Prime Time Press Conference

I tuned in to watch part of the President's prime time press conference and he was talking about social security and private accounts.

At first I found his tone to be condescending, like he was explaining this concept to a group of 8th graders. It then occurred to me that prehaps has was just parroting it back the way it back the way it was explained to him.

An End to "Happy Slapping"

If everyone had a gun, instead of a cel phone, there would be less happy slapping.

Cell Phone Nation-"Happy Slapping"

"Happy Slapping": Slap someone, record his/her reactions with a camera phone!
Another reason to ban camera phones in schools: Happy Slapping. London teenagers are slapping other teens and strangers in the face so they can use a camera phone to record the reactions!

haiku for you

fat cat's claws tap shoes

shuffling to buffalo

on kitchen's wood floor

Note to Dave Walker(man) from Father Ed Fitzgerald

The following is a note written to Dave Walker(man) from one of my college roommates, Father Ed Fitzgerald. I feel very small right now.


"It is I do not be afraid.

Hello Dave Walker, It is Fr. Ed Fitzgerald.

Thank you very much for your email. I am doing well and enjoying serving Holy Mother Church as a priest for the Diocese of Charleston. I have a degree in Canon Law from Rome and the pastor of a parish (500 families, school 220 students). I am also the Chancellor for the diocese. On July 9, 2005 I will celebrate 10 years of priesthood. I am delighted to hear of your conversion to Roman Catholicism. Welcome to the Club.

I will continue to keep you close in my prayers and I wish you much peace and happiness in your life.

God Bless

Fr. Fitzgerald"

Kind Words from Scott and Dave

"Mr. Harris writes: "For the record I never felt like I was part of the whole Jefferson Street/Grey house thing."

Sir Toby: A false conclusion: I hate it as an unfilled can. To be up after midnight and to go to bed then, is early; so that to go to bed after midnight is to go bed betimes. does not our life consist of the four elements.

Sir Andrew: Faith, so they say; but i think it rather consists of eating and drinking.Sir Toby: Thou are a scholar! let us therefore eat and drink. Marian, I say! A stoup of wine!--From "Twelth Ninth" (found in the back of Fred Chappell's 'Earthsleep') a nice little autographed beauty from Mr. Harris.

You see, Randy, what you've got to understand, is that while you may have not spent a lot of physical time at Jefferson Street, you were there constantly in spirit. In fact, without you there would have been no Jefferson Street or at least no need for such an assorted mix of misfits to live there together. As a poet/zen master you transcend the need for physical presence: each one of us still carries a piece of you with us where ever we go. Can't look at a dead squirrel and not think of you, and, by god, I don't many peole I can say that to and mean it. So, despite how you feel, as an original member of the Jefferson Street four, as someone who played nine holes of golf through the living room, as one who watched as a drunken hippy pissed in Dave Walkerman's closet and sat helplessly by as a callow wimp, as one who officially fucked fucking study break, as one who drove to DC at midnight with a 2-litre root beer, a pack of bologna and a loaf of bread and slept in a parking lot, I officially, barring protest from the other lease-signing members, do hereby bequeth you the official title of Jefferson Street/Grey House thing member with all the responsibility and disgrace it brings. And anyway, most of our time was spent in Guilford chatting up the receptionist chicks or throwing jars of jelly at South Spencer.And finally, I think the only reason you didn't hang out at Jefferson is because you were the only one of us losers that actually had a girlfriend and had something to do." Scott Nunn

Dave 8:26 AM
"I have to echo the sentiments of the esteemed Mr. Nunn.Without Randy, there is no 'us'. He is the foundation and soul of our mutual friendships.He was as much a part of the Grey House as anyone.I don't remember the frozen chicken thing at all; though I do have very clear memories of Ed doing pushups in the snow.I wonder what Fr. Fitzgerald is up to these days. Last I heard I think he had been sent to Rome for graduate work.It's a shame there's not an interconnected worldwide system of networked computers where one can look these things up.Well, maybe someday. Right after we get flying cars, they should work on that." Dave Walker(man)

Stuff Stolen from Dave Town-Jefferson Street Chronicles, Part 1

JEFFERSON STREET CHRONICLES, PART I

There is an increasingly fascinating discussion on religion going on between my former college roomies and myself. It is going on partly via email, and partly via the posts and comments on this here lil’ blog. I’m going to make it a regular feature for as long as it lasts.This group of men have been my friends for 20 years. It has been said that a friend is a person that knows everything about you, and still likes you; while family is made up of those people who will always take you in, no matter what. That makes these guys both friend and family to me.

