Reformation Day

Today is really a wonderful day. In the spirit of the Reformation I hope you enjoy the following two video clips:

Chile has a NEW public holiday on Friday and it isn't Halloween.

Our offices will be closed on Friday in Chile...

Happy Reformation Day.

Brian Wilson Goes Surfing

Tonight at our Mockingbird Hour meeting, we'll be looking at the life and music of the mighty Brian Wilson. Love and mercy, strength in weakness, the bondage of the will, good vibrations (the Holy Spirit): it's all there, in spades. In honor of the event, I've hunted down a video of the infamous "Surfnapping" skit from SNL in 1976. The skit was supposed to herald the return of Brian to the spotlight (after a decade spent in bed...), but in a typically Beach Boys turn of events, it ends up doing the exact opposite. See for yourself:

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If you're in town, we'd love to see you!

p.s. please forgive/disregard Mike Love's antics in the final minute of the video. He can't help himself.

Worthy Read

Did you notice this nice story on CNN today?

Frankenstein: "It's (almost) ALIVE (again)"

Like most children, my earliest childhood memories of Frankenstein are of the creature--played by Peter Boyle-- singing "Putting on the Ritz" in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Later, and despite the best attempts of The Adams Family to divest it of its existential angst (although I know there is an argument there:), a 10th grade English teacher would introduce me to the deeper philosophical and religious questions raised by Mary Shelley. Since then, I return to the book every few years and find that the older I get, the more its questions concerning the relationship between creature and creator in a world filled with pain and evil resonate with my own.

That's why I was so excited to run across this article about an upcoming film adaptation that is going to be directed by Guilliamo Del Toro, of Hellboy fame (among others). Of his vision of the story and for the movie, the article explains:

"Speaking with MTV News about the project, Del Toro said that there were new, unexplored, ways to look at the story.What does that mean? He confessed recently that his way in is to view “the creature as a lost child of Paradise,” he said. As in, you know, The Paradise.“I think that there are aspects to it which is the dialogue between the creature and the creator for example [that haven’t been fully explored],” he said.

Needless to say, I will be anxiously awaiting the day someone films this with a cell-phone in a theater in America and posts it to a movie website hosted in China, so I can watch it; until then, we'll always have Gene--

Social Class

Last night the BBC ran a program entitled 'Prescott: The Class System and Me' about how John Prescott (perhaps you've seen him?) still struggles with his working class background despite the fact that he rose to the position of Deputy Prime Minister of the UK under Tony Blair (basically like the VP of the US, but he does not 'take over' if the PM is absent, ill or...well, dead.

The show featured Prescott and his wife, both of whom grew up in very blue collar neighborhoods, as two Yankees in King Arthur's Court. The Prescotts are on a journey to understand social class, something which John has attempted to abolish while a member of Parliament. They appeared to be hopelessly self-conscious and defensive when invited to lunch at the estate of the fox-hunting, Eton educated Earl of Onslow. (Prescott has neither peerage nor academic credentials, and his wife, lovely as she is, wears as much mascara as the late Tammy Faye.) Needless to say, the other aristocratic guests at the luncheon remained silent much of the time, chewing their food politely and rarely making eye contact. The Earl tried to convince John that his rise to power was a natural consequence of a middle class which had been growing at an unprecedented rate (the Earl used an example of how his personal gamekeeper -seriously- had recently traveled to South Africa on vacation, something unthinkable for previous generations of private gamekeepers, I suppose). Despite the Earl's attempts to encourage Prescott, it was a painful example of just how crippling and alienating the idea of class can be, because no matter how well-meaning the lunch, everyone was painfully aware that the Earl, Lord Onslow, was still an Earl.

Yet, because of his political status, John Prescott's next meeting showed that he was also a bit too posh to rub elbows with three 'Chav' girls (a derogatory term for teens with a penchant for fake Burberry clothing, 2 liter bottles of hard cider and techno music...apparently the nickname, which stands for Council Housing And Violence, stuck after it became associated with a particular type of person appearing on police arrest reports). Prescott showed up for this little meeting in a tailored suit while the girls wore sweat pants and hair scrunchies. At one point they said to him, 'You seem quite posh', but his attempts to explain that he'd come from a working class background still betrayed his current appearance. (A controversial video here in the UK makes the point about class tension between chavs and chav-nots [couldn't resist]).

