Author: Robert Barrimond

Black like Me

I recently read an article about Barack Obama that got me incensed. All I could think was “Player Hater!” After calming down and looking over a post + comments on the Barbershop Notebooks, I came across a great comment by “Afrikabelle.”

Comment on “Barack Obama – Professional Bulls***er?” Article:

“Here, Obama stands, with the potential to single-handedly brush the 450-year old chip off the African-American shoulder, destroying whatever venom lives in little Black boy psyches, whispering to them that their kind could never be president. And yet, all the talented tenth men and women want to do is to hop on big media and use Obama as an excuse to hear their own selves sound intelligent.”

(Via The Barbershop Notebooks.)

Politics in a well functioning democracy is about the art of the possible, the art of compromise. Al Sharpton has as much chance of becoming president as Ralph Nader. Yet that’s what all too many black folk expect in the first black president. My father-in-law (a man who had to drive around with a gun in the South) said something to me about Bush I won’t soon forget, “He [Bush II] forgets that he’s president of all the people.” Not everyone in this country is a card carrying pro-Lifer or communist. In fact, no one is “red” or “blue.” I’m pro life, pro gay rights/marriage, pro business/entreprenurship, pro worker rights, pro affirmative action/civil rights, and pro environment. What does that make me? Your typical voter.

Continue reading “Black like Me”

Mutual Funds Get Greedy

Mutual Funds Get Greedy:

“That’s what prompted me to tell the radio interviewer, ‘That’s why mutual funds suck. Not only do they suck 80 percent of the dividends, in come[sic] cases they suck another 73 percent of other gains from investors.'”

(Via Yahoo! Finance.)

Robert Kiyosaki
Mr. Kiyosaki is so right that the mutual fund industry is taking the average investor for a ride. The fees are far higher than justified because the average investor doesn’t get what she pays for: superior returns. If memory serves, fully 80% of active fund managers, i.e. stock pickers, can’t beat the market. Monkey’s throwing darts at the Wall Street Journal do better! Of course, there will be managers who beat the market for short periods of time and an elite few do so over the long haul. But who knows who they will be apriori? If you have that kind of crystal ball, skip the manager and get right to picking the right stocks!

The Few, The Proud, The Organized

Non-profits do have the responsibility of representing the interests of their clients. If that means political action, then so be it. But outrage? I think not. That’s the job of the polity. Non-profits lobby, but don’t vote. You and I do.

One of the truths of politics in a democracy is that a small, motivated, organized minority can (and does) exert its will over a large, less motivated, and far less organized majority. Witness the overwhelming support for sensible, common sense gun control, e.g. the ban on assault weapons, and the power exerted by the NRA.
My good friend, Marc Hill, recently wrote, “Non-profits have the responsibility of outrage when government policy creates and exacerbates misery: Charities need to speak up and demand that Congress get Washington’s foreign policy and its financial priorities in order.” Non-profits do have the responsibility of representing the interests of their clients. If that means political action, then so be it. But outrage? I think not. That’s the job of the polity, political parties, PACs, etc. Non-profits lobby, but don’t vote. You and I do.
Non-profit, charitable organizations could exert more political power, but would they? Like their for profit brethren, non-profit organizations compete for a limited amount of charitable money, low interest loans, and grants. These competing interests limit organizing in a fashion most efficient to exerting power in a democracy: building coalitions based on common interest. Competition in many dimensions drives them apart.

Sunlight as Holy Water

A recent report by two Villanova professors came out that claimed 85% of Catholic dioceses had problems with embezzlement in the last 5 years, 11% of them had cases involving sums exceeding $500,000. Wow!
It goes to show the problems with unearned trust and blind submission that the Catholic Church faces today. Despite the claims of the hierarchy, the institution hasn’t proven to be the sanctified Bride of Christ it is supposed to be. Rather, it has proven to be a very human institutions with all the typical foibles humanity encompasses. From sex abuse to embezzlement, the Church will have to come to terms with a laity no longer naive enough nor passive enough to blindly submit to any cleric, perhaps even the Pope, no matter how close to Christ that cleric is supposed to be.
The Roman Catholic Church will have to learn that secrecy is the mother of lies and deceit.

“For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth [emphasis mine] comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (John 3:20-21)

Biden’s Reservoir

I’m sad to say that Joe Biden not only stepped on his tongue, but he spilled some of his racial beans as well. I won’t comment on the offensive nature of his remarks since others have already done such a good job. I will say that Biden’s remarks are much like those of Michael Richards or Isaiah Washington in that they come from a deep reservoir of cultural sentiment (or should I say resentment?) towards black and/or gay folk. It doesn’t matter what his intentions were. In fact, I have no doubt that Biden’s intentions were generally benign, but that matters little when he opened his mouth merely to find a place for his political foot.
UPDATE: My man got on to speak on the O’Reilly Factor.

I’m Back

Took a short (or long depending on how you look at it) hiatus from the blog to focus on the job among other things. But now I’m looking to wax prosaic on my PowerBook now and again. Hopefully I’ll have the discipline and skill to keep it short and sweet. Just like now!

