At least 40 people were killed and 350 wounded in rush hour attacks on London’s public transportation system this morning. Four nearly simultaneous explosions hit the UK capital — three on the London Underground and the fourth on a double-decker bus. A group boasting of ties to al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
MSNBC.com has continuing coverage of the attacks in a special section of the web site.
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.
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.
I turn twenty-eight years old today, an occasion which brings mixed feelings to say the least. On the upside, I’m now out of debt aside from the small amount I borrowed to buy my car (there’s college loans, but who doesn’t have those?). I have a decent job working with good people who value my skills. I have a roof over my head and (a little) money in the bank.
On the downside, I’m still in Kansas. Not that it’s so completely terrible here… just kind of schizophrenic, a little backward, and occasionally downright scary. I know that the occasional fits of insanity this state endures at the hands of men like Steve Abrams and Fred Phelps don’t necessarily represent the majority of Kansans. In fact, there was a large contingent of Kansas clergy and citizens that rose up against the recently-passed anti-gay amendment to the state constitution*. Likewise, Rev. Phelps is despised in his home town of Topeka.
Still, it’s wearing to live in a place where so many are so at odds with your deepest beliefs. Moving is definitely in my future, though I can’t say for sure how long it will take. I just don’t want to turn thirty here.
Happy birthday to me. Here’s to the future, to change, and to finding a place to call home.
* The amendment passed anyway. It didn’t help that the opposition groups were outspent 2-to-1 by the supporters.
In a review that surprised the hell out of me (no pun intended), evangelical Christian magazine Relevant has given the new Keanu Reeves flick Constantine a big thumbs-up. Recognizing the movie’s similarities to the Biblical books of Job and Revelation, author Kevin Miller praises the film for presenting highly relevant spiritual questions in an entertaining context:
While the theology of this film is far from orthodox, the themes and questions it raises are a different story. Few Christian films have done a better job of depicting the difference between works and grace. And few mainstream films offer such a strong affirmation of the spiritual dimension of life, showing it to be every bit as real and consequential as the physical. Constantine also addresses a number of spiritual questions that seem particularly pressing at this point in time, questions like “Is God good?” “Does He have a plan for me?” “Is He out to get me?” “Is He even there?” and “What must I do to be saved?”
It’s an interesting perspective on the film, coming from an interesting publication. Relevant represents the crystallization of what I’ve seen as a growing trend in the the last few years: evangelical Christians of my generation and a little older who’ve opened themselves and their faith up to all aspects of politics and pop culture, rather than walling themselves off from the world.
While I’m not an evangelical Christian myself, this is a refreshing change that I hope to see more of. Such an outlook can only be beneficial to relations between those of all faiths.
As for Constantine, I thought it was a lot of fun and definitely more thoughtful than your typical Hollywood religio-action thriller. I’ll try to get a full review up sometime soon.
(Props: The Revealer)
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