Who's Next?

So normally, if I get my political undies in a wad over something I read, I give a little synopsis of whatever I read, maybe because I expect the American attention span is all of 30 seconds long these days. This time, I'm not doing it. Click the link and read it. I'm personally asking you a favor, please. Click this and read the whole thing.

Being an advocate for civil liberties isn't very popular. If you're really enthusiastic about the fourth amendment, most people don't really understand why. Why should we care about the unchecked growth of executive power? What a boring topic. Tell me about the latest celebrity hook-up instead.

My line of reasoning when I have to explain why I do care is that its a slippery slope. First, the executive branch goes after "them" over "there". And we don't care. They're not Americans anyway. Then they go after the guy "over there" who may be American, but he's probably a terrorist. And we don't care. He doesn't love his country like us anyway. Then they go after the guy who tried to tell the truth about all the things the executive had to do to continue his fight with "them, over there." And we don't care. He's probably endangering troops anyway. And then they go after the guys who tries to help the guy who tries to tell the truth about what the executive had to do to continue to fight "them over there." Is it starting to sound like the old lady who swallowed a fly yet? Who's next? Your humble blogger perhaps?

Maybe you think wikileaks is an abomination. Maybe you think Bradley Manning is a monster. That's fine by me. I feel the same way about the KKK. But if someone wants to support the KKK, verbally or financially, we'd all agree they have a constitutional right to do so without having their property confiscated and their persons detained and interrogated by Federal armed officers without charges or warrants or the right to a lawyer.

Maybe the Orwellian nightmare where absolutely no dissenting opinion to Federal power is tolerated won't be seen in our lifetime, but I'm not sure sure about our children. They may very well grow up in a country where they can't speak their mind without fear of political intimidation and violence.

When I was a kid, I never really understood why Jesus kept saying in the gospel of Matthew, "let those who have ears hear!" Why did he keep saying that? It seemed so simplistic it was almost meaningless. And now I feel like I know EXACTLY what he meant. Take your head out of the sand, look around you, and use the brain God gave you. Some $&*%^ is going down and if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!

It's Officially Official

A large, white envelope appeared in my mailbox today.....

It's truly official. I am a Master (that's way more fun than saying I have my Masters) I'm not sure what I will be handed when I walk across the graduation stage on Dec. 18th, but hey, I got the goods :) Now if I can just get a job.......which, SPOILER ALERT: I have a phone interview on Monday afternoon so everyone keep your fingers crossed. If all goes well I will post more details later!! Woo Hoo for becoming a big kid...sorta!

Say Hello To My Little Friend

As you may know, I started the Couch 2 5K program back in July. I got pretty far, and then hit a brick wall....HARD, so I took a break. During the break, I realized, dare I say it, I actually enjoyed running. I'm excited about training and eventually running in my first race. I decided to start again and this time get serious, because I can do this! We all know that getting serious means buying gadgets, I mean come on, no one can run with just their person and the road... Sure, I have my Timex watch that hooks up to my iPhone so I can control my music from my watch, and yes, I have my armband, running shorts, knee brace for those sore days and the ever so important Nike-best-sports-bra-I've-ever-owned support (overshare?). However, it has come to my attention that I had not bought a new pair of running shoes in quite some time..... like senior of high school.... which was 2002...... almost ten years ago (I know a little piece of the runner inside of you just died Candace, sorry) I've been reading up and I have come to appreciate how important your feet are to running so I might as well protect them and invest in a good, new pair of running shoes. After receiving a brief, preliminary foot exam last weekend, today Jonny and I went to Run On! - the local running chain that has all your running needs.... seriously, these people know their stuff. One of the staff members meet with us, asked us questions about our running history and current habits. Then she watched us walk, run and sized us and explained every last detail I could possibly think to ask her about. She brought out several shoes and then watched us walk and run all over again. In the end, I bought the Brooks Glycerin 8... which means nothing...other than I now run on little clouds and my feet love me! And I love my new shoes! I never knew shoes could feel so good. I took them out tonight for my re-introduction to the running world (aka our neighborhood) and I am very pleased with my purchase, and maybe, just maybe I ran a little farther and faster than normal tonight thanks to these puppies. So say hello to my little friends...

