Bag of Randomness for Monday, June 8, 2020

I’m amazed about the protests happening across the globe – London, Berlin, Paris, Sydney, Madrid, etc. It’s one thing for an event to happen here and see local protests, another thing when protests go national, but it’s simply amazing to see a lot of the world unified in a cause. Heck, in this article, you’ll see how even places like India, Syria, Argentina, and other places got involved. I’m curious to know the thoughts of that now jailed police officer who was kneeling on George Floyd’s neck on the global impact of his actions.

Taking a cue from America, the Brits are wanting to take down certain statues that deal with slavery. Here they are taking down Slave trader Edward Colston’s statue and dumping it in the river.

I’ll go ahead and tip my toe in the scalding hot water of this issue as it pertains to statues honoring Confederates. Move any public statue to museums and private property. Bottom line, they were traitors. We should honor American heroes, not traitors. It’s not that anyone is trying to erase history, books and documentaries include them in great detail, it’s who we are trying to honor, and traitors shouldn’t be honored.

I tweeted this on Saturday.

@bagofnothing – It shall be shameful for any pastor to not address what has transpired this week in tomorrow’s Sunday sermon. If you’re a pastor and it’s still not in your draft, you still have time to change that.

Also on Saturday, I told WifeGeeding that if it was solely my decision on where to attend church, that if my pastor did not devote any part of his or her sermon to the events that transpired last week, I would leave that church. One of the things which bug me about church is when a pastor is so dedicated to a sermon series and refuses to deviate from it as if that chosen topic is more important than anything else which can transpire. I’m not saying a preacher should tell us what side of an issue to take, but I think it’s vitally important to teach or remind us what the Word says about hope, how to deal, how to heal, and the only constant. If seven days of national protests during a pandemic that caused an economic collapse aren’t enough for a pastor to commit a few minutes of a sermon, I’m not sure what would meet his or her criteria.

My pastor has been going over the book of  “One” Peter, and yesterday he covered chapter three, the “wives and husbands” lesson. If you’ve been in the church for a while, you’ve heard this one a hundred or more times already (though I do like hearing a take on it from a non-Baptist preacher). I’m not saying that’s not important to go over, but it’s not timely and can be pushed back a week. Priorities, yo. Put your flock needs over your own. Right now I plan on writing an email to him about this but in a much friendlier and respectful tone.

This has been a story I’ve long been interested in, it had a D.B. Cooper appear to it.

A treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains for a decade has finally been found

  • Forrest Fenn, the 89-year-old art and antiquities collector who created the treasure hunt, made the announcement Sunday on his website. “It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago,” Fenn wrote in his announcement. “I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot.”
  • The treasure was found a few days ago by a man who did not want to be named, Fenn told the Santa Fe New Mexican. He noted, however, that the man was from “back East” and that he confirmed his discovery by sending Fenn a photograph of his newfound riches.
  • The treasure, estimated to be worth over $1 million, was a way for Fenn to inspire people to explore nature and give hope to people affected by the Great Recession, he said.

Here’s the Director of the United States National Economic Council.

Powers Boothe had a cool name.

I’ve heard Bono describe America plenty of times and love how he never loses his enthusiasm.

 

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, June 5, 2020

 

This proves the Civil War wasn’t that long ago, and she almost lived to see a second.

She was the last American to collect a Civil War pension —$73.13 a month. She just died.

  • The jaw-dropping fact that someone in the year 2020 was still earning a Civil War pension was the result of two factors: First, Triplett suffered cognitive impairments, qualifying her for the lifelong pension as a helpless adult child of a veteran. Second, her father, Mose Triplett, who’d served as a private in the Confederate Army before defecting to the Union, was on his second marriage when she was born in 1930. He was just a few weeks away from turning 84.

  • Many more widows and children of other long-ago soldiers are still alive. According to VA, there are 33 surviving spouses and 18 children receiving pension benefits related to the 1898 Spanish-American War.

Dyson shelved its Tesla-killer. Why is it showing it off now? – What could’ve been a Tesla troubler will now have to settle for being the most expensive car never made.

How to secure your phone before attending a protest

I would just buy one from Jimmy McGill.

I hope the trend continues as long as they embrace leaders like Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, and Jerry Falwell Jr.

Southern Baptists see historic drop in membership

The Southern Baptist Convention said it had 14.5 million members in 2019, down about 287,655 from the previous year. Membership dropped 2 percent, the largest single-year drop in more than 100 years, according to a survey from LifeWay Christian Resources, the denomination’s publishing and research arm.