In his next get together, Prescott attempted to mingle with literary types, the sort of smart-alec, know-it-alls who had always made him look stupid in the press because he tends to mangle the Queen's english. The meeting, as you might suspect, was a total disaster.

Here's the point: every attempt to strive for a 'classless system' has proven futile. Prescott's war against the aristocrats is partially misguided, in my opinion, because think much of the blame for classism needs to be laid at the feet of the incessantly ambitious middle class: (if I just get my kids involved in karate, violin, and send them off to private schools, they'll succeed!)...actually, not necessarily, because most people at their school or dojo still know where they come from. In fact, they probably grew up in similar families, which is why they are taking karate instead of playing polo.

The child will eventually try to reinvent themselves in their 20's-30's: putting on airs, buying a BMW, maxing out the credit cards, and generally striving to stay abreast of the people whose favor they are courting. This is no less meaningless than having private gamekeepers, perhaps even worse. I remember reading years ago a quote from an aristocrat who said something like 'The worst class is the middle class, the rich and the poor know who they are, but the middle class is trying to fool everyone else into thinking that they are something which they are not.'

I have a hunch that this drive to impress and influence others with our backgrounds is a major battle for many of us, and we are right to remind ourselves that 'Christ is the answer' and that 'the cross obliterates all claims to self-identity', but what struck me about the program was the fact that there are few, if any, missionaries to the aristocrats. We are quite good at sending money and Bibles to the great unwashed of whatever land, but the Gospel, which sneers at all competing social constructs like class, must still speak a word of grace to every tier of society in order to remind them that 'man does not consist in the things which he possesses (or lacks!).'

Emily Dickinson - Poem 1355

The Mind lives on the Heart
Like any Parasite --
If that is full of Meat
The Mind is fat.

But if the Heart omit
Emaciate the Wit --
The Aliment of it
So absolute.

Cross The Green Mountain

It turns out that Dylan's Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vol. 8 is even better than I had expected. And I had expected a lot, as it covers pretty much my favorite period of Dylan: Oh Mercy through Time Out Of Mind and Love And Theft. People often talk about Dylan's songs from this period being "God-haunted" and nowhere is that more true than on his jaw-dropping contribution to the Gods And Generals soundtrack, "Cross The Green Mountain". Perusing youtube I was surprised to find out that he made a video for it! And though it cuts out the final eight(!) verses, it's still worth a viewing, as it features what has got to be Dylan's strangest get-up of all time. Seek out the full version on itunes, you won't be sorry.

I'm especially fond of the part where he mouthes the words "my merciful friend" - whoever that may be... wink wink:

The Law, Cats and Identity Formation

Question: "What is a man's best friend?"
Answer: "Dog."

In a few years, this answer may no longer be the correct one. According to an article published in the New York Times earlier in October (click here to read), a growing number of men are bucking the stereotype and unabashedly forging alliances with cats. It looks like the man-dog connection has been an oppressive force limiting the full development of masculine identity. In addition, it has been a source of unnecessary bravado and machismo, a turn off to many women. Commenting on men who own cats, Ms. Daza observes: "They make the best boyfriends because they’re totally cool with staying home and watching a movie. Straight men with cats seem to be really secure and stable. They don’t need to be running around the park and proving their masculinity like the dog guys.”

Who knew? Is this a case of open rebellion against societal expectations, against a "law of masculinity"? Or is this simply about giving cats their due respect? Do real men eat quiche, too?

This article struck me as a bit trivial and and made me laugh a bit. But then it got me thinking about the different things in which I anchor my identity, the standards I use to judge myself and others. I am glad that the Gospel tells me exactly who I am (not as good as I think!) and that Jesus extends redemption (a new identity!) regardless. Whew!

On that note: As much as I think cats are fine house pets, I think I'm comfortable being a dog kind of guy.

Lars and The Kingdom Of God

Tonight at the Mockingbird Hour, we'll be looking at Lars and the Real Girl (2007), a dramatic comedy for which Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Half Nelson) was nominated for a Best Golden Globe.

The distinctively Christian aspect of the movie is its honest look at the human condition and its depiction of the transformative power of love, aka acceptance, aka non-judgment.

