Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 From My Living Room


I don't really watch enough movies or listen to enough new music to do a best-of list in those categories, but I watch a lot of TV.  Here's what I loved in 2012:

1.  Mad Men
It seems like every season Mad Men is more self-assured than the last. Matthew Weiner and company know that subtlety is their greatest weapon and they wield it with aplomb. 
2.  Breaking Bad
This show could really be 1(b). Vince Gilligan and his writing staff continually paint Walter & Jesse into ever-tighter corners only to deftly maneuver them out in breath-taking fashion. All without straining credulity. Flawless.
3.  Louie
One of the most unique half-hours on television, Louie isn't so much a sitcom as a series of short films. Absurdist humor and somber meditations on life have rarely been melded so seamlessly.
4.  Boardwalk Empire
It seems that viewers expected perfection right out of the gate due to Boardwalk Empire's sterling pedigree. What they found was a show that has plenty of panache and a beautiful veneer, but also comes with its share of heavy-handed moments. Those that bailed on the show early missed the development of some fantastic characters in addition the kind of well-crafted action and drama that makes premium cable worth the price of admission.
5.  Game of Thrones
Hardcore fantasy geeks and novice nerds alike have found lots to love in HBO's superb adaptation of George RR. Martin's best-selling novels. The most downloaded show of 2012 is also one of the best.
6.  Community
There's a reason why this show has one of most passionate fanbases on the internet. Enjoy it before it's gone. #SixSeasonsAndAMovie
7.  Justified
Justified is a modern-day Western set in Kentucky coal countrya place that's colorfully and stylishly rendered and home to some of the best villains on TV.
8.  Homeland
While many viewers took issue with the believability of Homeland's second season, it provided plenty of unexpected twists, a few sublimely rendered scenes, and more outstanding acting from Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, and Mandy Patinkin.
9. Treme
Three seasons in and Treme continues to be criminally under-appreciated. Viewers looking for The Wire 2.0 were quickly turned off by its slow-burn narrative and rambling pace. Those that stuck around, however, have found that there's no better place to kick back, enjoy some jazz, catch up with some old friends, and learn about one of America's most fascinating cities.
10. Girls
When you get past all the hype and the hate, you'll find that Girls is a daring, stylish show that brings the love/hateable characters of mumblecore to the small screen. Nepotized or not, Lena Dunham's got skills.
11. Happy Endings
Some shows are here because they're meticulously crafted. Some shows tug at the heartstrings. Some shows just make me laugh really hard.
12. Fringe
After an overly gooey season four finale that was designed to serve as a series finale if necessary, Fringe returned with a darker, more streamlined season five that may cement it as one of the all-time great Science Fiction shows.
13. Parks & Recreation
Leslie Knope and company continue to find new ways to entertain, while building the kind of close-knit office family that Michael Scott can only dream of.
14. Bob's Burgers
The show that broke the McFarlane curse is the best part of Sunday night. (Sorry, Football.)
15. Archer
I've got two words for you: Burt. Reynolds.
17. Suburgatory
Suburgatory is another show that skillfully integrates wacky humor and heartfelt character moments without the awkward transition music.
18. Sherlock
Anyone who says that the English are stuffy and dry hasn't seen their television. Sherlock is just plain fun.
19. Parenthood
Against all odds, Parenthood continues to tackle ripped-from-The-View family issues and heart-breaking personal tragedies without ever crossing the line into melodrama.
20. South Park
The rumors of South Park's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Like all long-running shows, it has its hits and misses, but its hits still pack a wallop.
Honorable Mentions: Rev.The Daily ShowFalling SkiesThe HourNew GirlThe Walking DeadHow I Met Your Mother, Awake

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Us vs. Them: What Does it Mean to Support?

I don't know if you've noticed, but Israel is in the news a lot right now. Their seemingly never-ending conflict with Palestine has escalated to the point that some people are even calling for a ground war. This is nothing new of course. If you believe the theory that Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, then they've been fighting with the Jews for about 4,000 years. What also hasn't changed is that a lot of American Christians are irrationally cheering for Israel.

