Tag: religion

What Does America Mean To You?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

If someone was to ask me what America means in one word, I would say, “Freedom”. Freedom to say what you want to say. Freedom to believe what you want to believe. This is why America is the envy of other nations, and why extremist religious groups—of all ilks—hate us with a burning passion. This freedom that we have was hard fought, and we must continually fight to preserve it.

Perhaps this is why all the flak over the Islamic cultural center in New York bothers me. This Islamophobia has gotten so bad that Islamic groups are cancelling annual celebrations just because the calendar this year makes them happen on 9/11. That’s plain wrong. No religion should have to censor itself in this country; when that happens, that means our freedoms have been curtailed.

Back in the 1920s, there were intense phobias against the Jews. Men like Father Coughlin and, yes, Henry Ford, were virulently antisemetic. But Judaism, perhaps because it was understandable to mainstream Christianity (having come before it), got a pass. But ignorance seems to be celebrated in this country, and the ignorant fear what they do not know. The ignorant think all Islamics are terrorists, without understanding that Islam is just the next step in the progression of Judaism and Christianity. We haven’t yet had an accessible Islamic leader that can make Islam understood by the American people.

This fear is leading to idiotic arguments; arguments that would not occur if we were talking about any other religion. If zoning permitted a Christian cultural center near ground zero, it would be embraced. There would be no uproar about a Buddhist or Hindu cultural center in the area. If a Christian group wanted to have a carnival the weekend of 9/11, there would be no protests (remember, 9/11 is not a national day of observance yet). If there was a Shinto gathering that day, no one would care. So why are we upset when Islam wants to observe their religion. What makes the US special is simply that: they have the freedom to observe, without the government dictating anything.

Why can’t the Conservatives see that if we give in on that, we’re doing just what the terrorists who attacked the tower would want us to do: curtail our freedoms in response to their attack. We can’t do that. We must proudly celebrate our Religious freedom, as well as our feedom of speech. We must insist on the Islamic Cultural Center in that area just to demonstrate how important freedom of religion is to us; while we’re at it, let’s have centers for other religions (and a non-sectarian center) as well.

Our Bill of Rights is what makes America special. No right is greater than the other. As much as the 2nd amendment is cherished, and the 1st amendment is abused through the commenting mechanism on news websites, we must vigorously define our right to worship in a multitude of ways.

P.S.: Of course, if what you said America meant to you was “Baseball”, not “Freedom”, then you might want to read this article on the Lancaster Jethawks. Baseball as it was meant to be. I can attest to that, having been to a Jethawks game, and having found it immensely more enjoyable than any Dodger game.

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Disney and Hijabs

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

The LA Times today has a story about a young woman who is having a dispute with Disney: she’s a restaurant hostess at Storyteller’s Cafe, and wants to wear her hijab (head scarf) as part of her costume. Disney has indicated the request is being reviewed by corporate, and until they make a decision, she was offered a position backstage where she was free to wear the hijab. Disney indicated that all positions that work with guests directly have specific costume rules (and those who know Disney know they take this very seriously).

Now, I happen to agree with both sides to some extent with this. Disney has the right to dictate the costumes and dress codes for their guest-interacting positions: they are a private company, and they are not firing her or lowering her salary based on her religion. But I also agree that she should have the right to wear her religious attire. Even more so, however, I see her as a pawn: pushed into this by supporters pushing an agenda, which lead to the inability to find a creative solution.

However, what bothers me more about this situation are the comments to the article: “Muslims back to their own land and their own miserable lives.” “Let’s just say no 2 Islam.”, and others of that ilk. This relates to the anti-Islam fervor best illustrated by the controversy over the Islamic Cultural Center in New York. My feeling: if zoning laws would permit an equivalent Christian institution at that location, the Islamic center should be permitted.

As a Jew, I think it is our responsibility to speak up for our Islamic bretheren. If it were antisemitism rearing its ugly head, we’d be seeing the same lines and actions against Jews. Why is it acceptable when it is against Muslims? The answer is that it isn’t. What makes America a special place—and is a reason many in other countries are so offended by our presence—is our freedom to practice whatever religions we want free of government pressure. The religious extremists of all ilks want to impose their religion on us, and we must fight that by proudly demonstrating for religious freedom, whether or not we like the religion. Just as Freedom of Speech means that sometimes you must face uncomfortable or insulting speech, Freedom of Religion applies to all religions, whether a particular person likes them or not.