Did I mention that Jonny got new shoes too? :)

Doing the Happy Dance

I am SO doing the happy dance today because at 5:00pm I finished my 100th direct hour with clients!!! All I can say is:

WOO HOO!!!!

So let, me break down my counseling jargon for everyone so you can properly celebrate with me. I'm in the last leg of my Masters program: my Practicum, which is basically our version of clinicals. To graduate, I have to have 200 hours of indirect hours, these are the easy hours to get because they include the paperwork, research, attending training, meetings, supervision and just about anything related to seeing clients without the actual seeing part. I finished this part several weeks ago. The hard part, the part that takes forever for some people is obtaining the 100 direct hours required, which includes the face-to-face time with clients... nothing else! Despite the ridiculous amount of no-shows and cancellations that happened the last few weeks, I have finally arrived! I've completed the requirements of Practicum and can officially apply for graduation. Now the somewhat sad news is that I'm not totally responsibility free. I'm contracted with my off-site placement through the rest of the term, so I'll keep seeing clients until October 15th, but the good news is, other than keeping my skills fresh and getting extra training, every hour I get after my 100 transfers to the next leg of training... the part where I will have to pay for my supervision of my 3,000 hours. So here's to getting the free extra hours so I don't have to pay for them in the future. Here's to knowing I will graduate in October and being one step closer to a big-girl job (this is were Jonny shouts "Amen!!") and here's to the next phase of life! Now its time to study for my licensing exam.....

The Good, The Sad and The Grad School Experience: A Dent Family Update

Ok so I’ve fallen off the wagon for a while, but I have a good excuse: Grad School! But more on that in a bit. The truth is there were several events which I wanted to blog about but never got the time. In order to remedy this, I figured I would offer some highlights to catch you all up to the events that I would have blogged about. Here it goes:

THE GOOD

1. Beach Trip: For the week of July 24 - 31^st we enjoyed the company of eight of our closest friends, rented a beach house and traveled to Tybee Island in Georgia. Savannah was just about 20-30 minutes away so we made a few day trips, but mostly we enjoyed waking whenever we wanted, catching up with our friends and spending plenty of time enjoying the ocean and the sand. It was the vacation Jonny and I both needed desperately!

2. Multiple Weekends in Shreveport: We may have moved our stuff to live with us in Dallas, but are hearts are still in Shreveport. I think it took moving away for us to really value our hometown. With trips to Shreveport for Mudbug Madness, Father’s Day, birthdays, meeting Baby Asher, the Chaney/Montgomery wedding, KK’s baby shower, singing at Grace and fantasy football, we have spend A LOT of time back in the Port City and have loved EVERY minute of it. We have yet to establish our Dallas friends and church family so, sometimes it’s a challenge, not having a local outlet to share our lives with others. That’s one of the many reasons it is so good for both of our hearts and spirits to be home surrounded by friends and family.

3. Bachlorette Party: Speaking of friend and trips to Shreveport, our friends Michael and Lesley will be getting married in Shreveport in October. We all know what weddings mean… lots of parties. On August 20-22nd I got to spend the weekend with the bride-to-be and other friends in Dallas enjoying some girl time. Word to wise, if you are in the area and are jonesing for a sweet treat, hit up Sprinkles, a cup-cakery.... SO. STINKING. GOOD!

4. One Year Anniversary: This probably should have been first on the good list because it is my favorite of all. On July 18^th Jonny and I celebrated one wonderful year of marriage. We were lucky to be able to attend the Chaney/Montgomery wedding the Saturday before our anniversary and as we watch them profess their love for each other before God and everyone, it was a nice reminder of our own union and vows to each other and how God has blessed us so much since then. Many couples struggle in their first year, and while every moment wasn't rainbows and jellybeans, Jonny is SO good for me and being married to him is even better. I am so in love with that man and I look forward to a lifetime of years together.