Look: the US has been supporting Israel for a long time. I'm not saying that we should sever those ties. Let's just get a few things straight.

First of all, the United States' support of lack of support for Israel shouldn't really be a Christian issue. There are several schools of thought among theologians when it comes to Israel's place in New Testament prophecy. There are those that believe that Christ is going to establish of physical kingdom of Israel on the physical location where the historic kingdom stood. There are others who believe that the "Israel" most often referred to in New Testament prophecy is simply a metaphor for the Church. They believe that the Christian Church has replaced Israel as God's chosen people. There's also a school of thought that falls somewhere in between. I haven’t done an exhaustive study on the subject, but I lean towards the second explanation for a few reasons. For example:

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galations 3:26-29

Honestly, I feel like you could make a relatively convincing scriptural case for either point of view. One thing theologians seem to agree on though, is that the modern nation of Israel isn't the one referred to in prophecy. If you paid attention in History class, you'll remember that Israel wasn't a nation for a long period beginning around the first century AD. That's when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans. You may also recall that Israel didn't become a nation again until May 14, 1948. The nation that was established that day, while founded on the location of ancient Israel and populated by many descendants of Abraham and practitioners of Judaism, isn't analogous with ancient Israel. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could announce tomorrow that Iran will henceforth be known as Persia, but that wouldn't make him Cyrus the great. Similarly, the modern, secular government of Israel can't really lay claim to being chosen by God the same way Isaac, Jacob, or Moses could. If all God cared about was ancestry, he wouldn't have invited us gentiles to the party and he certainly wouldn't have orchestrated things so the line of Christ went through Rahab, the Canaanite harlot.

But let's ignore point #1 for a moment. Let's say that I'm wrong and that the modern-day nation Israel is 100% the same as ancient Israel. Does that make them infallible? I keep seeing Christians talking about how we need to support them and that's all well and good, but you know they're just human, right? Humans make mistakes. Take a look at the literal Biblical nation of Israel. They were constantly turning away from God and towards idolatry, often ruled by wicked kings like Ahab. Unless you're living in a true theocracy where God is literally making all of your country's decisions, your leaders are going to screw up and do stupid or wicked things from time to time. Without our support, there's a good chance that Israel would have been wiped off the map by now. I'm glad we've kept that from happening. But I see no reason why we can't call out Israel's leaders out for their mistakes while remaining the nation's ally. We shouldn't have to worry about facing the wrath of the Almighty (as a lot of Christian Conservatives keep threatening) because we sometimes disagree with Shimon Peres. 

My third and final point is this: You don't think we support Israel right now? Really? Currently, the United States gives Israel 3 billion dollars per year in military aide and the Obama administration has shown no desire to change that. How could anyone in their right mind say that we're not standing with Israel? Over the past few years, the United States has provided Israel with millions of dollars to help fund their Iron Dome missile defense system. This system has been key in preventing civilian casualties on the Israeli side. We've also supported Israel through diplomatic channels, using our Security Council veto power on Israel's behalf and voting against the recognition of a Palestinian state on numerous occasions. And none of our pro-Israeli policies have changed under Obama, despite what some on the Right would have you believe.

This a nuanced conflict. There are two sides to every disagreement. I've seen person after person posting on Facebook about how Israel has the right to defend itself and those people aren't wrong. But Israel isn't blameless in this conflict either. They've mistreated the Palestinian people in many ways and stubbornly refused to compromise. Hamas is a terrorist organization that attacks civilians almost exclusively and I'm glad that Israel is taking steps to end its relevancy and defend their people. That being said, it's undeniably tragic that so many Palestinian civilians are dying in the process. I get that that's what happens with terror cells because they hide among the people, but that doesn't mean we can't mourn the innocent dead. I refuse to believe that I or my nation are incurring the wrath of God for taking a nuanced stance on a centuries old conflict or admitting that the leaders of modern-day Israel sometimes make mistakes. By all means, support our ally. Just don't act like this conflict is black and white.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Utopian Mudslinging

In the best possible world, all political ads would be like this:


Candidate 1:  Hi. I'm Billy Keikeya and I'm the Democratic nominee for senate in North Carolina. I supported the Affordable Care Act because I'm concerned about the rising healthcare costs in this country and I wanted to make sure that every American has insurance. Once they do, it will lower the burden on our emergency rooms, lowering costs across the board.

