WulfCry Weblog

A friend sent this to me, and I thought it was funny. Kind of a good metaphor for the hysteria about pig flu. As a warning, it does have the f-word in it, so if you’re easily offended, don’t read it.

Enjoy!

Piglet Flu

It’s been a couple weeks since the inauguration, and one person has requested my thoughts on the new administration, so here goes:

The Inaugural Prayer
The prayer bugged me. I think a public prayer like that, so obviously aimed at the Christian god, is a blatant violation of the Establishment Clause. I know it has been justified as “but, we have always done that.” That same justification would have kept slavery firmly implanted in the South in the 19th Century. History, to me, it not the best justification, especially for Constitutional violations. I really wish we could find someone man enough to say, “My religion is nobody’s business but my own” and to stand up for disestablishment. Unfortunately, that would be political suicide. Apparently, we have a de facto religious test of office.

Faith Based Initiatives
This one bugs me for the same reasons. Public funding of religious institutions. There is no way those funds can be applied in a way that does not discriminate against sects, and no way to ensure that all the money is reaching the intended beneficiaries. I hope this one gets abandoned.

Stimulus
This one doesn’t bug me as much as it scares me. We all know where this money is coming from. Adding over $1T in debt per year cannot be good. If Saudi Arabia and China decide not to lend us anymore money, and call in our debt, what happens then? And why is there no emphasis on education or job training? It may not be a quick fix, but education and training are the only way to sustain job growth. Instead, education tends to be the first on the chopping block when government is making cuts. On a related note, I’d like to see more action on his promise in the inauguration “If a program doesn’t work, it will be eliminated.” Where’s the review process?

I’d also like to see more efforts to keep the promise of bipartisanship. This one cuts both ways. The Obama administration needs to understand that part of the citizenry wants to see less bailouts, and listen to the republicans’ ideas. Even if they are wrong-headed (and I think they are), it would show that the new Admin is more willing to make things work.

The Republicans, too, need to be less obstructionist, and more willing to look at new ideas. Make practical criticisms (not those based on a mythical belief in Smith, and a fundamental misunderstanding of a modern economy) and come up with some new ideas. The last election should have shown you that your old ideas aren’t working for you. If you come off as reasonable, it will make the President’s obstinacy look worse. For now, it looks like politics as usual.

The Hope
Still, watching the President last night in his press conference gave me hope. It was encouraging to see a president who collects his thoughts before answering a question. It’s apparent that the President has put a lot of thought into the issues confronting this nation. I’m left thinking that it’s still very early in the game. I can easily see this President searching thoroughly for the best answers, changing tack when necessary, and actually learning from his mistakes (again, refreshing). Let’s hope that time proves me right.

My oldest son turned eight last year. That means he’s old enough for cub scouts. I learned a lot through scouting (though I rebelled against it at times because I was forced to go), and was hoping Connor would want to join. My sister was kind enough to take him to a cub scout den meeting with her son, and he had a blast. I was excited, my son was excited to join scouting, so I went a few days later to pick up his Wolf materials.

I was reading through the materials so I could be an engaged parent–it’s been a long time since I was a scout. That’s when I got to the cub scout promise:

Cub Scout Promise

I, (say your name), promise
to DO MY BEST
To do my DUTY to GOD
And my Country
To HELP other people, and
To OBEY the LAW of the Pack

Now the lawyer in me starts thinking, “Okay, he can promise that because he has no duty to the Christian god.” But then underneath, in the book, it has an explanation of the promise. The very first sentence states,

“Duty to God means putting God first . . .”

I belong to a nonmainstream, non-Christian faith. My wife is an Agnostic. We decided long ago we’d let our sons come to their faith on their own, if ever (preferable when he’s old enough to think critically). I can’t ask him to make that promise. So I told him I didn’t think it would be a good idea for him to join Cub Scouts. He was pretty upset and asked why, so I explained the promise and told him I didn’t know whether he believed in the Christian god or not. He said he didn’t know either.

So I asked him if he wanted to join Cub Scouts if it meant making a promise like that. He said, “I probably shouldn’t make a promise if I don’t know if I can keep it.” I was so proud of him at that moment that I could burst. And he immediately calmed down, no fit. It was his choice. Then he floored me even more.

“I should probably explain it to [my cousin who took me to Cub Scouts], huh,” he said.

“I can explain it to his mother if you’d rather.”

“No, I think I should do it myself.”

Now I ask you, isn’t that exactly the kind of boy the Cub Scouts should be looking for? Yet because of religiously exclusive language in the “Cub Scout Promise,” he wouldn’t be able to join without betraying the Cub Scouts basic principle of Honesty. Kind of a catch 22.

