Transportation Difficulties: What is the Real Problem?

This morning I walked into my favorite local coffee shop, the Rocket, and purchased my usual americano, sat down, and picked up a copy of the Pacific Northwest Inlander. The Inlander is a local paper that serves Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Flipping past the pages filled with the usual periodical banalities and curious discussion of UFO’s, my eyes landed on a commentator’s pointed remarks about the current transportation problem. The contents were typical, including statements on gas-prices, the need for fuel-efficiency, the superiority of European transit, and the lack of viable solutions from politicians, notably, McCain and Obama.

I definitely liked what the author proposed for a solution concerning traveling between Seattle and Spokane, which was a bullet train that would allow me to go home to Seattle in two hours! However, I do not think that this commentary penetrated into the underlying problem of our current state of transportation, which is (surprise, surprise), Capitalism.

Since I believe that one of the fundamental goals of Capitalism is the conversion of real, material wealth into imaginary, abstract wealth, my conclusion actually makes a lot of sense. What individuals like the author in the Inlander or politicians are fundamentally proposing is the inhibiting of certain large companies to produce abstract wealth. These businesses cannot profit from fuel-efficiency or the reduction of the number of vehicles on the road. Cars and fuel are real, material things, and while many people are outspoken about using them properly (in a way the best serves us and the environment), the producers of these commodities have the opposite goal.

To a car manufacturer the idea of having one person in one vehicle is blissful, and the idea of having one person in on SUV is even more ephemeral. Naturally, the idea of having four people in one car, or worse, having forty people in one train is diabolical. This conservation of material things works against their goal of creating more abstract wealth, which is only useful for placing more control of real wealth into the hands of an oligarchic group of business leaders. Thus, how can any real solutions arise if there is, fundamentally, an agonistic relationship between the interests of Capitalism and the interests of transportation efficiency?

Positions: An Online Journal That I Just Made Up

Perhaps the problem is too much free time, but despite the motive, the end result is a blog post that is too long and too much like a journal article. In order to find a place for this textual creation, I decided to start my own online journal where I can publish whatever I feel like on it. I figure that writing something controversial is a good way to start this experiment off, so I just posted a position essay entitled: “Christianity and Truth: A New Perspective.” I tried to make this article readable for the general educated public, so, I attempted to avoid or explain philosophy jargon. My goal was to make it slightly more organized and professional than an ordinary blog, while still maintaining the freedom and audacity that usually characterizes my blog posts.

Life in Spokane Part 2

It’s day four in Spokane, and I’m still getting used to the changes of life. First of all, I am starting to get used to how different Seattle and Spokane are in terms of fundamental technology. Of course, being used to the debit card method of paying for parking, Spokane’s old-fashioned coin meter system was a bit of a shock, but then I realized that Spokane wasn’t old-fashioned, they simply invested in other areas. Take, for example, their advanced relationship between Wal-Mart and McDonald’s. Not only is there a McDonald’s inside the Wal-Mart, but there is also one right next door; now that’s progressive thinking. I also noticed that there are no residential mailboxes on the road, which means that the mail carriers have to walk the mail to each house. What is the reasoning behind this ancient methodology? Is Spokane so far away from the rest of the world that they never heard of drive-up mailboxes?

Living in a 115 year-old apartment also has its challenges. I’m slightly scared of my gas stove, and utterly disgusted with my bathroom. I am doing all that I can to restore this place for my cleanliness OCD satisfaction. On the good side, I met my neighbor yesterday and found her to be quite normal. I also like the feeling of living urban, with all the advantages and disadvantages. I like the area that I am in because it feels historic and trendy, yet just across the river exists a land of unexplored whitetrashness. Ever wonder if ugly people group together? The answer is yes, they do, and they live on the northside of the Spokane River.

Not only are people in Spokane mostly white and trashy, they also seem to be fascinated with methamphetamines. Yet, I still feel safe and I am not worried about anyone breaking into my apartment. Of course, I don’t have much of value in my place anyways, unless some criminal out there is really into philosophy books. I also don’t have to worry about rain, well, it rained today, but “rain” for Spokane means a little drizzle. It has been cloudy every day since I have been here and now it finally “rained.” I am so used to seeing clouds and then expecting rain because that is the Seattle reality, but here, clouds mean… clouds.

So, I still have a lot to learn about Spokane, but I am enjoying the process of becoming “Spokurban,” and loving the new challenges.

Life in Spokane

Leaving the skyscrapers, overpriced real estate, and traffic behind, Spokane invites me to new scenery and new challenges.

