Jan's Stinkin Blog: March 2014

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Proof of the Big Bang?

When I want to give myself a headache, I read new discoveries in astronomy.

The newest mind blower was the discovery of visible proof of the BIG BANG or the beginning or creation of our universe some 13.8 Billion years ago…head hurt yet?

In science, any discovery is not a discovery unless it is replicated by others so we have to wait for that but if it is replicated it will give credence to the inflationary universe theory that calculates that in the first billionth of a trillionth of a quadrillionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe expanded so rapidly, it actually exceeded the speed of light (186,000 miles per second).

As mind blowing as that is my crazy thought process asks if we can prove the Big Bang happened, what or who caused the Big Bang and it is at that point that things get interesting…

The movie NOAH is coming...

The movie NOAH starring Russell Crowe is coming out at the end of the month and I am anxious to see it.

These kinds of movies are usually very popular with American audiences having been raised on Bible stories. My wife still watches the Ten Commandments movie every time it is shown…tradition?

I am more interested in how the Bible story is portrayed and the dramatic license that the director takes with the story to make it more appealing as a movie.

The movie NOAH has been previewed to a number of religious audiences to see how accepting they would be of the way the Bible story is portrayed on the screen and, I suppose, the movie could be altered if the reaction was very negative.

It was interesting to read that many in these audiences of religious people were quite ignorant of the NOAH story as told in the Bible but were quite familiar with the cute story of Noah and the animals they learned as children…remember the invention of the rainbow as the sign everything is OK?

Many objected seeing Noah drunk and naked…not something they expected from a man that saved the world…but drunk and naked was the way the Bible described him.

I can understand why this part of the Noah story is never emphasized by religion teachers; it’s complicated and controversial.

Basically, Noah plants grape vines after the flood, makes wine and drinks it. He gets drunk and removes his clothes before passing out in his tent. His son Ham sees him naked and tells his brothers who cover him up while averting their gaze from his “nakedness”.

When Noah sobers up and finds out that Ham saw him naked, he curses not Ham but Ham’s son Canaan saying that he and his people will always be subservient to the rest of the brothers…got it?

This particular passage has been interpreted in a number of ways for like ever…everything from a justification of the invasion of Canaan by the Jews to a justification for black slavery (Ham populated Africa).

More on the movie and the story after I see it.

SUPREME COURT: Religious Exemptions to Obamacare...

I have argued before against the opposition to the requirement of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that insurance plans offer contraception services to women, by businesses and organizations that object to having to provide such services on religious grounds (First Amendment Freedom of Religion).

The issue is now before the Supreme Court in a case involving the owners of The Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties. These companies want to be “exempted” from having to offer plans that provide contraception services that they feel are actually “abortions”.

To be fair, Hobby Lobby will provide some contraception services (unlike Catholic institutions) but not services such as the “morning after pill” like Plan B.

In discussing this issue with my wife, she felt that businesses or business owners should be able to behave according to their own wishes and beliefs. I replied that they can; they can offer health insurance mandated by law or they can opt out of offering health insurance altogether and pay a small fine BUT they cannot be “exempted” from certain provisions of the healthcare law based on their religious beliefs.

If the court allows certain companies to be exempted from certain plan requirements who is to say that some company owners wouldn’t want to be exempted from blood transfusions, psychiatric care, vaccinations or anesthesia because of some weird religious belief as argued in the New York Times editorial of 3/23/2014 titled: CRYING WOLF ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.

Remember what happened in Arizona just recently where the legislature there wanted to pass a law giving individuals and businesses the right to refuse services to same-sex couples because of their religious beliefs?

Yes, the First Amendment to our Constitution protects individual religious freedom by prohibiting the government from establishing a national religion or even favoring one religion over another and in this case, the owners of the two companies are not prohibited in any way, the practice of their religion.

On the other hand, a business is not an individual with religious beliefs.

In my mind, the owners of these companies are trying to impose their religious beliefs on their employees and thus impinging on the employees’ beliefs (or non-beliefs) and also denying those employees health services that they may want or need.

Our Constitution mandates the Separation of Church and State and the Affordable Care Act is a government law passed by Congress and signed by our president and as such is immune from any religious challenges because it does not in any way, impact any individual’s religious freedom and the practice thereof…the law does not force anyone to use contraceptive services while the businesses in question want to prohibit employees from using said services.

Pope Francis tackles sexual abuse scandal...

Pope Francis continues to tackle issues that need tackling.

Yesterday, he appointed a commission to handle the priestly sexual abuse matter; a matter the Vatican and the previous popes have been severely criticized for. The criticism basically involved the apparent cover-up by the Vatican of a matter so abominable that it defies comprehension on all levels.

The eight people appointed to the commission includes four females with one female an actual victim of priestly abuse and an activist in bringing priestly predators as well as their protectors to justice.