Pastor Rick Warren used to be a hot commodity, I haven’t heard a thing about him in ages. At one time, if The Purpose Driven Life wasn’t displayed prominently in your home you weren’t considered to be a true Christian, and I’m half-joking about this.

Maybe the next one will be flying upside down.

The world’s largest American flag has been ripped into shreds by a thunderstorm

https://twitter.com/tmj4/status/1268026368601870337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1268026368601870337&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Flargest-tallest-american-flag-us-acuity-torn-apart-thunderstorms-wisconsin-1508347

I thought the wall was going up at the border we share with Mexico, not in front of the White House. Yeah, I get it, it’s a fence, but it’s still Trump’s America.

As coronavirus hits Texas, the state’s top health official is spending 30 hours a week on a second job — that pays $600,000

Acting Executive Commissioner Phil Wilson chose not to accept salary and benefits for a temporary position leading one of Texas’ largest and most high-profile agencies. Instead, he continues to earn $636,694 from the Lower Colorado River Authority, more than double what the previous health commissioner made.

Language warning. Here’s part one if you missed it, which is better than this sequel.

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Bag of Randomness for Thursday, June 4, 2020

Yesterday, in response to what I posted about Bob Sturm’s thoughts, one of my readers sent me the following Wall Street Journal article, and I know there wasn’t any ill-intent behind it.

The Myth of Systemic Police Racism – Hold officers accountable who use excessive force. But there’s no evidence of widespread racial bias.

I was bothered by it for two reasons. One, I’m concerned that I may have somehow communicated that I believe police are racist. And two, I’m surprised something like this was posted in such an esteemed publication. For something like that to be printed, I’m led to believe that many sane and rational people may actually think that’s true.

So, I guess I want to go on record and say a few things. I suppose in a small way, I’m pulling a Bob Sturm. I have never felt that law enforcement, or the military for that matter, is endemically racist, and to my knowledge, no one in my family or circle of friends does either. I know there are more good cops than bad cops and it’s the rotten ones that cause the stink. But this is where I may differ with you and I don’t think it was addressed or implied in the article. It’s my belief those who are racist and those who need that power trip or feeling of control are more likely to navigate towards a career in the military and/or law enforcement. They are the bad apples. Of course, there are racists everywhere. I don’t have a way to prove it, but the majority of people in law enforcement and the military are not racists, it’s just a lot of racists prefer to be in that kind of profession. I hope there’s nothing in my writing that shows I think law enforcement or the military is endemically racist. I also believe the majority of protestors don’t believe either are endemically racist, though I also have no way of proving that.

But I will go on record saying I believe “the system” or whatever you want to call it is deeply flawed. In the example of George Floyd, we all now are deeply familiar that one police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes – five minutes and 53 seconds of kneeling before officers declared that Floyd was unresponsive, followed by two minutes and 53 seconds of continued pressure. That is disturbing in itself, but I’ll argue what’s more so is that three other police officers at the scene acted barbarically by not stopping it. The closest we got is one of them twice asking if he should be rolled over with the kneeling officer (who had a history of 17 complaints) responding with, “No, staying put where we got him.” The system is flawed if three other cops aren’t able to intervene. The system is flawed if cops aren’t able to keep each other accountable. I have no idea why it’s that way. Maybe it’s the intimidation of correcting a more senior member, maybe it’s fear that the next performance review will say “Not a reliable team member.” It’s got the same eerie feel to it as the movie Casulaties of War. If this singular event wasn’t recorded and then only reported by a citizen, no one would be held accountable. And sadly, as more and more of these incidents are being recorded all across the country we see more and more evidence of a failed system. There’s no quick or easy fix, this failure is generations in the making, and it will take generations to fix. I’m not on the side of the cops, I’m not on the side of the victims, it’s not that easy, though I do want to justice and a change for the better, nationwide. I’ll save any thoughts on rioting and other related items for another day.

Some things make me angry, some things make me sad, some things make me both angry and sad. One day, they are going to ask themselves not if they should have done this or not, but if it was worth it.

Armchair political strategist time:

If Trump really wanted to show he’s not afraid to go outside of the White House grounds and rile up his base, I think it would have been far more effective if his staff asked the church for half an hour alone in their sanctuary the following day. Show him walking to the church with a Bible in hand and have no one inside except him. Just tell the press the president wanted to spend some time in the church alone. It doesn’t matter what he does in there, he could read the paper, just say nothing more than the president wanted to spend some solitude in a house of worship. As for Trump, take no questions and never say anything about it. The mystery and image of it would be greater than anything else, just imagine how the media and social media would respond.

