Hurt

and you could have it all
my empire of dirt
i will let you down
i will make you hurt

I wear this crown of shit
upon my liars chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feeling disappears
you are someone else
i am still right here.


Nine Inch Nails – Hurt – Video, free listening, & lyrics at Last.fm

Mexico to USA: I ain't your Mamma.

10 Countries in Deep Trouble - Yahoo! Finance
The first thing that I read on this page was that Mexico was in trouble because of all of the tourism that has been canceled because of drug-cartel related violence.
It occurs to me that maybe, rather than the US pressuring other countries to cut their supply, that the US should be working to either cut it's demand, or control the legality such that governments can properly regulate it rather than fighting a losing war against human nature.

I mean, honestly, if I were Columbia or Mexico or whomever, and all of these forces were threatening my system of government, I would nationalize the drug trade and tell the US to get it's own act together, I ain't your mamma.

What I think I think today about capitalism and CNBC

1 - Melissa Lee is getting more comfortable in the center seat at FastMoney, and starting to be enjoyable to watch. She was a bit tentative at first, but I think she's getting into the spirit of the show. Dillon Ratigan was one of my favorites, and I hope he lands another good show somewhere.

2 - too big to fail = too big to exist. We need to modify anti-trust laws to make sure financial institutions don't get so big that for one of them (or even a couple or three) fail would be the end of the world. THIS is the conversation we need to be having. Not big gov't or small, not capitalism or socialism.

The facts are as follows: A key element (and some would say the MAIN element) that makes capitalism the best system devised to date is its RESILIENCE, its lack of brittleness. Companies are created, innovate, perform, shrink, and die, and life goes on. BUT, when companies become so BIG and IMPORTANT that they can't possibly fail without it being the end of the world, capitalism cannot work. This is where the important and appropriate application of gov't regulation. I wish more people were talking about THIS.

On Oligarchs, Anti-Trust, and how America is just like our third world neighbors

Leading Economist Decries Power of Wall Street "Oligarchs": Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance

Maybe I'm just a sucker for an English accent, but this guys makes more sense than just about anyone I've heard in speaking about the current financial crisis.

Agreed - too big to fail = too big to exist.

Standing under Trial

BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”- James 1:12

Systems fail under stress. This is true for motor vehicles, mechanical devices, computer systems, systems of government, etc. The true test of a system is what it can do under load, under duress, under stress, and under TRIAL.

Our commitments fail when we allow ourselves to become depressed & discouraged in the face of challenges and unpleasantness. God, grant us enough of Jesus in us to get us over that hump, to a point where we are effective even when we are suffering.

What I think I might think about Rightousness ... today - Part 1

So, to most of the people who would read this, there's no great revelation here. However, to a guy who was brainwashed with hard-core Naz come-to-the-alter holiness, sorting this out is actually a very nice step on my way to a stable and sustainable belief system. It's surprising that this has only now sort of congealed in my mind.

At any rate ...

So, in the old testament, even the righteous made sacrifices as redemption for sin. They did this under the premise that everyone sins - even committed unintentional or incognizant sins, and even though they were "holy", they still needed that redemption. In point of fact, it is the ongoing act of sacrifices for redemption that seals the contract MAKING them holy.

In the new testament, the sacrifice is Jesus. The main "magic" of Jesus is that I no longer have to keep sheep and doves as sin offerings, because Jesus was the perfect offering, once for all.

Which leads us to the fact that, although we are "holy", we are still sinners. BUT, Jesus calls sinners to repentance.

Repentance, then, is a multifaceted act. 1- there is the identification of a shortcoming in our life. 2- there is a conscious decision to make a change. 3- there is the application of will, energy, and effort to alter our b3havior. 4- Eventually, over time, the new pattern becomes ingrained and very natural to us, and the repentance is more-or-less complete.

The government is the new peasantry

Obama will try to block executive bonuses at AIG

This all strikes me as a peasant uprising, with the democratic party leading the way. I need to elaborate on the why's, but unfortunatly don't have time, and will restrain myself to commenting on the irony of the "most powerful man in the world" leading the uprising against our true corporate and financial overlords.