31 March 2011
Immigration Reform on a State Level
Helene Slessarev-Jamir, a blogger at Sojourners God's Politics blog, says that after a trip to Washington to meet with lawmakers regarding immigration reform, she is confident that federal immigration reform will not happen anytime soon. She contends here for fighting for immigration reform at the state level, where laws such as those in Arizona and Utah have set an example that many other states are considering imitating. This morning's Diane Rehm Show takes up the topic, comparing and contrasting the harsh Arizona law with the more progressive Utah law. You can listen to the broadcast here.
History shows that economic downturns almost always result in a fingering of immigrants. This go round, those immigrants happen to be Latin American. Robert Bentley stated during his campaign that he would consider an Arizona-style immigration legislation for Alabama. With a Republican-dominated government, he shouldn't have too much resistance. Should Alabama follow the model of Arizona, whose law has already resulted in numerous Hispanic parents keeping their children out of school in order to avoid prosecution? Certainly no one would assert that there is any long term benefit of an uneducated cohort of minority citizens (recall that children born in the US, even to an undocumented immigrant) is good for the long-term well-being of the country or state. And are Republicans willing to alienate the largest and fastest growing minority group in America for the sake of winning the next few elections?
I don't have the answers. I know that immigration reform is essential, and I am called to hospitality towards the alien and the outcast. Is there a way to enforce law while remaining humane? I think the Utah law comes much closer to this goal, though admittedly with shortcomings.
History shows that economic downturns almost always result in a fingering of immigrants. This go round, those immigrants happen to be Latin American. Robert Bentley stated during his campaign that he would consider an Arizona-style immigration legislation for Alabama. With a Republican-dominated government, he shouldn't have too much resistance. Should Alabama follow the model of Arizona, whose law has already resulted in numerous Hispanic parents keeping their children out of school in order to avoid prosecution? Certainly no one would assert that there is any long term benefit of an uneducated cohort of minority citizens (recall that children born in the US, even to an undocumented immigrant) is good for the long-term well-being of the country or state. And are Republicans willing to alienate the largest and fastest growing minority group in America for the sake of winning the next few elections?
I don't have the answers. I know that immigration reform is essential, and I am called to hospitality towards the alien and the outcast. Is there a way to enforce law while remaining humane? I think the Utah law comes much closer to this goal, though admittedly with shortcomings.
29 March 2011
Resident Work Hours
With all the fuss about medical residents' work hours, including the change this year to limit intern hours to 16 per shift, what evidence is there that patient safety improves? Not much. Well what about physician quality? Not much good evidence there, either. It turns out that physicians, who are charged with making evidence-based decisions regarding patient care, haven't done likewise in the realm of physician training, as discussed in the MedPage Today article No Harm From Cuts in Residents' Hours.
27 March 2011
Death and Taxes
For the past few months, we have been participating in a book club at the home of Mikey and Lindsay Hannon, where we have had the great fortune of getting to know Shelly Douglass. Shelly is wonderful, a bona fide hippie who has spent her life trying to live a life consistent with her reading of the New Testament - sharing what she has with those who need it, loving her neighbor as herself and going to jail for protesting nuclear weapons. Shelly and her husband, Jim, run a Catholic Worker hospitality house in Ensley, Alabama called Mary's House.
In a couple of weeks, Rachel and I will participate in Mary's House Lenten Retreat. Shane Claiborne is the guest speaker, and he will be talking about The Gospel in the Empire: Consistent Living in the Belly of the Beast (As you can probably guess from the title, Shane's reading of Revelation most likely does not line up with that of John Hagee or Tim LaHaye).
Anyway, I didn't know much about Shane Claiborne before I heard about the retreat, but recently I have read a little bit of his stuff, and he seems pretty smart. He's a staunch opponent of what he would call an empire characterized by an ethic of death. He's not wild about military spending, and he is advocating this year for Christians to engage in civil disobedience on one of the two sure things (taxes) in response to it's role in precipitating the other (death). You can read his interesting post here.
As a good hippie, our friend Shelly and her husband intentionally make just below the taxable income so that they don't contribute to the military industrial complex. Given that you (like me) are not interested in cutting income to below that of the poverty line, what do you think? How do you feel about withholding from the government a small amount in protest of their use of your funds? As tax day approaches (April 18, for those who share my gift for tardiness) and in the wake of the most recent US military action in Libya, would you be willing to engage in what he calls the "third way?"