More pictures are available on my Pictures page. The above picture is actually a shot from my backyard, or, more specifically, from across the street. I moved into a cute little studio, which is complete with all the disadvantages of Spokane living, namely, outdated appliances, creaking floors, and ubiquitous dirt.

My first task was attempting to clean the place. Now that I have done all that I can possibly do, I must wait for my landlord to come through for me and fix some important problems. So, I am constantly aware of the differences between living on the Eastside of Seattle and Spokane. Despite the challenges, I know that this is a good step for me, and a chance to explore what it means to live in a new city and in a new environment.

Why I’m Not A Calvinist

Though once a vehicle of personal theological certainty, Reformed theology no longer presents any appeal to my interest, for I find it no longer suited to address the problems and questions of faith today. Perhaps I feel that Reformed theology is not reformed enough, in that it has abandoned its own axiom of semper reformada and has become an immobilized school of antiquarian belief and practice - the very thing it once battled against.

Essentially, my problem with Calvinism (I’m using this term specifically in reference to American 5-point theology) is that it has embraced everything that I dislike about modernity. It gives the sense of certainty that is the quintessence of Cartesianism, that is, methodological doubt followed by strong foundationalism.

Allow me to elucidate. I am referring to a problem in epistemology, which is more than a simple theoretical reality, but rather, it works its way up into the entire framework of Calvinist thought and being. As Michael Foucault has so rightly pointed out, power is inextricably linked to knowledge in the Western tradition, and concomitantly, power becomes the vehicle for ideological conquest. I mean, both modernity and Calvinism set up an apologetic in the form of a “totalizing metanarrative”.

While modernity sets up its system of rationalism, Calvinism similarly sets up a foundational system of knowledge that demands certainty rather than faith. Thus, the Bible must be certain, and all truth derived from it is also certain (notice the relationship to the Cartesian system). This certainty allows for an apologetic of power that engenders a particular form of argumentation known as “presuppositionalism” or “presuppositional apologetics”. My problem with this form of argumentation is that it finds its strength in domination, in force, in the method of bellum. It mirrors the hubris that is the strong characteristic of modernity, and thus it fails to acknowledge love as its impetus, but rather, it builds on fear.

This fear-based method is the result of a certain hermeneutical problem, in that, the Reformed exegesis of scripture is a form of “phallocentric” hermeneutics. Furthermore, many Reformed thinkers completely misunderstand the use of metaphor in the Bible. Instead of understanding institutions like patriarchy, nationalism, and militarism as ways of attempting to understand the divine and the work of the divine in the world, these thinkers interpret those institutions as God-given ways of domination. Meaning, God desires that we best understand God as a man, that we best understand gender as a hierarchy, and that we best understand the nation-state in terms of theological hegemony and institutionalized morality.

Lastly, I fail to see how this form of theology can help the world in its present condition. We live in an era that is watching the collapse of ideological framework. Systems of rationalism, patriarchy, and imperialism have undergone heavy examination resulting in a nearly complete rejection of them in academic circles, and somewhat in popular culture as well. Why then must Reformed theology cling so radically to these principles of modernity? Why must Reformed theology reject semper reformada?

Of course, I have painted in broad strokes, I have made a generalization. I have tried to keep my critique limited to narrow 5-point Calvinism and its modalities, for I know that many Reformed “theologies” exist, and many of them deserve to escape my polemical words. I am even fortunate enough to know of several churches that are rooted in Reformed theology that are “self-reforming” and are viable resources for theological and cultural transformation. However, there also exists several churches and think tanks that embody this type of theology. They live far from the Christian essentials of love and humility and must surrender their certainty and mythical beliefs in absolute truth, and reform their ideas in order to address and meet the demands of a world in need of theological transformation.

Trip to Spokane

Want to experience a city in one day, and on foot too? Go to Spokane.

This city, nestled in the hills of eastern Washington, boasts all the conveniences of city life, but without the traffic, the noise, and the expenses, of big city living. My eyes widened with excitement as I noticed the large wide sidewalks, which will be perfect for my road bike. The best part though, is the cost of rent, which is as good as $500 for a 2-bedroom in downtown!

Of course, Spokane will be a big adjustment for me. It is definitely not Seattle. Everyone I saw was Caucasian, there were no Thai or Pho restaurants on every street, and I was, apparently, the only one in sight that had any sense of fashion. I was, however, surprised and overjoyed to see many Obama signs around town, which assures me that I will have some peers in regards to political allegiances. So, the changes will not be bad, and I’m sure that I can acclimate myself to Spokane and learn to fit in (without a flannel shirt and shotgun of course).

