Ice storm, 2009--and a reflection on faith and government

And thankfully, at least for those of us in this area, it has been a much less destructive and painful storm. We have electricity and heat--which is pretty damn valuable right now as the temp is right around 22 degrees. The ice turned to sleet (perhaps because it is so much colder) and that has been a welcome change.

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To clarify my previous rant on Republicans and the economy, let me suggest that my true anger is at policies intended to gut regulation and the inclination to privatize everything. As I have argued here, government can do some good things to make our lives a little better. For me, the true cause of this recent economic collapse is the very destructive ideology of the far right that encourages hatred of government. Governments and government policies should always be questioned, and always watched, but they are not always bad, and Republicans (and many Democrats) would be wise to learn that.

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Reading through the blogs this morning, I found this nice round-table discussion on faith and politics. Fans of former President Bush may find some thoughts here they agree with, but there are also some very thoughtful critiques. First and foremost is Bush's insistence that "certainty" is somehow a virtue. Perhaps it is, but that certainty has to be combined with serious introspection and thoughtfulness, and our former President lacked those skills.

But here are a few quotes that I liked

"but this demonstrates a failure of Bush's purported faith. The Bush administration's version of truth did not have the gumption to stand on its own merits, but required the endless proliferation of violence to make its cause known. Hence its sad legacy will not be a certitude of truth but in the insecurity of violence."

and

"President Obama is not afraid of doubt. Doubt deepens his faith, echoing poet Robert Browning's sentiment: "I show you doubt, to prove that faith exists." Doubt is the darkness that allows light to be.

Doubt is good. When someone is certain of something, they no longer listen. Without doubt, knowledge slides into inflexible dogma, static and set in time, with no potential of conceptual evolution or growth, even though the world is one of constant change. Mr. Bush sadly exemplified that flaw."

Stay warm and dry. Peace