You who oppress the poor and crush the destitute
I will grant them no reprieve,
Because they sell the innocent for silver
and the destitute for a pair of shoes.
They grind the heads of the poor into the earth
And thrust the humble out of their way…Look at the tumult seething among her people
and at the oppression in her midst;
what do they care for honesty
who hoard in their palaces the gains of crimes and violence?…You who oppress the poor and crush the destitute,
who say to your lords, ‘Bring us drink.’…your time is coming.
You that turn justice upside down
and bring righteousness to the ground,
you that hate a man who brings the wrongdoer to court
and loathe him who speaks the whole truth
for all this, because you levy taxes on the poorenthrone justice in the courts…
Let justice roll on like a river
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream…I loathe the arrogance of Jacob…
Yet you have turned into venom the process of law
and justice itself into poison,
you who are jubilant over a nothing and boast,
‘Have we not won power by our own strength?’Listen to this, you who grind the destitute and plunder the humble, you who say, ‘. . . tiling the scales fraudulently, and selling the dust of the wheat; that we may buy the poor for silver and the destitute for a pair of shoes?
–a sheep farmer
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enthrone justice in the courts…
Let justice roll on like a river
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream…
I loathe the arrogance of Jacob…
Matthew Chancey’s Special Edition Report: Kinism
Read this newest report:
“The Unmasking of Mrs. Binoculars, Part II”
Just what is Kinism anyways? Read the article and find out.
________
“In this first installment of a two-part exposé, Matt Chancey introduces us to the cast of characters involved in the Ministry Watchman / Little Geneva plot against Reformed ministries and demonstrates the vile nature of Kinism.”
A Philosophy Blog
Professors don’t need to have blogs; if they contribute to the published literature of their field, act the part of a good colleague, and fulfill teaching responsibilities, there is not much more the world will be nagging at them about. I think it is pretty cool, then, when a professor starts his or her own blog anyway. Eric Schwitzgebel offers “reflections in philosophy of psychology, broadly construed” at his new blog “The Splintered Mind.”
He has co-authored a book with an experimental psychologist, Russell T. Hurlburt, playing the role as a skeptic of scientific approaches to consciousness, i.e. systematic approaches to introspection and descriptive reports. This is a very accessible read for the non-philosopher—for the typical reader of my blog! I’m not yet sure Schwitzgebel’s skepticism about a science of consciousness fully matches my words to the experimental psychologist: of course I can’t tell you precisely what it is like to be me! As William James and C.S. Lewis both observed, as soon as you try to grasp your own experience it vanishes, like “turning up the gas” quickly enough to get a good look at the darkness. Yet, I do actually find the method of Hurlburt to be promising; Hurlburt does not demand introspection and description as much as he allows for non-intrusive, random, and private cues to the individual to recall in any way possible what it was just like to be that individual. I believe this is called retrospection; on my view, the trained and gifted retrospectionist just learns the poetic task at communicating—whether via hints, similes, or metaphors—the recollection of what it was like to be. Schwitzgebel likened this to the craft of the wine connoisseur who must develop greater attunement and a richer vocabulary. Such recollection is a creative and constructive task (theory and story laden), but it is just about all we’ve got.
Chancey’s Lessons for Politicians
Matthew Chancey’s blog is dedicated to superfluous commentary on post-modern America; I would recommend checking out his political satire series: The Politician’s Pocket Guide to Raising Taxes.
BREAKING NEWS! On Kinist Little Geneva, Part 2
Matthew Chancey has continued his investigative reporting of Harry Seabrook and his kinist Little Geneva at mrs. binoculars.
As always, a must read.
The Epsteins Join the PCA
An excerpt:
In order to lay the groundwork toward reconciliation, the Session has requested we take offline any of our blog articles, links and feedback comments on any website of our creation, or under our control, that contain accusations against Doug Phillips, members of his family, or BCA. Although Ministry Watchman isn’t under our control, we will formally request that they likewise take offline the articles about us by Charles Fisher.
You can see their full post here.
BREAKING NEWS! On Kinist Little Geneva
Did White Separatist Harry Seabrook Fake a Hack of His Own Website?
Matthew Chancey has the investigative report for you at mrs. binoculars.
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“On January 12, Kinism died—and not at the hands of a ‘hacker.’
Good riddance.” –Chancey
[added later – Pooh]
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Spread the news!
(Glinda)
Let the joyous news be spread
The wicked, old witch at last is dead
(Munchkins)
Ding-dong the witch is dead
Which old witch? The wicked witch
Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepyhead
Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up the wicked witch is dead
She’s gone where the goblins go
Below – below – below
Yo-ho, let’s open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding Dong’ the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead
(Mayor)
As mayor of the Munchkin City
In the county of the land of Oz
I welcome you most regally
(Judge)
But we’ve got to verify it legally
To see…
(Mayor)
To see…
(Judge)
If she…
(Mayor)
If she…
(Judge)
Is morally, ethically
(Munchkin 1)
Spiritually, physically
(Munchkin 2)
Positively, absolutely
(Munchkin Men)
Undeniably and reliably dead
(Coroner)
As Coroner , I thoroughly examined her
And she’s not only merely dead
She’s really most sincerely dead
(Mayor)
Then this is a day of independence for all the munchkins
And their descendants
Yes, let the joyous news be spread
The wicked old witch at last is dead
(Munchkins)
Ding-dong the witch is dead
Which old witch? The wicked witch
Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepyhead
Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up the wicked witch is dead
She’s gone where the goblins go
Below – below – below
Yo-ho, let’s open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding Dong’ the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead
Lyrics taken from here.
An Anthropologist on Narrative & Community
From Ochs & Capps’s “Narrating the Self,” Annu. Rev. Anthr opol. 1996. 25:19–43
Adherence to a dominant narrative is also community-building in that it presumes that each member ascribes to a common story. Reliance solely on a dominant narrative, however, may lead to oversimplification, stasis, and irreconcilable discrepancies between the story one has inculcated and one’s encounters in the world. As noted earlier, psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety involve silencing would-be narratives that deviate from the dominant story by which one lives (42, 43, 112, 115, 186, 215). Silencing is a product of internal and interactional forces in that a person may repress and suppress emotions and events, but these processes are linked to external circumstances, including others’ expectations and evaluations. Silencing takes many forms, most of which do not lead to severe psychopathology. Silencing is part of the fabric of culture in that it is critical to socializing prevailing ideologies. Assuming one’s expected place in society entails conforming to and telling stories that reinforce social order.
To varying degrees, the silencing of alternative stories is a form of linguistic oppression. Dominating stories that preserve the status quo can estrange and muffle alternative perspectives. In Morrison’s words, such stories can “sanction ignorance and preserve privilege.” She likened them to “a suit of armor, polished to shocking glitter, a husk from which the knight departed long ago…exciting reverence in schoolchildren, providing shelter for despots, summoning false memories of stability, harmony among the public” (161:14).
2402 Itani, Moscow Idaho for Sale
You can see other work I’ve done here. The following pictures are of a house that is now sitting; it’s my favorite one so far. $289K; 1750 sq/ft; 3 beds/2 bath; cherry cabinets, oak floors; sile stone counter top (stronger than granite with no need for sealing); flat wall; travertine tile; upgraded stainless steel appliances; nice view; great location.
[pictures]
Flickr Photos
Pooh's Think 