8 Ways to Sunday

Staunch conservative Rep. John N. Hostettler (R-Ind.) caused a stir yesterday when he accused Democrats of “demonizing Christians” during a floor debate in the House.

Hostettler’s invective was brought on by a proposed Democratic amendment to a defense appropriations bill that would have put Congress on record against “coercive and abusive religious proselytizing” at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Allegations have arisen in the past couple of months that the Academy has become a hostile environment for cadets who are not evangelical Christians. Catholics, mainline Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and others are reportedly being harassed about their faith and being pressured to convert. Other reports describe a professor that requires cadets to pray before taking his tests, and a chaplain who likes to warn that anyone “not born again would burn in the fires of hell.”

Angry Democrats demanded that Hostettler retract his comment, which he ultimately did. After that, the proposed amendment was defeated and replaced with one requiring the Air Force to report to Congress on its efforts to encourage religious tolerance. The overall appropriations bill ultimately passed the House by a vote of 398 to 19.

Hostettler made headlines last April when he was detained at a Kentucky airport for having a loaded Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun in his briefcase. He said that he had forgotten the gun was there, plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon, and was given a 60-day suspended sentence. Hostettler has also been in the news lately for trying to choke off the funds to carry out the court-ordered removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of a southern Indiana courthouse.

I recently received a reader question via my contact form about this blog’s title and what it means:

What is the origin and/or meaning of the phrase “Eight Ways to Sunday”? It seems to be used frequently by people who live in the South.

Thanks,
Mary

For anyone else who has wondered the same thing, here’s what I wrote back:

Mary,

Thanks for writing. I’m not sure of the origin, but you can find some discussion of the meaning here.

Basically, it means “scattered or disorganized.” I chose that name for my blog because I knew I wouldn’t be writing on any single theme (like politics or technology), and because I couldn’t find any other blog using the name.

Anyway, my blog covers topics as different as spirituality and computer software, politics and art. It seemed appropriate, in a way.

Hope that answers your question,
Adam

It’s about freaking time. Sadly, according to this review the implementation is shoddy and seems to be a hacked-on afterthought.

(Props: Major Nelson.com for the news, Neil’s World for the link to the review.)

There is a girl in New York City
Who calls herself the human trampoline.
And sometimes when I’m falling and flying,
Tumbling in turmoil,
I say “Whoa, so this is what she means.”
She means we are bouncing into Graceland.

– “Graceland,” by Paul Simon

In a weekend blog post, my San Franciscan pal Colleen complained about the rude nimrods that keep street fairs from being as fun for her as she always thinks they will be. Rude nimrods are a nuisance, for sure, but the post hit a nerve for me because she was kvetching about one of the very things I find so wonderful about urban life. My comment in response was good enough that I felt like re-posting it here:

Though such events do always seem to bring the morons and cretins out to play, I love them anyway. Something about all that teeming, bustling humanity energizes me.

Besides, it is possible to meet some very nice and interesting people at street fairs and other such shindigs. I once picked up a very attractive, intelligent young woman at a gay pride parade and ended up making a nice summer romance of it.

Some of the best memories and finest relationships of my life have resulted from such random collisions with strangers. If you leave yourself open to it, wonderful things can happen on a crowded street.