Hugh Hollowell

In our ever growing quest for empire, we are now erecting a wall along our southern border. Some quotes of note from the article [along with my commentary]:

To meet his deadline, Chertoff is using sweeping authority Congress granted in 2005 to waive 36 federal laws protecting water, air quality, endangered animals, and native American sites. [Good thing we have that constitution, or else we would be totally screwed!]

The structure is designed to push would-be illegal immigrants and drug smugglers out into the desert where they are more easily caught, said Border Patrol Agent Martin Hernandez. [Uhhhm, isn't it more dangerous for humans in the desert? And this is our strategy?]

According to Garcia, ten years ago some 100 people died annually illegally crossing the border, most by dehydration in the desert or drowning as they tried to cross the Rio Grande.

The figure has been around 500 since the border crackdown intensified in 2005. “In other words, the same number or more people are crossing the border,” he claims. [so, our efforts are killing more people who want a better life for their family. And this is why we suspended the constitution?]

Frikking insanity. I still maintain that the ‘imigration problem’ is a racist concept. After all, no one seriously suggests that we build a wall across our Canadian border. but, after all, they are white people, so they cannot be terrorists.

Michael Spencer posts an angry post about Jesus and mega-churches and suburbia, at one point comparing their Jesus to Tony Robbins and Oprah. The only thing I disagree with is that it ain’t just in the ‘burbs, Michael. I see it in the city as well.

Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am

The words above are from that great philosopher Sammy Davis Jr in his song I Gotta Be Me.

I am jealous of people who blog about one topic consistently, and once upon a time, I wanted to be one of those people and actually had a blog about small business. The problem is that I am just not that focused. And I have came to peace with that, and have decided I like it that way. Even if it costs me readers.

For example,  I have a lot of posts on this blog about Jesus, and I think that bothers some people. But, this is my blog, and I am a follower of Jesus, so I am going to talk about that and what that looks like.  But I also talk about writing, about goofing off, about my ADD and coping with that, about my friends, about my frustrations and so on. If you are just here for the Jesus stuff, a lot of times you are going to be disappointed. Likewise, I blog a lot about Raleigh and living here and what that looks like. If you only want that, you will probably be a little uncomfortable when I rail against modern Christianity.

So, like I said, this is my blog, and it reflects me, and just me. The views I state here are mine at that exact moment, and sometimes do change. I am full of interests and passions, and this is where I talk about them. If on a given day I am not talking about things that interest you, I am sorry. If you can, I hope you will hang around, because I will probably be talking about something different tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I can’t be what you want me to be, ’cause I gotta be me.

John Frye expresses his disgust with The Soundbite Gospel (such as the four Spiritual Laws) in a hilarious way as he shows what the story of Anne of Green Gables or Ben Hur would look like broken down into just four steps.  Very much worth a read if you too are tired of a soundbite Jesus.

My friend Lisa is putting together a mix tape for her boys aged 13, 10 and 8, and wants it to be a) rocking and b) educational as to rock music appreciation. If you like to rock, go check out her beginning list and make appropriate recomendations. I am always jealous of kids who have ‘cool’ parents… I grew up in a house that listened to a lot of Conway Twitty.

So, today I am sitting at Helios, my second favorite coffee shop in Raleigh, NC, talking to my friend Abby and generally avoiding work that I should be doing when we discovered that we lived about two blocks apart from each other when I lived in Memphis.

In addition, while she lived there she took a picture of my bookstore/coffee shop in Midtown (although she never came in… which, multiplied by about 150 people a month, explains why I no longer own said bookstore/coffee shop…)

Photo Credit: Abby Ladybug

My friends Ginny and Wayne have launched 30threads.com, a hyperlocal site that highlights stories, blogposts and other noteworthy content from, or about, the triangle.  Go check it out!