Ryan Gosling plays Lars, a deeply wounded, delusional young man who acts out his fear of relationship by purchasing a full-size mannequin with which he form a serious (and Platonic, thankfully) bond. When confronted with the shock of this situation, his family and community (even his church!) eventually decide to accept it in the hopes that Lars will come to terms with his pain.

Although a bit idealistic, I have perhaps never seen a movie which so beautifully encapsulates the scandalous love and acceptance which marked the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed and embodied.

I hope that you can join us this evening!

Good News: The Misery of All Mankind

I've recently had the privilege of co-teaching a class on Anglicanism as part of our Adult Education offerings on Sunday mornings at St. Stephen's Church. One of the happy results is that I have, for the first time, taken a look at the first Book of Homilies (even though I went to an Anglican seminary!). These homilies, largely written by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in the late 1530s [you know, that sort of annoying guy from The Tudors show... - ed.], were designed to be read by parish clergy for their Sunday morning sermons. This was Cranmer's attempt at dealing with the incompetent babbling that passed for preaching at most parishes of his day.

One of the real treats was reading his “SERMON OF THE MISERY OF ALL MANKIND,” which can be found here. Besides the awesome/provocative title, I was struck by how masterfully the sermon pulls out the real subtlety of human sin--it is not just what we do, but who we are to the very core. Check this out:

“[King David in Ps 19, 40, & 51] weigheth rightly his sins from the original root and spring-head; perceiving inclinations, provocations, stirrings, stingings, buds, branches, dregs, infections, tastes, feelings, and scents [emphasis added] of them to continue in him still. Wherefore he saith, Mark and behold, I was conceived in sins: he saith not sin, but, in the plural number, sins; forasmuch as out of one, as a fountain, spring all the rest.”

And then Cranmer uses this great scriptural metaphor, which he expands with vivid imagery:

“For of ourselves we be crab trees, that can bring forth no apples. We be of ourselves of such earth, as can bring forth but weeds, nettles, brambles, briars, cockle, and darnel. Our fruits be declared in the fifth chapter to the Galatians. We have neither faith, charity, hope, patience, chastity, nor any thing else that good is, but of God; and therefore these virtues be called there the fruits of the Holy Ghost, and not the fruits of man. Let us therefore acknowledge ourselves before God -- as we be indeed -- miserable and wretched sinners. And let us earnestly repent, and humble ourselves heartily, and cry to God for mercy.”

Cranmer doesn't leave us hanging, though. He provides the relief for which our souls thirst (and don't miss the linguistic parallels to the Book of Common Prayer's service for Holy Communion.):

"[Christ] is the high and everlasting Priest which hath 'offered himself once for all' upon the altar of the cross, and 'with that one oblation hath made perfect for evermore them that are sanctified' (Hebrews 7.27, 10, 14). He is the 'alone Mediator between God and man' (1 John 2.1), which paid our ransom to God 'with his own blood,' and with that hath he 'cleansed us all from sin' (1 Timothy 2.5-6). He is the Physician which healeth all our diseases. He is that Saviour which saveth his people 'from all their sins' (Matthew 1.21).

"To be short, he is that flowing and most plenteous Fountain 'of whose fullness all we have received' (John 1.16). . . . O how much are we bound to this our heavenly Father for his great mercies which he hath so plenteously declared unto us in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour! What thanks worthy and sufficient can we give to him? Let us all with one accord burst out with joyful voice, ever praising and magnifying this Lord of mercy for his tender kindness shewed unto us in his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

The masterful prose is here, the profound theological convictions, and pastoral sensitivity that offers real balm for hurting men and women. And I love the sheer joy which with Cranmer ends. He truly had found the pearl of great price.

More on the Wall Street Deregulation Debate...

Subtitle: Lack of control drives people to demand more of the law.

From a WSJ editorial discussing the blame game calls for more regulation following the breakdown of the financial system:

So why blame deregulation and small government? The social psychologist Gustav Jahoda says that unreasonable beliefs often arise in circumstances where people lack control and need to believe in something to get them through a highly stressful situation.

At this point, when people call for more regulation, they are believing that more law is the answer (a highly unreasonable belief indeed!).

Coming in November!

