tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69542767258513126782024-03-05T10:15:50.172-08:00From The PlainThe Stories of a Musician in OklahomaSteven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-20983609611817048552022-03-10T09:13:00.004-08:002022-03-10T11:06:46.201-08:00Putin<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The autocratic leader of Russia is a family murderer. If the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice, then his own grandchildren will one day spit on his grave and change their last names in disgust. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Don’t call him a “strongman”. Like all bullies, he is utterly weak. He isn’t fighting other people - rather he is fighting the pathetic, paralyzing, life-sucking weakness that grips his gasping heart with an iron fist. So to prove himself, he kills children. He takes, he takes, he takes, because he has everything and yet it is NOTHING. Other people are simply collateral damage in his sociopathic rage against his own loneliness, isolation, and emptiness.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">If there is an afterlife, should we wish him eternal damnation? No. There is no revenge without rehabilitation. Like all murderers, he should have to live every single life that he has taken. He should experience the vibrant, unique culture of each individual, each family, each circle of friends. And he should experience its violent end by the hand of cold disregard. He should spend thousands of years living through joys, sorrows, and abrupt endings, over and over and over for eons, until he sees his life and legacy with unflinching objectivity. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then finally, at one moment, all the lives would be lived, and he would see, not only the consequences of the current repugnant, spineless slime inside of him, but he would also see the beauty of life and of love. And that utter lack of esteem, for himself and for others, would transform and grow into a beautiful garden of experiences - planting flowers, cooking a meal with family, sharing stories with true friends, delighting in the joyful laugh of a toddler, caring for someone who needs it, feeling loved….and he would become truly good - not through the force of violence, but through the force of awareness.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">But until then, if it ever happens, the world must deal with a sociopathic, existential threat to all we value. </span></p>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-66195498588300562002021-12-26T15:16:00.011-08:002021-12-26T16:45:47.190-08:00Enid Wears A Mask<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There's an article in the NY Times today about Enid, OK. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We could have been having responsible conversations about public health over the last two years. For instance, when a government elected by the people, decides to impose, or not impose, a mask mandate - it should be because they are weighing different freedoms against each other. There is the freedom to wear, or not wear, what you want on your face. And there's the freedom to go out in public areas and not have to breathe everyone else's unmitigated exhaust during a deadly pandemic. Both of these freedoms exist, but we have to weigh them carefully. Before vaccines were widely available, I supported the mandates because I thought they led to greater freedom. But I wasn't glib about it - I take any public mandate pretty seriously as a drastic step. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Anyway, this is the responsible way to talk about these issues. When we differ, it's most often about balance. But idealogues don't like this. It's just not sexy enough to fight about balance - even though we certainly can and should have strong feelings about the proper balancing of different freedoms. No, idealogues - like Enid's Wade Burleson - have to believe that masks don't really work to help slow the spread of this disease. They don't want governmet mandates on vaccines (something I'm not sure about personally), but that's not strong enough, so they have to believe that folks who've had Covid already, and others, shouldn't even get vaccines. They cherry-pick through the dozens and dozens of studies to find the one or two that are more ambiguous. They cherry-pick through thousands of experts to find the few who disagree with the consensus. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Imagine going to 100 doctors, with a pain in your side, and 97 doctors say it's appendicitis, but 3 aren't so sure - and, coincidentally, those 3 are all anti-surgery in principle - so would you say "doctors disagree"? Or would you get your appendix out??</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why turn to this technique of misreprentation? Of breezing past the legitimate issue to use illegitimate means to "strengthen" one's argument? One of my many theories is that religious thinking colors all this. In conservative religion, one tends to decide what one thinks first, and then go hunting through theology and Scripture to find proof-texts. Then, because you have to believe the Bible is written in one voice, you read all the other texts that seem to be in conflict through the lense of your "proof-text". </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">To be fair, we all do this. We feel something strongly first, and then create reasons to justify our feelings after the fact. But conservative religion does this on steroids. Why? Because religion is an almost infinitely flexible post-hoc reasoning system. To his credit, Wade argues for more women leadership in the Southern Baptist Church. But if you read him arguing with more conservative Baptists, he interprets their anti-woman-leader clobber verses through the lens of his pro-woman-leader theology, and other Scriptures, that support his feelings on the matter. But he doesn't afford this extensive hermaneutic technique to our gay friends and family. Although he probably does extend it to rich people - "let's talk about what all the Scriptures about rich people REALLY mean.....it's not what it simply says...."</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If you like something in the Bible - that's what it plainly says! If you don't - ah, it's obviously symbolic. If something good happens, it was thanks to God. If something bad happens, he moves in mysterious ways. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And if we selectively interpret Scripture and religion to create post-hoc reasons, why not do the same with scientific studies and expert opinion? Then anything in the world can be interpreted into exactly what we want it to be.</span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="6bqi0" data-offset-key="593a3-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505;"></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><div data-block="true" data-editor="6bqi0" data-offset-key="1vk33-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1vk33-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="1vk33-0-0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I am not anti-religion, we need vehicles through which to explore our deep thoughts and feelings about this existence we share, but I am pretty anti-conservative, overly-literalistic religion. I think it can indulge our most dangerous tendencies - to privilege our ignorance over another's education, to justify our inclinations, and to condemn another's, by appealing to religious authority.....which might just be our personal feelings in search of a justification. </span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1vk33-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="1vk33-0-0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="6bqi0" data-offset-key="8u0lu-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8u0lu-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="8u0lu-0-0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I hope we can do better.</span></span></div></div></div></div>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-24693155272616832442020-10-06T12:49:00.004-07:002020-10-06T12:49:34.035-07:00A Short Note On The New Song "Chin Up High" by Noonish Moon<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1hkfd" data-offset-key="fdpek-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fdpek-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1hkfd" data-offset-key="ed5og-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ed5og-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ed5og-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">About a week after my accident in early July, Wolfgang was attending an outdoor camp, so we would get up early to help him get ready. I would usually go back to bed for a bit afterwards, but some morning in the middle of the week I went to the piano and started working on a little tune. I remember Susan asking me, "Are you working on a song?" - and I said, "I think so." It was a baby step back to things I liked to do. </span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1hkfd" data-offset-key="10m6u-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="10m6u-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="10m6u-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1hkfd" data-offset-key="63pp0-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="63pp0-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="63pp0-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I started working on it a bit more, and I didn't like it that much at first - but after tinkering quite a bit, I got the melody to a point I liked. The triplet in the third measure made it work, along with the chord progression towards the end. It was slightly more straightforward than my usual style, but it had one slight twist in it that I've always wanted to do. Almost every song is in a key - it has a main note or chord that it returns to, and this one is definitely in a key as well - but this tune never returns to the "tonic" (main note/chord). I love it when songs do that. They can be really simple songs, but that little twist can make the tune interesting. The tune "Magnet and Steel" by Walter Egan does this - as does "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry (I think, I need to relisten). I think </span><span class="diy96o5h" data-offset-key="63pp0-1-0" end="823" spellcheck="false" start="811" style="font-family: inherit;">Nathan Siler</span><span data-offset-key="63pp0-2-0" style="font-family: inherit;"> pointed this out to me? Anyhow, there is an unsettled energy to a song that never resolves. </span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1hkfd" data-offset-key="u271-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="u271-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="u271-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1hkfd" data-offset-key="43od4-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="43od4-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="43od4-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I added lyrics. I imagined peaceful, strong, determined protesters standing up for justice. I imagined people working to make the world a more equitable place for all. I imagined their hard work in the face of forces that are more interested in maintaining the status quo. It became a song of encouragement and conviction - even though that was about the opposite of how I was feeling. But that's how things work sometimes right? Brian Wilson wrote songs about surfing, but he didn't surf. Leroy Anderson wrote "Sleighride" in July. Music goes deep, to a different place from our current reality, and hopefully brings things to the surface. We hope that works of imagination and craft, on all levels, help to create the manifestation of actual, concrete change for the better. We'll hope anyway.