In a couple of weeks, Rachel and I will participate in Mary's House Lenten Retreat. Shane Claiborne is the guest speaker, and he will be talking about The Gospel in the Empire: Consistent Living in the Belly of the Beast (As you can probably guess from the title, Shane's reading of Revelation most likely does not line up with that of John Hagee or Tim LaHaye).
Anyway, I didn't know much about Shane Claiborne before I heard about the retreat, but recently I have read a little bit of his stuff, and he seems pretty smart. He's a staunch opponent of what he would call an empire characterized by an ethic of death. He's not wild about military spending, and he is advocating this year for Christians to engage in civil disobedience on one of the two sure things (taxes) in response to it's role in precipitating the other (death). You can read his interesting post here.
As a good hippie, our friend Shelly and her husband intentionally make just below the taxable income so that they don't contribute to the military industrial complex. Given that you (like me) are not interested in cutting income to below that of the poverty line, what do you think? How do you feel about withholding from the government a small amount in protest of their use of your funds? As tax day approaches (April 18, for those who share my gift for tardiness) and in the wake of the most recent US military action in Libya, would you be willing to engage in what he calls the "third way?"
25 March 2011
Friday Pick of the Week
I love a cover. Perhaps it was all those collegiate years standing on coolers at band parties singing along with stirring renditions of "You Never Even Call Me By My Name" and "California Love." Regardless, there is something special about someone who can take a classic and make it their own, all the while honoring the original artist. Today's pick certainly meets the criteria of classic, and I think the Civil Wars make it their own. I first saw the duo with Rachel, as well as Courtney and Ivan Wright, when they put on a free afternoon show at Urban Standard last summer. They released their first full album in February to much critical acclaim. Check them out.
23 March 2011
It's not exercise, it's training
The shit is going to go down. Probably.
A few years ago, I suddenly noticed the need to purchase pants a waist-size bigger. I was out of college and generally inactive, while my diet had remained consistent with the high metabolism that led a high school football coach to suggest an intestinal worm infestation. Enter Christopher Barefield. An old friend, Chris and I began growing closer as we committed ourselves not to regular exercise, but to training. Why do we train? We train for when the shit goes down.
What, might you ask, does this shit going down entail? And how might one train for it? We're not sure. But over the span of human history, it seems as though for many societies, it happens. So we train.
That training has taken many forms over the years, from regular pre-dawn runs through Highland's parks to hours spent pulling plastic at the climbing gym. And while preparation for the imminent going down of said shit is an important motivator, the sheer satisfaction of physical fitness is what must drive any training. Now don't get me wrong - I'm certainly not a meat-head and I fall far short of training with the intensity I'd like. I am in full agreement with Tyler Durden of Fight Club when he says, "Self improvement is masturbation." But I find a much needed escape from the boxes of my world in challenging and improving my physical fitness.
In recent years, Chris has taken an interest in Mountain Athlete, a training gym in Jackson, Wyoming. He passed along this article, "Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie," which calls us to reconnect with the simple training methods that are the foundation of any real training program. I find it both convicting and affirming.
A few years ago, I suddenly noticed the need to purchase pants a waist-size bigger. I was out of college and generally inactive, while my diet had remained consistent with the high metabolism that led a high school football coach to suggest an intestinal worm infestation. Enter Christopher Barefield. An old friend, Chris and I began growing closer as we committed ourselves not to regular exercise, but to training. Why do we train? We train for when the shit goes down.
What, might you ask, does this shit going down entail? And how might one train for it? We're not sure. But over the span of human history, it seems as though for many societies, it happens. So we train.
That training has taken many forms over the years, from regular pre-dawn runs through Highland's parks to hours spent pulling plastic at the climbing gym. And while preparation for the imminent going down of said shit is an important motivator, the sheer satisfaction of physical fitness is what must drive any training. Now don't get me wrong - I'm certainly not a meat-head and I fall far short of training with the intensity I'd like. I am in full agreement with Tyler Durden of Fight Club when he says, "Self improvement is masturbation." But I find a much needed escape from the boxes of my world in challenging and improving my physical fitness.
In recent years, Chris has taken an interest in Mountain Athlete, a training gym in Jackson, Wyoming. He passed along this article, "Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie," which calls us to reconnect with the simple training methods that are the foundation of any real training program. I find it both convicting and affirming.
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