Hillary's views on abortion, they will surprise you

Clinton's speech basically updated the pro-choice message for the age of terrorism. She began by talking about Romania and China, two regimes that in the last two decades forced women to abort (in China's case) or not to abort (in Romania's case) pregnancies. Fifteen years ago, when legal abortion in this country was in doubt, pro-choice Democrats framed abortion laws as big government to turn libertarian voters against pro-life Republicans. Now that abortion's legality seems more secure, it's harder to scare libertarians about government in their bedrooms. And post-9/11 conservatism differs in emphasis from the conservatism of the late 1980s and 1990s. It's more like the Cold War, focused on right and wrong and freedom abroad. Tyranny overseas resonates at home. Bush says he's liberating women around the world; Clinton said Bush is repressing them with a "global gag rule" against internationally funded family planning.
Not this time. Abortion is "a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women," said Clinton. Then she went further: "There is no reason why government cannot do more to educate and inform and provide assistance so that the choice guaranteed under our constitution either does not ever have to be exercised or only in very rare circumstances."Once you embrace that truth—that the ideal number of abortions is zero—voters open their ears. They listen when you point out, as Clinton did, that the abortion rate fell drastically during her husband's presidency but has risen in more states than it has fallen under George W. Bush. I'm sure these trends have more to do with economics than morals, but that's the point. Once we agree that the goal is zero, we can stop asking which party yaps more about fighting abortion and start asking which party gets results.

Rise of the beast-men

"And at Stanford University in California an experiment might be done later this year to create mice with human brains."
"For example, an experiment that would raise concerns, he said, is genetically engineering mice to produce human sperm and eggs, then doing in vitro fertilization to produce a child whose parents are a pair of mice."
It is an interesting world we live in.
Peace,
Chris

pollution saves us from another ice age

Interesting... Still, I don't know if I like us messing with the weather. Who knows.

I'm not the only one obsessed with China

In the next couple of years we will be hearing story after story about business people doing stuff in China, its the new exciting market.
Peace,
Chris

Mass Guantanamo bay suicide attempts just now being reported

Letter to the Bijou, Rouseau, and to the ELCA DGM

Today I finished up my application stuff for becoming a missionary. I read some of the 2nd Discourse. And I wrote a letter to the local artsy theater saying:
Last week, during the ice and the cold, a friend and I drove down to Portland, semis were slipping off the road, the windows froze solid, and we were sliding around like fresh tofu on a well-greased pan, but we made it. You know why? To see a movie that I can assure you will enter into film canon, Hotel Rwanda. It was one of the best movies I've ever seen. It shamed me as a human (human morality failed), an Internationalist (the UN failed), a Westerner (Europe and America failed), and as a Democrat (Clinton failed). Yet it gave me hope that when good people stand up life can be preserved. Please show Hotel Rwanda so all the people of Eugene who will not drive to Portland can see this wonderful movie.
Peace,
Chris

That's about all here. People are getting sick left and right, and my throat is starting to get phlemmy. I'm going to try and finish the 2nd discourse tonight, and maybe hang out with Kevin (the 2nd gnostic) a bit, celebrate my potential missionary vocation.
Peace,
Chris

While I'm giving out pictures here are a few more

Here is what I look like since the election buzz cut. The fellow behind me in that first picture is my dad, and here is my mother (the woman, not the pig). Also here is a picture of me with a cut out of my hero.

They asked for it, a picture of my child

Bizzaro challenged me to post a pic. of my child. This is as close as I get.

SEE HOTEL RWANDA:I should stop seeing movies, there will never be one this good again

I exaggerate, but Hotel Rwanda was one of the best movies I've ever seen. It shamed me as a human (human morality failed), an Internationalist (the UN failed), a Westerner (Europe and America failed), and as a Democrat (Clinton failed). Yet it gave me hope that when good people stand up life can be preserved.
Eric and I had to travel 100 miles to Portland in an ice storm, but we made it. Right now Hotel Rwanda is in limited release, I'd suggest calling up your local theaters and asking when this masterpiece will be playing.
Peace,
Chris