</span></div></div>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-52381794177531637862020-10-03T15:21:00.007-07:002020-10-04T09:07:15.584-07:00Authority And Power Trump Good. <div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="e6hp0-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e6hp0-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="e6hp0-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">A common refrain over the last four years has been, "I just don't see how Christians can follow someone like Trump. It completely contradicts what they believe about Jesus."</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="3f923-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3f923-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="3f923-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="82o4h-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="82o4h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="82o4h-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">While I agree with the sentiments about Jesus - the current president is the opposite of the Sermon on the Mount - I'd offer that conservative Christians are actually acting based precisely on how they believe. I am certainly not speaking about all conservative Christians, but many for sure.</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="d51ol-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d51ol-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="d51ol-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="7ual-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7ual-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="7ual-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Christians who interpret the Bible literally have been taught to respect the authority of "God". Because of this authority, they justify God drowning (almost) the entire population of the Earth with a great flood - men, women, children, babies, animals, etc. They've been taught to justify God ordering the Israelites to brutally kill adults and children in Jericho (Joshua 6) or commanding the murder of Amalekite adults and children in 1 Samuel 15. God made them, so He can do whatever He wants with them, right? They sinned (forget about the good they've done), so they deserve violent death, right? There are many other examples as well through Scripture.</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="1c12n-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1c12n-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="1c12n-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="dkrvm-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dkrvm-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dkrvm-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Why would Christians either create justifications for God reportedly doing these things, or simply defer to his authority? Because it's in their interest. They can keep their "keep out of Hell" card, or believe there is a strongman somewhere in the universe, or believe they have a spiritual parent to take care of them. And they can keep the authority of the Bible which comforts them - something seemingly concrete to lean on. So when something good is attributed to God, then they praise God as good. When something bad is attributed, it becomes "we can't understand with our limited human morality. We must respect God's authority."</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="fj6fr-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fj6fr-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="fj6fr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="1slec-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1slec-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="1slec-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously any God would almost certainly be beyond our complete understanding, but we are talking about an inconsistent application of credit here (and a systematic way to justify evil). If God is beyond, then we can't attribute good or evil. Only power. If God is within our ability to morally understand, then we must use that sense of morality (often called "natural law" for Christians) consistently. This is one reason why many Christians see the Bible as a human attempt to understand God, rather than as a perfect revelation from God. Our human nature, in all its glory and horror, is revealed therein. </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="ffqen-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ffqen-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ffqen-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="c48g8" data-offset-key="9q3lc-0-0" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9q3lc-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9q3lc-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">So when an authority - our current president perhaps - is perceived to be acting in the interest of conservative Christians, many are quite willing to do the same moral maneuvering they've always done for God. It's in their interest, they think, and it's nothing new.</span></div></div>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-5594976888889472762019-01-11T11:44:00.003-08:002019-01-11T11:46:19.027-08:00Ancedote Are More Salient Than Data<div style="caret-color: rgb(29, 33, 41); color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is quite possible that you may know someone whose life was saved by not wearing a seat belt. Perhaps they were thrown clear in an accident and walked away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">However in the vast majority of instances, wearing a seatbelt will save your life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The saying is that anecdotes are more salient than data. In other words, singular stories capture our imaginations better than vast quantities of stories compiled together. So don't make your decisions based on that one story you heard<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"> (anecdote). Look at the vast quantity of compiled stories (data) and make a decision that puts the odds more in your favor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Wear your seatbelt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I just had a conversation with someone about immigration. We were not talking about the big metal fence, or even the best way to secure the border. We were simply discussing the fact that crime rates among immigrants, legal and illegal, are lower than crime rates among natives. (Obviously not counting immigration-related crimes here. We're talking about serious crimes).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This means that the per-capita crime rate falls when immigration happens. This is because, frankly, more future crime victims are entering the country than perpetrators. I hate thinking about it that way, but it's true. Therefore, when immigration happens, natives are safer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But this fellow's uncle was in a car accident with "an illegal". So that's all that matters. And this fellow doesn't come across as a completely unfeeling, blind Trumpie. But seeing it this was does confirm his broader way of seeing things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And anecdotes are more salient than data.</span></div>
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Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-23766692573074812502018-10-07T21:04:00.003-07:002018-10-07T21:04:37.203-07:00Ten Reasons Why We Must Use Ranked Choice Voting To Elect Our LeadersHello all! Please read my piece on this over at:<br />
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<a href="https://medium.com/@stevenstarkmusic/ten-reasons-why-we-must-use-ranked-choice-voting-to-elect-our-leaders-5d5d5514434">https://medium.com/@stevenstarkmusic/ten-reasons-why-we-must-use-ranked-choice-voting-to-elect-our-leaders-5d5d5514434</a><br />
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Thanks so much!Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-8745379282242752562016-12-21T18:25:00.003-08:002016-12-21T18:28:27.691-08:00Here is the Spring Tomato and Pepper List for 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3rip4zJjWFpwIRh9-RHP3jR8K04zu45pZMDok4IiNk7nhVJ3SpjEQqgcnpQ1IZBRpO-EcrKMc0a2YIO9-9x0XoUFtiS02O9g6hHDa562ZQTNx8FR9HV3eHB_hRVABrQDz_pEZQd6jk4/s1600/IMG_7444+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3rip4zJjWFpwIRh9-RHP3jR8K04zu45pZMDok4IiNk7nhVJ3SpjEQqgcnpQ1IZBRpO-EcrKMc0a2YIO9-9x0XoUFtiS02O9g6hHDa562ZQTNx8FR9HV3eHB_hRVABrQDz_pEZQd6jk4/s320/IMG_7444+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am happy to offer seven different varieties of tomatoes for sale this year. After growing about 30 different kinds over the last few years, these seven really stand out in terms of production, taste and vigor. All plants are organically raised and cost $3 a piece. I am planting on February 15 and they will be available in early April. Please email me at stevenstarkmusic@gmail.com if you’d like to place an order, and I’ll plant some seeds for you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kellog’s Breakfast</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This producer of large orange tomatoes performed very well over the course of the season. I didn’t really even have it in a great spot, so I’m excited to place it in a sunnier location this year to see if it does even better. The fruits were very smooth in their flavor - perhaps a tad bit subtle, though more sun may change that, and always sweet and delicious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Carbon</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Wow, this plant did so well last year. The fruit production was constant and continued all the way into the Fall. It also seemed to do well in the heat compared to other nearby plants. Nice, big, sweet fruits with a darker coloration. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cherokee Purple</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Similar to Carbon but with a thinner skin, this famous heirloom variety was absolutely delicious in 2016. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dwarf Sweet Sue</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is my all-around favorite tomato plant right now. The medium-small yellow globes are the prettiest fruits I have grown, and the flavor is excellent - very sweet with a bit of a tang. The foliage features thick, potato leaves that hold up well into the Fall. Also, being bred from dwarf tomato plants, it doesn't grow quite as quickly as other varieties, so it works very well in smaller spaces. I’m pretty sure I’ll grow this one every year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sungold</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is truly the “gold” standard in cherry tomatoes. The thin skin and sweetness will cause a flavor explosion when you pop one or two of these into your mouth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eva Purple Ball</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This wonderful heirloom produces a ton of smaller pink fruits. They are tasty and the plant remained very healthy late into the season. If you’re looking for yield, this one will come on strong in the mid-season and keep producing until late.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When I got a really good one of these fruits, nothing was tastier in the garden. There was liquid sunshine running through these large pink tomatoes. And it yielded constantly throughout the season.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And Peppers!</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am offering three kinds of peppers this year, because I really only had three that performed really well. I definitely have a few new ones I’m looking forward to trying this season!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Early Jalapeño</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This plant produces an abundance of small jalapenos. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By Fall, they are usually falling off the plant because of their huge numbers.