Old

I'm as old as Paul McCartney was when the Beatles put out their last album.

50 Books: 2007 Appendix

Turns out I'd forgotten three books, plus one I read before New Year's, so there's four to wrap this up for last year. That will put the total at 23 books since mid-September. Not counting books I re-read. Not too shabby. I know they're not in order. Short to nonexistent reviews for them, 'cause it's been too long. Maybe update later.

#20: Dune by Frank Herbert

One of the classic novels of science fiction I'd never read.

#21: Nickeled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

#22: Zorro, by Isabel Allenede

#23: Getting a Grip by Frances Moore Lappe

Previous Books:
#1: Grave Peril
#2: Deer Hunting With Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War
#3: DMZ Vol. 3: Public Works
#4: Bad Prince Charlie
#5: Making Money
#6: How to Win Friends and Influence People
#7: H.I.V.E. - Higher Institute of Villainous Education
#8: The World Without Us
#9: Marx for Beginners
#10-13: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
#14: The Unhandsome Prince
#15: Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red
#16: Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
#17: The Big Over Easy
#18: The Conscience of a Liberal
#19: The Fourth Bear

Bringing About Prophecy

One of the things I don't get about people like John McCain's new buddy John Hagee, (besides the anti-Catholic bigotry, the anti-Muslim bigotry, and blaming Hurricane Katrina on "God's wrath") has to do with their whole obsession with prophecy and the end of the world. Specifically, their "support" of Israel. Which is to say they want the state of Israel to exist, and all the Jews to go there, because that will bring about an invasion by Russia and the Arab states which will be destroyed by God and signal the beginning of the end of the world (no, really).

Besides the obvious contradictions of "supporting" a country to hope it's destroyed, what that means for their conception of God is confusing. (And not just because if they're right, their God is a petty, nasty, insecure little jerk) They want to "support" Israel to bring the end of the world quicker. So they want to force God's hand. Isn't God supposed to be all-powerful (and all-knowing, which would seemingly make their plotting pointless), so why would God HAVE to do something just because these people met certain conditions? Wouldn't all-powerful include the power not to do something? Or for God to decide "Nah, I don't wanna do it that way after all." Why would an all-powerful God need a megachurch pastor to help bring about the end of the world, anyway?

And y'know, maybe I just read too many comics and played too many RPGs, but the easiest shorthand I know to tell the good guys from the bad are the good guys are the ones trying to prevent the end of the world.