zjvv.net

Jacob Weisberg has an interesting article on slate that asserts the only reason Obama might not win is because of race.

Why?

“let’s be honest: If you break the numbers down, the reason Obama
isn’t ahead right now is that he trails badly among one group, older
white voters. He does so for a simple reason: the color of his skin.”

Polls appear to back this up.

Personally, I don’t know what to make of this. My own personal (and highly anecdotal) experience is that older people are more racist. Lord knows it takes time, and sometimes generations, for attitudes to change. Not only that, but racism takes on different forms. It’s not that my students don’t experience racism (or partake), but rather it looks different. I would not find many students who actually thought a black man/woman could NOT be the president.

This election carries stark contrasts. I liked McCain in 2000. I might not have voted for him, but I had enough sense to know that he was a better choice the George Bush. Now he’s older, cowed by the right, and carries too much of Bush’s legacy.

Of course, after these past 8 years I’m much more disgusted with the Republican party. Its attributes that I respected were completely shredded.

As with most elections, this will be a question of who shows up. Will enough young people, excited about government, stop their texting to drive to the polls? Will evangelicals who think Republicanism and Christianity are synonyms turn luke warm on McCain and not head to the polls?

And, apparently, will “older white voters” make up their minds based on race?

I’ve gushed before about how much Ren and I enjoy Friday Night Lights. It’s a character driven show and we’ve watched with fascination how they all interact and develop over the course of 2 seasons.

We particularly like Taylor family (Eric, Tami, and their daughter Julie). I always find it refreshing to see a good marriage on TV. Not a perfect marriage - Eric and Tami definitely have their moments of tension - but one in which 2 people clearly love and respect each other. They understand that they’re a team and each one has to sacrifice in order to make things work (essentially, they become parents to many of characters on the show).

Not being a parent (yet), I’m really drawn to the scenes where Eric and Tami deal with their daughter because they seem so real. Julie is pretty much a good kid. Good grades, solid head on her shoulder, moral compass. On occasion she makes stupid choices. Predictably, this freaks her parents out. Usually these stupid choices have to do with boys. Check out the scene below to see how her father gives her advice:

Another touching scene is when her mother finds that Julie and her boyfriend are thinking about sex. You see the panic in Tami’s eyes. You hear the muttering of Julie explaining sex as, basically, simple mechanics. And then see Tami explain (remarkably, without boxing Julie into a corner) the dangers of having sex (albeit in very secular terms…but the logic resonates with people of faith).

Never mind that, at first, it looks like Julie’s going to ignore her folks. In the end, she (along with a prince of a boyfriend) realizes that sex was not a good idea.

Good parenting surfaces.

Today I fell asleep in the shower.

It’s my body you see. Most teachers go through this.

Summer puts you on a natural rhythm. You go to sleep when you’re tired (for me, that’s usually around 11:30…unless my wife and I are doing a Friday Night Lights marathon). You get up when you’re rested (usually between 8 and 9). The days become organic: eat, engage, sleep when the time feels, well, right.

Of course, we don’t have any children at the moment.

But it’s still a wonderful experience. One, truly, that I wish more Americans could enjoy.

This week we started school and I had to stuff the rhythm into a factory schedule. 5:45 came with confusion. What the heck? It’s not even light out!

Add 1st of the year stress and I was feeling poorly. In the last 5 years my body decided to act decisively and loudly when exposed to stress. When making the transition from Houston to Cincy, I spent many nights awake praying for at least 2 hours of sleep. Now I face the usual batter of stomach aches, muscle pains, an occasional whatisthat? that surface when times get crazy. Part of life, I suppose.

I deal with it in a number of ways. I talk with my wife, cut out caffeine and alcohol, hang out (a lot) in the Pslams. Mostly I wait for time to pass because, sooner or later, things settle.

So I took a 3 minute nap in the shower. Poured myself a good cup of tea. Drove to school in a slight daze. Rocked out to Ryan Adams as I set up my classroom. Ate icecream with superintendent. Got a haircut so I don’t look so scruby when the kids come tomorrow. Tipped the stylist 3 bucks because she’s awesome and likes to talk about what life would be like if she had to deal with 110 kids a day. And now my wife is driving home to make a chicken pasta salad.

A rocky start. But the forcast looks good.

Today’s CNN has a wonderful editorial by Steven Curtis Chapman on adoption. In it, he talks about the entire adoption process being a “huge journey of faith.

I completely agree. As Ren and I work through the very large ups and downs of international adoption, I completely aware of God’s grace (at times, it’s all we have left to hold on to).

This summer we traveled to the UP of Michigan. Here are the pictures!