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I’ve also noticed that they seem to get hotter and hotter as the season progresses. I can’t keep up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Emerald Giant </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This plant was fantastic this year producing lots of nice, blocky sweet peppers. If you like green peppers, these are amazing. If you’re like me and you prefer your peppers fully ripe, then wait for them to turn red - delicious! It’s definitely been a winner in my garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">These smaller, red peppers are sweet. I don’t think I ever cooked them or cut them up. I just picked them and ate them, tossing the stems out in the yard. </span>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-5813059349633992002016-11-15T22:12:00.000-08:002016-11-15T22:17:30.089-08:00Pull For The New Pilot?<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've read a lot of folks say that we need to root for Trump now. He's the pilot of the plane, whether you like him or not. Stuff like that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />I'll root for him if he does good things. If he appoints smart, thoughtful people to positions of authority. If he places tremendous value on science and our climate. If he is inclusive in his actions, words and attitudes towards all our citizens. If he actively promotes the American values of freedom of speech, press and religion. If he is properly wary of autocratic regimes throughout the world. If he keeps his business interests separate from his administration. If he values women's rights. If he represents America in a civil way domestically and internationally. If he seeks to subdue the ever-present danger of violence and the easy proliferation of weapons throughout our country. If he seeks to help middle and working class folks who are having trouble finding a new way in a world of free trade and automation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />If he doesn't do these things....if rather he seeks to suppress women's rights, marry his business interests with his administration, further marginalize the vulnerable, say uncivil things, appoint people who value ideology over science, act like a weak-minded bully and empower the worst among us, embarrass America internationally with his tendency to be unprepared, further enrich the entrenched wealthy and turn his back on the working poor, admire and ally with autocrats, persecute his political foes.....etc. etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />If he does these things instead, then I hope he fails spectacularly. And I hope that we will learn to never let such a person even come close to being president again. I just hope that folks don't get hurt in the process. I really, really, really hope that folks don't get hurt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />David Brooks, who has earned a lot more of my respect through this cycle, rightly pointed out that civility and decency, a couple of the many things that Trump lacks, are not just nice things to have when you can get them. They are foundational qualities for our union. We can't get far without them.<br /> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So should we root for Trump? That's up to him. And it doesn't look good at all so far.</span></span>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-64233988589322373192016-11-03T21:33:00.001-07:002016-11-03T21:33:14.781-07:00Immigration in 2016<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Some thoughts in the context of listening to interviews where folks express their fears and prejudices concerning immigration. I differ with them, but I want to try to give them just the slightest bit of a sympathetic thought:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />I believe in diversity as an inherently good thing, and immigration is part of the life blood of our country. However sometimes liberals have failed to adequately acknowledge that when thinking about immigration policy, it is important to keep in mind that we cannot allow certain American values to be diminished. Among those values are freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion (or the lack thereof). If immigrants do not accept these ideals, then perhaps we should not welcome them to America in great quantities. I believe in the free exchange of ideas, and I believe that exposure to American values can change the minds of those who are unaccustomed to them, but we must maintain a balance when seeking to preserve and expand those ideals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />Now I believe the vast majority of immigrants do believe in those ideals whole-heartedly, which is a big reason they want to come to America, but in our discourse sometimes liberals can go too far when combatting what they perceive (rightly, I believe) to be lots of xenophobia and racism here at home. We must acknowledge that certain American ideals are paramount and must be strongly supported by our populace to thrive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />Perhaps a SMALL part of the current Republican candidate's appeal to some has been brought about by the failure of many liberals to be properly nuanced about immigration policy. I should be clear that I support continued immigration as a moral duty and as a good thing, and even a necessary thing, for our country, but there are complexities involved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />The great irony in all this however, is that the greatest current threat to the American ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion is the very person whom those fearing immigration are turning to - this year's Republican nominee. He has continually threatened people for speaking ill of him. He has threatened protesters with violence. He has lashed out at the press when they say anything negative about him, calling them "disgusting" and filing meaningless but costly lawsuits. He has suggested a religious litmus test for entry into the United States, which renders second class status to any current resident of that religion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />And I barely mention his lack of respect for the equal personhood of women, his endorsement of sexual assault, and his dangerous flirtation with challenging America's 240 year old tradition of the peaceful transfer of power after elections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />This guy is the threat to American values. He does not serve American ideals.</span>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-4253012551465845622016-07-05T09:35:00.001-07:002016-07-05T09:35:45.111-07:00How Unmitigated Capitalism Distorts Markets<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sometime folks of my political persuasion wonder why, at times, the populist sentiment in the country seems to favor economic policies that do not help much of the populace. There are many reasons for it, I am sure, but I believe that one reason is the belief in a “just world”. This is the idea that everything happens for a reason and that people generally get what they deserve. It makes sense to believe this if one is economically successful - a doctor, a financially successful business owner or one who has inherited wealth would have it in their interest to believe that they are being justly rewarded. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />But why do so many of the working poor believe this? Perhaps one reason is that believing in a just world is comforting. Sure, I may not have the economic security that I would like, despite working two jobs, but I’d rather believe that I deserve this than that I am being cheated by the system in some way. If I believe I deserve it, then I may not have economic security, but I have existential security. I believe that there is a general order that is operating things correctly. The alternative is to believe that the current state of affairs is simply made by people just like me - and that is frightening. It’s easier to believe that things are the way they are because generally people deserve their lot in life.<br /><br />The great irony here is that the view of “personal responsibility” - that I completely deserve my lot in life through my own actions - is actually an attempt to jettison personal responsibility for the way the world itself actually is. As long as a minimum of security is met (no one is super hungry perhaps?) it’s easier to believe everything is how it should be already. Surely things can’t really be super wrong….can they?<br /><br />One way a person might justify this way of thinking, believing in a just world, in particular how it relates to economic results, is by believing in markets. If I have a skill or a good to sell, then the principle of supply and demand should control my success. If I am “unskilled”, then I offer less to society and can’t expect much in return.<br /><br />This makes some sense. Obviously a person who invents a great new technology or goes through the enormous amount of hoops to become a doctor should receive economic rewards that are greater than a person who has a high school degree and just wants to work for a living (although surely there is nothing wrong with that!). I don’t think there is much of anyone these days that believes in equal outcomes in the economy, despite the rhetoric on the right.<br /><br />But what if markets are not operating in an untouchable vacuum? What if certain policies affect markets and distort them? What then happens to the “just world” view?<br /><br />Capitalism is a pretty darn good system. By using money, a useful (but complete) fiction, we can spread goods and services across the economy, facilitating trade and investment. Money is just dead useful that way. A bartering system creates massive inefficiencies - can you imagine having to construct an elaborate series of trades just to obtain what you need everyday? <br /><br />So money is a fantastic idea. It’s nothing but paper, or blips on a screen more likely these days, but it greases the wheels of the actual trade of goods and services.<br /><br />But there is a fatal flaw in the system. <br /><br />If I make a product and sell it, or work, and accumulate capital (money) but I don't spend it on other goods and services - in other words, if I save - then what happens? Everyone else in the system of exchange has less money to facilitate trade. The baker who wants a hat can’t buy a hat - she doesn’t have the money. And perhaps she works hard and makes excellent bread, but someone else in the chain, who wants bread, doesn’t have the money, because I didn’t spend my money. A depressing effect begins to occur. Saving stifles trade. Keynes called this “the paradox of thrift.” Financial wealth, which is created through saving, leads directly to financial poverty elsewhere in the system.<br /><br />But wait! Most people who save do not put the money under the mattress, of course. They invest it. And this is great in many ways. They don’t want to spend right now, so they put money somewhere - the bank, stock market, etc. - and someone else ends up with the money who can spend it - on building a business, for instance.<br /><br />So everything is great, right? Not really.<br /><br />The investor isn’t giving away money here. He wants a return. He’s not trying to facilitate trade, rather he wants more money - so all the money that he invested must quantitatively grow, pulling even more capital away from other parts of the economy. But isn’t that money also invested? Sort of.<br /><br />When money continues to creep into fewer and fewer hands, which as you can see is an essential aspect of the way capitalism works, then the velocity of money (speed of spending) utilized on real goods and services tends to be depressed. Imagine I buy a stock instead of spending my money on a tangible good. I now own a stock and that money sits in someone else’s hands, the person who sold me the stock. Then she buys a stock and the money goes to someone else’s hands, etc. etc. The money is being traded back and forth in different savings vehicles. The cash is sitting temporally in brokerage firms. Yes, a lot of the money raised in stock sales is sometimes used to buy real goods and services for a company, but once again - returns are expected! And those returns end up being traded around in savings vehicles which slows down the purchase of real goods and services in the economy. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />So when capitalism is working the way it’s designed to work, there is an upward gravity of money which has a depressing effect on the trade of real goods and services. And this is when fiscal failures start to happen.<br /><br />What is a fiscal failure? It’s a point in the economy where something is needed, and there are people and resources ready to make it happen, but there is simply not enough money present. But remember, money is a fiction. The philosopher Alan Watts once made the point that saying we don’t have enough money is like saying builders don’t have enough inches to measure with, so they can’t build. Today, some economists use the example that saying we don’t have enough money is like saying the NBA doesn’t have enough points to put on the board for the next game. In other words, money is fiction. But it’s the way our economy works, and when it becomes lop-sided in one part of the system, through certain policy decisions, then there is trouble. It’s a (fiscal) failure of the system.<br /><br />Say a school needs to be rebuilt. And say there are two dozen construction workers who are unemployed. And say there are plenty of actual resources - food, gas, building materials, etc. - in the economy for the potential workers to work with and for them to buy with their potential income. And yet the job is not happening and the construction workers are idle, and the resources are sitting on shelves. There is zero reason for this in terms of actual resources. This is a fiscal failure. It’s a failure of money! A legitimate market is there, but through a lack of financial resources - NOT real resources (that is key) - we have a distortion to that market and it doesn’t function well.<br /><br />Then what happens to other workers in the economy when multiples fiscal failure lead to fewer jobs? The market for labor is depressed, and wages tend to go down. Not necessarily because workers are “unskilled” and unneeded, but because they are under-valued due to market distortions caused by fiscal failures. And because employers are having to pay less for labor, the upward gravity of capital is heightened and it creates a negative feedback loop.<br /><br />So the progression is like this - The upward gravity of capital leads to fiscal failures, which lead to market distortions, which lead to heightened inequality, which leads to more upward gravity of capital, etc.<br /><br />How do we fix this? It seems a fatal flaw in capitalism that will eventually disrupt markets completely.<br /><br />Luckily there are ways to mitigate for the upward gravity of capital. <br />One - a progressive tax system. As one takes more financial resources for oneself through income, we tax that income progressively higher.<br /><br />Two - We try to keep a steady rate of modest inflation in the economy, which somewhat punishes a lack of spending. If your savings are losing value, then spending becomes more attractive. The opposite is deflation, which tends to cripple spending.<br /><br />Three - We create a minimum wage.<br /><br />What else we should do:<br /><br />We should raise taxes on the higher income brackets. Remember, every person pays the same taxes on income - a lawyer earning $250,000 a year pays the same amount of taxes on her first $10,000 as a checker at Wal-Mart. But she pays more on the amounts earned over certain thresholds. <br /><br />We should raise the capital gains tax. This is so low it’s silly. We tax invested capital at a lower rate than labor much of the time. The idea is that if I give you money to buy a taxi cab, I get taxed 15% on all the income. But If I buy a taxi cab myself and drive it, I am possibly taxed much higher. <br /><br />We should get rid of the upper limit on payroll taxes (Socials Security, Medicare, etc. taxes). A worker at McDonald’s pays a higher percentage of his income to payroll taxes than the wealthy lawyer, because one doesn’t pay payroll taxes on income over a certain amount. This is unjust. <br /><br />We should raise the minimum wage. It should be done slowly, to mitigate for sudden shocks, but it should be done steadily. Putting more money in the hands of spenders - and those making close to minimum wage cannot afford to save much - will increase the velocity of money in the economy.<br /><br /><br />Note that none of these issues are presented specifically in moral terms. They are presented as economic necessities to create a capitalism that rewards hard work and creativity and that does not distort markets to the detriment of the working and middle classes.<br /><br />As evidence for the points presented here, look at the Great Depression and the Great Recession. Were either of these terrible periods of extreme economic hardship because of a problem with actual resources? Was there a massive famine? Did we run out of energy? No. It was the direct result of out of control savings vehicles increasing the upward gravity of capital, decreasing investment in the production of actual goods and resources, and eventually leading to the distortion of markets through massive fiscal failures. <br /><br />Capitalism simply must be regulated well in order for it to serve markets. Or else markets will end up the slave to capital, and working families will suffer. To regulate capitalism is not “anti-capitalist”, rather it is an essential aspect of preserving the innovation, hard work and freedom that quality capitalism can enhance.</span>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-31828258536594958842016-05-12T08:15:00.002-07:002016-05-12T08:15:33.291-07:00Two Premieres on Tuesday, May 17!<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I am thrilled that next Tuesday evening, May 17, I have the privilege of hearing two incredible orchestras premier my pieces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />At around 7:15, Belle Isle Middle School will premier Classical Rag - it's a light-hearted, jazz-oriented piece. It's my first foray into this style and definitely not my last. In fact, I think working on this piece is going to inform all my future attempts. And the kids are absolutely NAILING it! They are so good. I can't believe it's an 8th grade orchestra. They can swing, baby! Thanks to Jeremy Scott!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Then, sometime around 8:00-8:30, the Edmond Memorial High School Philharmonic will premier Wovensong No. 2 "Dust Storm". It's a longer piece drawing inspiration from the Dust Bowl and how our predecessors dealt with this terrible time. It's a tribute to the power of nature and our responsibilities to care for each other and the natural world. And once again, the young men and women playing this piece are so in tune, and so vibrant in their playing. It's phenomenal! The choir sat in and listened to them play it yesterday, and it was truly inspiring to see how well they responded to the efforts of their musical colleagues. Thanks to David Koehn</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />I submit that there is NOTHING more essential in education than music and arts education. In these young orchestral players, I see personal discipline, the ability to work together and support each other, and the raw appreciation of beauty that is surely the very point of life. The quality of their education hinges on developing these qualities and carrying them forward past their graduation.<br />My personal heroes are the music directors, but to all who support student development in this way, I salute you in these challenging times. Let's all work together to make sure that no one takes away these vital opportunities from our kids ever again.</span>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-33207982875416365152016-02-11T08:48:00.000-08:002016-02-11T08:59:30.670-08:00Are Free Markets "Natural"? What Does That Even Mean?<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The term “free market” has always made me feel very strange. I suppose the reason is that, for many people, the word “free” implies a lack of regulation. And yet without regulations, a good market cannot even exist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is this idea that a free market is something natural and that rules encumber the natural “invisible hand” of that market. While I think there is some truth to the law of supply and demand, I would argue that what is “natural” encompasses a wide range of behaviors that we do not associate with desirable markets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stealing is a natural behavior, unfortunately. Creating monopolies by using power to crush competition is natural. Working together in symbiotic ways is also natural.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of us find monopolies and theft as unacceptable types of markets. And they are markets. If a person threatens my life unless I give him my car, then I have just made an exchange. We don’t have to see it as legitimate, but it is a market exchange. If Wal-Mart can undercut every other business because of their preexisting infrastructure advantages, this is still certainly a type of market even if we find it undesirable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of us have decided that outlawing theft and outlawing monopolistic business practices are parts of a healthy market. A market is, by definition, a system of exchange, and we choose what type of market we want to have by the rules we choose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what market rules are good and what rules are not? Why do we choose to create certain markets?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I would argue that a desirable market is based on merit, morality and economic benefit. The merit comes from rules that reward creativity and hard work. The morality comes from a safety net that provides basic human rights for folks regardless of their situation and makes sure economic rewards are not too lop-sided. And the economic benefit comes from rules which stimulate economic growth and technological advancement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Patents are a great example of a rule which forms a part of a desirable market. First of all, they are complete fiction. There is nothing inherently “natural” about saying that only a certain person can use an invention of some type for several years. Perhaps it would be more natural for everyone to market a new invention as quickly as possible in order to make money. So why do we have patents? Because we think the inventor deserves a reward for her invention (merit), and we think that those rewards will stimulate others to invent, creating economic growth (economic benefit).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How about rules breaking up monopolies? Once again, complete fiction. But we have decided that competition is good for economic benefit and morality, so we break up big companies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What about compound interest? Talk about fiction! There is nothing natural about increasing someone’s money when it sits around in a savings account of some kind. Yet we use those returns in various ways to stimulate the allocation of resources (economic benefit.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And of course the biggest fiction of all - capital. There is nothing natural about someone giving someone else a piece of paper, or blips on a computer screen, having other people do the work, and then the original person receiving more money (while possibly doing very little). And yet it tends to make our investment of real resources (materials, labor, planning, etc.) fairly efficient throughout the economy (economic benefit).