There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has. —Hugo L. Black, Griffin v. Illinois
Transgressive Provocateur?
Am I a transgressive provocateur?
How The Mighty Have Fallen
I was just watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, S3E13 “Déjà Q” when Guinan says, “how the mighty have fallen!” That reminded me of a spoken word prelude in a 1990s Cindy Morgan song and got me to wondering about the origin of that phrase so I Googled it thinking it might have been Shakespeare. To my surprise it turned out to be from the Bible! “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” 2 Samuel 1:27 (NIV)
Joseph and Esther
For about two years now I’ve been incubating a post on Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20 (“you meant evil against me but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”) There are a plenty of other stoic agents of change, but tonight I was struck by the similarity of Mordecai’s words to Esther: “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NKJV).
Deconstructing Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell has an observant TED Talk deconstructing the image of Goliath. Gladwell’s ultimate thesis is that Goliath likely suffered acromegaly. This would account for Goliath’s size, but also afflicted Goliath with an Achillean visual deficit. Gladwell then premises that the story of David and Goliath should not be construed as one of a triumphant underdog, but rather one of clever strategy by a bold soul completely comfortable with being underestimated. I think Gladwell presents a truly edifying argument, but he also misses some other profoundly important considerations. Show more ›
How I Met Your Mother: “The Nightshirt”
What’s Your Damage, Anyway?
I was just reflecting on a past confrontation where a niece spewed unwarranted hate and vitriol (she’s a millennial, of course). In retrospect, I wish I had said something like I don’t know what your damage is, but what right have you to visit that damage upon me? A former pastor used to say that hurting people pretty much do two things consistently: 1) they are easily hurt by other people and 2) they easily hurt other people. When someone is blinded by psychic trauma or by a sense of social entitlement, it’s hard to say whether such a person could comprehend the truth, but it’s worth a shot.
Matchbox Twenty: Unwell
Use the Foreign to Serve the Domestic
Chairman Mao Zedong once said, 古为今用 洋为中用, “use the past to serve the present, the foreign to serve China.” I wonder if the same is true for my relationship with Google.Show more ›
I’m a Role Model
How God Answers Prayer
Reprendámonos cualquier corona virulenta poniéndonos coronas victoriosas
Hoy en día hay muchas proclamaciones temerosas y pronósticos apocalípticos en cuanto al coronavirus. ¡Más nosotros no tenemos coronas virulentas sino coronas victoriosas! Acordémonos de lo que dicen las escriturasShow more ›
Remedios homeópatas
Hoy tarde me di cuenta que hay unos remedios homeópatas que yo sabía ya por unas décadas que podrían ser novedades para otros. Esto es, hay unas vitaminas y suplementos específicos que se sirven para fortalecer el sistema autoinmune. Show more ›
Forthcoming Post
Dear readers and subscribers — I am beginning work on a new two-part post titled “Hyposissification and Hypermasculinization” that tries to tackle the egalitarian defect of fashion design. I’m asking for crowd-source help to gather examples of übermasculine figures in “skirted” attire (I’m thinking of warrior archetypes such as from graphic novels or movies such as The 300, This is Sparta, Gladiator, etc, apart from kilt motifs of, say, Braveheart). Please comment or email me. Many thanks.
Otros ángulos analíticos sobre coronavirus
No puedo creer como se finja entender el coronavirus sin admitir lo oculto o incognoscible. Coronavirus ya existía hace décadas; sin duda hay muchos que ya tienen inmunidad parcial debido a su contacto anterior. Es más, no creo que afectará a todas personas de igual manera. Tiempo no basta ya para hacer los estudios genéticos para ver cuales linajes serán más susceptibles que otros. Y es cierto que en poco tiempo, se anunciará que hay COVID-19a, COVID-19b, etc, etc. Como el 19° se evolucionó de aquél de 2003, así el 19° se evolucionará en otros. Y no es muy diferente de la influenza que en el.mismo invierno puede descapacitarle a uno y sólo molestarle a otro.
Online Census? Think Twice!
Completing the decennial census online probably seems like an easy task, but convenience comes at a price—a price that I am unwilling to pay.Show more ›
Información exhaustiva sobre coronavirus
The New York Times: “Skirts for Men?”
