Rae: God and Giuliani

For my January read, I found God's Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics by Stephen L. Carter. I was intrigued by all the hubbub (bub) regarding Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee and their respective faiths. I really learned a lot from this book and especially liked the fact that the author himself is a Christian...so he already appreciated my point of view! I recommend it to anyone.

Carter refers to a metaphor that was first used by Roger Williams (a 17th-century Baptist). It has to do with the garden and the wilderness. The garden is the domain of the church, where the people of God congregate and try to live their lives according to the gospel. The wilderness is the world which lies beyond the garden. It is uncivilized and potentially threatening to those in the garden. A wall (read separation between church and state) separates the two--to protect the garden from the wilderness (not the other way around)...not unlike Berlin Wall. The author says we need religion to be somewhat separated from state because we (the religious) need to stay in the garden and take the higher road. If we mix with the political (wilderness) we run the risk of sullying ourselves and the garden. Even the Old Testament prophets (with a few exceptions) called the bad kings to repentance rather than dethroning them. It was all rather interesting and good food for thought.

The other book I picked up is Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 by a couple of journalists. I wanted to know more about that particular candidate, but this book is really more about the mismanagement and bureacracy surrounding the initial response and the cleanup of Ground Zero. It really hasn't told me anything more about Giuliani that I hadn't already surmised from listening to him. The best part of the book are the chapters about the aftermath and the health problems of the first responders, cleaning and construction crews, and residents who lived nearby. Thirty-year old men with black-lung disease, for instance. Fascinating. It's quite prescient of our governmental response to the Katrina disaster. We say we are prepared, but...can we really be with such an octopus in charge?

I have another current affairs title on tap for next week. I may or may not get to it, depending on school reading I have to do. It's called Generation Me: Why Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before by Jean M. Twenge.

Lynness, I read a lot about illegal immigration while in California. I was really trying hard to wrap my thoughts around the issue...which is so volatile there. On the one hand, I could see the negative impact it had on the schools, the community and the hospitals. It bugged me that they were being rewarded (welfare benefits) for their illegal status while I had to obey the laws. It bugs me that if their babies are born here, they are American citizens. On the other hand, I tried to be Christlike about it all (but he did say to render unto Caesar...) and be loving and help them assimilate. I'm most troubled about it and feel my own prejudices come to the forefront. At times I probably sound like a bigot...I feel that strongly about the issue. But I don't know how to solve the problem anymore than the politicians! We've let it go on for too long. You might also want to read something about the immigration policies in our American history. In my class reading assignments, I have discovered that this issue is nothing new...nor is the volatility.

Mim, I actually downloaded Gore's movie onto my Ipod and watched it. Bill watched it in school. We both figured out pretty quickly that the movie was really all about Al. It was me, me, me! I figure if a 14-year-old can figure that out, then it must be pretty obvious! I did find an article that debunks most of the science he presented, but I haven't sat down and studied it yet. My own feeling is to not concern myself too much about it. I think it's cyclical (remember in elementary school and junior high and the threat of the next ice age?) and when you throw in what we know about the second coming and the earth's response to it, it sort of makes sense. Then again, we are out of control when it comes to proper stewardship of this earth. We're pretty greedy and exploitative. I'll be interested to know your response to it all when you have finished your reading.

Well, my goodness, what a long post! Hope you are all enjoying the topic and learning lots of new things. Lulu, someone told me that once you become a mother, you never sleep properly again! And just when you think things are settling down as the teenagers leave home, your body goes through menopause and you wake up in the night anyway! Just be tired and be happy?

Happy reading!