The kind-of separation of Church and State

"The word ‘messiah' is a title, and it's a title that has only been earned by one person, and that one person is Jesus Christ."

This was the quote given from a Tennessee judge after ordering a baby's name be changed from 'Messiah' to 'Martin.' This article states that recently he has (justifiably) been cited for an inappropriate religious bias in violation of the state judicial code of conduct.

Reading this story really bothered me. This judge believes that his personal religious beliefs are so important and superior that they must find their way into other people lives and delegate their own choices. We live in a country where Church and State are supposed to be separated. Those words aren't specifically written into the constitution, but it is clear that Government shall make no establishment of religion.

Are we really separate though? As we discussed in class, the President must end all public addresses with "God Bless America." If he didn't he would face enormous backlash- 

"THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T BELIEVE IN GOD!!!!"- But why would that even matter? He should not let any religious affiliation effect a single thing that he does towards ruling the nation. Why do we swear on a bible in the court room? Why can't same sex couples be legally wed? Why is creationism taught in Texas? In my opinion, we are far from separate.

Do you think we are? Will we ever be?

Lou Reed

Saturday morning we were sitting in Charlie's basement and Ben picked up a bass and started playing the signature bass line from "Walk on the wild side" by Lou Reed. 

It was stuck in my head the rest of the day and later that night I dove into the musical offerings of Lou and the Velvet Underground, listening to all there was to listen to. I couldn't believe I hadn't before. 

It made it all the more shocking to wake up the next morning to Facebook status's saying "RIP Lou Reed."

According to this article The Velvet Underground influenced artists "R.E.M., David Bowie, the Sex Pistols, the Talking Heads, Roxy Music, U2 and Patti Smith." Their four albums weren't very popular at the times of their release. However, the lyrical quality is unbelievable. 

From the song "Herion"

"And all the politicians makin' crazy sounds 
And everybody puttin' everybody else down And all the dead bodies piled up in mounds"


The reason this music was so influential was because it was some of the first rock music with lyrics that were meaningful. The songs were about deeper subjects that hadn't before been put into song. 

There are many artists now that resemble the Velvet Underground were in the 60s and 70s. What current acts do you think will be considered legends in the future? 

A few of my guesses are Jack White, Wilco, Beck, The Black Keys, maybe Lady Gaga. 
What are your predictions?

Shooting at Sparks Middle School

A 12 year old student school in Nevada used a semi-automatic handgun at school this morning to wound two other students and kill a teacher. He then turned the gun on himself. This article states that any motive is unknown, as well as where the student got the gun. 

There is no solution to end shootings. As long as guns are being made, people will be able to get them. And as long as people have guns, they will be used for the wrong reasons. We can't physically stop people from coming into possession of guns. But maybe we can convince them not to shoot people with them.

This interview with Marilyn Manson (watch it, it's worth the 4 minutes) occurred years after the Columbine shooting, while he was still subject to blame from people who felt he influenced the shooters.  

His final exchange in the interview is incredibly profound.

"What would you say to them?"

"I wouldn't say a single word to them. I'd listen to what they have to say. No one else did."

Caught on Camera

In this video, captured by a helmet camera, a Range Rover was surrounded by motorcycles on the highway. One cut him off and brake checked the vehicle, causing it to tap his rear wheel. The driver of the SUV stopped, but was quickly ambushed by the pack of bikers. The driver, Alexian Lien, had his wife and 2 month old daughter in the car. As they started to bang on his car, he fled, hitting more bikers in the process. One was paralyzed.

Eventually he got to stand-still traffic and the bikers caught up to him. They smashed the windows of his car, pulled him out, and kicked and stomped on him.


This is not the only video. The entire event was captured by surveillance cameras, highway cameras, and bystanders cell phones and iPads. According to This article, 6 people have been arrested so far for their participation in the beating. One of them was an off-duty police officer.

Had it not been for the videos, the court proceedings may have been very different. People might assume that the driver of the SUV had started the altercation, and he might have faced charges. The helmet camera footage was very important for proving his innocence, and showing the crimes of the bikers.

This is an example of how technology is playing a larger role in the modern courtroom. It allows for prosecutions to be more accurate.


Are there any negative aspects of digital cameras being so widespread?
Do you know of any other cases similar to this one?

China's Internet Surveillance

China's "web police" are employed by the governments propaganda sector.  This article estimates that 2 million people are payed to keep tabs on people internet usage. The Communist party's tight control on censorship is to minimize political or social unrest that could challenge the government and start an uprising. They have banned Facebook and Twitter because of this. Last year they blocked the New York Times due to it's reports that made Chinese political officials look bad. Hundreds have been detained for negative comments, and highly followed bloggers are "encouraged" to make positive ones. 

In this day where almost everything revolves around the internet, it is hardly surprising that other governments (including the US) have their own monitoring tactics as well. This article gives examples:

• A "sarcastic" Facebook status of a boy who said he was going to shoot up a kindergarten put him in jail for months
• Instagram photos of money and guns lead to the biggest NYC gun bust ever
• A mom's Facebook photo of her baby with a bong lead to her arrest

It is also no secret that a New Trier student was suspended last year for Tweeting a joke about bombing the school.

 If you share something publicly on social media, "you should expect the world to read it," said Andy Sellars. This is something we should all know when posting on the internet. It is a public place. We might not have the draconian security that China has, but people still need to be careful. 

How careful are you on social network? How do you think law enforcement should deal with people who claim they were "joking?"