I Really Admire Elton John

I really admire Elton John.

Wow, a PHD in history and ancient languages. The years of learning and wisdom that he has accumulated is impressive.

The thoughtfulness with which he constructs each senstence, his devotion to the true, the good and the noble.

His commitment to following the truth where it lead him rather than shaping the world to his own desiring. His-

Oh wait, That's not the real Elton John. That's a made up one.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/elton-john-jesus-was-gay-20100222-oom2.html

Elton John: Jesus was gay
February 22, 2010

God botherer ... Elton John claims Jesus Christ was gay.

Sir Elton John has claimed Jesus was a "super-intelligent gay man".
The openly homosexual musician made the claim in a magazine interview and admits he admires the Christian Messiah because his aim was to spread peace and love in the world.
The Rocket Man singer - who is married to Canadian filmmaker David Furnish - told Parade magazine: "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.
"On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving.
"I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East - you're as good as dead."
The Catholic League, the largest US Catholic rights group, condemned the comments.
"Jesus was certainly compassionate, but to say he was 'super-intelligent' is to compare the son of God to a successful game-show contestant,'' league president Bill Donohue said in a statement."More seriously, to call Jesus a homosexual is to label him a sexual deviant.''
Meanwhile, Elton also revealed he fears he could be killed by a crazed fan - just like John Lennon and Gianni Versace.
The 62-year-old singer was close friends with fashion designer Versace - who was shot dead in July 1997 on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion by Andrew Cunanan - and admits he decided to increase his personal security following the tragedy.
Referring to Versace and Lennon, he said: "Two of them shot outside their houses. None of this would have happened if they hadn't been famous. Fame attracts lunatics. I never had a bodyguard ever until Gianni died. I don't like celebrity anymore."
Beatles legend Lennon died in 1980 after being shot by deranged fan Mark Chapman outside his apartment building in New York.
Bang Showbiz and AFP

Stooping From The Shoulders of Giants

Listening to the news in the car this afternoon I had two observations about the G20 protesters.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/200904/20090402-am02-kennedy-qanda.mp3
The Global Anti-globalisation Movement

How do protesters get to their protests? Why were there international protesters at the Sydney Summit? How long before the summit did they have to leave on their bark canoes in order to not be part of the global airline network?

I don't like global free trade. I think the little countries are always going to get pushed around by the big countries. But globalisation just is. Television, fibre optics, Internet, satellites these are the things that have made the world "globalised" These will not be wound back by protests. The protesters are completely missing the point, they need to protest outside every home that has Internet, every home that has a television, every city that has an airport.

There is something fundamentally myopic (more blind and stupid than hypocritical) about anti globalisation protesters who catch planes, trains, buses and taxis to protests and use the Internet to organise their protests.

Stooping from the shoulders of giants.

One dopey sounding protester on the news was recorded saying, "We don't need the banks." Utter stupidity. If he had said, "We don't like the banks." or "We don't want the banks." I could actually agree (kinda). But he is dead wrong. If you want to own a home, you need the banks. If you want someone to buy your corner shop which is fro sale, you need the banks.

Banks make a whole lot of things possible for a whole lot of ordinary people. One could argue that without the banks the middle class would not exist and the gap between rich and poor would be even greater. Where do you live for the twenty years it takes you to save the $350,000 under your mattress to buy your first home?

If you just remember banks are a business and are trying to make money out of their financial services you'll do fine. If you don't like banks, you should try some of the non bank lenders. banks like to make their money out of people paying off their home loan. Some other lenders are happy to make a living selling people out of their homes. In finance, by and large, the banks are the nice guys.

The protesters, who live somewhere, and utilise infrastructure, services and business all built on bank credit are like rich wastrels living of the inheritance. The enviro-protester lifestyle is made possible by the foundation of work and build over centuries with the cooperation of the financial sector.

Sure things have got financially wobbly lately. But don't forget that's as much because of the greed of the ordinary family as the greed of the banks. Our society is like the protesters. Living off the rich heritage of ethics, community, character and world view build up by generations of Christian civilisation. But like the protesters, ignorantly chipping away at the foundations as quickly as possible and simultaneously wondering why the system doesn't work like it used to.

Worth The Wait

Sight Unseen takes a while to warm up, but it is worth the wait. The connections, especially the historical ones, seem a bit tenuous at the start but they are skilfully weaved together in the last half. There are still a few things that are too abrupt, like the father's departure, but on the whole the book is a good read.

It's also refeshing to see an historical investigation novel that actually takes seriously the methods and current concensus of historians. Very refeshing. It may be harder work to do the research and put forward a plausible hypothesis for the identity of Junius, but it gives the book a great deal more integrity.