Candidate 2:  Hi. I'm Mallory Quinn and I'm the Republican nominee for senate in North Carolina. I did not support the Affordable Care Act. While I'm also concerned about rising healthcare costs, I prefer other solutions to the problem such as tort reform and making the same insurance policy available across state lines. I believe that these and other changes will achieve the same positive effects as The Affordable Care Act without increasing bureaucracy and without forcing people to buy a product that they may not want or need.

Candiate 1:  On November 6th, it's your duty as a citizen of North Carolina to decide who you agree with on this issue and place your vote accordingly.

Candiate 2:  To find out more about our positions and voting records on this and other issues, visit KeikeyaVsQuinn2012.com.

Candiate 1:  I'm Billy Keikeya.

Candiate 2:  And I'm Mallory Quinn.

Both:  And we approve this ad.


If only.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Why I'm Voting 'No' on Amendment One

I don't know if you've noticed this, but on May 8, 2012, there's going to a vote on an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution that would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. I plan to vote against this amendment and I'd like to tell you why.

To start this out, I should put all of my cards on the table. I'm a straight, white male living in a mid-sized city in the South. I have and have had some casual gay friends and acquaintances, but I don't have any gay family members or any gay friends that I'm extremely close with. I'm also a Christian. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and I use it as a guide for my thoughts and behavior. I'm involved in a local church and, while we don't have an official church stance on Amendment One as far as I know, our pastor has spoken in favor of the law from the pulpit. I'm not writing this post in a spirit of rebellion or with the idea that I'm somehow superior to anyone who disagrees with me. I'm not trying to stir up strife within my church or the Christian Church at large. I'd like to think that my thoughts have a firm logical and Biblical foundation and, if nothing else, they've been prayerfully considered. I welcome any comments, positive or negative, that those within or out of the Church may offer, but I ask that you read the entire post carefully before making them.

Having said that, I'll get to what seems to be be the crux of the issue. I do believe that sexual activity between people of the same sex is sinful. The Bible's stance on homosexuality is not just a part of the Old Testament Mosaic law as some believe, but is laid out clearly in the New Testament as well. Here's the thing though: The same parts of the New Testament that condemn homosexuality also condemn people who are "covetous," full of "malice," "envy," "strife," "deceit," and "maliciousness." "Gossips,", "slanderers, "haters of God." "Insolent," "haughty," "boastful." "Disobedient to parents," "foolish," "faithless," "heartless," "ruthless." (Romans 1:29-31 ESV) These characteristics are the natural state of man without God. In fact, as a believer, I've still committed most, if not all, of these sins. But somehow homosexuality is different. We like to say that we love the sinner and hate the sin, but we ostracize gays and lesbians and treat them like second-class citizens. We send our homosexual kids off to special deprogramming camps and pray that lightning will strike the local gay bar. Why aren't their deprogramming camps for gossips, boasters, and ruthless business men. Why aren't there people holding up protest signs that say, "God Hates Adulterers?"

This dovetails nicely into one of my reasons for coming out against the gay marriage amendment: whatever your "actual" reason may be for supporting the amendment, those in the gay community are only going to see it as bigotry. Supporters of the bill can talk all day about how they're just protecting family values or tradition and I do believe that many people genuinely feel this way, but the gay people in our state only hear, "I hate you. You don't deserve the same rights that I have." Do you truly believe that sending that message is the best way to show the love of Christ or does the love of Christ only apply to straight people?

This brings me to my next point: you can't legislate morality. Some people seem to be under the mistaken impression that our system of laws is a moral code. This is patently false. Our laws were put into place to protect individual citizens from each other. While one could argue that some of our drug laws don't follow this principle, the general idea is that the laws of the state are designed to keep your neighbor from doing you harm. As I've already mentioned, there's a huge numbers of immoral acts that are completely legal. There's also a lot of illegal things that are otherwise perfectly moral. Some of our laws obviously overlap with general morality and the Christian concept of sin, but they're not  one and the same. At this point you may be asking, "So why don't we make sin illegal then?" Because, simply put, it doesn't work. Sin is a matter of the heart and only God can change a heart. Making a sin illegal does nothing to stop it. America may be a "Christian nation" according to some (newsflash: It's not.), but it's most definitely not a theocracy. Until God decides to come down himself and render decisions through a cloud and a pilar of fire, any theocracy will quickly turn into a dictatorship, with religion used as a convenient excuse to shout down all opposition. That's not how America was founded and it's not what it should become.

Now that I've spent some time discussing this issue from a Christian point-of-view, I'd like to cover some political thoughts on the matter. Frankly, the most ridiculous thing about the amendment is this: Gay marriage is already illegal. Amendment One could be unanimously defeated and it wouldn't change one thing as far as who can and can't be married in this state. As a Conservative, I believe in smaller government and less intrusion. How can I stand by those principles if I support this wholly unnecessary, bureaucratic waste of time? And given that gay marriage is already illegal, both nationally and on a state level, how can anyone blame the gay community for seeing this amendment as a big, fat middle finger extended in their direction? "Hey gays...we know you can't get married anyway, but we just want to make it extra clear that it ain't gonna happen." Yeah. Great. As far as the notion that we're "protecting the American family" with this endeavor, I'll believe that when there's a similar amendment on the ballot that outlaws divorce and extramarital affairs. The fact is that straight people have already done more to desecrate the institution of marriage than homosexuals ever could.

Another argument that I've heard from a lot of people is that allowing gay marriage would be horrible because it would redefine the word marriage. Actually, I made that same argument myself a few years ago when my views were slightly different. One of the people I was debating with gave me a response that really made me think: Is it worth denying people rights over a question of semantics? And he was right. People's lives and rights and infinitely more valuable than the definition of a word. So "marriage" may someday mean "a committed union between two individuals" instead of a "committed union between a man and a woman." So what? As a straight man, that would do nothing to change my life or the lifelong commitment I plan to make to my future wife. Right now, I'm sure there's someone asking why we can't just call it a civil union. Here's the thing though: homosexuals didn't grow up on Mars. They grew up in the same communities as you an I. They watched the same movies and read the same fairytales. They don't want a partnership. That's the language of business. They want marriage and all the connotations that come with it. How would you like it if you were forced to treat your wife like a business partner or to call your child a "legal dependent"? Gay marriage is a question of legal rights, but it's so much more than that.

And here's where the religious arguments come in again. How can we, the capital-C Church, say that marriage is not a union between a man and a woman when the Bible clearly states that it is. My answer is that we don't have to. As it stands, there's already two definitions of the word marriage. There's religious marriage and there's civil marriage. These things often occur together, but they don't always have to. Couples are already free to be married by a justice of the peace instead of a religious official and even marriages performed by a minister must be backed up by legal documentation before they bestow any rights. I wouldn't want my pastor to officiate a gay marriage because, as I noted, that doesn't line up with God's law. That doesn't mean, however, that I can't support civil marriage for anyone who truly wants it.

Next, I feel like I should tackle the "slippery slope" issue. This argument is a little ridiculous, but lots of people take it seriously, so I suppose I should try to as well. Some people have made the case that, if we allow gay marriage, that's only the first step in the road to nationwide Sodom and Gomorrah. Next thing you know, people will be marrying children. Within a generation or two, we'll allow men to marry their dogs or robots or their toaster. Where does it end? My answer to that is that it ends where we, as Americans, decide that it should end. You can make the slippery slope argument about any law. Has allowing the death penalty led to us executing people for speeding? Did giving women and minorities the right to vote lead to cows in the voting booth? You can't ignore a civil rights issue simply as a precaution against where you think it might lead. Besides that, there's a humungous difference between allowing two consenting adults to marry and allowing a man to marry his cat or his BMW. I don't doubt that there a lot of changes to come in this country, but I'll be very surprised if meows and car horn honks become legally binding.