I know that the Cub Scouts are a private Christian organization, but is such exclusion really all that Christian? As a private religious organize, I respect its right to choose it’s policies. Interference would violate its free exercise of religion, just as forcing them to let in homosexuals would have been. But I do hope that they will someday voluntarily change this exclusionary language–preferably before my son turns 12. There’s no organization out there like the BSA to teach boys practical life skills and ethical values. . . .

-Wulf

Boy Scout Slogan

Do a Good Turn Daily!

UPDATE

It has come to my attention that some of you may be under the mistaken impression that I am an atheist, and that I prevented my son from joining cub scouts because it conflicted with my beliefs. Below is a response to one such question sent via email. I hope it explains things better.

I’m not an atheist, nor is anyone in my family. I believe in a supreme being, who created the universe, and takes on many aspects depending on with whom s/he is interacting with. That’s an oversimplification, but it suffices for now.

If I were making the decision to make the promise for myself, I might be able to do so, since I have a very special relationship with the Divine. Still, God (with a capital G) tends to connote the Judeo/Christian/Islamic god, and would still make me uncomfortable. I would be even more uncomfortable swearing to put the Divine first–my family always comes first. But I am confident that my god would never require that of me (don’t get me started on the sick myth of Abraham and Isaac).

But the main point is that I am not the one making the promise. [My son and my wife] are agnostics right now. That means they don’t know if god(s) exist(s). Once [my son] determines the issue for himself, then he can wrestle with the issue himself (like I have in the paragraph above). As it is, he can’t even get that far. Regardless of whether the God means the Judeo/Christian/Islamic god, he hasn’t even decided if any gods exists (nor should he until he is able to think critically). Much less can he decide whether to “put god first” in front of his family. I will not ask him to find god just so he can join scouts, and will not pressure him to seek the answers that are so crucial for a meaningful spiritual existence.

Right now, he can’t make that Promise in any meaningful way. And I have an enormous amount of respect for him for realizing that, and for not wanting to make a promise when he doesn’t know if he can keep it. In the meantime, I’m looking for alternatives to scouting that won’t make him make such a promise.

Update #2

Apparently, I am not the only one with this problem.

http://www.scoutingforall.org/data/layer02/aaic/001121901.html

http://atheists.org/blog/index.php/2009/01/06/boy-scouts-denied-again

This is a continuation of the post below:

What are the differences between candidates?

The economy:

McCain seems to be devoted to deregulation and trickle-down economics. It seems that this has been tried for the last eight years. Bush has tried to turn the income tax into a salary tax, and has opposed any regulations. I am familiar with the arguments that the “COmmunity Reinvestment Act” caused the housing crisis, which in turn caused the economic crisis. Yes, it did contribute, but only 1 in 4 ubprime loans were made by institutions subject to the act. Most of them were made with the hopes of borderline-usury profits. And they were traded on the open market due to deregulation. I’d like to see another economic theory given a chance, since the recent policies (VERY similar to the one McCain advocates) has crashed and died.

Foreign Policy:

McCain still sees Iraq as the main front in the war on terror, despite the weight of evidence supporting that it is in Afghanistan. McCain wants to stay there, despite the crumbling justifications for the war, despite the fact that the legitimate, democratic Iraqi government wants us to leave. Obama is for a judicious withdrawal–not leaving, now, no matter what–a coordinated withdrawal based on current conditions and the will of the Iraqi people.

There’s also something to be said for diplomacy. McCain continues to hammer Obama for wanting to negotiate with countries we disagree with. Despite the fact that recent negotiations have made more progress in Korea and Iran than Bush’s eight years of the silent treatment failed. I think Obama’s commitment to multi-lateralism, without sacrificing American interests (ee Obama’s views on Pakistan) erves this country much better than McCains. Perhaps we’ll even achieve an international influence that is due to rhetorical skill and sound policy rather than economic bullying.

Health Care, Tax Policy and energy

This one is too big to address here. I urge everyone who reads this to check out factcheck.org’s analysis of the debate, particularly on health care, energy policy, and tax issues. There is a definite pattern to the two candidate’s representations of the other’s positions, and it is very enlightening. On these, I also urge you to look at the two candidates plans and views. I have my preferences on the path we hould take, and I’m sure you do too. But just watching the debates will not give you a good view of each candidate’s approach. I think the choice is clear.

Please comment. I realize this is a cursory examination. I have more details that I thought would just confuse those who were only mildly interested. If you want more , please email me.

Regards,

Wulf