THE SAD

Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but we have a very tragic and some what traumatic event strike the Dent household with the death of sweet Tucker about a month ago. I don’t really want to rehash all the details, but let me tell you, it is not an easy thing to watch a dear friend loose his strength and then to find him gone from this world, once you return home. Jonny and I have shed many tears over this loss and our hearts still hurt to realize our sweet old friend is gone. Even with the sweet supportive, gestures we received from family and friends, one thing I know for sure is grief sucks and I don’t think I want it to be one of my counseling specialties AT ALL.

THE GRAD SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

I began my Practicum experience the week of April 12^th, saw my very first client ever April 20^th and have been rocking and rolling ever since then. It has been a challenging and fulfilling experiences for sure. I began in our clinic at school in Plano and am currently at my off-site placement which is located in Uptown - about a 30-40 minute commute. I have a steady caseload of about 8-9 clients a week, each for one hour sessions, plus whatever Intake Interviews I am schedule, plus all the lovely paperwork that goes along with seeing people. Graduation is in sight and the date on my diploma will be October 15,2010 Lord willing! Some days I don’t know if I am doing any good and I really doubt my skill level, but even in the midst of the doubt, I know I am exactly where I am suppose to be, helping hurting people. I’ll get some awesome moments, when a client has a breakthrough and they are able to have a victory with self-awareness or new behaviors and its so rewarding. I think one of my favorite moments thus far was when a client said in session “You know, I’ve been thinking about something you said last week all week”. There was a moment of utter fear, wondering what I could have said and if I really even said what he heard, and then he told me “You said relationships are important aspect of life” and I sighed my sigh of relief and sat back and enjoyed the processing going on in this client’s life. It feels good to know that my God-given desire to be with people and to encourage them, is being developed and used. So in the middle of the good, the sad, and the grad school experience I am constantly reminded that I am so blessed and I would not change this busy time for anything in the world!

Credit Where Credit is Due

To those of you still residing in Louisiana, I believe Kudos are in order for LA Senator David Vitter. His personal failings notwithstanding, he did the right thing Tuesday when he introduced an amendment to the finance reform bill that mirrored Ron Paul's bill to audit the Federal Reserve System. It's not often I can say "did the right thing" and "senator" in the same sentence, so when it happens, I feel we should publicize it.

Paul's bill failed obviously because he doesn't "play the game" as it were. Any idea coming from his camp must be nuts of course. Likewise, Vitter's amendment failed, but a watered-down version did pass that would audit just the emergency lending the Fed did since December 2008. Its obviously better than nothing, but we deserve better.

Let me take a moment to dismiss notions that I'm simply a Paul parrot or a conspiracy theorist. I like Paul, but I don't line up with him 100%. I'm not sold on the notion the Fed should be abolished entirely or other big issues for Paul like total free-trade. Likewise, I'm not pro-Fed audits because I subscribe to some massive bankers-controlling-the-world conspiracy notion either. But what I do know is a tons (literally) of our money gets funneled through this institution and no one is allowed to see its books. Obama loved to talk about "transparency" and "accountability" in government during his campaign, so where are those buzzwords now? Nowhere to be found. We expect the Fed and Wall Street to be the main opponents of this legislation, but it's abhorent the White House is an equally vocal critic. This is one of the clearest instances yet Mr. Obama does not practice what he preaches, and I'm afraid it shows where his true priorities are. Forget the socialist label, between this issue and his healthcare bill, he's far more of a corporatist than a socialist.

At my job, every task I do ends up somewhere on the audit log that Coke eventually sees. We're doling out their money on a daily basis and we're therefore responsible for providing the information about where it went, when, how much, and to whom. Likewise, the American Public is the Fed's client, and we should be screaming to know what the hell it's doing, not sitting back idly while the wall of federal secrecy is drawn deeper and deeper.

