In the News: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

Howdy Humble Readers...

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Things around the hobbit hole are not too bad.  Winter is making what is hopefully it's final death throes.  Yes, it's snowing again.  I just can't help but hope that this will be the last round of the white stuff until next Christmas.

Anywho, I don't normally watch much television news, but I do read a lot from different websites throughout the day.  Local, world, entertainment, odd stuff... I read it all (or most of it anyway... some of the economic news is a bit over my head).  And recently there have been two stories that, when looked at together, make me angry, sad, and fearful.

The first story is about the actor, Jamie Waylett, who played Victor Crabbe in most of the Harry Potter movies.  It turns out that he was involved in the rioting that happened in London last summer.  He was caught on tape sharing a bottle of champagne that had been looted from a vandalized grocery store, and also carrying around a bottle filled with 'petrol with a rag for a wick'.  Although he was cleared of any charges in relation to the fire-bomb (which apparently he had no intention of throwing... hmmmm), he was convicted of 'violent disorder' and 'handling stolen goods'.   

For his crimes, Waylett was sentenced to serve two years in prison.

The second story is about Graham James, a former junior hockey coach who has been convicted of sexually assaulting former Calgary Flames star Theo Fleury and others during the 1980s and 90s. He was in a position of power and authority over those who should have been able to trust him, and he took advantage of that.  His actions sent those boys down a road that no one should have to walk.  Fleury and his cousin Todd Holt, another of James' victims, both turned to drugs and alcohol to help deal with the memories of their abuse.

For his crimes, James was sentenced to serve two years in prison.

Am I the only one who sees a problem here?  Yes, I know that these court cases were handled in different countries... but really?  The same sentence for rioting and sexual assault on a minor?  

I am completely flabbergasted.

Not Your Regularly Scheduled Hobbit-ish Ramblings

Hey Humble Readers...

I thought long and hard about posting this here, as I may be opening a huge can of worms, but ulitmately I decided that this is my blog, and if I can't vent my spleen here, then where can I?  I apologize in advance for the preachy-soap-boxy nature of this post.

I tend to get most of my news online.  I would rather read something once and process the information than listen to a news anchor on tv use every homonym for catastrophe over and over and over.  The problem with reading my news online comes at the end of the articles... when you get to the comments.  The general lack of intelligence displayed in the comment section on your average news story makes my skin crawl.  I appreciate the right to speak your mind.  I wouldn't bother to blog otherwise.  But out and out ignorance just makes me mad.  (and don't even get me started on the bad grammar and spelling... lol)

Since last week, I have been watching, along with the rest of the world, the news of the tragedy unfolding in Japan with a heavy heart. So many people lost and displaced by the earthquake and tsunami, and now the increasing danger asscoiated with the damage done to the nuclear reactors... it's heartbreaking.

What really gets under my skin are comments on news stories about the situation in Japan that quote Scripture to show that events like these are punishments on our world from an angry God, or that they are signs of the impending end of the world. 

I am a believer.  My faith is an integral part of who I am.  And as a believer, I am seriously offended by comments that say things like "this is a sign of God's anger at our greedy culture" or "this is a sign of the end of days".  And I find it especially offensive when people use the pain and suffering of other human beings as a pulpit for their hellfire-and-brimstone theology.

Yes, there are places in Scripture where it talks about the end times and how "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places" (Matt 24:6, NIV).  And there are verses that talk about God's anger at the sins of man.   

But more pervasive, throughout all of Scripture, is the idea that we are to love our fellow man, and help our neighbours.  Luke 10:25-28 sums up Jesus' views on this pretty succinctly: 

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 [The expert in the law] answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."  NIV

Pretty straight forward if you ask me.

And what is a truer expression of  faith?  To stand in a safe place and shout at the injured about the sins of mankind, or to climb into the mess that has been inflicted to help pull them from the rubble? 

Okay... sermon over.

Heartbreaking

Updated at the bottom.

I first heard this story last night on the news. An adoption agency in Ontario has gone bankrupt and there are now dozens of Canadian families and Ethiopian children in limbo. One story I read said that the transitional home for the Ethiopian children is curently housing 50 or more children awaiting visas and documentation, and they only have food and supplies to last about a week.

When I think about those adoptive parents... financially drained, emotionally spent, and worried for their children. My heart breaks for them.

Sending prayers and hope-filled thoughts.

Update: Our community has not escaped being affected by this. Please stop by and offer Andrea and Darryl support. And sign the petition.