Only three clerics were appointed and they included Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, Reverend Zollner of Germany and the Reverend Yanez of Argentina.

The fact that the commission has more lay people than clerics is significant. Lay Catholics have been demanding more power and influence in running the Church but have always been met with stern rebuke saying the Church is not a democracy and is solely governed by the pope (king) and his princes (cardinals).

It is obvious that the only change this commission can actuate will be dependent on the “power” it is granted and that remains to be seen.

But this is a step in the right direction by Pope Francis…we will be watching.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

MICHIGAN overturns gay marriage ban...

Here in Michigan, the gay marriage ban law that entered into our state constitution a few years back has now been overturned or ruled unconstitutional yesterday.

Many conservatives (who voted for the ban) are outraged that a vote of the people has been overturned.

This is usually a valid concern but it has become very obvious that a sea change has occurred in this country as to how the American population views gay marriage and therefore many of the people that voted to ban gay marriage in the state of Michigan no longer think that gay marriage should be banned but should be made legal.

This is a huge change in opinion in a relatively short period of time and scholars will be analyzing this remarkable shift for years to come.

I feel that finally people started realizing that homosexuality is not a choice but that people are actually born homosexual and that led to the view that homosexuals are “real” people that belong to the human race just like non homosexuals.

For this reason I feel that the ban on gay marriage in our state can rightfully be overturned on Federal Constitutional grounds as unconstitutional because the ban discriminates against a portion of the American population.

It still amazes me to see all those protesters who carry signs saying God does not approve of gay marriage; how in the hell do they know what God approves of or not…and it is this ignorant arrogance that must be challenged at every turn of our social progression towards enlightenment.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

JURY DUTY EXPERIENCE... Well worth it!

Just finished 3 days of jury duty at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit at the court of Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway of the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan.

I have been called up for jury service on a number of occasions but never served until now.

Jury duty can be a pain in the ass as you have to interrupt your schedule and get your but to downtown Detroit which can be a little daunting especially when you don’t really know the streets there and finding parking can be a real chore but the experience is instructive and very humbling.

We had a pretty diverse group of men and women, black and white, young and middle aged (I am not old). The amazing thing in this group is that we liked each other immediately and all got along famously right from the start.

Even more amazing is that when the trial was over we all formed the same opinion before discussing the case; we all voted not guilty on all counts; the prosecution was that bad and the defense was that good.

I say the experience was humbling because you realized that in your hands was the fate of (in this case) a young woman; every one of us was a judge and had to listen to the evidence and decide who was telling the truth and who was lying or manipulating the truth.

Upon leaving the courtroom we were greeted and thanked by the defendant and her parents (all sobbing) and believe me that makes a huge impression on you and you feel good about what you have done for that family and our society in general.

When you get called up for jury duty, don’t bitch and just go…you will appreciate the experience.

Saturday, March 08, 2014

CRIMEA: Give it to the Russians...

My wife is 50% Ukrainian. Her grandfather, on her father’s side, came to the U.S. as a young man looking to escape a region that did not offer any hope of a happy, peaceful and prosperous future; he did well in Detroit and so did his children and grandchildren.

Ukraine still remains a country with a questionable future especially now that the Russians have invaded Crimea which was gifted to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchev in the 1950s. Why did he do that???

The Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea has been invaded numerous times by Huns, Tartars, Greeks, Turks, etc. and was once an outpost of Venice and Genoa; yes Italians.

The Russians have always considered Crimea as part of Russia which it was for a long time and most of the people living there are Russians anyway. The Russian fleet is based there since all other Russian ports are frozen solid and this is of vital importance to the Russians.

Yes the Russians should never have given Crimea to the Ukrainians but they did; they must have thought that the Soviet Union would last forever…not!

Anyway, I think we should allow Crimea to transfer to the Russians. Allowing the Russians to control Crimea will bankrupt Russia since the place is basically bankrupt itself…as is all of Ukraine?

The real problem is what will happen in the rest of the Ukraine which thanks to Stalin is divided into Ukrainian speaking people and Russian speaking people. There are also many Poles living there since Stalin took a good portion of Eastern Poland and put it within Ukraine’s borders.

Putin is trying to rebuild the Russian Empire and he needs allies like Ukraine which until recently was in the Russian sphere of influence until the pro-Western Ukrainians toppled the pro-Russian government.

A civil war could break out in the Ukraine and the country could end up divided along ethnic lines with Ukrainians in the West and Russians in the East.

Either way, the country is bankrupt and needs monetary and organizational help desperately.

I can see a country divided with the West helping the Ukrainians and the Russians helping the Russian part of the Ukraine.

This would be like Germany during the Cold War, with the Western part prospering and the Communist side faltering badly.

This is great history in the making and I am quite excited about it even though it is a serious matter and I hope cooler heads will prevail. I am hoping that Germany’s Merkel will put together a deal which will allow Putin to save face and Obama to look like he won also.