Rap and Daniel 7

Daniel 7:13-14 "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

One aspect of American pop-culture that has always interested me is our fascination with rap music. A fascination that I share. In fact, I've recently gone through a personal renaissance with rap, primarily mid-to-late 80’s hip-hop. I am speaking of artists like Eric B. & Rakim, KRS-One, EPMD, Public Enemy, Kool Moe Dee, etc. In elementary school, my musical world centered on these guys, so much so that it's a miracle no photos ever emerged of me with my fake gold chain, gesturing and rapping along with Rakim in my bedroom mirror.

What makes rap so intoxicating? What about it captures the imaginations of (particularly) young boys so powerfully, whether they be black or white, urban or suburban or anywhere in between? In reading the above portion of Daniel 7 through the lens of the anthropological insight of the Reformation, I believe that I have come to an understanding.

Rap (particularly the form of rap I am familiar with) projects (or imputes in the mind of the listener) a form of definite mastery over one’s domain. It asserts utter dominion. There is an ease with which opponents are dispatched and uncomplicated (libidinous) relationships with women are initiated. What nervous and insecure young boy (or man) can’t identify with that felt need? It would seem that rap functions as a form of popular mysticism, taking the young man into a world of total domination, if only for four minutes.



I once watched a documentary on the Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls). He came after my time but he was definitely a part of the same tradition of rappers that I grew up with. In 1997, a vehicle pulled up next to his at a red light and began firing. Smalls was dead before his bodyguard reached the hospital. When the hearse carrying his body drove through his native section of Brooklyn, throngs of fans were there to greet it. As it passed by, someone played Smalls’ song “Hypnotize” at full blast. It was a final and futile protest to death. It was a tragic irony.

Biggie biggie biggie cant you see
Sometimes your words just hypnotize me
And I just love your flashy ways
Guess that’s why they broke, and you’re so paid

The people eventually dispersed and went back to their lives. Some got married and settled down, some moved to other neighborhoods, and some changed musical interest. Other rappers rose and took his place. All eventually relegated Biggie Smalls to the back of their minds, if they even think of him at all these days.

The insight here is that a mystic fantasy of dominion is just that. A mystic fantasy. Our opponents are the world, the flesh, and the devil, and they actually dispatch us with ease. Relationships are not uncomplicated offerings to the altars of ourselves but impermeable and imperceptible mosh pits with the unknown other. We have no dominion, and we do not play master to our circumstances.

Someone does have dominion, however. We are not author-less conglomerations of cells bumping around in a vapid void. The One with dominion is the Son of Man and His love was completely poured out for us even while we tried to master Him. Mastery for us, then, becomes blissfully unnecessary.

The Dark Horse

Since we'll be looking at George Harrison in tonight's Mockingbird Hour, I thought I'd post one of my favorite of his many prayer-songs. It's dedicated to Amelia and Pete Emmet, who chose it to be the first dance at their wedding, one of the coolest things ever. And yes, that's Eric Clapton lurking in the background:



The late, great Elliott Smith did a version of it as well, which you can listen to here:



And I can't think of another opportunity I'll have to post his final filmed interview, which was released in conjunction with the 30th anniversary reissue of All Things Must Pass, aka the best solo-Beatles record BY FAR (and one of the greatest albums of all time, period). His demeanor in the clip reminds me greatly of Dylan in No Direction Home:

Japanese Game Show - Binocular Soccer

An unguarded depiction of human striving? Or just another hilarious youtube clip? You tell me:

More Biblical Language Wall St Crisis Index...

From Nouriel Roubini's blog:

Governments got religion after peering into the systemic meltdown abyss...

Anthropology and Politics

Being that we are only a few short weeks away from the Presidential election, I thought that I would share some of my observations on the build-up to November 4 and its theological implications.

Politics can be touchy, and I hope I don't come off as preachy... BUT like The Wedding Singer, "I have the microphone so you will listen to EVERY #&@! WORD I HAVE TO SAY!":)

It is impossible these days to tune into any news station - whether it be TV or radio, national or local, cable or network - without hearing something about "what happened today on the campaigns". Every form of media is saturated with it. Even my beloved car magazines discuss the candidates and what impact their election would have on man's greatest invention, the automobile (in my opinion of course).

I've done my best to be a responsible, informed voter before the election. I've watched MSNBC and CNN, and I've also watched some FOX to try to get both sides of the story :). Interestingly (or perhaps not so interestingly), I have found myself completely frustrated with both sides.