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What’s In A Name?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today’s a busy day, and I haven’t had time for much lunchtime reading, but I absolutely must comment on one article: “Getting the devil off the mountain: A devout Christian wants to change the name of Mt. Diablo. Who’s in favor of Mt. Reagan?”

No, I’m not joking. A devout Christian, Arthur Mijares, has filed the federal paperwork to change the name of Contra Costa County’s most famous landmark from Mt. Diablo to Mt. Reagan because he feels that naming a peak of such beauty and importance after the devil — even in Spanish — is “derogatory, pejorative, offensive, obscene, blasphemous and profane.” What’s next, renaming our “Santa Ana Winds”, a/k/a “Santana Winds”, for the same reason?

The Contra Costa Board of Supes is voting on this Tuesday, and luckily, opinion is runing 9-to-1 against the idea. A Facebook group, “People AGAINST Re-naming Mt. Diablo to Mt. Reagan!!”, has been created—in a month, 80,000 people have joined it.

I’m not going to go into the comments that the LA Times article discusses. Rather, I’ll comment on the notion that we need to cleanse our society of non-Christian ideas, or ideas that Christianity views as evil. What’s next: Attempting to ban mentions of non-Christian religion. Perhaps Mr. Mijares needs to understand the devil better: as the S.C.J FAQ notes when discussing the Jewish concept of ha-satan, the evil inclination or temptation is important, for without it, you cannot consciously make the choice to do the right thing.

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Seasonal Greetings

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A friend of mine did a post, and it really has gotten me thinking. What was the post you ask? Something simple: a complaint against the trend towards saying “Happy Holidays”, when they are just worried about offending the recipient. The post was a reminder that Christmas is not a “season”; it is a specific, significant religious event to a large segment of the population.

So why did this start me thinking?

Well, I’m Jewish. So you think I would want the “Happy Holidays” instead, or for you to say “Happy Chanukah” to me. I don’t. The issue is more complex.

Let’s take care of the easy part: I have no problem if you wish me a happy whatever-holiday-you-believe-in. We’re lucky to live in a country where you have the right to believe whatever you want, and if you as an individual want to wish me a Merry Christmas, go for it. I wish you one as well. If you want to wish me a Happy Chanukah, that’s fine too. I might wish you back a Merry Christmas.

Now let’s broaden the view. You’re a clerk at a random business, with no obvious religious affiliation. Take Office Depot or your local coffee shop (I’m excluding religious businesses because I expect churches to wish me a Merry Christmas, and for places that promote their religious affiliation to great me with it). These are non-religious. So if a clerk is wishing me Merry Christmas, is it the clerk personally wishing it on behalf of themselves, or the business directing them to say it. I have no problem with the former. But what about the latter? Isn’t a non-religious institution wishing me a Merry Christmas disingenous? It’s like an atheist wishing it — it cheapens the Christian meaning of the holy day. Are they wishing it just to get my business? Are they wishing it just to indicate they want to exclude my business? The same thought, by the way, goes for mass advertising not targeted at an individual.

These businesses that are wishing me Happy Holidays, or even Merry Christmas are primarily doing it not out of any religious commitment, but to get me to spend money. Now, I’m not Christian, but my limited understanding of the belief system indicates that the spending of money is not the basis of the holiday. Even Stan Freberg has noted this in his classic, Green Chri$tma$.

Holiday wishes should be sincere, not perfunctory. If someone wants to wish me a Merry Christmas out of their honest beliefs, I have no problem with it (even if I personally don’t believe the same). I wish that they find all the religious meaning in whatever holiday they are celebrating this season.

What I don’t want to see is the holidays cheapened or assumptions made. Just because Christianity makes up a large part of the religion of the country doesn’t mean we must assume all are Christian. Individually wish what you want, but when you move it up to the corporate/business level, think twice about expressing a religious intent from a non-religious organization. You’ll offend those who believe, and offend those whose beliefs differ.

