Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Howard Zinn on Empire

Howard Zinn is the single most influential author/historian in my life. This is my creed.

"Have we not reached a point in history where we are ready to embrace a new way of living in the world, expanding not our military power, but our humanity?"

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Astronaut Jesus

Jesus died. He is on his way to Heaven. Heaven has to be a large place, considering all the people that apparently fit in there with great comfort. Therefore, we can conclude that, because astronomers can see billions of light years into space, Heaven cannot possibly be anywhere near earth, otherwise we would be able to see it.

Lets assume that some how Jesus was traveling at the speed of light. This means he is roughly 2,000 light years away from earth. This means he has 23,000 more years just to reach the center of our galaxy. That is, assuming he didn’t have to go around the sun to get through our solar system. If he was not going in that direction, then he is probably heading in the direction of one of the billion of galaxies out there. It will take him 160,000 years just to reach the nearest one. Whatever he is going, he has a long way to go. The billions of galaxies in the universe are each constantly moving apart, so there are millions of light-years between each one. So, considering the universe is mostly empty space, it is safe to say that Jesus is still traveling in space and he is billions of years from his destination.

Also, do not forget astronomers know approximately how fast the universe is expanding, and it has be doing so for 10-15 billion years. This gives Jesus little hope of ever actually getting closer to his destination. That is, if he even knows where he is going! Chances are he is lost. Our galaxy alone is filled with too many stars and clouds of dust to see the center (hence the name Milky Way). With all the stars, planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, comets, dust clouds, and dark shadows with no light between galaxies, there is a great chance that Jesus is aimlessly drifting in space. Even worse, he is probably caught up in some asteroid field or black hole, or he might be caught by some planet’s gravitational pull. This would mean he is aimlessly orbiting a planet!

Despite all this, I will give him the benefit of doubt. After all, he cured the sick and walked on water as a man, so I’m sure he knows how to get back to Heaven. (Though, I doubt he is there yet.) After all, he was sent by God and somehow got to earth in the first place, so I am sure he can find his way back. However, what about all the other people on their way to Heaven, too. I doubt anyone knows the way or has the capabilities to get there.

Wait a minute. I want to know how Jesus got to Earth in the first place! Considering (a.) the distance from Heave to Earth is billions of light-years, and (b.) the age of the earth is 4.6 billion years. This means he had to have started traveling here billions of years before Earth even existed--billions of year before he knew humans needed a savior!

Wow. Maybe I’m thinking too hard. In any case, I do know that there is a certain point in childhood development that children learn concrete items much easier then abstract concepts. They do not learn abstract ideas like patriotism, freedom, or racism until a latter age. They learn by picturing abstract ideas as concrete imagines in their head. This is why people believe stories in the Bible are actually true. They believe God is sitting on a cloud with angles feeding him cherries and playing harps for him. This isn’t likely.

Lets read religious text metaphorically. The messages, themes, and lessons should be taken seriously, not stories that divert what is really important. This logic, of course, can be applied to any story, such as Lord of the Rings. The messages and lessons taken from this book are as deep and meaningful as the Bible. Lord of the Rings is my religion. Gollum died for my sins.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

"We Will Reign Them In"

My question for Hillary Clinton:

"War has always been privatized in the sense that it benefits the rich at the expense of the poor. However, war is being outsourced and privatized at an unprecedented level in American history. My question is regarding private military companies and what your Administration will do to hold them accountable and to give them oversight--or dismantle companies such as Blackwater, Worldwide."



"We Will Reign Them In" More to come.......