The social acceptability of men wearing skirts is by no means a nascent subject, but has has anything really changed since the Industrial Revolution? In 1984, the New York Times ran this piece regarding a Paris fashion show featuring men in skirts that was, according to French designer David Hechter, “the most important thing to happen in fashion in the past 20 years!” Hechter was one of the first designers to break fashion norms previously “when it was scandal for women to wear pants.” Rodney Martin puts a sharper point on it: “It makes me feel free. It’s a statement by which I can say I am free to do whatever I want. It does cause hostility on the streets, though. Sometimes I keep my coat closed over my skirt so no one will see it. And I do have to sit differently. But it’s not about being a woman.”Show more ›
Full Trailer of ‘American Circumcision’
The Time a Cop Touched My Junk at a Club
A few months after the “double standards” occurrence, I was again at the same club and speaking with two ladies. Something in the conversation prompted a third to disclose that she was municipal police (and although the club was not in that city, municipal police in this state have extended jurisdiction for the entire county in which the city partially lies, which did include the county of this particular club). No fan of cops (and definitely not white cops), I excused myself from the conversation and went on my way. Over the course of the eveningShow more ›
First Amendment Paradox
There is no first amendment right not to be offended by another’s first amendment right to offend. (But the sissy millennials will always whine anyway.)
Les dangers du jour
It occurs to me that America enjoys obsessing over pathogenic dangers and maladies. Following the Al-Qaeda attack of 9/11, Americans went insane in the membrane over Anthrax. By 2003 America wrung its hands about West Nile virus. In 2009 America deployed millions of gallons of hand sanitizer in response to grave prognostications of H1N1 swine flu. In 2014 America went bonkers over Ebola. In 2016 America obsessed over Zika. In 2020, America conked its skull on Coronavirus. America, it seems, needs new obsessions to forget its former preoccupations.
David Hall on Phil Donahue & Johnny Carson
Skirt pioneer David Hall’s son, Patrick, has uploaded a number of advocacy and apologetics YouTubes including David’s appearance on Phil Donahue and Johnny Carson.Show more ›
Alternate DNS Servers
If you want to cut down on the data that your ISP collects and sells regarding your web browsing, use an alternate free (and probably faster) DNS service.
| Provider | IPv4 | IPv6 |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 1.1.1.1 |
2606:4700:4700::1111 |
8.8.8.8 |
2001:4860:4860::8888 |
|
| OpenDNS | 208.67.222.222 |
2620:119:35::35 |
| OpenDNS Family Shield |
208.67.222.123 |
::ffff:d043:de7b |
European Men, the Historical Initiators of High Heels
Very few people know it, but high-heeled footwear actually began among European men. Women then emulated the style, daintifying it in the process. in time, the fashion fell out of favor (perhaps for practicality) among men which leaves society with the mistaken belief that high-heeled shoes are uniquely feminine. Cowboy boots are “high-heels,” as Jill Maurer points out. Show more ›
If You’re Going Through Hell….
The Practice and Exercise of Faith Vis-À-Vis Coronavirus
Designing Our World: Clothing Without The Gender Binary
The 1-A aired a segment today on NPR titled “Designing Our World: Clothing Without The Gender Binary.” A transcript does not appear to be available, but the 30-minute segment can be streamed from the 1-A website.
Inner Paradox
I am simultaneously the parent of my inner child and the child of my inner parent. —Vox
Internal Paradox
I find myself in a special paradox where my higher self observes my lower self. It’s like I am simultaneously the parent of my inner child and the child of my inner parent.
Even More Reason to Use Private DNS
Police Discretion In Enforcing Mala Prohibita Crime Law?
