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July 19, 2003
KFO in the Gigabytes
I woke up this morning at 5 out of a dream that I was part of a lowrider bicycle gang. The reason was plain. I had gone to sleep the prior evening, well OK at 1:30 this morning, with my DMX-Patsy Cline playlist at full blast. Yes you heard me right. I thought I had it set to play only once through, but instead I was doing something for my dogs in twilight rem sleep. So I have had plenty of time to start re-arranging all my gigabytes, as is my desire in this lonely morning.
Not long ago, the most interesting conversation I've ever had the privilege of engaging took place in HLR's private virtual salon. The subject was the separation of church and state, enjoined as it was by people of all intelligent stripes, it was a masterful thing. But I was most impressed by a cat named Mike Sellers whom I have unsuccessfully tried to coax into the blogosphere. If and when he ever does, we will all be in for a treat. Tim Burke, you know. He was also present.
Reminescent of Douglas R. Hofstadter and for the purposes of this complex discussion, I embodied three characters in a debate from three perspectives. As I happened across the text in my diskkeeping chores this AM, I could not resist them. It only goes to show how inspired I must have been at the time. Since I am engaged a few posts down in something of a religious debate, this is a good moment to dredge this up from the archives.
The point I was trying to illustrate was something about the difficulty of solving problems when people come with examples that cannot be authenticated by third parties.
kukla: slavery is the fact of life in our christian nation and the black man suffers for it. yet the bible tells us that for the curse of ham, this is his destiny. the best we can do through christian charity is to bring him succor and pity his fate, but it is ordained of god that he should suffer this way. slavery brings wealth to the nation and we are stained by the shame of it, but such is our imperfection before god. we are forgiven.fran: slavery is indeed shameful but defensible because the nation profits from slavery, and the slaves themselves cannot stand in the way of national progress. i should rather see them free but the social reality is that we cannot agree what else is to be done with them. if the people could only be convinced slavery is wrong i could use my iron works in troy n.y. for something more profitable than manacles - railroads and western expansion. would that slaves could be set free and sent west! but this is impossible and so i stand behind slavery as it stands.
ollie: indeed! christ himself was a black man and he teaches us to love all as equals. christian charity should rescue them from slavery and set them as equals before god and man, no matter what cost to the nation. this commandment supercedes any old testament curse of ham. we are not forgiven this vile tresspass against god's creation.
fran: i know nothing of this 'ham' nor his curse and am not inclined to believe it anyhow. yet if what ollie says is true, then perhaps your version christian charity is flawed and inconsistent, kukla. i should fund a study of the history of those peoples and see if christ was wooly headed after all. if it could be proven, we could change the nation, and i could break my contracts, thus joining the railroads.
kukla: what do you know of christian charity? mind you the law of the land, fran. ollie is a heretic and a radical who seeks to justify overthrow of the south. why he even supports the work of osama turner!
fran: is this true, ollie? if it is, then i must side with kukla, who at least stands correct in that osama is a murderer of the first order. i could not condone any such support. slavery is legal, and profitable for me. murder clearly is not.
ollie: no. i abhor his violence, nevertheless his aim is proper - the south must come under new order, and god wills it that all should speak up against slavery for the moral reasons i have given here. the curse of ham is false. the truth is that the black african's soul weighs as much as any white man's.
kukla: the south follows the will of god, slavery shall remain, the black man's accursed soul is born best by those who employ it now as they do for the wealth of the nation, and the greater glory of god. furthermore you have no right to speak on what course christians should follow as they regard the souls of the african. your research would be of no conseqence to true christians.
fran: perhaps not, yet i do agree that the african is at least more our equal than the perpetual slave our laws keep him. i am intrigued that if this christ of yours himself was a black man, i would be convinced that ollie would be more correct in principle. yet i know nothing of weighing souls. i daresay that my am more inclined to reverse my position, were it is possible to discover..
ollie: oh but it is! the blood on the shroud of turin is african. and a man of your stature could endeavor to prove it. i should gladly provide you with introductions to do so, kind sir, if you would provide the means.
kukla: it doesn't matter what the shroud says, it matters what the bible says. the black man's soul is cursed, slavery remains, end of discussion, you bloody heretic. what care you of the christian order of things?
ollie: the shroud is the perfect relic to prove the black man's soul is equal. what care you of the greater glory of god you sniveling hypocrite.
kukla: usurper!
ollie: blasphemer!
fran: gentlemen, gentlemen! there remains much yet to be determined. i must say i am entirely put off by the tone of your discussion. i daresay i should leave well enough alone, what with all this soul weighing, blood tests and ancient curses. i shall profit either way the law of the land goes. and while i am inclined to enter a vigorous debate about this policy i'm afraid to belong to either of your contingents. therefore i cannot take council from either of you in these terms.
Posted by mbowen at July 19, 2003 07:52 AM
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