To turn back to the Church's role in this once more, I'd like to remind my Christian brothers and sisters of one simple fact: Right now, we're the majority. Clearly, there's a difference between those that profess Christ and true followers and there's no doubt that this country is becoming more secular by the hour. But statistically speaking, the majority of Americans say they believe in the Judeo-Christian God and have at least some respect for the Bible. We in the Church like to act like we're some kind of persecuted minority, but the fact is that we have a lot of power in this country and around the world. We may end up with a Mormon president come January, but an atheist presidential candidate wouldn't even get out of the gate. Unfortunately, this power we have will no doubt evaporate at some point in the future. Some data suggests that the "No Religion" status (which includes deists, agnostics, atheists, and theists) is the fastest growing belief demographic. If you believe that the book of Revelation is a picture of the end times, then Christians will some day be a pretty small minority. When that day comes and secularists hold all the seats of power in this country, I'd like it to be known that the Christian community took a stand for love, acceptance, and personal freedom over bigotry, hate, and governmental intrusion.

Finally, if there are any homosexuals reading this blog post, I'd like to close with this message: I can't lie to you and say that I support all of your actions. I believe in the truth of God's word and, while I sometimes wish that I could change it, I can't argue with what's written there. I don't hate you though. I love you. Because you're no different than any of my other unsaved friends and you're no different than I was before God's free gift of grace changed my heart. I hope that you can understand this distinction even if you don't agree with it. Regardless of our theological and social differences, you're welcome in my home and in my church any time. I don't know that this blog post will change anyone else's vote, but you can count on mine if nothing else.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Nonpartisan Political Thought (If That's Possible)

Lately I've heard a lot of Republicans complaining about of Barrack Obama's recess appointments. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term, a recess appointment is a process by which a president can appoint judges and cabinet secretaries while the senate is not in session. You see, normally the senate has to confirm all of these positions. Sometimes those confirmations come easily, but often the opposing party will delay them indefinitely to make a political point or stick it to their adversaries. For that reason, presidents often take the opportunity of a recess to slip some minor position hires through and speed up the process. This has all happened before and it will all happen again. But this time, while the senate was on a 20-day recess, they had some "pro forma" sessions where one or two members would show up for five minutes and bang a gavel before dismissing themselves. So Obama went ahead and made his appointments because there was clearly no way they could vote on his nominees with literally one or two senators holding court for a matter of minutes. Predictably, as soon as the president made the appointments, Republicans began crying foul and accusing him of circumventing the system and disobeying the constitution. But again, this is normal. Presidents make recess appointments all the time. The law was put into place for this very reason. And what's just as normal? The opposition party finding a technicality and feigning outrage to score cheap political points. I know I've picked on the Republicans up until now, but it's really just a symptom of a larger problem. Every time (and I do mean every) that a politician uses one of these weird rules of law to get around the usual process, no matter how many times it's happened, and no matter how recently the politicians who are complaining have done the same exact thing, both Republicans and Democrats pitch a fit. "Well sure...we filibustered for 62 hours straight the last time we were the minority party, but this guy...he filibustered for 70 hours! It's a travesty of justice!" "I'm aware that the last democratic governor of the stage pardoned 137 people, but this republican governor pardoned 225. And it was on his second to last day in office instead of a week before he left. Book me on Meet the Press to complain immediately!"

You get my point, right? If you don't like all the weird little quirks of politics, then change them. But don't use them to your advantage and then get all up in arms when your opponents use those same rules six months later. Seriously. Stop the Chicken Little sky is falling routine. Few things annoy me as much as fake outrage.

Send in the Clown?

I haven't blogged in a long time, but I wanted to jot down some thoughts I had about the movie Joker . There will be spoilers. For me,...