Digression from the previous post & re Jesus

The great Protestant Reinold Niebuhr affirmed in one of his books that Communists were misguided Children of Light--that was before he fell into a Cold War mentality--but I think his point is indisputable (that is, if you're into logic, evidence & stuff like that). One thing which almost all non-fundamentalist biblical scholars* agree upon is this: Jesus was a radical egalitarian & that may have been the most scandalous aspect of his teachings as far as his Jewish contemporaries were concerned. Jesus initially probably had only his fellow Jews in mind for this doctrine of radical inclusiveness. Indeed, judging from the tone of his remarks to the Samaritan lady at the well, he rather seems to have disliked non-Jews. Later, toward the end of his life, there are signs he was mellowing toward Gentiles. (I refer everybody to Bruce Chilton's books Rabbi Jesus and Rabbi Paul for support of the foregoing theses about Christian inclusiveness.)

It would be an anachronism to affirm that Jesus was a socialist, but some form of socialism would seem to be a natural consequence of Jesus's ethics as applied to political economy. More on this later.

*if a fundamentalist biblical scholar is not a contradiction in terms.

The unwatched SOTU

I couldn't stand to watch Bush deliver his cornpone agitprop on behalf of his utopia for the extremely rich, the very white, and the excessively lucky. Frederic Jameson in so many words points out that everyone is a utopian, and generates a utopia in his or her head according to the class to which he or she belongs or aspires to join. Everybody knows that his or her respective utopia can at best only be partially realized, but some are in a better position than others in their attempts to realize it.

I don't believe that conventional liberals are in any way a front for real world Communists, Socialists, Marxists, et al; but one of the redeeming qualities of mere liberals is that most yearn for it to be possible to have fellowship with absolutely anybody at all, should they want to do so. This is a preconscious presumption for equality and access to others than could only actually exist in the context of a classless society.

I will try and continue this thought in the next post unless something urgent pre-empts it.

Point of Light in the MSM

CNN actually debunked a story put out by Fox News consisting of lies and innuendoes about Barack Obama (that when he was six he attended an Islamic terrorist madras (sp?)school & also implying that Obama is a Muslim when he is actually a Baptist)

I do not know if Fox News ratings bleed will continue, but it does seem to me that the audience for Fox News is becoming increasingly isolated, discountable and discounted. I would love to see Murdoch empire go belly-up.

Dresden Files

Dresden Files premiered on the Sci Fi channel last night. It was not as engaging as I had hoped, yet I thought the series showed promise. After the characters from Jim Butcher's over-the-top urban fantasy novels are properly introduced, as well as the rules of his notion of the Otherwhere , I think it will find at least a niche following. I'll probably watch it semi-regurlarly unless it really goes down hill.

Characterization and settings are pretty faithful--although they changed the wizard's VW to a jeep & Murphy in the books, if I recall correctly, is a short, pugnacious blonde Irish person. She's an auburn-brunette on TV and seems tallish.

I don't feel like politics today--none of the Democrats who have announced their candidacy who have a chance would be a bad president although I've already decided on Edwards. I'm going to await Bush's doubtless miserable State of the Union address before adding any more political comments.

Chavez

I fear Chavez is playing a dangerous game with his blue language attacks on U.S. officials. For the moment, the Administration is bogged down with enough problems to do much to Chavez, & I'm reasonably sure that much of his rhetoric is for domestic (and Latin American) consumption. But he's building a resume that some Democratic President and Administration could use against him to prove that they are tough guys when it comes to perceived threats to U.S. interests, particularly capitalist ones, and particularly when those threats emanate from dadgummed commies and socialists lke Chavez.

Libraries are my temple

Politicians who don't support libraries are in a category only slightly above book burners--in my book.

Andrew Carnegie, despite his many other sins against the common good, is now in heaven for helping to initiate the municipal library system.

I wish I knew what circle Dante put folks who are guilty of sacrilege.

Even wicked books, such as Mein Kampf, should be available for intellectual autopsy. And banning books only empowers them beyond the influence they might ordinarily have.

Thanks to the public library system, I believe many a poor lad and lass have read themselves right out of the constrictions of poverty, race and class. I believe that the public library enabled me to do so. (To be honest, my constrictions were primarily of class--though poor I probably only missed one day without a meal.)

The library is also one of the few relatively commerce-free zones left in our society.

Gloominess of mature political perspective

As I get older it seems more and more apparent that the world is on the brink of going to hell in a handbasket. But maybe that's the quasi-eternal generational view taken by people over 50 who give a shit about world affairs and politics, regardless of their position on the political spectrum. I was not a conscious entity during the glory days of the New Deal. Now looking back at that time that I know mostly through books and a few converstions with older folk, it is easy for me to depict it in my mind as a halcyon era. But we (the U.S.) was involved in a frightfully costly war and many of Roosevelt's plans were squelched by the same forces that ran the country for two previous generations, and are again running the country now. I peruse the rants of the right wing and see that they are also convinced we are on the brink of disaster, brought on by liberal forces whom they tend to regard as dangerously naive and/or near treasonous. What utter bullshit.

I read one of their screeds and once again I find myself reinforced in my political faith that socialism, in the broadest sense, is the way to establish the Good Society. I believe that some day humanity will achieve that. That does not mean that all problems will be solved. I have little doubt that if humanity does eventually achieve the Good Society, with peace, justice, freedom and prosperity for all, as we understand it, that somehow there will be an undertow generating some other problems that we can't even imagine now. Perhaps TWGAS (those who give a shit) of a certain age have similar Sisyphean intuitions that kindle their pessimism about their projects. But I think on this and conclude that we can't worry about those unimaginable problems we will likely generate, regardless of the nature of the utopias we hope to establish. As Billy Blake sez:

I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Untl we have built Jerusalem
In England's* green and pleasant land

*or wherever.