Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Sour Grapes


Wild Grapes?
Originally uploaded by paynehollow.

(As an aside: Anybody know what plant this is in the photo? The leaves and vine look very grape-like, but obviously, the fruit isn't grapes.)

A letter to the editor:

I must protest.

After weeks of misleading political ads from Republican Congresswoman Anne Northup, in which she distorts Democrat challenger John Yarmuth’s positions – using his words taken out of context – she’s complaining now that one of Yarmuth’s ads is taking her out of context? The Republicans seem to be doing their best to assassinate Irony!

But that’s not what has me irritated. What I want to know is why the Courier Journal considers Northup’s complaints against Yarmuth top-of-the-front-page material when she’s been doing the same thing to Yarmuth for weeks?

Northup and the Republicans in power are desperate and getting dangerous. They want to tell us NOT what they believe but rather what we ought to think the Democrats believe; and they’re doing so even if they (the Republicans) have to distort and lie to do so.

If Northup has a problem with deceptive ads, then let her lead the way to change by removing her deceptive ads and talk instead about her own positions. I’m guessing her votes and positions are nothing that will help get her elected, but at least she’d be honest.

6 comments:

Tim Sean said...

Dan. More and more I look forward to visiting your site and experience a tiny shot of elation when I arrive and you've posted something new. I'm assuming the pictures are yours? I look forward to them.

You once mentioned in your comments section that your pacifism did not exclude one's right to defend ones self. Could you reccomend a book that might give me a good overview of the various approaches to pacifism? I suppose I will do a web search but I thought there might be one you like that you would reccommend.

Maybe one day we can play some old-timey music together.

Tim Sean Youmans in Oklahoma
timsean@mac.com

Dan Trabue said...

How kind, Tim. And yes, these are my photos.

As to the book, let me think about that. My fellow church member and blogger, Michael, could probably give the best answer on that. Michael? You around?

The easy answer is to go with John Howard Yoder, who has written a good deal on pacifism. You can't go wrong with reading the stuff put out by the mennonites. Here's one link:

http://www.mennolink.org/books/johnhowardyoder.html

What Would You Do? is a fun and easy-to-read book with essays on pacifism from various folk, including Yoder and Joan Baez.

One other book that I like and would have to recommend is Glen Stassen's Just Peacemaking which goes a bit beyond just pacifism, but has been helpful to me.

And man, wouldn't it be cool to have a great blogging hootenanny? Deb, you out there? What's the midway point between Kentucky, Oklahoma and Minnesota?

Wasp Jerky said...

The lighter blue fruit looks like a bird egg. Maybe someone planted a bird that had eaten some grapes.

Michael Westmoreland-White said...

As an overview of various types of pacifism, I'd suggest John Howard Yoder's Nevertheless: The Varieties of Religious Pacifism.

A series of posts summarizing this book (up to type 4 now) can be found at http://readingyoder.blogspot.com/

Endment said...

Your Berries I believe may be Porcelain Berries see Ampelopsis

Dan Trabue said...

That looks like the right call. Thanks!