Both parties sound more like they are preaching a religion than conveying political views (they certainly are not reporting the news, but that's a whole 'nother topic). Faith seems to be the primary factor: each side is promoting faith in their candidate, that their guy is the right man for the job. This has been true in the debates too. The candidates have both pleaded with America to believe in them, to have faith in them, to vote for them. Obama's camp has even produced signs that say "BELIEVE" at the rallies. I am sure McCain has something to that effect too, but I just haven't seen it yet. The bottom line is, it feels like we are voting as much for a savior as for a president.

I am reminded of the first time Bush ran against Gore. I was attending a very conservative Christian college at the time, and I remember staying up with many of my friends watching and waiting to hear who won. When word finally came that Bush had won you could hear people cheering all over campus. Many of us Christians thought this guy was gonna be the guy to change our country for the better. He was a Christian after all. We had put our faith in this man.

Now, almost eight years later, there is disappointment. I don't hate Bush like some, and I don't think he was "the worst president ever", but he has definitely not been all that I wanted him to be. He screwed up a lot because he is human. And he is certainly not the savior that most Christians (that I knew anyway) hoped he would be. He is a sinner like every other president we have ever had or will have.

Of course, it seems I don't learn very well because I find myself again hoping this time it will be different, that maybe one of these two will fix our country and restore hope. But the truth is that no matter who is elected, they will disappoint us. As always, we are voting for the lesser of two evils. They will not be all that we want them to be just like I am not all that I want myself to be. They will not be the savior that we've been looking for. This is not to say that we can't agree with one position/policy more than another (what they're selling). But we must keep in mind that, regardless of who wins, they will ultimately fail us. Christian anthropology (view of humanity) is far too low to lead us to any other conclusion.

Persecution in India

This morning in the NY Times there is an article reporting on the recent outburst of persecution of Christians by Hindus in India. Many have been killed, churches and homes have been burnt, and forced conversions under threat of death are being carried out regularly.

The tensions come after a Hindu preacher, who was openly anti-Christian, was killed by Maoist guerrillas. Most of the Hindus blame Christians for his death however.

It is a terrifying reality. I just wanted to share it so that we can remember our brothers and sisters in prayer.

Michael Horton on "Christless Christianity"

I've recently stumbled across an amazing article called "Christless Christianity" by Michael Horton. He deals with a lot of things, but mostly about how Christians always want to make Christianity essentially about themselves, rather than Jesus and his finished work on the cross. He rightly points out that today's uber-hip Emergent Church movement is the most recent example of this tendency in the church. The Emergent movement (as a whole; I acknowledge there are exceptions) raises the bar on the law, while downplaying the significance of the cross--the only hope we've got. Here is a right-on excerpt from the article:

Today, partly in response to the appalling lack of genuine discipleship in a post-Christian era, many Protestants like Stanley Hauerwas and Brian McLaren encourage us to recover the Anabaptist legacy, which, as I mentioned, focused on Jesus as moral example. In A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren explains, "Anabaptists see the Christian faith primarily as a way of life," interpreting Paul through the lens of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount rather than vice versa. The emphasis falls on discipleship rather than on doctrine, as if following Jesus' example could be set against following his teaching. What happens when the Sermon on the Mount is assimilated to a general ethic of love (i.e., pure morality), and doctrine (ecclesiastical faith) is made secondary? Christ himself becomes a mere example to help people become better non-Christians. In fact, McLaren writes, "I must add, though, that I don't believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts." "I don't hope all Jews or Hindus will become members of the Christian religion. But I do hope all who feel so called will become Jewish or Hindu followers of Jesus." It is no wonder, then, that McLaren can say concerning liberal Protestants, "I applaud their desire to live out the meaning of the miracle stores even when they don't believe the stories really happened as written." After all, it's deeds, not creeds that matter. McLaren seems to suggest that following Jesus (pure religion) can exist with or without explicit faith in Christ (ecclesiastical faith).