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So a good market is something that is created through rules. By its nature, that’s what it is. Even on a simple level of bartering, there are invented rules which make it work to satisfy the conditions of merit, morality and economic benefit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what about the word “free” often placed in front of market? Personally, I think it’s somewhat irrelevant, perhaps even a bit of an oxymoron. “Free” implies choice and “market” implies rules which often restrict choices - at least in the short-term. However a quality market, with rules to support merit, morality and economic viability, can create greater personal freedom, a greater amount of choice in the long-term, for people. Most people agree that patents, however “natural” they are, are a good idea for our economy. However sometimes people will argue that a minimum wage or a progressive income tax is unnatural, encumbering the “free market.” The truth is that these ideas are no more or less natural than a patent. They should be judged according to merit, morality and economic benefit as we create desirable markets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is one argument for a minimum wage, progressive taxation and other associated policies being an essential part of a good market:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Capitalism is designed to isolate financial wealth into fewer and fewer hands. That's what happens when it is working properly. If I have excess capital, then I either hide it under the mattress (which hurts the economy - I am not re-spending the money so I am depressing trade) or I invest it. Sure, that investment is sometimes spent elsewhere creating income elsewhere in the short-term, but I expect a return on my investment. So eventually more financial resources are isolated into my hands as I make a profit. In the aggregate economy this has a depressing effect on economic transactions, because financial assets begin to drift away from those who spend the most quickly - the working and middle classes - and they accumulate in the hands of the rich. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So there is an upward gravity of capital in our system that is destructive to the velocity of money. We can mitigate for this by keeping a decent tax rate on hoarded wealth (particularly the estate tax, keeping investment income taxed at the same rate as earned income and a progressive tax rate), maintaining a healthy minimum wage, planning quality deficit spending from the federal government to maintain a decent level of income, infrastructure, and inflation (which devalues hoarded financial wealth) and a variety of other ways etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And yet, once again, these rules are often called “anti-free market”. But these rules seek to serve the same purpose as patents and antitrust legislation - to enhance merit, morality and economic benefit - so they are not inherently any different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So “free market” is an unhelpful term. The real question is - what rules best enhance merit, morality and economic viability? That’s the standard by which we have created invented rules such as patents, compound interest, antitrust rules, laws preventing theft, etc. etc. And other rules, such as minimum wages, environmental standards, progressive taxation, etc. have the same goals and should be judged along the same lines. Let’s not pretend that certain rules are “free” or “natural” and others are not. These terms are poorly defined in the context of markets. Rather, let’s judge all rules according to merit, morality and economic benefit.</span></div>
Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-9051886476531295772016-01-12T21:18:00.002-08:002016-01-12T21:20:02.198-08:00Tomato Plant Sale 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8BwSw30TA5wikvCYAuwsvq5cQtP8C9mlrze1psg9eO7eHBmdE-fmdaifxGiEFFMMC7Z_NRhFMxeINZ9peaKCcVwXJEPq0pCmCgj-J7lNMy4jUN4nGNX_zSILOHD9RSGZpQEXepUqLHY/s1600/Tomato+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8BwSw30TA5wikvCYAuwsvq5cQtP8C9mlrze1psg9eO7eHBmdE-fmdaifxGiEFFMMC7Z_NRhFMxeINZ9peaKCcVwXJEPq0pCmCgj-J7lNMy4jUN4nGNX_zSILOHD9RSGZpQEXepUqLHY/s200/Tomato+Collage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am pleased to announce ten tomato varieties for sale in 2016!<br /><br />Each organically grown seedling will be ready around the middle of March to the first of April. Each is an open-pollinated variety - meaning you can save seeds and they will produce the same variety when planted. The exception is Sungold, which is a hybrid and will most likely not produce the same tomato if seeds are saved. But they are so tasty, so who cares?<br /><br />I am asking $5 per plant. I personally think that’s a bit expensive, but it’s because the proceeds (after buying a bag of potting soil) will be donated to The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Just send me an email at sestark19@gmail.com, and let me know what you want. I may also have some pepper varieties - different sizes of bell, jalapenos, banana and habanero types. Ask if interested!<br /><br /><br /><b>Yellow/Orange Tomatoes</b><br /><br /><b>Sungold</b> - Delicious cherry tomatoes. These are the “gold” standard - a wonderful mix of sweet and tangy.<br /><br /><b>Azoychka</b> - I am excited to try this one. It’s a yellow tomato with great reviews, and it matures earlier than most. <br /><br /><b>Dwarf Sweet Sue</b> - This was my best producer last year. The “Dwarf” refers to the plant size, which is supposed to be smaller than most. Mine got pretty big though…..The medium/small tomatoes were deliciously sweet, with a bit of zing to them. And they tend to be beautiful fruits without blemishes. It produced all right in the summer and then went crazy in September and October.<br /><br /><br /><b>Red/Pink Tomatoes</b><br /><br /><b>Brandywine OTV</b> (Off The Vine) - This red variety of Brandywine is supposed to set fruit in heat better than other strains. And it features the amazing flavor of the most famous name in heirloom tomatoes. <br /><br /><b>Traveler 76</b> - The University of Arkansas bred this pink tomato in the 70’s for heat resistance. I am looking forward to trying it!<br /><br /><br /><b>Purple/Dark Tomatoes</b><br /><br /><b>Black Cherry</b> - After reading the reviews of this one, I was very intrigued. Delicious, dark cherry tomatoes. Probably huge vines.<br /><br /><b>Black Krim</b> - This was my all-around favorite last year. The fruits were beautiful, and, despite my over-watering, they were delicious with a fruity/slightly salty flavor. <br /><br /><b>Cherokee Purple</b> - This is another candidate for the most famous name in heirloom tomatoes. I recently read a list of “must plant” tomatoes, written by users on the website tomatovile.com, and this was by far the most referenced variety.<br /><br /><br /><b>Multicolor Tomatoes </b><br /><br /><b>Tiger Tom</b> - a smaller, striped tomato. Zingy. I hope it’s a bit early, being small.<br /><br /><b>Big Rainbow</b> - A big multi-colored tomato. It should come on pretty late in the season. The pictures of this one are of big yellow fruits with orange and red streaks.</span></div>
<br />Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-43404839858080266592015-12-04T08:59:00.000-08:002015-12-04T09:03:16.705-08:00Letter to James Lankford<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Dear Mr. Lankford, December 4, 2015<br /><br /><br />I recently heard your comments criticizing "high" government spending and tying it to high levels of unemployment. I wish I had the information on when and where you delivered this speech. I heard it on the radio within the last couple of weeks.<br /><br />Your comments concerned me, because they didn’t seem to reflect a good knowledge of how our economy works. It is fairly nonsensical to tie unemployment directly to spending of any kind. Whoever is doing the spending, - be it government, corporation or individual - that entity is directly creating income for another person.<br /><br />In short, every cent that is spent is received as income by someone else. Saying that spending is decreasing jobs is like saying that pushing the accelerator on your car makes it slow down.<br /><br />One can have political opinions about what the government should spend on - roads? education? war? healthcare? - but one cannot say that spending is causing unemployment, since the exact opposite is the case. In fact, we have a word for what happens when spending decreases in our country too much - recession.<br /><br />One argument I read is that too much government spending may “crowd out” the private sector. But this is nonsensical when accompanied by complaints of high unemployment. If that percentage is too high, then there are workers to be had by whoever would like to spend to hire them. The government is certainly not “hoarding” all available workers. <br /><br />The other argument is that businesses are too nervous to hire because of “high” government spending. This is also nonsense, as businesses tend to spend according to their current level of business (spending on their products by others) and projections about future levels of business. If the government decreased spending, unemployment would rise and businesses would certainly not gather more confidence, or more business, from this. I urge you not to dress up political arguments about government spending as economic arguments.<br /><br />However, I congratulate you on seeking out redundancies in government spending - your so-called “Federal Fumbles” list. Unnecessary spending is a wasted opportunity, which should be redirected towards a more worthy cause. But I ask that you please remember that the problem is not necessarily the spending - rather, it’s what we spend our money on. And that is true of the private sector as well.<br /><br />All spending, public and private, is someone else’s income.<br /><br /><br />Thanks for your time! <br /><br />Steven Stark<br />OKC<br />sestark19@gmail.com</span></div>
Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-47823196323462970332015-11-13T07:20:00.000-08:002015-11-13T07:20:06.478-08:00Living With The Tension<span style="font-size: large;">The older I get, the less I seek resolution and the more I seek to live sustainably with the tension.<br /><br />There are many examples of this in my life. My neighbor, a wonderful man of 68 years, passed away suddenly earlier this week. On the one hand, it is so unfair. He was fit, energetic, kind, fun, and - having just retired - ready for more adventures with his friends and family. But on the other hand, he lived life very fully and had a lot of great years and experiences. On the one hand I am angry, feeling that he and his family were short-changed. But on the other hand, his 68 years were wonderful. My father passed away at a much younger age, when he was 55. He didn’t get to meet his grandchildren. That is unfair. But others have passed away after only 30 years of life. 15 years of life. A month of life.<br /><br />As opposed to my younger thinking, I no longer think there is a clear resolution to be found here. I can be angry and grateful at the same time. That is OK. Perhaps even good.<br /><br />There are other questions in life that don’t have clear resolutions. My Sunday morning discussion group has dealt with the question “How much is too much?” in regards to possessions and wealth. (Ha, this makes us sound like we are all rich - a relative term, I suppose). When do possessions and financial wealth work for owners and society? When do they perpetuate injustice towards neighbors and isolate those who have them? Is there a certain line, contextual to a culture, where this difference becomes apparent? I don’t know for sure.<br /><br />I can’t have resolution on this. And perhaps this is good. Living with this tension may help me maintain awareness towards myself and others. I can’t find a perfect solution, but I can be open to my role in injustice, while also living life. If I ignored the tension, then I would be living a fantasy, decreasing the depth of my life by isolating myself. If I found some “solution”, then perhaps I would also stop thinking about economic injustice, thinking I had resolved the issue. Rather, I think this tension requires tending - frequent check-ins concerning balance and how we and our neighbors are doing. <br /><br />None of this is to suggest that we shouldn’t seek conflict resolution when possible. Some conflicts may be resolved and moved firmly into the past. But others are never going to be completely fixed and forgotten. And again, perhaps that can be a good thing if our goal is to increase awareness. I suppose I see “resolution” more as creating a life where the conflict can fit into my days without dominating them. Too much resolution seeking could lead me to distraction from life.<br /><br />I have read that in Hindu thinking, the goal is not to overcome emotion. Rather the goal is to nurture an underlying flow of serenity that acts as a baseline during our emotional experiences. In other words, don’t look to rid yourself of anger or sadness. Experience them fully, but seek to live with them as partners - to walk the razor’s edge of salvation, where an underlying, even sneaky, serenity may help you navigate your experiences. Tend the serenity. Relax the tightness in your chest. Breathe. Live with the tension through awareness, not through stress.<br /><br />As the book title says - “Wherever you go, there you are.” In this life, we’ll never be conflict free. So live with the tension.</span>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-76879000014543159162015-05-07T09:29:00.000-07:002015-05-07T09:38:35.158-07:00Concert May 14!<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am very, very excited about the Edmond North High School Orchestra concert May 14, 2015 at 7:00PM! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Symphony Orchestra will be performing my piece Wovensong No. 1 “An Arduous Path”. Edmond North has four orchestras, and I am telling you, this group sounds like a university orchestra - easily!<br />
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Another one of their excellent ensembles will join me in a performance of my song “Lazarus” which is featured on my 2008 album “A is for Airplanes, B is for Baseball, C is for Cats...” I wrote an arrangement for the string players, and I can’t wait to play with them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am pasting the program notes below. I hope to see some of you there! For those who cannot attend, I hope we will have some audio/video to post as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The concert is at the Edmond North High School auditorium and begins at 7:00PM. I should also mention that the performance is under the direction of orchestra wizard Peter Markes, Oklahoma's 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year, with bass extraordinaire Jeff Ketch.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Wovensong No. 1 “An Arduous Path” Program Notes</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Weaving is a way of producing fabric by interlacing two distinct materials. The longitudinal threads are called the warp, and the lateral threads are called the weft. A Wovensong is a form featuring two distinct melodic ideas which are woven together in different ways as the piece progresses. The form is not unlike a Sonata-Allegro form (the traditional first movement of a symphony), but the structure of the Wovensong is more centered on melodic material than key relationship. In fact, it is desirable in a Wovensong to end the piece in a different key from the beginning to signify variation and linear progression. Recognition is brought about by the repetition and development of familiar melodies. The use of the word “song” in the form title also signifies a focus on melodic material. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">“Wovensong: An Arduous Path” begins with a soft Introduction followed by a pointed, minor-key theme (the Warp) presented in unison by all the strings. After a period of development, a major-key, lilting theme (the Weft) takes over. The Weave section features material from the Introduction, the Weft, and the Warp; beginning in a reflective mood and then spinning out aggressively towards the end. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The lyrics to “Lazarus” describe three miracles from three different religious traditions (I have often thought that I should have named this song “Three Miracles”!). The first is the Buddhist miracle of the discovery of the 14th Dalai Lama, who is said, among other things, to have pointed towards the city of Lhasa, the traditional home of the Dalai Lama, as a very young child and announced that he would be going there soon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The second miracle is from the Daoist tradition. A carver wants to make a bell stand out of wood. Rather than carving one himself, he walks through the forest and eventually finds one that nature has already created. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The third miracle is the story of Lazarus, from the Christian tradition, who is said to have been raised from the dead by Jesus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I realize that it took longer to read these notes than it would to read the lyrics of the song! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The music goes back and forth between the keys of G Major and E Major to create variation, while the melody only changes subtly. The arrangement for the Chamber Orchestra was great fun to write - I could not be more excited to perform with them!</span></span></div>
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Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-44884403403575839032015-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:002015-02-18T09:23:28.056-08:00Love and Hate<div style="color: #141723; font: 18.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have played many, many weddings over the years (I really enjoy it). A universal theme in the officiators' comments has been that love is not just an emotion, it is an action.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sometime I wonder - can hate work the same way? It is an open question in my mind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I realize that many who oppose same-sex marriage probably feel that they are trying to help same-sex families get away from a lifestyle that violates "God's laws". However surely they must see that from the other side, their actions are hateful, because same-sex families are being asked to give up their intimate relationships on the basis of someone's personal religious doctrine that does not correspond to a wider science-based, ethics-based reasoning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In short, bills aimed at prohibiting same-sex marriage (like HB 1599 and 1125 proposed in Oklahoma) make life harder for many families out there. Can "hate" be an action, even if it does not correlate with a feeling of hatred?</span></span></div>
Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-15471453706310237712014-05-04T22:13:00.006-07:002014-05-04T22:13:52.877-07:00Summit Middle School Orchestra To Premiere “The Swashbuckling Suite.”<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This Friday, May 9 the Summit Middle School Orchestra under the direction of Angie Allen will debut a new string piece by Oklahoma City composer Steven Stark. The title of the work is “The Swashbuckling Suite”. The students will be playing several movements from the work including “The Sea of Adventure” and “Parry and Thrust.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">“The work is pirate-themed and is actually still ‘under construction’. I am still working on the final movement, but we decided it would be a rewarding experience to go ahead and play a few of the movements this year,” said Stark. “I could not be more excited to work with Angie and the excellent students at Summit. Hearing them play this piece is about as fun as it gets!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"Because it is more modern music, I think it is more interesting,” said Mei Zhang, an 8th grade violinist at Summit. “Since the composer is alive, we can really portray what he wants us to."</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"Because we are going to be the first ones to play the music, it is going to be a very rare experience. Most people don't get to do that, “ said 8th grade cello player, Jessica Fan.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"Steven has written an exciting and beautiful piece, and the students have really enjoyed learning this music,” said Allen. “It has been both a challenging and rewarding experience."</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Steven Stark lives and works in Oklahoma City. He has written many pieces for middle school and high school string orchestras. He also recently composed the score to the documentary “Where Did the Horny Toad Go?” As a cellist and guitarist he has toured with the Starlight Mints and the Lovely Sparrows. As a session musician he has played on recordings by Graham Colton, Avril Lavigne, David Hodges, Student Film, Tyson Meade, Bronze Radio Return and many others. He was a member of the seminal OKC rock band The Fellowship Students, and has released several solo albums. He can be contacted at <a href="http://www.stevenstarkmusic.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #0e23a3; text-decoration: underline;">www.stevenstarkmusic.com</span></a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The concert is at the Santa Fe High School auditorium and will begin at 7:00PM. In addition to the premiere, the 6th, 7th and 8th grade orchestras will play works by J.S. Bach, Mark Williams and Soon Hee Newbold among others.</span></span></div>
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Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-15894552354324382302014-04-01T08:49:00.001-07:002014-04-01T10:42:07.783-07:00A New Job this First Day of April!<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am pleased to announce that I have accepted a position as Government Liaison for the Christian Science church! My first step is to organize a lawsuit against the federal government for requiring the health insurance offered by Christian Scientist-owned businesses to cover doctors. Private business owners who are members of the church are happy to provide insurance which covers prayer treatments, but doctors violate their beliefs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am also doing a little part-time work for some Jehovah's Witness business owners. They want to offer their employees insurance that does not cover blood transfusions. Medical treatment is OK, but remember that we should all "abstain from blood" as prescribed by Acts 15. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I know that all business owners could simply opt out of providing coverage and instead pay a fee which is smaller than current insurance costs, and I realize that no person is ever being required to make use of a medical service (the government is just trying to make sure the option is available in their coverage) but this is a question of religious liberty folks!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After we wrap up these cases, I hope to start my own lobbying firm. We hope to introduce a new Line Item Taxation Amendment which will allow all Americans to simply choose which programs their tax dollars will fund. Who needs compromise in the legislative process? Who even needs a democratic republic anymore? Let's do it directly. Don't agree with paying for a road, a military plane or environmental regulations? Then opt out! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Our next project is the Line Item Law Amendment which will allow citizens to only follow the laws which they want to follow. There are people arrested for drunk driving every day who don't think there is anything wrong with it! Why should they have to obey a law with which they disagree?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Working together as a community to create civilization should never even hint at stepping on the toes of whatever an individual feels like doing at any given moment. Let's work together to make this happen! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If you feel like it!</span></span></div>