Haven’t read or listened fully, but it holds out some measure of wisdom (albeit vain). https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/05/police-discretion-enforcing-mala-prohibita-crime-law.html
Coronavirus and Religious Exception
2 Timothy 1:7 declares that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”Show more ›
Alex Campos – Qué eres para mí
On Doctrinal Differences
The first-century Apostles sought to quell with doctrinal infighting. Modern believers sustain doctrinal infighting. Arguments against infighting just trigger more infighting. What does Scripture state?Show more ›
Counterintuitive Business Principles
Ever heard of Goodhart’s Law (measurement), Parkinson’s Law (efficiency), or Peter’s Principle (competency)? Here, NPR’s Planet Money podcast explains their business and social evolution.Show more ›
Self-proving Dress Codes
If an employer specifies distinct garments for males and for females, and if a “male” employee wears a garment classified for the opposite gender, then by definition that male is due to be construed as a member of the other gender. The dress code thus self-proves the validity of his attire.Show more ›
American Nationalism from Toby Keith
The American President ACLU Rant
For the record, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU, but the more important question is “Why aren’t you, Bob?” Now this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question, why would a senator, his party’s most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the constitution? Now if you can answer that question, folks, then you’re smarter than I am, because I didn’t understand it until a few hours ago.Show more ›
“So Far, So Good”
It’s getting harder to remember, feeling lost and lonely, ’cause it seems we’ve been together for so long. I’ve been living in the moment, so I never stopped to measure all the miles that passed the places where we’ve gone.
And when I try to count the ways your love has carried me, it doesn’t take me very long to see…Show more ›
When you don’t know what to do…
One of my 9th grade teachers, Doug Scott, wisely told me “when you don’t know what to do, go on what you know.” To this I add, “because if you knew it was as trustworthy [knowledge/judgment] yesterday, it will still be trustworthy today.” It might seem like treading water, but treading is better than swimming the wrong direction when you’re already worn out.
Contact Tracing Apps and Privacy
A Pentecostal First Amendment Objection
I am not saying that face coverings should be worn nor am I saying that face coverings should not be worn; I am saying that governments must not compel it. You see, while I am a stalwart libertarian, I am also a pentecostal Christian. I contend that such mandates go against my sincere religious beliefs.Show more ›
“Name It, Claim It”
There was a popular charismatic Christian mantra the 1980s and 1990s known as “name it and claim it.” The idea was that Christians would articulate a particular desire—usually material—and claim that as God’s promise to them as believers. Psalm 37:4 often accompanied this confession of faith: “take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (NIV) and Proverbs 13:22b “the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous” (NASB). It was a widely popular faith proclamation that stood in sharp contrast to humble hearth and home. As a matter of personal interpretation, I would have to say that God’s desire for humankindShow more ›
Marsh v. Alabama, 326 U.S. 501 (1946)
Marsh v. Alabama is a remarkable decision in which a Jehova’s witness attempted to distribute literature in a township operated by a private company. She was arrested and charged with trespass. The Supreme Court reasoned that even though the township existed within the property rights of a private company, “[o]wnership does not always mean absolute dominion. The more an owner, for his advantage, opens up his property for use by the public in general, the more do his rights become circumscribed by the statutory and constitutional rights of those who use it.” The U.S. Supreme Court reversed Alabama on First Amendment grounds and vacated Marsh’s state conviction. Supreme Court opinions from the era are notably concise and this one is definitely worth the read. Marsh v. Alabama
Greg Locke Compliance Defiance
Who Trusted God More?
The Mask of the Mark of the Beast
Scripture speaks of a time when the government “causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark.” (Rev 13:16-17 KJV). I have been vocal about the threat that corona-hysteria government overreach poses to religious liberty, but I now also see a grave eschatological danger.Show more ›
High School Senior Virtual School Protest
Colin Kaepernick’s Patriotism
Angles and Perspectives
Whether and How to Wear Skirts (as a Male)
Reviewing Google’s search data I was surprised to see queries about how to wear a skirt (the suggested subtext being “. . .as a male”). I have seen this and similar queries on Quora were a variation asks whether a parent should allow a boy to wear skirts “like a girl.” The answer to both is astoundingly simple:Show more ›
He doesn’t give a shit
On Appeasing Aggressors
Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive. —Henry Strozier as Dean Rusk in Thirteen Days
Nada ocurre por casualidad
Why do women wear skirts?
Why do women wear high heels?
Cristen Conger explains everything.
First-Amendment Inclusiveness
The same First Amendment which guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of speech, also puts a qualifier on it as “the right of the people peaceably to assemble”. At first blush those words are taken to mean that citizens have the right to congregate, whether that be to exercise the First-Amendment freedoms or to seek government redress of grievances; however, those words could just as easily be read to condition all First-Amendment freedoms upon a righteous purpose Show more ›
Be Water
Fear of External Opinions
My Grace Is Sufficient (for you?)