There is nothing especially postmodern about any of this, of course. It is simply the legacy of the Enlightenment and its moralistic antecedents. If following Jesus' example of love (never mind his exclusive claims, divisive rhetoric, and warning of judgment) is the gospel, then, of course there will be many Buddhists and liberals who are better "Christians" than many of us who profess faith in Christ. As Mark Oestriecher, another Emergent church writer, relates, "My Buddhist cousin, except for her unfortunate inability to embrace Jesus, is a better 'Christian' (based on Jesus' description of what a Christian does) than almost every Christian I know. If we were using Matthew 26 as a guide, she'd be a sheep; and almost every Christian I know personally would be a goat." Yet at the end of the day, "radical disciples" will burn out, too, and realize that they, like the rest of us, are hypocrites who fall short of God's glory and need someone outside of them not only to show the way but to be the way of redemption. (empasis mine. -AZ) Although McLaren himself does not deny the Christ confessed in the creeds, he believes that what is most important about Jesus Christ is his call to discipleship, which allows us to participate in his redeeming work, rather than his unique, unrepeatable, completed work for sinners two thousand years ago.

The Wait Is (Almost) Over

This appeared on Billboard.com yesterday...

Ashley Null on Thomas Cranmer

From an interview with the Anglican Church League in September of 2001 about Thomas Cranmer, the great English Reformer and author of the (original) Book of Common Prayer. This comes to us via a classic John Camp post:

"According to Cranmer’s anthropology, what the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. The mind doesn’t direct the will. The mind is actually captive to what the will wants, and the will itself, in turn, is captive to what the heart wants.

"The trouble with human nature is that we are born with a heart that loves ourselves over and above everything else in this world, including God. In short, we are born slaves to the lust for self-gratification, i.e., concupiscence. That’s why, if left to ourselves, we will always love those things that make us feel good about ourselves, even as we depart more and more from God and his ways.

"Therefore, God must intervene in our lives in order to bring salvation. Working through Scripture, the Holy Spirit first brings a conviction of sin in a believer’s heart, then he births a living faith by which the believer lays hold of the extrinsic righteousness of Christ."

Holy smokes!! Sort of says it all, eh?

In other news, Dr. Null is speaking in NYC on November 10th as part of the Christ Church NYC Ministry Conference. For more details, email Cliff Swartz at clifford@christchurchnyc.com.

Can Openers And The Death Of Nat Bernstein

In light of tomorrow night's Mockingbird Hour on Woody Allen (the first of many), here's the classic conversion scene from Hannah And Her Sisters:



And a considerably more downbeat, yet equally powerful take on the same theme, from Stardust Memories:

Two More From T.S. Eliot's The Family Reunion

"People to whom nothing has ever happened
Cannot understand the unimportance of events."

"At this moment, there is no decision to be made;
The decision will be made by powers beyond us
Which now and then emerge. You and I, Mary,
Are only watchers and waiters: not the easiest role."

Of Biblical Proportions...

I am initiating the Biblical Language Wall St Crisis Index (BLWSCI, 1-10 Scale):

From a WSJ Headline (rating- 5):
"Citi Weighs Options After Deal Torn Asunder"

From Fitch on the US credit rating (rating-6.3):

"The lack of 'original sin' (sovereign borrowing in foreign currency) is another defining feature of 'AAA' ratings and in the case of the U.S., the dollar's role as the dominant global reserve currency reinforces the benefits in terms of financing flexibility. "

The Law and Wall St

For the last month, the conversation on Wall St has revolved around the idea of regulation. Specifically, the lack of it and how/whether to address that fact. The purpose of this post is not to espouse a political doctrine, but rather to comment on a central Christian doctrine: The Law, regardless of its stripe - Hebrew or Greek, of God or of Man - does not have the power to engender what it commands. Read your newspaper these next couple weeks!! People are arguing that the problem lies with the type of rules that are enforced. But we know it runs deeper than that:

From the NYTimes:
“It’s a fair criticism of the Bush administration that regulators have relied on many voluntary regulatory programs,” said Roderick M. Hills, a Republican who was chairman of the S.E.C. under President Gerald R. Ford. “The problem with such voluntary programs is that, as we’ve seen throughout history, they often don’t work.”

We foolishly believed that the firms had a strong culture of self-preservation and responsibility and would have the discipline not to be excessively borrowing," said Professor James D. Cox, an expert on securities law and accounting at Duke School of Law (and no relationship to Christopher Cox)."Letting the firms police themselves made sense to me because I didn't think the S.E.C. had the staff and wherewithal to impose its own standards and I foolishly thought the market would impose its own self-discipline. We've all learned a terrible lesson," he added.

