Interpretation

I'm offended by this new push to reframe the debate over socialized medicine in "ethical/moral" terms... and so many of those who are doing the reframing are those who mock people like me the rest of the time for my ethics/morals.

Miss Fluffy sent me an interesting perspective from a local church newsletter:

Proverbs 21:25-26 (NKJV) “The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long, but the righteous gives and does not spare.”

If you have tuned into the nightly news lately you are hearing about a trend sweeping America called: “Something for nothing.” Politicians are promising us all something for nothing. The trouble is there is no such thing as something for nothing. The Bible categorizes those who desire such things as lazy and covetous. As Christians, you and I are called to do the opposite by unsparingly giving to others. Please take a moment to think about the people around you with whom you could share your time, attention, talents, or financial gifts. From cutting your neighbor’s lawn to playing basketball with a young person; from having lunch with coworkers to calling someone on the phone; there are no limits to the things you can do to make a difference in someone else’s life. Blessings, Bro. Ed

Helping others and enslaving others with dependence upon the government aren't the same thing. The chains of dependence aren't ethical, nor are they moral. They are slavery. I'm all about helping people without making them wards of the state. There's the big hole in the debate...

District 9

We saw District 9 last night. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, even after seeing the short film on which it's based. It was a good movie ... it keeps your attention from beginning to end. The special effects were tremendous ... CGI just gets better and better. If you're into fluffy little tidy endings, this film isn't for you.

The overt apartheid metaphor got annoying, though. Like we need a sci-fi movie to surreptitiously tell us that apartheid and racism are wrong. Really?!? Racism is wrong?!?!? Where have I been?!?!!? Oh, and humans will abuse power when given half a chance ... but Machiavelli told you that way before Peter Jackson...

There were other themes-du-jour in the film that have been worn out as of late: multi-national corporations are greedy, not controlled by governments and are therefore evil; mercenaries are greedy, not controlled by governments and are therefore evil; refugees are always the victims ... you get the idea. I enjoyed the MNU / UN blending, though (because, hey, I think the UN is evil at worst and useless at best. Opinions are like assholes...)

Anyway, it's a good movie - worth your ten bucks. There's quite a bit of violence, so it's not for the kids. It's a political statement as sci-fi with plenty of action and great special effects. Go see it.