Most Christians are familiar with the “thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan” that tormented the Apostle Paul (II Cor 12:7 KJV). Just before this, Paul wrote at length about all the glories that he had experienced as a minister of the Gospel (an implied subtext being that he would never have experienced such things as a passionate, but lifeless pharisee). “Three different times [Paul] begged the Lord to take it away” (II Cor 12:8 NLT). This juxtaposition of highs and lows sounds a whole lot like someone struggling with self-doubt.Show more ›
Mountains, Valleys, & Transitions
Among the hardest words to internalize are these: you are where you need to be. Those words never come at the heights of success nor in the throes of ecstacy nor in the still waters of contentment; they come in the disenchanting valleys of transition between mountaintops. Valleys are where all the mountain runoff and detritus and pollutants collect as if to be ignominiously relegated to drink only of the mountains’ bathwater. But valleys are far more fertile than the mountaintops and while the natural elements will erode the mountains, valleys will never cease to be valleys and will enjoy the protection of the mountains which need not be perceived as hopes unattained but as insulators and protectors awaiting the moment. Valley water might not delight the palate in the moment, but it is plentiful and predictable; you will not thirst in the valley as on the mountain.
Live With Nature
The country has lost its mind trying to control the uncontrollable. Trying to stop pathogenic dispersion is like trying to prevent California wildfires. Humans want to think that our evolved intellect empowers us to bend nature to our wills. The reality is that all animals–homo or otherwise–must live with and within nature. Human suppression of natural fire turns the surrounding nature into a tinderbox. Fire is a critical part of nature’s ecosystem. Pathogens are too. I don’t hear all the macroevolutionists Show more ›
Inside the Earth
Samuel Hernández: Dios sabe lo que hace (estudio en vivo)
Ambiguous Toilet: We Don’t Care
I came across this image discovered in 2020. At a time when the world lost its sense, at least this made sense.
Well-Regulated Militia & Right to Bear Arms
I have heard opponents argue that the second-amendment’s “well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state” is subsumed by the National Guard such that there is no right for citizens to organize lay-militia. Without expressing an opinion on lay-militia and para-militia groups, I’m not convinced that the subsuming approach is correct.Show more ›
When Coronavirus Gets Really Personal
A number of people, quite understandably, have not taken fondly to my vocal fortress-of-fear / fortress-of-faith position. We shall now see whether that position is summarily disproven should I test positive. Of course, testing negative does not affirm my position, but a positive result would presumptively invalidate it. But when it is all said and done, I elected to self-isolate because, should I test positive, others should not suffer the consequences of my inadequate faith. To be absolutely clear, though, nothing I have stated, past or present, should be construed to suggest that those who contract corona are somehow lacking in faith. In this life, misfortunes do strike undeserving people. This does not mean that God intends for anyone to suffer or that God wishes to instruct us by way of suffering. While commendable for a suffering soul to be able to glean something positive from tragedy, God must be viewed as benevolent. God no more causes one to die of corona than God would cause one to die from an earthquake. There simply are natural forces at work that were long ago set in motion and which play themselves out. Earthquakes happen, hurricanes happen, mental illness happens, All of these can result in considerable tragedy and losses of life. Pure evil also happens (Pearl Harbor, 9/11, JFK).Show more ›
A Powerless Form of Godliness
Paul wrote to Timothy that “in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves [… h]aving a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; […e]ver learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim 3 KJV)Show more ›
Gnostic Theology
People like Ben Carson and Mike Pence shade intellectual Christians as much as they flame dogmatic Christians. As for me, yes, I can engage philosophical arguments without fear of sacrificing belief. Argument might alter my concept of God but argument will never change my belief in God.
Evolution as Religion
An exceeding number of evangelical Christians have long crusaded against Evolution Theory solely because it discredits Abrahamic teaching. But is this really the most appropriate doctrinal or theological battleground? It occurs to me today—and I hope to explore the idea in a future post—that Evolution Theory is a greater doctrinal threat to the premise of salvation than it is to scriptural inerrancy. Show more ›