A couple of the legal changes in the last couple weeks:
-A ban on short selling.
-Major overhaul on accounting standards.
-The government price-fixing the worst assets in our system.

Theologically, this is very interesting. The thought process behind the ban on short selling goes something like this: the stock market is failing because of the actions of a couple of scheming and evil people. If we can just eliminate those people who are manipulating the market and making everything difficult, then the market (or my company) would cease going down.

Regarding the accounting regulations, the thinking goes like this: if we don't make companies acknowledge their sin then it is almost like it doesn't exist...

As for the bailout, it's too early to draw any conclusions.

There is a lot to talk about here, but the point is that regulation never works. Companies will fail regardless of short selling bans, price fixes, accounting changes or bail outs. New laws are not the answer. The need is for payment or forgiveness. But as we all know, if there is ultimately to be any forgiveness, someone will have to pay.

T.S. Eliot - The Family Reunion

Over the weekend, I finally got around to reading Eliot's play, The Family Reunion. It's a doozy - not a whole lot of humor in there - but very much worth your time. Highly, highly recommended. A few quotes:

Thus with most careful devotion
Thus with precise attention
To detail, interfering preparation
Of that which is already prepared
Men tighten the knot of confusion
Into perfect misunderstanding
Reflecting a pocket-torch of observation
Upon each other's opacity
Neglecting all the admonitions
From the world around the corner
The wind's talk in the dry holly-tree
The inclination of the moon
The attraction of the dark passage
The paw under the door.
---------------

This is the way things happen.
Everything is true in a different sense,
A sense that would have seemed meaningless before.
Everything tends towards reconciliation
As the stone falls, as the tree falls. And in the end
That is the completion which at the beginning
Would have seemed the ruin.
---------------

What we have written is not a story of detection,
Of crime and punishment, but of sin and expiation.
It is possible that you have not known what sin
You shall expiate, or whose, or why. It is certain
That the knowledge of it must precede the expiation.
It is possible that sin may strain and struggle
In its dark instinctive birth, to come to consciousness
And so find expurgation.
---------------

We all of us make the pretension
To be the uncommon exception
To the universal bondage.
We like to appear in the newspapers
So long as we are in the right column.
We know about the railway accident
We know about the sudden thrombosis
And the slowly hardening artery.
We like to be thought well of by others
So that we may think well of ourselves.
And any explanation will satisfy:
We only ask to be reassured
About the noises in the cellar
And the window that should not have been open.

Why do we all behave as if the door might suddenly open, the curtains be drawn,
The cellar make some dreadful disclosure, the roof disappear,
And we should cease to be sure of what is real or unreal?
Hold tight, hold tight, we must insist that the world is what we have always taken it to be.

Dusty Brown Rocks Our Socks

Mockingbird's very own Dusty Brown has just released his first record! You can purchase it here, which you should all do, post-haste. The record's a true gem (like Dusty himself), plaintive songwriting at its very best, with a huge heart and a lot of grit. And don't tell anyone but there's some serious Gospel undertones happening. Grab a taste by downloading this or just pressing play below.

Wes Is The Best

In honor of tonight's Wes Anderson-themed Mockingbird Hour, here's the recently revealed cover drawing of the long-awaited Criterion edition of Bottle Rocket, his first full-length film. It comes out Nov 25th (same day as Chinese Democracy is supposed to drop!):























And here's the extremely funny, faux-70s Italian interview with Wes and Noah Baumbach that was included on the special edition Life Aquatic DVD. For what it's worth, I believe Wes is being sincere when he answers the God question mid-way through.

September Playlist

1. Human Wheels - John Mellencamp
2. Love Is Stronger Than Death - The The
3. Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River
4. So Begins Our Alabee - Of Montreal
5. He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes
6. Amoreena - Elton John
7. Sweet Forgiveness - Bonnie Raitt
8. All This Time - Sting
9. James - The Bangles
10. He's The Light Of The World - The Osmonds
11. I've Gotta Get A Message To You - Bee Gees
12. Blind Prayer - Rod Stewart
13. I'll Be You - The Replacements
14. Down In The Valley - The Broken West
15. Carpetbaggers - Jenny Lewis w/Elvis Costello
16. Not Alone Any More - Traveling Wilburys
17. Brownsville Girl - Bob Dylan
18. Going, Going, Gone - Stars

To listen/borrow, click here.