Seeing downtown Spokane was fun, but my main purpose for being in Spokane was to familiarize myself with Gonzaga University, which will be my new home in the fall. The campus is stunningly beautiful, with a great mix of both old and new architecture. I met several professors from the philosophy department, and I felt warmly welcomed and was even given a nice campus tour by a philosophy student. I was also impressed with the size of the Library, and the fact that there is a philosophy study room filled with books and journals right beneath the philosophy offices

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The campus is also right on the Spokane river and close to the famous river park, which is home to it’s large clock tower and, also, Spokane Falls. The apartments I was looking at were close to the park and, thus, only a 15 minute walk from the campus, so with my bike I am sure that I will be a happy commuter. Overall I am excited for this upcoming change, and in only a few months August will be here and I will be packing up and heading to “Spokane-istan.”

Craig’s Top 10 Songs

I have for the first time produced a list of favorite all-time songs. Included below is my top-10 and a few honorable mentions.

1. Black - Pearl Jam

2. Where the Streets Have No Name - U2

3. Glosoli - Sigur Ros

4. Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins

5. Heart-shaped Box - Nirvana

6. Alive - Pearl Jam

7. Pride - U2

8. Everlong - The Foo Fighters

9. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

10. Glycerine - Bush

Honorable Mention: Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden), High and Dry, (Radiohead), There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths), Little Things (Bush)

Obama Wins Big in Washington State

Yesterday at 1 PM, my friend Jason and I strolled into the LWSD building in Redmond to participate in our Democratic caucus. I don’t think that we expected such a turnout. The place was packed and it appeared that mostly everyone was for Obama. You could feel the excitement, which was partially due to the notion that everyone was participating in something great, in that, for the first time in my life I felt that my vote actually meant something.

The results came in and Obama won Washington with a 2-1 victory over Clinton. He also won Louisiana and Nebraska, which simply adds to the momentum of his campaign. Surprisingly, there was no big winner with the Republicans; McCain, Huckabee, and Paul (believe it or not) were all very close to each other with 26%, 24%, and 21% respectively.

Politics is once again exciting. I hope everyone out there is enjoying this historic event too, because I definitely am.

Obama is Victorious in Iowa

With a commanding lead over democratic rivals Clinton and Edwards, Barack Obama secured a victory in the Iowa caucus. Interestingly, the percentage of African-Americans in Iowa is a low 1%, which I think silences critics who assert that Obama will ride on the African-American vote. What the Iowa caucus shows us is that mid-west white Christians support Obama, who happens to be both a democrat and of a minority ethnic group.

Of course, it is too early to suggest that Obama will clearly be the democrats’ nominee, or furthermore, the next president of the U.S. I am confident, however, that Obama will be the next president, and I cannot at this moment see how anyone else could possibly advance ahead of him. Obama is young, intelligent, and audacious. He will challenge the status quo, provoke actual change, and lead the American people through vibrant rhetoric and passion.

Obama’s popularity is also evocative of a shift in party politics, over against the baby boomer’s conservative/liberal dichotomy. It is no longer the Christians versus the secularists. The “hippies” and the “liberals” are no longer bogeymen in the Christian’s eyes. Perhaps Christians are beginning to recognize that there is nothing distinctly Republican about Christianity or the gospel. James K.A. Smith notes in his blog how the three major characteristics of conservatism, which are nationalism, militarism, and capitalism, have no inherent connection to the Christian faith.

So why are so many Christians still so dedicated to their Republicanism? Aren’t social justice, liberation, international political peace, and health-care much more Christian than hegemony, war, bigotry, and environmental pollution? We must love our enemies, not bomb them. We must fight against corrupt big-business organizations that exploit the world’s poor and rob the earth of her resources. With the largest gap between the rich and the poor in the U.S. since the 30’s I think many Christians need to rethink their priorities. We are not supposed to be building an empire, we are supposed to be building a family.

Roskolnikov and I

Given all the free time that I have had recently, I decided to pick up Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and devour it. After only a few chapters I noticed that Raskolnikov, the protagonist, and I share some of the same personality characteristics. This block of text is what first caught my attention:

It was remarkable that Raskolnikov had hardly any friends at the university; he kept aloof from every one, went to see no one, and did not welcome any one who came to see him, and indeed every one soon have him up. He took no part in the students’ gatherings, amusements or conversations. He worked with great intensity without sparing himself, and he was respected for this, but no one liked him. He was very poor, and there was a sort of haughty pride and reserve about him, as though he were keeping something to himself. He seemed to some of his comrades to look down upon them all as children, as though he were superior in development, knowledge and convictions, as though their beliefs and interests were beneath him (62).

Scary. I do not think, however, that I am quite the extreme introvert that Roskolnikov is, but we are a lot alike in the way that we think and operate. Hopefully though, I will not kill anyone in the future (: