Liberty Across the Pond

Your Freedom: Britain's liberty is at stake - it is time to have your say

By Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister
Published: 6:30AM BST 01 Jul 2010

During their 13 years in power, the Labour Government developed a dangerous reflex. Faced with whatever problem, legislation increasingly became the standard response. Something needs fixing? Let’s pass a new law.

And so, over the last decade, thousands of new rules and regulations have amassed on the statute book. And it is our liberty that has paid the price. Under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest, the state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives. That intrusion is disempowering. It needs to change.

The Coalition Government is determined to restore great British freedoms. Major steps have been taken already. ID cards have been halted. Plans are underway to restrict the storage of innocent people’s DNA. Schools will no longer be able to take children’s fingerprints without their parents consent.

But we need to do more. The culture of state snooping has become so ingrained that we must tackle it with renewed vigour. And, especially in these difficult times, entrepreneurs and businesses need our help. We must ensure we are not tying them up in restrictive red tape.

So today we are taking an unprecedented step. Based on the belief that it is people, not policymakers, who know best, we are asking the people of Britain to tell us how you want to see your freedom restored.

We are calling for your ideas on how to protect our hard won liberties and repeal unnecessary laws. And we want to know how best to scale back excessive regulation that denies businesses the space to innovate. We’re hoping for virtual mailbags full of suggestions. Every single one will be read, with the best put to Parliament.

It is a radically different approach. One based on trust. Because it isn’t up to government to tell people how to live their lives. Our job is to empower people, giving you the freedom and support to thrive. That belief is right at the heart of this Coalition. And both coalition parties recognise that Whitehall doesn’t have a monopoly on the best ideas.

So, finally, after years in the wilderness, freedom is back in fashion. This is our chance to redraw the boundaries between citizen and state. It’s your chance to have your say.

Source

The Facebook Movie

Those of you who know me know that I am the anti-Facebook. I realize that it allows people to more easily keep up with one another, but I suspect that it is more often responsible for the proliferation of useless information and faux relationships rather than a tool for genuine human connectedness (see Neil Postman's books Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly for further thought on that).

In any case, my aversion to Facebook doesn't really have much to do with my excitement about the upcoming movie, The Social Network. Rather, I am interested in it because the film was written by Aaron Sorkin, one of the most talented and creative people out there today. I've talked here before about my love of all things Sorkin, but I won't rehash a sonnet of wonder for Sports Night or a lament of loss for Studio 60 here, I'll just say that if anyone can write a great movie about a website (or anything), it is Aaron Sorkin. Additionally, the director is David Fincher, the director of such critically acclaimed films as Se7en and Fight Club. Needless to say, I am intrigued.

Facebook has a sordid history, with allegations that the founder, Mark Zuckerberg, stole the whole idea from some fellow college co-eds (the reality is that the claimed founders received a huge out of court settlement after suing Zuckerberg). Sundry co-ed malfeasance, ruthless conniving and general meanness are all rumors that surround the founder and his compatriots during the early days of Facebook. Some of it is true, some of it isn't and most of it is both...but it's all apparently in this film. Whatever this movie is about, it will be quite the interesting piece to watch.

The first trailer was released yesterday. Check it out below, and watch for The Social Network, hitting theaters on October 1, 2010.



Sources:
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/techtonic-shifts/2010/05/13/as-facebook-takes-a-beating-a-brutal-movie-is-set-to-make-things-much-worse.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Network

Quo Vadimus

Where are we going? That has been the question in this last week and a half; it has been such a roller coaster. We've been talking to a church in Missouri for the last few months, and I have been super excited about the opportunity. They're a 2 year old church plant affiliated with Acts29 and the Southern Baptist Convention, and situated in a unique area with a lot of needs and tons of potential for ministry. I had probably completed 2/3 of the process when I called them last Tuesday (the 8th) and they told me that they were going to go with another candidate. They encouraged me a great deal, but at the end of the day, it meant that we were back to square one.

