts the candidate's ability to relate to the middle class voter who doesn't believe the candidate understands their economic anxiety. For example, what does Mitt Romney know about struggling to pay a mortgage? Self funded campaigns also reveal an inability to get everyday citizens to buy into their campaign via writing a check. The amount of money matters less than the number of actual voters who are willing to commit to the candidate. That commitment is what keeps the campaign momentum going when times get tough not the money.

2. You have to be genuine because people can spot a phony. I wrote last summer that Romney should have run as a moderate pragmatic governor instead of a far right diehard. Anybody paying attention could tell he wasn't being genuine during most of the campaign. He may very well be conservative in his private life but his prior campaigns and public experience suggested he wasn't a conservative. What his experience did suggest was that he was smart, competent and accomplished. Unfortunately, these qualities got lost in the nonsense and double speak that plagued his campaign. Whether the issue was abortion or gay rights or even hunting, none of what he said seemed to add up to what he had done before running for President. The irony is that he if he had run as a moderate he would have taken all the winner take all Northeast states on Super Tuesday instead of McCain and would probably have the delegate lead. But by the time those primaries rolled around the people in the Northeast didn't recognize the former Governor from their backyard.

3. If you are going to be a momentum candidate you need to win either Iowa or New Hampshire but not both. Like it or not both these states matter a lot. Just look at the last two standing as they are the winners in these two states. You can't get people excited about coming in second place in both states. However you can tank in one state as long as you win the other one. The results also suggest that smart candidates figure out which state fits best and spend most of their time there. They have incredibly different electorates and a good candidate should be able to appeal to one or the other. For Huckabee it was Iowa and for McCain it was New Hampshire. Romney should have given up Iowa and focused solely on NH. Trying to win both set him up for failure and he never recovered.

4. Religion still plays an important role in Republican politics. One of many reasons Romney lost in Iowa and in the south on super Tuesday was because of his religion. Fundamentalist Christians were never going to support a Mormon candidate no matter how conservative he said he was. And secular voters weren't all that comfortable either. I know firsthand several people whose sole reason for voting against him was his faith. Call it prejudice if you want but to get elected you have to be from a denomination that mainstream Christians feel comfortable with.

5. Talk Radio endorsements are not effective. Rush Limbaugh has a huge audience as does Sean Hannity. Others have smaller but no less committed listenership. Yet when they all endorsed Mitt Romney in a last ditch attempt to derail John McCain, it didn't work. Romney is out of the race less than two weeks after their endorsements. The reason is that the people who listen to talk radio were already voting for Romney without their endorsements. They were essentially preaching to the choir and not attracting new converts. And while the talk radio crowd is big, it is only a small portion of even the conservative Republican electorate. To win the primary Romney needed to expand this narrow base and talk radio endorsements did not help him at all. Unless the person can give you access to a voting segment you can't reach on your own, the endorsement is only as good as the news cycle in which it was announced.