I can’t decide whether to refer to us as the Shirttail Gang (based on our habit of going around campus untucked, in our mid-80’s, non-fashion-conscious manner), the Guilford Hall Debating Society (based on our dormitory and favorite activity . . . okay, second or third favorite activity), or the Jefferson Street Posse (based on the really cool grey house on Jefferson where we all lived for a while, which is now a parking lot). I’ll either alternate between all three, or get a group consensus and go with that.

By way of introductions, the members of the group are as follows:

Dr. J.W. Bray, Quaker. Genius, economist, and the holder of the highest academic degree out of the group.

J.S. Nunn, Episcopalian. Newspaper editor, raconteur, holder of the World Record for the most consecutive playings of Pat Metheny’s “As Falls Wichita….” album.

C.R. Harris IV, Unaffiliated. Poet, black belt, photographer extraordinaire, and tallest member of the society.

J. Gogick, Russian Orthodox cum nondenominational Protestant. Newspaper editor, mystic, gnome, provocateur.

D. J. Walkerman, Catholic. Schoolteacher, attorney, slacker/underachiever/moron, Okie.

Join us, won't you, as we test the limits of religion, philosophy, and b.s. here on our little corner of cyber-blogger-space-o-sphere.

It will either be a fascinating discussion for the ages, or a literary trainwreck. Either way, you don't want to miss it.

Greensboro is Talking About the Fred Hotline

Sneaky buggerPosted by theshu on March 16th, 2005

"Randy Harris from the Greater Greensboro Open Blog has secretly been maintaining a second blog. Check out Fred Hotline for the lighter side of Randy. Caution: Contains a cat picture."

Stop Reading the Fred Hotline and Start Reading Dave Town

POPE AS WORLD LEADER
"A Mr. Randy Harris of Greensboro, NC writes in and says, "Hey, Dave, talk about the Pope as a world leader".We're always happy to take requests here at DaveTown. Though, truthfully, this is only the second one. But nonetheless, here goes.Stalin once famously said "How many divisions has the Pope?" (oh, that he had lived long enough to see the reign of John Paul the Great).John Adams once said, not as famously, but just as relevantly "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."

Somewhere in the middle of these two quotes is the answer to your question, Randy. The Pope has no authority in the world apart from moral authority. If he is able to exercise it, more people will attempt to conform their lives to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If this happens, then Stalin's question becomes moot, and the admonition of Adams is fulfilled.Securing the liberty of individual citizens is the only legitimate goal of government. Guiding individuals toward the goal of eternal salvation is the only legitimate goal of the Church. If both entities do their jobs correctly, we have peace, both in the temporal and spiritual sense.Toward these ends, the role of the Pope, as a world leader, is twofold. First, to encourage, support and foster political freedom, insofar as his moral authority and influence are able to do so. Secondly, and more importantly, it is to facilitate the ability of the Church to teach the truths of the gospel, so that, once free, we will have the integrity, dignity, and moral awareness to live freely in the fullest sense of the word freedom.

That is, to be free to do good and to love, and free to live in a society that hasn't descended into a deadly barbarism, where the strongest exploit the weakest, and narcissism and nihilism are the only dogmas people will follow.Historians will look back in amazement at how effectively John Paul the Great filled both of these roles. God grant us a next Pope who is just as brave, just as inspirational, and just as faithful. "

Letter from Jeremy Bray

"I've found that even the Quaker faith, as unorganized as it is, is too organized for me. It's not that i don't enjoy a sense of community, quite the opposite -- I miss it terribly sometimes. It's just that any time we create an organized faith we leave people out. I've been on the outside looking in at times and it's no fun. And the idea that all people are welcome is bull shit. They're welcome as long as they adhere to the group's beliefs, otherwise their sinners, or heathens, or infidels. I find it very telling that the most influential people in history didn't adhere to group think. They were individuals.

This isn't a slam on any one religion or even religion as a whole. If it gives you comfort in a time of hardship, then I'm all for it. But the older I get the more I believe George Fox was right that God lives within each of us, all we have to do is listen. I just worry that with so much other noise going on around us that many times we can't hear God speaking. That's enough of that. As i told Dave, my new motto is all things in moderation.So, staying on religion but changing the subject to something even more controversial... do you ever think that Christianity has put so much emphasis on Jesus and Satan that we've turned it into a poly-deistic religion? I've been struck by the southern Baptists and other evangelical faiths that say "Jesus is Lord" or assert that Satan is roaming freely among us with almost god-like powers. There are other examples, such as Catholicism's elevation of Mary to almost deity status. Anytime you pray to someone, be it Jesus or Mary, doesn't that elevate them to deity status? If not, why not? I'm looking to you, Scott and Dave to set me straight. Or at least get me to think about things in a different way."