I've really wrestled in the last week with getting back on the horse and searching for new ministry opportunities. For a few days I was just angry and frustrated, and then that gave way to discouragement and apathy. Kristen just moved into her third trimester, and while I am so excited about that, it makes the lack of any ministry opportunity loom more ominously in the foreground. I'm struggling once again with the reality that this will happen in God's timing, not mine, and that ultimately he is the one who will make it happen.

But, as always happens, the Lord put several reminders of his faithfulness in my path. My very good friend George emailed me after I sent him a discouraged email and reminded me that God is teaching me through this time, and that these minor difficulties will ultimately culminate in his glory. He said, "And you know that you can trust Him as He's never proven unfaithful. Not once." Of course I know this, but too often I don't really believe it. I need to believe it. Thanks for reminding me of that George.

Then, early this week, I sent my resume to several pastors that I had not contacted up to this point. The response was humbling and amazing...one of them immediately forwarded my resume to a church, another has a connection to a big church in this area that he was going to contact, and still another said he would even consider creating an internship for me until I found something more permanent. On top of all this, we got two incredible notes from my Grandmother on Thursday, offering to help us buy a pack n play for the baby, and encouraging us to persevere and remember God's faithfulness.

I am my father's son. I love to fix things, solve problems and do serious planning far into the future. I like to be prepared. But what that means for me is that too often I try to plan for God, to direct him in what I think is best rather waiting and listening to his leading. It's a lesson I have to learn over and over again, but God's faithfulness and his plan aren't always what I think or even want. Asking myself "Where are we going?" is a fruitless exercize in my own pride; I am learning once again that I have to ask the one who knows and patiently wait for his answer.

Here's lookin at you, kid

Our most recent doctor's visit allowed us to finally get some ultrasound pictures of our baby's face. It was awesome! We are so blessed that the baby continues to develop right on schedule, and the doctor confirmed that everything looks perfectly healthy and normal. This will most likely be one of the last baby-related posts on my blog for a while, as Kristen and I have started up a new baby blog: littlebabygroves.blogspot.com. Head over there for our latest updates, pictures and to vote in our gender poll. But for now, enjoy these pictures of our little one.

What does this MEAN?!?!

I came across an article recently that I honestly think every Christian should read. It's short and not too difficult, but it addresses an all-too-common failure that is evident in many churches and in the lives of many believers. The failure is this: reading a Bible verse.

Let me explain: it's not that people fail to read the Bible, although that is a problem as well. This problem is at the root of the common lament of struggle to understand what one is reading in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament. Too often, we read the Bible in individual segments, leading to a myriad of questions. Why is this here? What significance does this seemingly boring passage have? What does this mean for me?

But there's a key, one that almost universally unlocks the most confusing and difficult passages in the New Testament: context. Here's the article:

Never Read a Bible Verse
By Gregory Koukl

If there was one bit of wisdom, one rule of thumb, one single skill I could impart, one useful tip I could leave that would serve you well the rest of your life, what would it be? What is the single most important practical skill I've ever learned as a Christian?

Here it is: Never read a Bible verse. That's right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph at least...read the entire article here.

Scripture memorization is a very valuable thing, but too often the one or two verses that are memorized, whether it be as a child in Sunday School or during personal study as an adult, foster within us the idea that verses and stories are divorced and divided from one another. This couldn't be further from the truth! Not only do verses have immediate context (the paragraph and idea that surrounds them) but they have context within the book, within the writer's corpus, within the history of God's interaction with his people, and this is merely the beginning of the contextual issues.

Now it seems overwhelming...how is one person supposed to remember and account for all of those things? Well, relax...and just read. Pay attention to what you just read. Think about what's happening in the story or letter. Ask yourself why something just happened, and what it means. If you walked outside one morning and were surprised by tomato plant growing in your garden, context would govern how you understood that event. Did you plant it a few weeks earlier? Did you just buy the house without knowing it was planted by the previous owners? Is your spouse gardening and not telling you? Answers to all of these contextual questions help you understand why the tomato plant is there, and give you an idea of what could be coming next.

