Terrible Analogies

On January 20th, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.  Not only will Barack recite his full name during the ceremony, he will also invoke the name of God, keeping in line with tradition dating back to George Washington.  Nearly every single American President has mention or alluded to God in their inaugural addresess.

Dan Barker, an atheist and co-founder of Freedom From Religion, takes exception to this tradition.  So much so that he’s teamed up with Michael Newdow, another wet towel who in the past took exception to the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, and filed a lawsuit seeking the elimination of the word “God” from the oath of office.

There’s a wrinkle to this:  The word “God” is not mentioned in the official oath the president takes at his inauguration.  The entire official oath reads:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

But as stated above, since the official oath contains no reference to God, why is Dan Barker so intent on protecting us from His name?  If Barack wants to lay his hand on the bible and mention God, why should we stop him?  Heck, if he wants to petition Allah, give thanks to Krishna, or praise the grey spot of mold slowly pulsating underneath his refrigerator, why should we care?  I mean, we the American people elected him in a fair and free election.   If he wants to tack on a “so help me, God” to the end of his oath, why should anybody get bent out of shape?

Dan and his ilk simply wants control.  He wants to censor what we’re exposed to, narrow our field of vision, and dull our critical thinking.  Like it or not this country was founded on jeudo-christian ethics, and its served us well thus far.  The Golden Rule is a good thing.  The lessons taught in the Bible are a good thing.  This is coming from a blogger who doesn’t practice, but does believe that there’s a higher power out there.  If you want to be an atheist, fine, but don’t forget the fact that the vast majority of people in this country believe in some sort of afterlife, and that something out there holds sway over our souls.

Dan, please don’t try to censor what we hear.  Don’t think that we need “protection” from the world and its varying opinions and ideas.  We can understand where people are coming from.  We can respect the opinions and beliefs of others.  Please give us the benefit of a doubt and believe that we’re not going to start dancing a jig around a church waving live rattlesnakes in the air, donning Nikes and looking skyward for the closest NEO asteroid, or naively slapping down our life savings on the first collection plate that passes underneath our noses just because somebody solicits the name of their favorite deity.

Slow down Dan, take a breath, and relax.  If a majority of the American people are not offended by the word “God” than why should you be?  America is about choice.  It’s purpose is not to coddle you, and it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be offended by differing viewpoints.  You choose to be an atheist.  Barack chooses to mention God at what will be the most important time in his life.  So what?  Man up and deal with it.

I hadn’t seen The Who’s Quadrophenia in years, and the wife had never seen it, so last night we tore ourselves away from TMZ’s 24/7 coverage detailing in painful increments the death of John Travolta’s son, settled down with a bag of popcorn and, with the cat passed out between us, watched what was a much more entertaining movie than I remember it to be.

Quadrophenia centers on Jimmy Cooper, a mod stuck in a confusing point in history. The year is 1964 and little Jimmy is at odds with himself and his surroundings.  Pulled between opposing forces while searching for his own identity, Jimmy is torn between a musical scene in flux, parents that doesn’t know how to raise their own children, and mates that covet pills over friendship.  Lost in a blur of pandemonium and schizophrenia, Jimmy must make sense of it all in a time when he desperately needs direction. When answers are elusive and heroes and villains aren’t what they appear, where can Jimmy turn to make sense of it all?

Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll this ain’t…

Oh, and apparently this DVD is “rare”.  I didn’t know I was sitting on a gold mine

The warning at the beginning of the DVD

Quadrophenia defined

Riding to the fateful Brighton riot

Mods attacking the Rockers

A young Sting just before The Police broke big

The White Cliffs of Dover

A friend of a friend asked me if I would like a copy of Gran Torino.  “What an odd question,” I thought, since he knew I already had a copy of Gran Turismo but hadn’t played it in months.  Before I could decline his offer he, like a politician glad-handing for donations and promising favors, placed an unlabeled DVD in my hand, looked me square in my non-lazy eye, and said with a raspy growl, “get off my lawn…”

Last night while bored and sober I recalled the awkwardness of that moment.  Reaching into my laptop bag I slid the DVD out of the front pocket and into the PS3.  I was immediately greeted with a heavy-handed warning that I was “RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DISC AND ITS CONTENTS”.  Seconds later the title screen for Clint Eastwood’s latest cinematic endeavor Gran Torino materialized.

Ah, it all finally made sense.

One question still remains: Did this boot originate from an Oscar/Awards review copy?

UPDATE: There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding this post.  I don’t condone the practice of piracy, but if somebody out of my sphere of influence hands me a disk and asks that I watch it, my curious nature tends to kick in,  compelling me with sharp jabs and prodding urges to comply.  I have a huge DVD/Blu-ray collection, and am one of the hard-core supporters of the movie industry.  Having more movies than should be allowed I have no need to partake in movie piracy.

Hypnotize others quickly, safely — perform any know hypnotic feat with ease!  Amaze friends – Exert your hypnotic power over others – be POPULAR and WANTED!

If only it was that simple.

…but think of it!  My friends, if it was that simple then for less than two dollars I’d be bestowed with the dark ability to hypnotize my way in to financial security, world peace, and a bitchin’ Camaro.  I would be able to weasel my way into the Lincoln bedroom, spirit myself to the front of every line at Disneyland, and whisk my way through the express checkout line at the supermarket with more than 15 items with No. Questions. Asked.

Life would be sweet.

One thing disturbs me though.  What the heck is this guy pointing at?  Is he breaking the fourth barrier and pointing directly at me beyond time and space though this print advert?  Is he simply pointing at the cameraman in a dramatic, practiced pose?  Or is he pointing with stunned shock at some sinister dark force steadily creeping up on the camera man as his picture was being taken in a desperate attempt to warn said cameraman that something none-too-nice with teeth and claw is about to ruin both their days?  The mind reels at the possibilities.

Here’s to starting things anew.  Hope everyone has a great New Year’s eve and manages to stay warm while out celebrating tonight.  

Special thanks to everyone for taking the time to visit this humble blog.  Looking forward to sharing stories and reciprocal links with you in 2009.  In the meantime, I tip my glass to you.  Happy New Year!

ProTip: If it gets too cold, wrap your head in bacon to stay warm.