For Biden, the next time he speaks at a church, especially from a lectern, work with the church to set up a clear plastic shield in front of it, like what we now see at grocery stores, and speak without a mask. The message of COVID-19 awareness would still be taken seriously and you would connect with the public more.

I’m simply curious to know who owns that Bible Trump used in the photo op. Was it someone’s personal Bible or just one someone found on a White House bookshelf? I do find it a little odd that Ivanka pulled it out of her purse to give to him since she’s not a Christian, she converted to Judism so she could marry her husband. You know, that’s an interesting thing Kushner had to do, sell to a man of Trump’s stature that he not only want to marry his daughter but have her change religion as well.

This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

I’ve been tempted to check out FBC Dallas’s Robert Jeffress’ Twitter account but have refrained from doing so. I think if I did, a range of sadness, anger, and disbelief would cloud my mind for hours.

The president’s favorite Bible verses.

New York congressman caught on hot mic at protest event: “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care”

Local station News 12 captured Engel, a Democrat, making the comment at a press conference in the Bronx following another night of civil unrest following the death of George Floyd. In a clip posted on Twitter, Engel is seen talking to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. about whether he’ll be able to speak at the event. Diaz is heard telling Engel there’s a “list” of planned speakers and there might be too many people.

“If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care,” Engel says. When Diaz doesn’t hear him, Engel says it again.

This Tesla Cybertruck redesign makes it look like one of the Batmobiles.

Dyson shares new photos and videos of its canceled electric SUV

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Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, June 3, 2020

I think that kid is wearing Reebok Pumps.

It doesn’t matter what I try to do, crack open a book or watch television, but my mind keeps going back to what’s going on in our country. Something I think that has been uncovered are all the marches going on across the globe for the same cause.  The internet sure has divided us but also brought us closer in many ways.

Twice-baked potatoes sound like a good idea but they are highly over-rated.

It was five years ago some folks were worried about a thing called Jade Helm.

This was popular on social media yesterday. My apologies if you are offended, but you should probably get your head out of the gutter, he was obviously referring to a cat.

Am I bugging you? Don’t mean to bug ya. OK Edge, play the blues…

A Twitter feed which is equal parts funny and depressing – @influencersitw

House where Adolf Hitler was born to become a police station

Austrian authorities have presented the winning plan to redesign the house where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889, turning it into a police station.

They are trying to make it unattractive as a pilgrimage site for people who glorify the Nazi dictator.

Mississippi News – Madison County prosecutor: ‘We can only hope the deadly coronavirus strain spreads in riots’

This is from a Houston Redditor.

I have literally never been more proud to be a Texan. from texas

I heard a Terry Dorsey reference yesterday, that’s a name I haven’t heard or thought about in a while.

Here’s the Hardline segment I referenced yesterday in which Bob Sturm talks about faith and politics. Of course, all of this came about due to recent events. A lot of us who grew up in Evangelical youth groups and attended Baptist colleges feel a real kinship with Bob. When Bob talks about his parents and church leadership telling him not to listen to any music other than music from Christian artists from Christian record labels we know where he’s coming from, and how shallow that can make us. We empathized with him when he spoke reverently of Jerry Falwell Sr. while at the same time being frustrated with what came out of his mouth. We know how he feels when certain folks we admire in the Christian community say or do certain things that really aren’t representative of the Christian faith, even though they loosely rationalized those actions with scripture – the most egregious being love of country over love for Christ. We love Bob because we know what it’s like to be Bob. So, when Bob pulled a Jerry Maguire yesterday and laid his balls out there and the segment (which lasted over 23-minutes) wasn’t interrupted to go to a commercial break, we knew this was a big deal. And later in the day when you saw him tweet about the president being a wolf in lambs clothing and retweeted something like this, you totally understood he was at the same crossroads you encountered before, though it’s going to be harder for him because of his public profile. A lot more arrows are going to fling his way. He was brave enough to state something I’ve been wanting to say for years on this blog, it’s all about one issue.

I transcripted almost everything he had to say just in case you aren’t able to listen to the audio.

  • The luckiest thing to ever happen to you is that your mom happened to be within  U.S. boundaries to give birth to you. It had no meritocracy, you simply were born here.
  • I’m part of two groups. I’m a white affluent male. I was born in a Christian home and the religion of my parents became mine. It’s a life of faith I have chosen and I’m not embarrassed by that. If you are part of either of those groups, can you think about employing a little more empathy?
  • It has always bothered me as a Christian that we have white churches and black churches. And I know there’s no fixing it now, but I’m going to take a wild guess and assume there are black churches probably because churches weren’t really welcoming back in the day and so the black community figured out their own house of worship. If I’m uninformed or ill-informed on that, please accept my apologies.
    • I’m taking a wild guess because I am familiar with how things worked in our country, whether it be diners, or water fountains, or hotels, so I’m going to take a while guess and say the people making you go to a different water fountain, or a different restaurant, or a different hotel, probably also had something to say about where you went to church.
  • So where am I going with this? I even think about the wisdom of speaking about this publicly. But I think we, as Christians, and I realize I’m saying “we” and it’s an inclusive term, and if you don’t feel like you are a part of that group feel free. I’m not trying to include anybody against their will. But those of us in quote “Bible Belt” who believe in Jesus and his message, I think we have taken a wrong turn and have confused our faith with our politics, and that’s just so counterproductive, man, because on issues like immigration, and on issues on just social decency, and on issues of racism or whatever, we’ve got our political jersey out and it totally smothers any sort of message of Jesus’ love. And you don’t have to go very far into the Gospels to see, you know, the good Samaritan, and just all the messages of look, if you are treating people differently on color of skin or religion or any sort of thing, you are doing it wrong.
  • And I realize the elections are super important because that it all comes back to abortion, and I get it, I understand. I have parents who would literally, and I love them, but they would vote for Darth Vader to protect abortion (his parents are very religiously and politically conservative and pro-life).
  • And so, you know, as I see all this, and I’m not a real political person, but I really believe that those of us who believe in religion, and again, I’m not trying to alienate anybody because this is not a religious radio station so just bear with me just for another moment. Those of us who really want to see things change in this world, we got separate our faith from our politics. You can still care about both, man, but the second you merge them together, you are more worried about losing an election or losing a judge or losing anything, that’s when you became tone-deaf to anyone who isn’t like you. And that’s how we can’t get out of this, man. And I’m not asking you to change the world, I’m asking you to consider a different, a different uh, turn in the fork in the road, man, or we’re going to be stuck here. I feel that so much.
  • Honestly, it does come back to the human reaction on the blame game. Because affluent white guys or Christians, you know, they don’t want to feel like they are being blamed for society’s ills like, “I had nothing to do with slavery,” “I had nothing to do with George Floyd,” “I had nothing to do with Botham Jean” or the lady in Fort Worth, “I had nothing to do with any of this stuff, why are you guys acting like it’s my fault?” Well, it’s not your fault, but if you are part of this society and you dont’ want to do this every three months, could we figure out a way to have empathy for those who aren’t affluent and white. Could we leave our little shell, even if it’s just between our ears and say, “Man, I could probably pull on the rope a little better to help people that aren’t me.
  • I’m gonna step on a grenade here because my parents are going to disown me on this one. I just think if your willing to sell the world for one political issue, I think you have to have a tipping point, personally, and I get, you know, abortion, because I was raised in a house where that was the only thing that mattered to them and they are freaking that I don’t support the president who claimed for the last five years that he cared about abortion. I’m not buying it, by the way.
  • I do know that most of my brethren from the church, because I’ve argued with many of them about this in the last couple of years, I just think you have to have, like if you want to say, “Look, I will vote for the candidate that agrees with me on abortion,” then my counter to you is, okay, how many other thing are you willing to give up before you would move from that position? And if the answer is literally everything, then we are having a different conversation. Because I think there is way more nuisance to this world than that one political issue. Now that’s a very, very, very important one but so to me is showing no empathy for the little Guatamlean, Honduran, Mexican kids at the border. I think that was shameful because they are God’s children, and as a disciple of Jesus, it’s my job to care about them too. And it’s my job to care about people losing their life because they used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill.
  • I do feel compelled to speak my peace about my particular place in life. Even over the weekend, and we can get into this later, and it has nothing to do with faith, but I honestly was trying to make sure that we didn’t fall under the exact same path of “oh, huh, black community, yeah, hey, really mad about something, had to trash our city again, great.” I’m starting to hear that from relatives, from fellow believers, and I’m just like, dude, don’t fall into the same traps, man. Otherwise, we never heal, we never get better, we never improve it for any of us. Hopefully, some people heard that and wasn’t completely offended by it. And maybe it made you think, and like I said, I don’t have all the answers. My brother is a preacher, there are a lot of good preachers out there that hopefully have better answers than I do. I’m just absolutely sick and tired of a world where we have confused faith and politics to a point where, gosh, I think politics might be more important to a lot of people. And let me tell ya, things of this world that don’t last, yeah, politics. Your election, when you were 30 and you’re on your death bed, you aren’t going to care, but maybe you will care about changing someone’s life.

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