Peace
J

On Monday, April 18, 2005, at 08:53 PM, Bray, Jeremy W. wrote:

Open Letter from Scott Nunn

"Hi Dave: I have some request for Dave Town. Does that make me No. 3 behind Harris.

Since I haven’t been able to talk with you much in a long time, I’d be interested in how you made your conversion to Roman Catholicism and how it the some of the church’s strict doctrines play out with your Libertarian beliefs; I agree with you on the Pope, he will be greatly missed; do you read Andrew Sullivan? He had some very critical things to say and I must admit that I agree with him on some, such as the issue of contraception here and especially in Africa, where millions of lives and much suffering could be saved. What do you think about the pope’s refusal to meet with victims of priest abuse, and what do you think about the prominence of Cardinal Law in the papal funeral rites following the Holy Father’s death?Also, I disagree with you on the Schiavo case but we can debate that another time.I ask these questions in good will as only perhaps a former college roommate can.I’m still riding the fence as a good old half “little-c catholic” “half-protestant” Episcopalian, finding “unity in common prayer rather than unity in doctrine” as one priest recently said.Of course we’re about to kill each other over the gay bishop issue. I think we are already two churches. I have no ill-will toward the conservatives in the Episcopal Church but I think it is senseless to fool ourselves into thinking we are going to patch things up when they are bible literalists — Baptists who like vestments — and I am a person who sees the bible not as any sort of science or history book but a book of poetry, and stories and musings or mortal men trying their best to figure out the meaning of such a powerful and mysterious creator and trying to wrap up this awesome creator in a little package we can make some sense of, sometimes to control, often for our own benefit. Well, as Seymour once said, “all we do our whole lives is is go from one little piece of Holy Ground to the next. Is he never wrong?”All best, ScottPS: the rest of you Guilford/Jefferson Street guys, feel free to pipe in."

Scott NunnCross Current EditorEpiscopal Diocese of East CarolinaPO Box 1293Wilmington, NC 28402 snunn@diocese-eastcarolina.org

This is the one where will all got drunk. 

As my wife would say, "That's just stupid!" 

Back in the day you could be moody, angry and wear a black trench coat without everyone getting all worked up about it. 

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. 

The Fred Hotline is very big in France. 

Things to do today. Wake up. Drink Red Bull. Watch "Pimp My Ride" marathon and then climb up on bridge and spray paint the words, "Butt Sex #1". 

You know you've made it when they put you in the funny papers. 

I got nothing. Make up your own damn caption. 

I still don't get this one. 

I was the shy one in the group. 

Dave Walkerman returns to the 37th Annual Oh-My-God It's Early Tournament to defend his red sweater. Notice the yellow ball. Nice. 

Three Channels and a Test Pattern

I often find myself thinking of my childhood and remember events that I compare to the world in which I live today.

I do remember riding in the front seat of my mother's car, unrestrained, and hitting my head against the windshield and breaking it. I also remember my father being really mad, not about my well-being, but about replacing a windshield.

By today's standards this would be outrageous, but back then no one was using seat belts.

I can also remember a time when we only had three television channels and TV "went off" at the end of the day. You could stay up real late on the weekends and watch TV until it ended. They would show a flag waving, air planes flying and the National Anthem would be playing. After that the announcer would say, "This concludes our broadcast day."

We now live in a world were children never get to ride in the front seat and TV is always on.

I was going to write a funny caption for this photo of Randy, Mike and Dan, but I thought I'd tell a funny story instead. We had this 1970's Chairman's party for the GGCC back in 1999 and I guess all the guys thought that they needed a fro wig. Almost every guy there had one on. I talked to the clerk at Morris Costumes and he said we bought every wig they had. 

Randy Harris and Kurt Hoover on the set of the Dating Game. 

Travis Griggs and Kurt Hoover as Ghost Busters. 

emcee Doo-Doo Shit-fly with unidentified foxxy lady. (Notice the attention to detail. The fro pick is stuck in the hair and I love the white belt.) 

untitled 

Dave Walkerman Requested This One

I'd like to request the Fred Hotline featuring Susie Hawley and Naomi Reavis. The one that's dedicated to all men who ever been shit on by a woman, and the glue stick that died during it's inception.

That's how I'm feeling right now.

Create your Own Caption Contest 

"I may be working behind the counter of this mobile home supply store, but one day I'll know more about Labor economics than you." 

No drinking, no loitering and oh yeah, no weenie biting. 

Here we see Dave sleeping at Randy And Jeremy's apartment. You can tell Dave is a special guest because I have allowed him to use my best Star Wars blanket.