Scripture is a marvelous tapestry of interwoven events, themes and ideas. When you find yourself struggling to understand a verse, read the context and apply it to what you are studying. It will give you a refreshing understanding of how the whole of the Bible fits together, and ultimately will help you better apply the Word of God to your own life.

A few excellent resources for growing in the way you understand the Bible:

ESV Study Bible (by far the best study Bible on the market today)

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible by Robert Stein (more technical, but still an excellent resource)

It's all a shell game...

I've always loved Ford Motor Company, but my affection for them has only grown recently as both Chrysler and GM took massive bailouts from the government to basically subsidise their failure to remain competitive in the marketplace. Ford made a number of smart moves financially just before the recession began, and that, coupled with their star CEO implementing massive product development, manufacturing and quality control changes has left them in a great position to not just weather the storm, but expand their market share.

But GM announced a week or so ago that they too are now back on the straight and narrow road of capitalism, repaying their government loans back early, in full and with interest. Here's the heart-warming commercial I'm sure you've already seen:



Unfortunately, it's all a farce. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley was the first to call it simply a "TARP money shuffle." The official response from the Treasury department seemed to initially contradict this; the statement claimed that GM properly used escrow funds to repay the loan, and that this escrow was not held by the US Treasury, but by GM. That's all well and good, except that the New York Times revealed that this is all merely a game of semantics on the part of the Treasury and General Motors.

According to the Times, the inspector general overseeing the bailout program noted in a Senate Finance Committee meeting that the money being used to pay back the Treasury was "other taxpayer money." The Treasury noted last Tuesday that the money used to repay the bailout was in an escrow account held for General Motors by the US Treasury. This is probably the most troubling quote from the NYT article:

Emphasizing that the cash in the account was “the property of G.M.,” Mr. Allison said that the department had approved the company’s use of the money to retire the original debt because it was “consistent with Treasury’s goal of recovering funds for the taxpayer and exiting TARP investments as soon as practicable.”

Why should you care? The issues are twofold: first, the money isn't "the property of GM" in the first place. It's the taxpayers' money, and represents what comes out of your paycheck every two weeks that is supposed to go to legitmate financial needs of the government. Second, while the Treasury has backed off of their original claim that taxpayer money was not used for the payback, GM deceptively continues to claim they have payed back their loans and are somehow more prepared to survive in the market, while this is clearly not the case. GM used government money, paid by you in your taxes, to repay the bailout money they owed to the Treasury.

How can GM be "a company America is proud of" as CEO Ed Whitacre states in the ad, if they can't even pay off their bailout with their own funds? GM is no more out from under the bailout now than it was before it paid off its loans, it only wants you to think it is. Taxpayers should be embarassed and angry at this charade, and disgusted at the misleading tactics of the US Treasury and General Motors. It's not the taxpayer's job to support a failing business, and until GM can actually turn a profit, that's exactly what it is.



Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02gret.html
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-28/gm-properly-used-escrow-to-repay-u-s-treasury-says-update1-.html

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME...

This will most likely be my last Derby in Louisville, and it promises to be an interesting one. With a flood advisory looming for today and tomorrow, the track is sure to be very sloppy at the 6:24pm post time. There are few things more amazing than watching thoroughbreds run in the mud, and a fast horse on a dry track can be a monster in the wet or get bogged down in the muck. All bets are off.

I've had trouble choosing a horse this year, mostly because I haven't paid very close attention to the pre-Derby buzz and predictions. So I went with a trainer I like...Bob Baffert. The jockey is Martin Garcia, and this is his first mount in the Kentucky Derby. And my horse? Conveyance.

His odds are 12-1, and he's recently won The Southwest Stakes; many of those horses are here now for the Derby, so Conveyance knows the competition. Bred here in Kentucky, Conveyance is a quick out of the gate horse and stamina has been a weakness in the bloodline...if he's back at the start, that's bad news. His pedigree includes a sire and broodmare sire who were both Derby favorites but failed to win. On this track anything can happen, but today, I'll be rooting for Conveyance in the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby!