terror state

There are many things that I perceive to be very wrong with the country which I hold my citizenship. Some would say that puts me in line to buy a ticket out of here. But if you look at places like the Congo, Sudan, and Pakistan, the people who live there often see the horrible things done by their countrymen and leaders but wish to remain in their home of origin and find some pride that they are from there. I think the most disappointing thing about America is the wealth of potential that abounds here. Yet we are effectively a terror state. The citizens are terrorized through the media and the world at large is terrorized either directly through occupation, colonialism, hegemony and imperialism in the developing world or by our support of extremists, be it rebels or governments, as the country chooses different sides for the sake of financial gain or the assertion of global dominance.

Undermine

For a while now, I have been considering my high school period and the seminal moments therein, specifically, the period of time where I was attracted to punk rock. I loved punk rock and the idea of punk rock on multiple levels. The first and most obvious was the immediate counter cultural aesthetic I conveyed. It is not that I would have been unable to conform to normative fashion trends in the sense that I was poor or did not "get it," rather I simply found no interest in looking the same as others. The next was political in the sense that punk rock seemed to encourage a sense of civil unrest and an ostensible quest for questioning. It brought about my eventual and continued resistance to totalitarianism, authoritarianism, colonialism, imperialism and made me aware of activism, social justice, environmentalism, civil rights and advocacy of the "other." Third, it was the total purity of the music. It was angry at the complacency of society and it wanted to be heard. It was loud, fast and full of emotion. It gave me a connection to the few others who liked the same music and were in to some of the same things. However, the most important thing was that it gave me room to be me and to discover myself. There was no funnel of who I should be and what I should do. It let me create art constantly. It allowed me to patronize art. It allowed me to engage in politics and social issues from a young age, and encouraged me doing so. It pushed me to become independent of what society told me I should do and how I should act and think (this does not mean I disregarded all societal norms, merely that if I was in agreement with them, it was of my own volition). For all of this, punk rock, I salute you.

land of ports

Portland in two weekends. I might throw up.
SO EXCITED!

Itinerary:
Friday
-outlet stores
-hangs
-all day
-nerd stuff
Saturday
-downtown
-sizzle pie
-art museum
-shopping
-powells
-spencer
-sushi
-ice cream
Sunday
-voodoo
-church
-taco lunch w/ friends

Book list to come...

2012

Films. Not in order. Just in like.

-Jiro Dreams of Sushi

-Dark Knight Rises

-Sound of my Voice

-21 Jump Street

-The Avengers

-Skyfall

-Moonrise Kingdom

-Prometheus

-Hunger Games

-The Amazing Spiderman

-Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

-Goon

-Safety Not Guaranteed

There are more that will be added, the ones that I have yet to see.

However, for now, this will suffice.

Also, pop songs.

-"Niggas In Paris" Jay Z & Kanye
-"As Long As You Love Me" J. Bieber
-"Die Young" Kesha
-"Home" Phillip Phillips
-"We Are Never Getting Back Together" Taylor Swift
-"Thrift Shop" Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis
-"Thinkin Bout You" Frank Ocean
-"Birthday Song" 2 Chainz & Kanye

pious liberation

It seems to me that the fundamental difference between liberation theology and right wing Christian fundamentalism is activism vs. imposition. Both effectively have the same goal: homogeneous egalitarian utilitarian politicism (yes, I believe those two can be in the same accord in a sense). However, right wing fundamentalism seems to have collided with the GOP as of late, though not absolutely, which seems to have generated a tyrannical form of political-religious hermeneutic that wishes to enforce the will of God. However, I believe one of the keys to liberation theology is that it does not wish to bring about the kingdom of heaven on earth, rather, it wishes to live as the kingdom of heaven on earth. This does not include mandatory inclusivity, as this is never the case with Christ. He demands obedience but does not force it upon his people, as seen in the Genesis narrative and the whole of the Pentateuch and as shown through the sacrifice of Christ. The key is the choice of humanity. This is what is so frustrating to me about Christian fundamentalism; they feel so strongly about issues that they feel they need to act as God's rod and staff and they believe that the state is the strong arm of God. Thus, the hermeneutic of political imposition is utilized and not an eschatological pious ecclesiology. This is what I believe is wrong with the current relationship with the Church and the state in America.

Saints

Dorothy Day was a great devotee to Christ, his church and his love of humanity. She began the Catholic Worker Movement, a community of people dedicated to helping the poor and marginalized. She was a pacifist and an anarchist, following in the footsteps of the likes of Leo Tolstoy and sharing the company of Jacques Ellul. Recently, NPR briefly discussed her life. And most recently, she has been officially called to be canonized as a saint.

Subject: subject

Good point.