Free Speech is All or Nothing

This article scares me. [link]

Watching the latest Presidential election unfold I've heard a lot of talk about people wanting the US to be respected by other countries. Indeed I've heard many say that the US should be more like other countries.

No thanks...

The comments on the article were equally disturbing. Someone will give an example of "obvious hate speech," and say, "clearly something like that should be punished." Of course it is extremely naive to list on extreme and assume that everyone sees in the the same manner.

What if I say "Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven."

Is that hate speech?

Not to me it isn't... How about to you?

Free speech can lead to people saying stupid and hateful things, sure, but free speech is also the cause of all things great: Democracy, freeing of slaves, women's liberation, public service, social justice.... FREEDOM.

I'd like to say such foolishness is cast aside in the US, yet for some reason we still seem quick to discuss "hate speech legislation."

[Hate Speech or Free Speech? What much of the West bans is protected in the US]

Outreach?

I had no idea sign appears somewhere in Fort Wayne (a town where I lived), but it does. I wonder, what's the point? It certainly looks like it has been there for a very long time.

[Fort Wayne Observed]

Did I Miss the Memo?

I heard Christians were supposed to be all upset about the new Starbucks logo... Something about it being too sexual or offensive or some such thing. And I heard it was supposed to be ALL Christians. This is how it was reported anyway.

I must have missed the memo. Of course, I have missed a lot of church lately, so maybe I'm just out of the loop.

I saw the logo in question. Looks like a really strange looking mermaid or something.

As Far As Otherwise Simple Disagreements Go...

Seems like these days, when it comes to politics, most people who disagree with you assume you think they way you do because you're just not enlightened enough... You're just not as smart as they are. You must be missing the point... Err something. (Not that I'm any different.)

I think I'll watch the news again some time after November.

All is well! Very busy. I'm happy with my new role and a new company, but it certainly keeps me a little too occupied to blog. I stopped in to check the traffic to this site and I saw that I'm still getting 300+ hits many days.

Of all the great stuff to learn about Jesus people still wonder if he's going to be pissed off about a tattoo!

So maybe I'll try to blog a little more.

God Bless the WWE

A New Era

So I've started this new job... And its a small company/startup in every sense of the word. The word "startup" has gotten some negative connotations in recent years, particularly after the 2001 dot-com era. This startup isn't bad in the same way... In fact, I don't think its bad in any way. There is a business and money and revenue and all that stuff. They are paying me in real, actual money, which I need to feed and shelter my family.

Still, its a risk. Everything is a risk. I just left a rather large corporation. The place where I worked had elevators and marble floors and a corporate gym and HR and clean toilets and stuff. It had a cafeteria and a CEO with a charismatic swagger. It had two parking decks and regular visitors wearing suites.

But still, it was a place where people were being laid off on a somewhat regular basis. I felt secure there, but I think that feeling of job security was just an illusion. It could have been me being laid off... Or not. Startups can either sink or swim. At the same time, the large corporation I worked for didn't seem all that bothered when it laid off a woman who had worked very hard for the company for 28 years. I guess the point is that security isn't given by an employer, and given this fact, I felt (and still feel) a little more compelled to jump out and take a risk at this startup.

What's the worst that could happen? Don't answer that.

Whatever the case, this is a risk that I am excited about taking.

I probably take a little too much pride in being a family man and putting family first over my job. That's a good thing, but I admit to patting myself on the back for it too often. As a friend advised me, it is good to work hard and teach your children that there is nothing wrong with a strong work ethic. I'm at a place right now where, for the first time in a while, I'm actually excited about my job. It's a satisfying feeling. There's certainly a b

One day, about a year ago, my 4 year old (then 3) asked me why I have to go to work. "To make money," I answered.

"Why do you need to make money," she asked.

To simplify things, putting it into words that she could appreciate, I said, "So I can buy you toys."

Last week I was heading out the door for work when my daughter hugged me and pleaded, "Daddy, please don't go to work. Stay here! I don't need any more toys!"

I was only going to be away from her arms for 9 hours. It was a pretty touching moment...

Kids remember what you tell them, that's for sure. Last night I told her that we'd stay up late tonight eating popcorn. When she woke up this morning the first words out of her mouth were, "Daddy, we're going to stay up late and eat popcorn tonight!"

Back to the job thing. With the risk and the opportunity I will likely be putting in some longer hours at work. Something else in my life will have to make way for the time. It won't be family life, and it won't be running. It may end up being my late night viewing of Dirty Jobs and Mythbusters. It will also be blogging... Not that I've been blogging all that much lately anyway.

But I'll keep this blog up, and write whenever I feel compelled to do so.

I love the spring time. Thank God the sun has finally come back out over Northern Illinois.

New Job

So I accepted a new job at a small company... A really small company. I suppose its a bit of a risk going to work for a very small company, but I feel like I have to do this. I've always dreamed of starting my own business, but the reality is that without money and time that ain't going to happen. Maybe going to work for a very small company where I can have a major impact, salary and health insurance while helping build a business is the next best thing...

With these things Christians tend to want to hear from God about the right path to take. Of course prayer and seeking guidance from God is the best way to go about such a thing, but the answer isn't always obvious. All I have is a feeling in my gut that I'm doing the right thing, and I really do believe that as messed up as we all are, we generally should listen to our gut... I have a good feeling that's its in the gut that God very often chooses to talk to us.

Will be working in Naperworld still, so no big moves or anything. Here goes...

Zombies vs. Vampires

It strikes me that the biggest difference between zombies and vampires is generally a matter of I.Q.

Zombies are stupid, whereas vampires are generally as intelligent, if not moreso, than they were before becoming undead.

That is all.

Weight Room Etiquette

Dear dude on the workout bike next to me:

Just because I'm wearing headphones, it doesn't mean that I can't smell. I can't hear much beyond the music in my ears, but I can smell just fine. This means that I smell it every time you let one of those nasty farts slip by.

Today, that was about once per minute for 30 minutes or so. It made my workout even more challenging than typical.

Also, I don't like it that people walking past may have thought it was me with the bad gas.

That is all.

The Race Issue

I don' think about race as often as I'm being told that I think about race.

Honestly.

...And I don't think most people of my generation do.