A chef, a Chase guy and a cheap pair of glasses

Those who have read a few of my posts over these last 7 1/2 months have, no doubt, noticed a "glass half-full" point of view when I offer an opinion.

With the daily astonishing, inspirational and largely peaceful rallies/protests in Tehran, the timid step forward with today's Executive Order regarding LGBT government employees and the recent push to reform health care toward lowering costs and increasing quality, there is certainly plenty to comment on in the world.

So these monumental events can stay in the spotlight, I'll keep the comments short:  I wished Americans were as passionate about their votes in the last few Presidential elections as Iranians appear to be on their recent Presidential election where it seems all but certain that votes were stolen/fudged/tainted.  Rachel Maddow aired a beautiful yet brief video from a recent rally -- it was quite the spiritual moment

On the Executive Order:  the LGBT community has gotten far more done when we have to push harder against the government to get the equal right to which we are entitled as citizens.  Maybe Obama is a smarter student of history than anyone knows ?

And, uh, health care reform without a public health plan option?  If it does not include some sort of availability to a public health care plan, how could it possibly be reform?  What sorts of incentives would private insurers have to decrease administrative costs and provide better quality coverage if there isn't an equally large public plan with which to challenge them?

Amongst all of the usual political silliness and the knee-jerk talking point debates on all issues involving the government, my big "ain't it cool" moment was waiting for me at one of the Metro stops this afternoon.  On any given day, one of three dudes I mentioned above is usually waiting to board the same train I am.  Each of these guys is very easy on the eyes in their own way and range in age from 25 to 45.  There are even some days when I do not see any of them -- I tend to get very focused on the political chat shows playing on my radio without the visual distractions.

Today, I saw all three at the same stop, each looking their best.  It seems that just when I've had too much insanity in my day, I sometimes find myself being able to enjoy the view all that much more.

Sunday images and video: healthcare / election protest

I'm having the usual feelings of outrage with outbursts of laughter this morning.  "This Week", I'm sure, will leave you feeling much the same. 

So much malarkey about the public option being suggested by the President.  Since when did Republicans get so jerky and nervous over a new big-box operation opening in town which threatens the "mom and pop" managed care/health insurance companies.  Oh, the poor mom and pop corporations!!

What's all the stammering and stuttering really about amongst the right wing?  A genuine sense of caring for Joe Q Public?

Take a breath from all of that laughing.  Life.com has a series of striking photos from the protests in the streets of Tehran, Iran launched from the results of their elections on Friday.  

I hate admitting this, but I think George Will on "This Week" has this one correct (the debate on the election follows the discussion of health care in the "This Week" link above).  There are a LOT of people aged 30 and younger in Iran, as the photos easily prove.  They, like many their age in the West, are computer/tech savvy and I'm sure have found ways to circumvent their government's control of information.  It's only a matter of time before there is a much stronger network of young people who will become more and more able to take over the government, secular and theocratic, as time goes on.

If anyone really wants to support the Iranian people in their struggle for fair representation in government, the best way seems to be to keep the flow of truthful information streaming into that part of the world.

Tires, Shopping and Relish

I did something today I had not done in nearly nine months - had my car serviced.  As you might imagine, the car needed much more than an oil and filter change.  No, it does not mean that the car was running poorly; it was just overdue for maintenance and the dealership successfully found other things to fix, including removing air from the tires and replacing it with nitrogen.

Upon a few minutes of searching the 'net, it appears that nitrogen filled car tires makes a marginal difference in gas mileage but my guess is that it was of bigger benefit to the dealership.  So as to not sulk about my lack of all things automotive, I'll reclassify this experience as an opportunity to help an ailing industry and, more importantly, make at least a partial investment in America (or, at least, to Penske Automotive Group).

Out of a gloomy couple of weeks of bizarre weather, it seems the mall at which I wound up wandering as the car was getting serviced is, at least, holding its own.  At a time when our nation's economy is in some state of transition, it's all too easy to find going out of business sales, struggling industries and hesitancy in starting new businesses.  I found a department store that is, as well, investing in America (see the photo above), even if it is only building a new store to replace its existing store at the same mall.  The construction site still looked active -- no permanent work stoppage here.

I even stopped by a new-to-the-area burger joint that is familiar to recent followers of all things political.  If it is good enough for our President, it's good enough for me.  The vote on the burgers was mixed, though, in our household -- I could not tell what all of the fuss was about.  However, the place was busy this afternoon and the crew behind the counter working at lightening speed.

Yes, sometimes it's important to just celebrate the small victories.  Even if it's just with a double patty burger.

One Christian's response to recent events

I have digested as much liberal and conservative goulash over the events in Kansas early last week, the killing of two soldiers in Arkansas the very next day and what happened today at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

Strangely, my stomach feels extra full and I think I may end my night with something plopped into tap water that tickles the nose and causes all sorts of noise to come out of me.

As I let my nightly dose of liberal talk wash around my ears as the Metro whisked me toward my car, the connections between these two events becoming, well, evident, something occurred to me.

Where is the Christian reaction to all of this?

The bright, shiny church down the 5 freeway is saying . . nothing?  Though, it is nice to read about kindness.  Enjoy!

A little further down the 5 freeway at one of my favorite Hawaiian shirt wearing pastors church?  Talk about a revival from the good pastor and, again, nothing of the events from the past two weeks.

A visit to the "wealthy is cool with God" church, uh, whatever you would call them, has a series of blog posts that, while light on the Scripture quoting (OK, there's none), are still pretty good.  I almost popped out the plastic and searched for the shopping cart logo.  Then, I saw the professional head shots at the top of this page and figured that their needs are already well tended and they seem to have such busy lives that, perhaps, offering a piece of inspiration to counter the disturbing events of the past two weeks would just be a bit too much of a buzzkill. 

Gosh, if my eyes ever pop that big and my skin becomes that flawless, I may then make my move to the big time stadium grandstanding, book publishing and fancy car driving that I'm sure God would have in mind for me . . . or not.

The moderator of my church's denomination had a really good post about Dr. Tiller's death and her experience with a women's right to privacy.  In all fairness, though, some Christians may lament the lack of Scripture references in the post.  You may even wonder about my own lack of Scripture reference in this post, but then again I am not any church's staff member or clergy.

My brief tour of the blogosphere's Christian Corner, it seems, has turned up not a whole lot of perspective, opinion or even a seamless "here's what Jesus would do" twist on these three news events.  So, here is what this very amateur Christian has figured out.

Every Christian now has the opportunity to witness.  I don't mean "witness" in the traditional sense, though.  Whenever a Christian sees, hears or is in the vicinity of an injustice being done to anyone because of the way they look, talk or behave, we have a responsibility to stand up for that individual and represent the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Whether we physically insert ourselves between the two parties, diffuse the situation with distraction or even find someone in charge and bringing the situation to their attention makes no difference.  By acting as we would imagine Jesus Christ acting in a similar situation, we are really "witnessing" to others around who may never have seen someone behave as a Christian must behave in the face of injustice.

It is virtually impossible for any of us to stand in the path of an actual bullet, and no one should ever demand that any of us do so.  It is a rare individual who can reach through to people as far removed from good as these three gunmen were and turn their beliefs around toward love and reconciliation in time to prevent another senseless act of violence.

Since none of us really knows where the next shocking act of violence will occur, we have no idea whether we are just representing God or being that someone that makes a strong, positive change in someone's life.

It is becoming obvious to me what happens when Christians do nothing.

Adam Lambert may be the center of the universe

As a photographer, I make a very good blogger!  This is the entrance to the Virgin Megastore in Hollywood, CA.  The doors are set to close on Sunday.  Does this mark the end of an era in "brick and mortar" stores dedicated to selling music?

Well, sort of.

CDs are still available for purchase in your local low-cost big box department store and in your big box bookstore/coffeehouses.  While the storage units in the department stores are usually disheveled, there was a certain joy to rooting around the bins finding some lost treasure and running up to the counter to buy it before the album fades into obscurity.

In recent years, the whole shopping experience has gotten more and more tiring. More stores boarded up, more families wandering around aimlessly in the malls with strollers and toddlers in tow and a lack of anything of interest to me inside these cathedrals of commerce were all contributing factors.

Besides, why get in my car, drive somewhere to shop with strangers when I could find what I need here on-line?  I can even find other interesting things on which to comment.

For instance, what has Clay Aiken, Rob Zombie and a conservative blogger all riled up in recent weeks?  Surely, it's something that affects people all over the world -- maybe the state of the economy, global warming or the latest heartless dictator flexing their muscles for all the world to see?

Nah, it's just Adam Lambert.

I have never watched any American Idol episodes and can report I have never heard Mr. Lambert sing.  But, apparently, with makeup, loud costumes and a recent confession to being gay, he's making a wide variety of individuals a bit nervous.

I'll go with Rob Zombie on this as to why this is really much ado about nothing:

"I'm sure Adam can f--king sing 10 times better than Mick Jagger, but who gives a s--t," Zombie told me the other day. "He ain't f--king Mick Jagger. You know what I mean? There are probably a million guitar players in the world better than Keith Richards, but they ain't f--king Keith Richards!"

On the other hand, Idol has blasted the door of opportunity off its hinges for Mr. Lambert.  Now that he has the freedom to take the next step in his career, I can only wish him luck.

Does make me kind of wonder why anyone would be so critical of someone who's poised to begin a pretty incredible journey.  Jealous, maybe?