<br />Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-80720618402974636772013-12-11T09:52:00.002-08:002014-06-09T11:54:29.708-07:00The Bible Geek<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My favorite podcast for several years has been “The Bible Geek” with host Robert M. Price. A New Testament scholar, former evangelical pastor, and current atheist, Bob Price has a great love and respect for theologies, religions and myths (including comic books, of course!). </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">He has little patience with “axe-grinding apologetics”, but he also has great friendships with apologists which creates an atmosphere where relationship is valued over polemics - although Bob will certainly tell you what he thinks about an issue!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">He is also a master of accents, reading questions from listeners in the accent of their choice. He usually reads Scripture in the voice of Charlton Heston, unless Jesus is speaking, then it is Willem Defoe. And the apostle Paul is Paul Lind (Bewitched). </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">All in all, it is a fascinating podcast if you like such things. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I got a bit of a thrill when he recently addressed some of my questions. If anyone is interested, I will paste the questions below. Happy listening! Or not listening! :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">These questions are addressed at the beginning of the Dec. 5 2013 podcast. I am particularly impressed by his response to the first question. There is a lot for me to explore in there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hi Bob!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1. My chosen myth is that of a pantheist, or panentheist, God. God is all that is (including myself and the Bible Geek!). And even if there is a stand-alone person of God in the mix, creation must reflect God's thought and intention, and therefore that creation should be considered part of God, just as our thoughts and intentions are a big part of who we are.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is there any history of this type of thought within the Judeo-Christian tradition?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2. It seems to me that the problem people have with determinism, whether theistic or naturalistic, is that they assume there is a separate "I" being played like a marionette. However there is no separate "I." We are not controlled by naturalistic factors - we ARE those naturalistic factors. The alternative is that we are disconnected from the phenomena around us. It seems to me the same is true if one believes in theistic determinism. God is not pulling our strings to achieve His intention - rather we ARE God's intention.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I suppose I agree with the Calvinists a bit on this one. Too bad they mix up God and the devil!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I would be interested in your thoughts on freewill within this context. Is there an "I" that is separate from naturalistic phenomena or from God's intention? The idea seems incoherent to me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thanks so much for your incredibly valuable insight. I am in the car a lot teaching music lessons and playing gigs, and I always enjoy the Bible Geek!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">These questions are addressed in the middle of the Dec. 7 podcast. I was glad to hear him generally agree with me on the first, as the meaning of “turn the other cheek” has come to mean “ignore” instead of what it actually means - “OFFER the other cheek.” The 2nd question was not addressed directly, but he offered interesting thoughts anyways. The 3rd question response was interesting, but I think it may show a bit of a weak link in Mr. Price’s Christ Myth Theory. However I am still very interested in the theory, and it is quite possibly correct. Who knows?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Greetings to the garrulous Geek who knows his Greek!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have a few questions for you, sir.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1. I have been listening to some episodes of The Bible Geek over the last year and the subject of "turning the other cheek" has come up a few times. Your view seems to be that the best interpretation of that passage is that it is a rejection of a retributive honor system. While this makes some sense for sure, particularly since it is a direct challenge to "an eye for an eye" in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, I wonder if there is more to it than that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The passage does not say simply to walk away. Rather it says to offer the striker the other cheek as well. This seems to go a bit further than rejecting retaliation for the offense. To me, it seems to imply a non-violent power play, where the struck takes back control from the striker - as in "You may have hit me, but I am the one calling the shots. Here, hit my other cheek as well."</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Doesn't this seem close to the kind of non-violent resistance we saw from Ghandi in the 20th century? It seems an act of taking back power for the powerless by shaming the conscience of the offender. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What sayeth the Geek?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2. I join the Geek in criticizing the Penal Substitution Theory as fundamentally unjust. How does punishing an innocent for the crime of another satisfy justice in any coherent way? The sins of humanity are not presented by Paul as being akin to a parking violation, where another might pay a measly fine in our stead. Rather the author of Romans sees the sins of humanity as a capital offense - "the wages of sin is death".</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Killing an innocent in a guilty person's place makes no sense according to any civilized justice system. Or, to put it in a way we have all heard many times, two wrongs do not make a right.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">However, I am wondering if the "substitution" idea can still be moral if we remove the "penal" from in front of it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The version I will offer here is still one of substitutionary atonement. It maintains that Christ still takes the place of sinners in a sense. But it removes the "penal" part, which is the idea that Christ's sacrifice was to appease God.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Christ submitted himself to death at the hands of sinners. He showed us the wages of our sin by taking them on himself, for sinfulness responds to love in violent ways. Contemplating the death of Christ at the hands of men, who represent the imperfections we all have, convicts our hearts. This leads us to turn from the destructive ways of sin. Therefore Christ has substituted himself for us, showing and bearing the consequences of our sin and convicting our hearts in order to lead us to the more beneficial path of right action. And of course, this right action, leads us to "at-one-ment" with God.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Christ dies for our sins, because of our sinfulness. But not because God needed to be appeased, but rather because there is a natural suffering that comes about when we do not know love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This interpretation is one along the lines of Ghandi's hunger strikes. By taking this physical burden on himself to protest potential combat between Muslims and Hindus, he convicted the hearts of both sides and, at least for a while, led them to avoid conflict. His was a substitutionary atonement.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is there a history of this view of atonement in Christianity?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3. Finally, I am getting more and more familiar with the Christ Myth Theory. While I still don't see it as the most likely candidate for describing the "historical" Jesus, the Geek has certainly succeeded in convincing me that it is a possibility to be taken seriously.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My question is this - according to the CM Theory, what would have been the catalyst for the formation of the early church? It makes sense that if there was a person named Jesus, and he was crucified, and his followers believed him to have been raised by God, then this would have led to a reinterpretation of Jesus' past role on earth, a development of a heightened Christology over time, and the formation of a new religion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If the Christ idea came about from a combination of Gnosticism, other mystery religions, and the notion of Yahweh as a dying and rising God - what was the spark which brought it all together into what would become Christianity?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I love your show. Thanks for the education and the entertainment, friend!</span></span></div>
Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-54642928424975094492013-10-31T12:31:00.002-07:002013-10-31T12:35:09.487-07:00Ancient of Autumn Days<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">by Steven Stark and </span>dedicated to G.A. Compton</div>
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The singed embers of the pear tree flicker red as Rahab's rope. <span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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Yet no trumpets, but whispering winds (no less mighty), announce this great fall.<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The sweetgum sage waves his wand, weaving wisdom into colored stars. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Yet the Magi must travel, and Diogenes must set down his cloak.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The youthful maple, like young Achilles in the lust of battle, is mortally wounded. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But he laughs and holds high his banner stained with sunset blood.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The pistache contemplates her colors, golden orange and scarlet spice, knowing that the Queen of Sheba in all her glory was not arrayed as one of these.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The stoic elm fades, resigning his kind, quiet shade with one last gift -</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-the graceful flaxen fall of his summer substitution, when Apollo was appeased and our frail faces were cooled. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The great-hearted ash is weeping honeyed tears.</span></div>
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And a heart burns, crimson and contrite, as the wrinkles fall deeper around autumn eyes.</div>
Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-9296430549274849142013-10-07T12:39:00.003-07:002014-06-09T11:53:52.409-07:00An Open Letter To Tom Coburn on Medicaid Expansion Money For Oklahoma<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dear Mr. Coburn,<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>10-7-2013</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I recently read your editorial in the Tulsa World in support of our state leaders’ decision to turn down Medicaid expansion money.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I believe your reasoning is flawed in many respects. You voice concerns in your piece about our state’s financial situation if we do expand Medicaid. But let’s be clear - the federal government’s proposal is to send our state millions and millions of dollars. These dollars would have provided medical care to the poorest among us. But let’s also not forget, we are talking economics here after all, that these hypothetical dollars would not disappear into the ether after they are spent. When medical personnel receive payment for their work, they in turn spend that money in their local communities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What I am saying is that because we have turned down Medicaid expansion funds, local businesses in Oklahoma are missing out on millions of dollars in business. This is money that would surely drive unemployment down and enrich our citizens. It would almost certainly provide enough income for some citizens to lift themselves right off of the Medicaid roles. Jobs and rising incomes are the answer for the large number of poor in Oklahoma. And this decision to turn down money for healthcare, and therefore for local businesses, is going directly against that possibility. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Small business owners, look around your store. There would be more people in it if our state had accepted Medicaid money. Governor Fallin’s decision has directly led to less use for your cash register. And you are paying your federal taxes while other states (not ours) receive the economic benefit of federal dollars in return.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I can hear criticisms now: “We don’t want money that was put here by federal spending.” But you, Mr. Coburn, know that ALL money is put into the economy through federal spending. That is where financial resources originate. Dollar bills are not dropped from helicopters. They do not spontaneously generate in our wallets. They are introduced through federal spending. Then we use those dollars locally to facilitate business. (Banks also introduce dollars, but those dollars are owed back to them. Federal spending introduces dollars owned free and clear.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have addressed the federal debt with you in previous letters. However, I must point out that suggesting, as you did in your editorial, that a check from the US government could “bounce” is a falsehood. You know this is not true, but you are stoking ignorance and paranoia in order to promote your political goals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The United States government has run a continuous debt since 1837. It always will, for its debt is simply the creation of money into the non-government sector. The United States cannot, in principle, bounce a check, because all checks anywhere originate with federal spending. You might as well suggest that the NBA might run out of points for its next game. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In fact, the only way the US ever could come close to bouncing a check is if conservatives in Congress willfully choose to do it on purpose - which is exactly what they are threatening to do. You and your colleagues are pronouncing fearful prophecies and then trying to self-fulfill them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But even if the federal government was not proposing a huge stimulus to care for our poor, our state would not go broke if we did it on our own. Rather, we would need to spread our resources out in a different manner in order to provide more health care. We could boost our overall productivity by hiring the unemployed, and if we need to divert some resources away from luxury cars, vacations, video games, etc. to provide basic humanity to the poor, then so be it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But the resources are there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Let’s talk about the working poor. A childless person bagging groceries for $8 an hour cannot afford healthcare. She is also not eligible for Medicaid, since she has no children and is under 65. Governor Fallin’s decision to turn down the Medicaid expansion has made sure that this person still cannot qualify for Medicaid.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Do we need people to bag our groceries? To cook and serve our meals at restaurants? To pour our coffee? To work our cash registers? To care for our children? </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Then let’s not blame them for their station in life while simultaneously depending on them. We need them. Let’s get them health care.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I think that if you don’t want them to have health care - you will say you do, but without offering a legitimate possibility, this is a lie - then you should probably pour your own coffee.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We live in a world where people are more interested in the world obeying their particular political philosophy than they are in feeding and healing the poor. But if the private sector were able to provide adequate care for the poor, then it would already be done. Until churches routinely pay for heart surgeries, we need the public sector to be involved, as a public good.<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I often imagine Jesus being asked - should we feed the hungry and heal the sick publicly or privately? I imagine his answer to be - YES!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the biggest weakness in your arguments against accepting Medicaid expansion money is what you propose to do instead. Which is basically nothing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What I read in your letter is essentially this - please stay away from the doctor, working poor. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Mr. Coburn, I appreciate your intellect and your energy. And I am sure that you are a wonderfully capable physician. But on the issue of the Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma, you are guilty of both economic and moral malpractice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sincerely, your constituent, </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Steven Stark, Oklahoma City</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.stevenstarkmusic.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">www.stevenstarkmusic.com</span></a></span></div>
Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-15770662457061197192013-09-24T12:40:00.001-07:002013-09-24T12:40:43.369-07:00Oklahoma State Teacher Of The Year<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bravo, Peter Markes. He is doing so much for students and for music in our culture. I have come to believe that making music in a group setting is an unsurpassed method of building character, and the orchestra at Edmond North is putting that into practice every class period (and beyond).</span></span></div>
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Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-31296381835956922852013-09-20T20:28:00.001-07:002013-09-21T11:40:21.495-07:00Theology From The Plain Part Four - Does It Make Sense To Think Of God As A Person?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: large;">In an earlier TFOP post I wrote that I use the word “God” both in reference to the totality all that is and also to a smaller portion of all that is that reflects its possible overall intention and ultimate direction. Granted, the second definition requires much more of a leap of faith than the first!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">However in either of these cases, but particularly focusing on the less controversial first meaning of “God”, does it make sense to think of God as a person? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If God is all, then it would make sense to think of God as more than a mere person. And it would seem an act of extreme hubris to think that God is exactly like us, one small part of the all. Yet it is also true that there are persons within the all - us for instance!. So even if the totality of God is much more, or much different, than a version of exactly what we are (persons), personhood is certainly not something alien to God.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Therefore, is it acceptable to think of God as a person, or to attempt to interact with God in personal ways? Through internal dialogue, speaking, intuitive feelings, or any kind of experience?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I think it does make sense to seek God personally, not so much because God is necessarily a person, but rather because I am a person. The personhood of God could be a framework, a symbol, a language, a heuristic even, existing in my own mind that enables me to possibly interact meaningfully with the all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So once again, if I attempt to interact personally with God, it is not so much because God is a person, but because I am a person. Personhood is a framework that this particular part of the cosmos (me) might use as an operating system to think about the cosmos as a whole.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">One criticism I can think of is this - does this mean that I can anthropomorphize anything? </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">First of all, anthropomorphizing things is not necessarily bad, but obviously when we stop trying to consider another entity on its own terms it can be dangerous. The golden rule does not work so well if we are dealing with another life form with different needs than a human! But when I am talking about God here, I am not talking about a tree or a lizard. I am talking about <i>all that is</i>. The cosmos as a whole. Everything. Any kind of possible communication would have to take a form that is specific to me - a kind of user interface adapted to the abilities of the user.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And secondly, I already have ways of interacting with a tree. I can touch it, see it, etc. - which are also user interfaces for me. To say a tree is "rough to the touch" says as much about my systems of perception as it does about the tree. This subject is obviously a huge potential rabbit hole..... But the main point is that I do not need to consider a tree a person in some way to interact with it. However, I do not have a way of interacting with the cosmos as a whole. I cannot zoom out to take much more of it in (much like a skin cell cannot zoom out to see the entire body), and I certainly cannot get outside of “all that is” both because of my limited abilities and because that is a meaningless concept anyway. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Of course many would argue that whatever I think, I still do not have a way of interacting with the cosmos! Point taken! But if I want to take a leap of faith and assume that meaningful communication is even a remote possibility, then it makes sense that I would need a user interface of some kind. And it makes sense that personhood might be that user interface for me, since I am a person.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So in conclusion, I am not suggesting that there is definitely a personal God out there. That is beyond my ability to comment definitively on. But I am saying that a personal God exists in me, because I am a person. And if it is a meaningful endeavor to seek interaction with “all that is”, it certainly seems reasonable that personhood could be a user interface for me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But is it a meaningful endeavor? Is it possible that the personal God within me corresponds to something greater? My thought is that, because our understanding of things must necessarily relate to our total experience of things as a part to the whole, there may be room for a little leap of faith here.</span></span></div>
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Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954276725851312678.post-72679574585901999092013-08-23T21:20:00.001-07:002013-08-23T21:21:21.382-07:00Another Night<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: large;">Apparently this aired during the last commercial break of Letterman this week (I assume regionally?) - and no one told me! </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I really enjoyed playing with Graham, and I look forward to hearing the new album this fall. I contributed cello tracks on two or three songs back in the spring.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The moustache has gone, but the music remains.</span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bXqRfFh8FoE" width="560"></iframe>Steven Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07677314285938844360noreply@blogger.com2