Inappropriate Conversations

There is no great credit to remaining "above" the myopia of liberal v. conservative politics, if you aren't willing to stand.  Too often, a so-called moderate position is simply a way of avoiding issues and not engaging.  The "radical" side is pushing for change, whether it be a moderating influence on those firmly entrenched in right- or left-wing politics, or trying to lead the rest to think more critically about what each side has to say.  Martin Luther King, Jr. gave us one of the best challenges to status-quo centrism in his 1963 letter from jail in Birmingham, Alabama.  Failing to heed these words will continue to bear strange and unwanted fruit in our society. Different Drummer: Billie Holiday

Sports commentary tends to be full of cliche.  "If you're not cheating, you're not trying" is one.  Another you hear often from youth coaches: "It's not about whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."  Well, the positive values so often touted about sports rely on the assumption of fair play, but sporting play is too often the exception.  This is true of players and fans, but evidence strongly suggests that it is equally a problem for coaches, administrators, and the media as well. Different Drummer: Barry Sanders Greatest Events In Sporting History and Barry Sanders (Legends Series)

As it sounds, here is an audio commentary for the classic 1964 animated Christmas special, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer."  The show is essential holiday viewing, along with a handful of other Rankin/Bass classics. Different Drummer: Jim Skafish Skafish 2006 NPR Interview

Poems don't have to rhyme all the time.  Formalism, whether a metrical scheme or just assonance and alliteration, can inspire creativity through adherence to the form itself.  On the other hand, the most profound poetry I've ever heard or read came from more freedom to the verse. Different Drummer: Jim Carroll

While recording on National Adoption Day this year, I referred back to a question I've raised in the past: whether a woman who carries an unwanted pregnancy to term and gives the child for adoption is performing a saintly act?  "Heroic" is, perhaps, a better term. Different Drummer: Thomas of Aquino National Adoption Day

"It is time to put the protest back into Protestantism" (Diana Butler Bass). I don't have an advocacy position on the "Occupy" movements, but I believe there are plenty of things happening in our society and economy that are worth protesting.  It's wrong to describe those who are loudly calling for reform "un-" ... if anything, they are taking typically Christian steps and a genuinely American approach.  See the Protestant Reformation or the American Revolution for parallels. Different Drummer: James Stewart 4 Reasons video A Great Awakening

Most pro-life apologists have an issue with Judith Jarvis Thomson's position in "A Defense Of Abortion."  Of course!  They have come to opposite conclusions about one of the most divisive issues of our time.  My quarrel with a number of those apologists has nothing to do with abortion rights or the lives of unborn children.  No, my problem is with dishonesty, made worse since it comes from people who purport to stand up for "truth." Different Drummer: Os Guinness