GASP!

October 20, 2005

No one gave Sarah permission to write on this blog! What is this?? I do not take over blogs lightly, and this “serendipity” excursion is no exception! So, I have changed the password to the blog. Sorry, Sarah, but we cannot have any more of your unsolicited antics. This is my blog now…I apologize to those of you that this dissapoints, but I do not apologize to Sally because it does not dissapoint her. She was rooting (behold the power of editing) for me all along.

Anyway, in other news, we have several issues to cover. First and foremost, the woman that played the mom in The Wonder Years is still a very attractive woman. I just saw her in the play “The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial”. Ed Asner was in it also. That was cool to see him as well. It’s part of a traveling LA Theater Works show. Check it out if it comes to your town.

Obviously, this play dealt with the Scopes trial. It was far superior to Inherit the Wind in it gave a more accurate depictionof the trial and was sympathetic to both sides. For example, it made it clear that the trial was not an attack on an unsuspecting teacher, but rather a tactic by the ACLU to challenge the recently passed Butler Act, which prohibited teaching of anything other than Genesis in TN. Scopes had to actually seek out the sherrif to get himself arrested. Ultimately, though, all of that is irrelevant because the point they were trying to make is still valid, whether it was made in a defensive or offensive manner.

It is interesting that this, Evolution vs. Religion, is still such a pertinent issue. Although, it seems it has morphed quite a bit. Now the question is does religion have a place in schools, rather than does anything besides religion have a place in schools. While I understand that it is perfectly legitimate to offer alternative theories to evolution in order to broaden students’ horizons, it seems in a science classroom the only alternatives that should be presented are those that are scientific in nature and are derived through a scientific process. It is a science classroom after all. Teachers should have freedom to teach what they see fit, but they are hired to teach specific things. Why shouldn’t a math teacher spend time teaching karate in class? Luckily, this isn’t really an issue because one can enroll in karate classes if they are so inclined. Granted, that is a far fetched example, but it seems the logic is the same for religion. There are churches and religion classes for that. And “Intelligent Design” is a very thin veil for a Christian view of creation. While talking about it in class doesn’t bother me at all really, because I enjoy discussing things, it does seem that it makes logical sense to keep church and state seperate, and that that does not encroach on anyone’s freedom, as they are free to partake of both venues.

Anyway, I’m still slightly on the fence about that. However, what I think is really interesting is that these issues keep popping up. These days, it seems like all sorts of projects are using historical reenactments to question the present. Everything is “The Crucible” nowadays. George Clooney is all over talk shows promoting “Goodnight and Good Luck”, which looks amazing, and seeks to use the McCarthy era to spark dialogue about the restrictions put on those that try to speak freely nowadays. HBO just came out with “Path to War” about Vietnam, but clearly the telling was inspired for the purposes of comparison our own military conundrums. Anyway, why don’t issues ever go away? Have they resurfaced, or did they never leave? Why can’t we ever put things to rest? And, does it say something that all of these events, the scopes trial, mccarthyism, and vietnam, all of which are generally thought to be negative events in our history, are all being cited under the Bush administration? Does this happen to every administration?

When viewing or discussing the Scopes trial, you can’t help but feel an incredible sadness for William Jennings Bryan, who has his whole belief system shaken and his authority and position debunked at the conclusion of the affair, just days before his death. It’s like watching a giant tower of pride collapse in a single moment. It is much the way I felt about the way Dan Rather got dragged through the mud. I also feel a similar pity for Robert Novak. He sure has faded fast, poor guy. With all three of these guys, there is a sense that they got themselves into it, but still. Why don’t people generally get remembered for their accomplishments if they slip up along the way?

On that note…if Fitzmas comes, I hope it is a happy one for everyone. (I just wanted to write “Fitzmas”…I think it is a brilliant phrase)

I feel obligated to say sorry for these ramblings anytime I blog. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Maybe nothing.

One of these days I feel I’m going to have to spell out why I think “Confederate Memorial Hall” is a bad name for my dorm building. Also, a lot of people talk about how northerners and democrats write off the south, but why don’t people talk more about how the south writes off northerners and “liberals.” One time last year, one of my very conservative christian friends described me as “just your typical non-believer”, but we were talking about abortion, not God. Where does the authority for comments like that come?

Websites: dailykos.com

theslant.net

wikipedia.org

skype.com (GET SKYPE!!!)

(Noah story being edited…on the way…Sally, my favorite reader, I bet you can’t wait)

(This has been Reeve btw)

Posted in blog, life, religion, reviews by Reeve Hamilton