So what’s the answer? There is no good one. Saying “Happy Holidays” will bother the sincere believers who feel it is cheapening and dismissing their holy day. Expressing wishes for a specific holiday (at least from a corporate level — remember, I have no problem with individuals) creates the question of whether the corporation is only serving one segment of the community. Lastly, of course, emphasizing the religious aspects of the holiday will please those who believe, and bother those who enjoy the season but not the reasons behind the season. This is the challenge of living in our religiously pluralistic society, finding the right line. The question would be easier where there is a state religion, but life would not be better for those of differening religions. The difficulty in answering this question is actually what makes this country great.

So, the next time someone wishes you a Merry Christmas or a Happy Chanukah, be thankful you live somewhere you can get all the religious greetings freely. When someone wishes you a Happy Holidays, understand that they are not cheapening the seasons, but respecting your right to give whatever religious meaning to the holidays you observe and hold dear.

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Chum for a Tuesday

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Today’s news brings an interesting mix of chum:

  • From the “But I Always Thought They Wore Ties” Department: It appears that a publisher has gotten into trouble with his alma mater and his church because of a calendar he published. The calendar: “Men on a Mission”. The school: BYU. The church: LDS. The LA Times is reporting on the situation of Chad Hardy, whose calendar provides photographs of hunky former missionaries in poses, characters and settings familiar to the Mormon faithful. A calendar of Mormon mothers (who Hardy calls “Mormon Muffins”) styled as sexy (though clothed) pinups is set for release this summer. The “Men on a Mission” calendar has a shirtless Mormon for each month, and its first publication in 2007 was applauded by liberal-minded churchgoers…. but then the Mormon church received some unflattering publicity, and adherants complained that the calendar was damaging the image of the faith. As a result of publishing the calendar, he has been excommunicated by the church, and although he has earned sufficient credits to graduate BYU, they will not issue him the degree.

    In somewhat related news, the New York Times is reporting the growth of the atheist movement, which is speaking out more, banding together, and flourishing.

  • From the “And Don’t Ask About Their Cheerleaders” Department: The New York Times is reporting that MIT is dropping 8 of its athletic teams, as a result of a need to trim $1.5M from its budget. Cut were the alpine skiing, competitive pistol, golf, wrestling, and men and women’s ice hockey and gymnastics teams. Disgruntled students, demanding that all 41 teams be kept, kidnapped Tim the Beaver, the institute’s mascot (the student playing Tim was released unharmed, although the costume’s head eventually ended up on the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard).
  • From the “Builds Strong Bones Seven Ways” Department: Two interesting science articles today. One, from the Washington Post, explores using nanotechnology to make silk stronger. Specifically, scientists used atomic layer deposition (ALD) to deposit microscopic metals on silk strands, which drastically strengthened the material. More interesting is that it didn’t just coat the silk–it infiltrated the substructure and rebound with the silk at the molecular level.

    Turning to another strong material: bone, one of your bodies most important organs. The New York Times has an interesting article on bone and its elasticity. We think of bone as this inert material (probably from all those skeletons we see)… but your bones are actually continually microfracturing and repairing themselves, and interact with your homonal and digestive systems to obtain what they need to do this. The article is a real interesting read.

  • From the “Nummi, Nummi” Department: As folks know, I drive a Toyota Matrix, which is a wagon version of the Toyota Corolla. The Matrix has a twin — the Pontiac Vibe. I’ve always been surprised that Toyota doesn’t advertise the Matrix more, but evidently it sells well enough that they don’t need to advertise. The Matrix is made in Canada, but the Vibe is made in Fremont at the NUMMI plant. I mention this because the Vibe is one of the few well-made Pontiac cars, and one of the few that doesn’t share a platform with any other GM car (as with the G8, another Pontiac getting good reviews). So, I’m wondering… with the death of Pontiac, what will become of the Vibe:

    ETA: Well, it turns out there are some answers in this article. Some, but not all. More here and here.