Disagreeably Agreeing

Here, a good man was taking a position that as he understands it, is of God. Yet, many of us saw sanctimony, arrogance, even hatred. The arguments are so pitched and positions so entrenched that they can cause hard feelings among the closest of friends. (Even I fell victim to my emotions getting ahead of my judgment.) I knew that the debate was important, but there had be a better way.

Recently, I had a long email conversation with some friends about an article on gays. Naturally, differences arose and one particular guy voiced his strong opposition to it on the grounds that it is “against God.” I took exception to this. At one point, he made some very personal disclosures and his experiences with “working with gay men” and relatives dying of AIDS. Not exactly trivial stuff or glib commentary.
He rooted his entire argument on the grounds of the dictates of his faith, dictates whose very nature are unyielding and absolute. I knew this to be a powerful means for living a sanctified life “apart from the world”, but very, very dangerous when operating in it, esp. the public square. His arguments elicited accusations of “holier-than-thou” sanctimony and the like, which upon reflection were unfair but typical in today’s political environment of acrimony and bitter suspicion. Here we have a good man taking a position that is God’s as he understands it. Yet, some of us saw sanctimony, arrogance, even hatred in his words. The debate is so pitched and positions so entrenched that they can cause hard feelings among the closest of friends. (Even I fell victim to my emotions getting ahead of my judgment.) I knew that the debate was important, but there had be a better way.

Continue reading “Disagreeably Agreeing”

Open and Shut Mind

I’m no abomination, says gay bishop – World – Times Online:

GENE ROBINSON, the first openly gay bishop in the history of the Anglican Communion, stood before 1,500 American Episcopalians and proclaimed: “I’m not an abomination in the eyes of God.” The Episcopal Church should “stand up for right”, he insisted.
Moments later, Robert Duncan, the conservative Bishop of Pittsburgh, took the microphone to declare that the Church had reached an “impossible moment” and was on the brink of an historic schism.

I have to admit, I’m a little torn about this. Obviously, the schism of a church, defined here as a specific way of loving God, could be torn asunder. That’s not something that’s pleasant or desired. The children of such a schism would ideologically more coherent and cohesive, but is this something we want on the large scale of Christianity? Or do we want something more democratic? I spoke to a Bishop, just yesterday in fact, about the paradox of an open mind reaching an uncompromising position. A paradoxical state actually takes work since such an equilibrium is highly unstable. Is this something that can be practiced by an entire faith? I hope so, but I do wonder if it is possible.

I’m a Zen Christian

If more Christians examined their faith through the lens of humility and provisionality and were willing to learn not just from each other but also from those not like them then we’d have a strong religion based on faith not security and control. Most importantly, it wouldn’t be some weak, strident fundamentalism or milquetoast relativism. I believe God teaches us principally through those who challenge us.

I received this from a friend today.

FOUR ATTITUDES

Attitudes we need to have “on” duty in order to be willing to be changed

  1. Present my body as a living sacrifice. I must be willing to offer myself to God and to allow His Holy Spirit to search me and expose whatever He wants.
    (See Romans 12:1; Psalm 19:12; 139: 23, 24)
  2. Deny myself by being willing to relinquish or surrender to the Lord any thought, emotion, desire, or behavior that is not of faith or contrary to what He would want. (See Luke 9: 23, 24)
  3. Obey God’s will. Ask God to empower me to get up and do in action what He has asked me to do. (See James 1:22; 4:17)
  4. Take every thought captive. Being willing to examine my own thoughts and, if they are not of faith, let God take them and replace them with His thoughts. (See Isaiah 55:8, 9; Romans 14:23; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8)

Continue reading “I’m a Zen Christian”

Fuzzy Math

I’ve long been a fan of Robert Kiyosaki and the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series of books and was surprised to come across this gem of an article. Not for the writing, but for the statement on our leaders inability to even adequately manage this country’s vast wealth. This applies esp. to Bush who has borrowed into the stratosphere. And let’s not forget that in the midst of repealing the so-called “death tax” that only 1 in 37,000 of us will actually pay. More of the burden for repaying this debt will fall to our children long after those who are responsible for it have left the scene.

What Ails GM and America?: Why the Rich Get Richer – Yahoo! Finance:

“I would say that what’s good for GM and for America is to treat workers and investors fairly. Tell us the truth. Admit incompetence. Stop pretending. Stop the fuzzy math. Of course, telling the truth will mean being thrown out of office, but that might be a good start for an economic recovery.”

I’ve long been a fan of Robert Kiyosaki and the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series of books and was surprised to come across this gem of an article. Not for the writing, but for the statement on our leaders inability to even adequately manage this country’s vast wealth. This applies esp. to Bush who has borrowed into the stratosphere. And let’s not forget that in the midst of repealing the so-called “death tax” that only 1 in 37,000 of us will actually pay. More of the burden for repaying this debt will fall to our children long after those who are responsible for it have left the scene.