So I urge you send an e-mail or give a call to Mr. Vitter's office letting him know that you appreciate his bold stand for us. If we don't make our appreciation known when they do something right, they'll be less likely to do it next time. (Needless to say Landrieu voted against it, but both TX senators voted for it.)

Is Europe Ashamed of its Heritage?

Amber and I went to see one of those obscure foreign artsy films you can only see if it just so happens into a theater in your city this past weekend. The one in question was entitled, “The Secret of Kells,” an Oscar-nominated animated film about the famous illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells set in pre-medieval Ireland. So, an indie film about history and religion? If that’s not straight up Jonny and Amber’s collective wheelhouse, I don’t know what is. Needless to say we mostly enjoyed the film. It had a very unique artistic style, which was obviously the impetus for the movie in the first place. The entire animation was deliberately made as flat and void of perspective as possible in order to be a modern reflection of the Medieval artistic style.

The story is set in the ancient Kells. Like most other Northern European communities of the time, it’s a simple agricultural community centered around an abbey. The populace and especially their leader the abbot fear the likely impending raid of Norse and are attempting to build fortifications to defend themselves. The abbot’s boy nephew is the protagonist who struggles between obeying his uncle’s commands and his passion to help the newly arrived illuminator complete his already famous manuscript. It’s the struggle between the different priorities of the abbot and his friend the famous illuminator that drives the plot.

While the film is certainly very imaginative and has a good bit of mystery and fantastical elements to it, it’s overall setting fares quite well as a historical snapshot. The producers clearly intended to make a historically accurate depiction of the cultural climate of the period. And I can say this with confidence in all respects save one.

Much is made by the characters and by the film itself about the worth of the book and illuminating in general. It’s a supreme work which can “turn darkness into light” and is “a vision of heaven here on Earth.” It’s high praise to be sure and rightly so. Yet despite the fact that the vast majority of characters are monks and it’s all set in an abbey, there’s not a single Christian reference in the entirety of their discourse. Two hours of monks talking in a European abbey in Ireland about a religious work and not a single reference to Christ? What gives? This book is the gospel after all, but you may not even know that after watching the film.

Now, I understand where the postmodern European filmmaker is coming from. He or she is not looking to make a “religious” film. Its point is not to be evangelical or proselytize, and I can fully appreciate that. But it seems the filmmakers swung the pendulum as far as they possibly could in the opposite direction, much to the film’s detriment. The monks were calligraphy enthusiasts to be sure, but only in part. To a much greater degree, they were Christ enthusiasts. The gospels were the whole reason for the endeavor to begin with. It’s almost as if the filmmakers projected Renaissance-like humanism onto these monks in 800 A.D. Ireland in a bastion of Catholic piety. The film holds their veneration of the human artistic creation higher than its original inspiration, which no one can honestly argue was the case. Thus we have a clear case of an imposed historical omission in the film, yet another example of what I call a “cultural anachronism” in contemporary popular culture where we impose our cultural values and zeitgeist onto previous historical periods in our literature.

All this makes me wonder about Europe today. Why did these filmmakers go out of their way to excise every possible reference to Christ? If you’re agnostic or even militantly atheist, this is still your cultural and historical legacy as a Northern European. Why would you seek to hide or change it? As my title asks, is Europe ashamed of its heritage? I’m sure the barbarities and transgressions by European theocracies throughout the ages loom large in their minds, but do these cause Christianity as a whole to be as great a shame to them as say, slavery is to us as American Southerners? To make such a conclusion seems as near-sighted to me as those who make snap judgments of Islam today. Had the story been told from the opposite point of view of the Norse, would they have excised all references to Woden, Freyja, or Thor? Surely not.

I think this illustrates an important point, that rightly or not, people will judge a God by its follower’s actions, even hundreds of years later. Consider this an exhortation then to you fellow professed Christians to live your life in a manner to convince others of the goodness of your God. Argument, polarization, and confrontationalism will not avail us in this endeavor. Love, kindness, and charity will.