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Wizards, Dogs, and Rabbits, Oh My!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Some selected news chum, gathered from lunchtime perusals of the headlines yesterday (when I had a bad headache) and today:

  • From the “We’re Off To See The Wizard” Department: I’m not sure which story is more bizarre. Variety is reporting that NBC is planning an update of the Wizard of Oz called “Dorothy Gale”, which follows the story of Dorothy, a girl from Kansas who tries to tackle modern-day Manhattan (her version of the Emerald City), finding a job in the art world where she must deal with a wicked boss. This is being executive produced by the fellow who brought you the recent remake of “The Bionic Woman”. But that’s nothing compared to the report that Andrew Lloyd Webber is planning to bring the 1939 Wizard of Oz musical to Broadway, combining the original songs with new songs by Webber and lyricist Glen Slater (who is working with him on the Phantom sequel). Sir Andrew’s opinion of the current attempts to bring this movie to the stage, “They attempt to do it exactly the same as in the movie. That’s completely wrong! You’ve got to think of it as a theater piece, which just happens to have three or four of the greatest songs of all time.” Lyricist Slater notes that neither the Wizard nor the Witch have songs — something he plans to remedy.
  • From the “Going to the Dogs” Department: Both Honda and Toyota have come up with a new approach to options to sell cars: making them dog friendly. Specifically, dog-friendly features are being added to the Toyota Venza and the Honda Element. The Venza offers doggy seat mats, barriers and other items designed to make dogs and their owners more comfortable, included $44.99 for a “zip line” to keep an 80-pound or larger dog confined in the back seat or $99.99 for a “bi-fold pet ramp.” The Element will feature a built-in bed in the cargo area, a private electric cooling fan, a spill-proof water bowl and a mesh net to keep animals separated from people… and rubber floor mats embellished with a dog-bone design. The dog-oriented Element will even have a fold-out ramp for dogs that can’t, won’t or shouldn’t (because some breeds can develop bad backs later in life) make the leap into the Element’s rear.
  • From the “Breaking (Unleavened) Bread” Department: Turning to a more serious note, the LA Times has a good article on an effort in Rancho Palos Verdes to educate catholics about Passover. This is a joint effort between Cong. Ner Tamid in RPV and the archdiocese of LA… and isn’t the only one in the area. Very interesting article… but they don’t note whether there is an equivalent effort to inform Jews about what Easter is — I’m not talking about the specific event it commemorates, but how it is observed (e.g., why is it, if there is an Easter bunny, that folks eat ham instead of hasenpfeffer?). Oh, and speaking of rabbi-t (look at the link), the NY Times Magazine has an interesting article on Barak Obama’s cousin, the Rabbi.
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Chum for a Monday Morning

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Some selected items for your enjoyment, from the lunchtime scan of the papers:

  • From the “You Think They Would Learn From Bar Mitzvahs” Department: The LA Times has an article on how the Catholic Church has issued a new booklet to provide a more specific religious ceremony for quinceañeras. The article notes how the aim is to ensure religious meaning in what is often just a lavish celebration. Perhaps they should talk to a rabbi. That problem has been a big one on the bar/bat mitzvah circuit. There was even a movie about it.
  • From the “I don’t want to hear about your one God because my one God’s the one” Department: Speaking of religion, an article in USA Today notes that most religious groups in the US are losing members (except, perhaps, for the muslims). Specifically, the percentage of people who call themselves in some way Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation. In fact, so many Americans claim no religion at all (15%, up from 8% in 1990), that this category now outranks every other major U.S. religious group except Catholics and Baptists. Additionally, nearly 2.8 million people now identify with dozens of new religious movements, calling themselves Wiccan, pagan or “Spiritualist,” which the survey does not define.
  • From the “Are You Going Out Like That?” Department: USA Today is also reporting that retailers are starting to introduce more modest clothing for teens. The reason is not religious (so they claim) but economic: In these markets, one cannot turn away customers, and most parents don’t want the revealing stuff that is marketed to teens these days. Further, most parents know that such revealing stuff can’t be worn to work.
  • From the “Do You Really Want Us To Add to the Job Losses” Department: The tanking economy is influencing many things. One thing it is affecting is the debate about cutting defense contracts. Sure, they are wasteful, but they employ people. So (the argument goes) in this economy, do you really want to add to the unenemployed. This isn’t a joke argument. The NY Times is reporting that it is being used by Congress to reduce defense contract cutbacks. After all, by building fewer F-22 fighters (which even Bush 43 didn’t want), you put people out of work. Lockheed Martin says 25,000 jobs depend directly on the F-22, and perhaps 70,000 more indirectly. According to the article, some potential cutbacks include parts of the $10 billion missile defense programs, a radar-evading $3.3 billion destroyer that even the Navy says it can no longer afford, and cutbacks in the Army’s sweeping $160 billion modernization plan.
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News Chum O’the Day