Lutherans and Ale

On Wednesday night I ended up going to Renne's Landing with Cody from Church and drinking some. It was kind of fun, I drank a Fat Tire which was pretty good, also had a taste of this REALLY dark beer called nightwatch or black-night or something like that, was really good, sort of chocolate-ish. The only problem was I drank pretty much on an empty stomach, and I'm not used to drinking in the first place. Still, drinking and talking God was kind of fun. I see why it is within the Lutheran Tradition. Lutherans are so Scandinavian they need a little inhabition to get talking about the most important stuff.
In other news I got my Old Lutheran T-shirts last night. One says "Peace, Love, LUTHER" the other says, "Old Luther, founded 1483." With them I am well pleased, they even fit me.
Peace,
Chris

You might be a future pastor if

I'm working on my finacial aid thing for LTSP and got to thinking.
You might be a future pastor if:
1. You exegit your Seminary financial aid form.
2. The financial aid form asks for projections of future income and you think “only by God’s grace and will shall I exist at that point.”
3. The form asks, “Net earings” and you write down “I know not but I ask God to help me.”
Peace,
Chris

The Fool continued

Amul-Bei was rather mellow. To my right a B’doli seller, clothed in a puffy two piece outfit that contrasted brightly against the mellow sandstone Amul-Bei was constructed from, was trying to coax his burrow toward a well. There a woman, his wife I assumed since she wore the same red outfit except her face was veiled, was pouring a bucket of water out into a trough for the pack animal. To my left a family of nomads leaned against the wall, the white garbs draped over their bodies pegged them as pilgrims, and watched the B’doli-man’s struggle with mild amusement. They were thinking “we know how to handle our animals,” I’m sure of it.
I’m a pilgrim, just like them. I thought.
According to Timmothy’s Historim erz, which I re-read on the blimp ride across the Westernmost Sea, the wall where the Purile family were resting was originally constructed by the Amul’s priesthood to defend against incursions by the pagan nomads. Then in their year 311 PF, that is Post Foundation, a combination of trade ties with the Nomads and a revelation to the High Priest that the Nomads were to bring yearly sacrifices to Amul opened up the city.

I'm starting to something again

Today I treated Sabbath properly, I worshipped God, rested, and the only work I did involved religious studies... and I started writing for pleasure again. I think this is going to be a long piece about a king who is told by a prophet to go to the 7 monothiestic communities in the known-world and be forgiven by them for killing his father and marrying his mother. And the adventure beings.

The Fool
By Chris Halverson

As I looked up the sloping sandstone minaret of the Cathedral of Amul, the Purile’s god, I thought of a verse of their scripture, ‘salvation comes from above.’ I had read that the height of the tower was intended to remind the nomads of the area of that verse, and I suppose to the cow herders the… seven, maybe eight, story tower was impressive, though it was nothing compared to my Palace I had left in Torvettii.
“E’scuse me sire,” said a Purile beggar slouched below me in the shadowy corner of the twofold gate I was entering.
I rested against my staff and reached for my Alms purse at my side, “Here,” I said, gently tossing a nicked bronze Jortall into his dusty open hands. His large mouth broke into a toothy grin and let out a fast string of Purilei that was too accented for me to make out, though he did say, “Moray,” many times, which means thank you or blessings.
“You are welcome,” I said in the best Purilei I knew.
He bowed low against the sand, melting into the shadows of the gate as he slunk away from me.
So I entered into the city of Amul-Bei. Translated the city’s name is the Cathedral of Amul, or perhaps more properly the House of Amul. It was still early morning, rather cool, as desert mornings tend to be. I had spent the night a few clicks to the north, sleeping just out of sight of a nomad family that I ended up watching for most of the night. I awoke before the nomads did, a rather impressive task if I do say so myself, and headed into Amul-Bei.

Another proof that Walmart employies are crazy

Wooten applied for unemployment benefits but was denied by Administrative Law Judge Susan Brightman, who ruled that "a reasonable person would know the act of showing a naked body wearing a Wal-Mart sack would not be good for the employer's business."

Week 1 Done

Well, one week down, 11 to go. Here are a few thoughts I've had:
1. Garrison Keillor is wrong, English Majors are not sexy, but instead are so obsessed with the specialization of their field that they sound like pompus name droppers.
2. Daniel Falk is the smartest Lutheran I've met.
3. JJ Rousseau wrote a LOT
Peace,
Chris