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Some selected chunks of chum, for you to chew on over dinner:

  • From the “Just Put It On The Tray” Department: The Los Angeles Times has an interesting piece on Clifton’s Cafeteria. Clifton’s was one of the earliest cafeterias in Los Angeles (I have vague memories of going to it as a child). There was a small chain of them, each one with its own theme. They have their recipes… and their regulars who know if a single spice is varied. They have their traditions. All in all, it sounds fascinating, and I’ll have to go visit there.
  • From the “Twenty-Five Is A Good Number” Department: I know you’ve seen it. That 25 Random Things meme that has been going around everywhere. Well, it’s now made the New York Times! An article in their Fashion section today discusses the meme, and notes that a Google search for “25 Random Things About Me” yields 35,700 pages of results, almost all of which seem to have been created in the last two weeks. I do have to say I’m seeing it everywhere, and it reminds me of the old days when memes would propagate like that on LiveJournal.
  • From the “Old Friends” Department: The Daily News has a nice piece on an old friend of mine, Jolie Mason, who runs the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service. They were knocked off the air during the recent Sesnon fire (which burned the KCSN transmitter), and are now attempting to raise $7,000 to get back on the airwaves. They do such a great service for folks, that I just wanted to mention the article. I worked with Jolie back when she was a programmer at SDC — yet another BLACKER person!
  • From the “Be Careful What You Eat… Or Maybe Not” Department: The New York Times today has an article today about how many food allergies might be false alarms. The article is interesting, but seems to forget one significant fact: Allergy .NE. (that’s != for you perl folks) Sensitivity. An allergy is something that raises a histamine reaction. But there are other forms of non-allergy sensitivies (such as Celiac Disease), which can be equally or more problematic. Further, those sensitivities can serve to create more sensitivities (i.e., if you are Celiac and keep eating wheat, other foods tend to create problems — often getting off the wheat clears the other sensitivites). So, eat what makes you feel healthy. If you don’t feel good eating it, don’t. But do eat your brussel sprouts.
  • From the “A Quite Amazing Paradox” Department: The New York Times is also reporting on an interesting transit paradox: although the economy is driving ridership on transit systems up, the economy is forcing such systems to make significant cutbacks. The problem is that fare-box revenue accounts for only a fifth to a half of the operating revenue of most transit systems — and the sputtering economy has eroded the state and local tax collections that the systems depend on to keep running. Further, the billions of dollars that Congress plans to spend on mass transit as part of the stimulus bill will also do little to help these systems with their current problems because the stimulus is for capital projects, not operations.
  • From the “Now You Take That Back!” Department: You may have heard that the Pope recently unexcommunicated (would that be communicated?) some cardinals who had very conservative views. The problem was the one of them was a holocaust denier. Well, the Pope (after some pressure from Merkel) has now directed that cardinal to recant those views. Evidently, the Pope knew nothing about them. Right. I thought he was infallible. In any case, he’s done the right thing.
  • From the “Where is the most unusual place that you and your husband have ever made whoopee?” Department: Yes, that story is true. But that’s not what this chum is about. You see, GSN is reviving the “Newlywed Game”, and has announced the new host. Carnie Wilson. Why, oh why? It’s not like Bob Eubanks is dead. In fact, he’s looking for work. Right now, he only seems to work one day a year. If the original is still around, why not use him. And if you can’t use him, rub it in his face and hire Stephanie Edwards!
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