Donnerstag, 12. November 2009

Der Stein, den die Bauleute verworfen haben, ist zum Eckstein geworden. Das ist vom HERRN geschehen und ist ein Wunder vor unsern Augen. Psalm 118,22-23

Ihr seid Gottes Hausgenossen, erbaut auf den Grund der Apostel und Propheten, da Jesus Christus der Eckstein ist. Epheser 2,19-20

Es gibt Lebenssituationen, bei denen man öfters inne halten und nachdenken muss, besonders dann, wenn man den Durchblick verloren hat. In solchen Momenten schaue ich immer zurück und erinnere mich daran, was ich eigentlich bin und wollte.Im geistlichen Bereich ist es nicht anders. Auch hier sollten wir uns, aber nicht nur, wenn wir vor Problemen stehen, uns immer daran erinnern, hinter welcher Fahne wir eigentlich „marschieren“. Und die Bibel lässt uns bei diesen Überlegungen auch heute nicht allein.

Wir werden wieder daran erinnert, dass wir „Hausgenossen Gottes“ sind. Eine tolle Formulierung. Ich lebe in einer Hausgemeinschaft mit Gott, aber nicht isoliert, in den Massen verschwindend. Auf einen „Genossen“, und das meine ich nun nicht politisch, kann ich mich verlassen, was auch kommen mag. Dieser Genosse ist kein Wackelsterz, einmal so, am nächsten Tag wieder anders. Mit seinem Wort kann man leben und auch sterben, was er sagt, das zählt, bis in Ewigkeit. „Die Gnade hat kein End den langen Tag, drauf jeder sich verlassen mag“. Das ist das Programm des Schöpfers. Bete ich nicht immer zum Essen: “Komm Herr Jesus, sei Du unser Gast und segne, was Du uns bescheret hast?” Er will mehr als “nur” ein Gast bei den Mahlzeiten sein. Das ist zu wenig. Ihm steht die Rolle eines Hausherrn zu. Deshalb heute und jetzt noch einmal: “Herzlich willkommen in meinem Kobel!”

Um das noch deutlicher und fester den Ephesern einzutrichtern, vergleicht er den Jesus mit dem Eckstein, der alles zusammen hält. So ein Eckstein ist wichtig, er darf nicht wackeln und muss passen. Wenn ich mir alte Kathedralen anschaue, werfe ich auch immer einen Blick in das Gewölbe. Das Wichtigste daran ist immer der Schlussstein, der in der Mitte des Bogens sitzt und meist sehr kunstvoll verziert ist. Würde man diesen Stein entfernen, wäre es um das Gewölbe geschehen. Dieser Abschlussstein gibt, wie auch ein Eckstein, einem Bau die Festigkeit, die er braucht, um beim nächsten Sturm nicht einzustürzen. Jesus ist nicht nur das Tüpfelchen auf dem I, sondern, das Lebensfundament und der Hausgenosse der einem den Rücken freihält, wenn es wieder einmal knüppeldick kommen sollte.

Das wäre fast ins Auge gegangen. Für mich steht fest, dass ich heute das jährliche Brüdertreffen meiner Klasse habe. Natürlich bin ich angemeldet und entsprechend vorbereitet. Rund 100 Kilometer muss ich gen Norden fahren, bis ich nach Krehlingen komme.

Vor dem gestrigen Schalfen gehen schaue ich noch einmal in meinen Kalender. Mich trifft der Schlag. Der Termin ist nicht heute, sondern erst kommenden Montag. Da hätte ich wirklich ein dummes Gesicht gemacht, wenn ich eine solche Strecke umsonst gefahren wäre.

So ein „geschenkter Tag“ kommt mir wie gerufen. So kann ich nicht nur ohne Hetze am Abend ins Gemeindeseminar gehen, sondern auch noch den Tag nutzen, um meine Predigt für den Sonntag weiter zu schreiben.

Am Abend geht es wieder ins Gemeindeseminar. Es ist der letzte Abend.  Anfangs etwas skeptisch, habe ich meine Meinung grundlegend geändert. Auch als inzwischen berenteter Hauptamtlicher kann noch viel lernen. Und das hat er an den letzten Abenden getan und wird das auch noch weiter tun. Und deshalb hoffe ich, dass dieses in meiner Gemeinde nie passieren wird, was die Wuppertaler erleben mussten:

Aus aktuellem Anlass mal ein paar Überlegungen zum Thema: Wohin in Heidelberg am Wochenende?

Einen richtigen metallischen Treffpunkt gibt es dort schon lange nicht mehr, da musste  ich mir also Gedanken machen, wo es sich lohnt, abends hinzugehen, um den samstäglichen Hopfentee zu genießen. Ein paar brauchbare Möglichkeiten gibt es immerhin:

• Joe’s Rock Café: Habe ich nur entdeckt, weil ich zufällig dort vorbeigekommen bin. Eigentlich eine Billard-Kneipe, man kann sich aber natürlich auch einfach nur an die Bar setzen. An Musik läuft dabei meist härterer Rock oder Heavy-Metal-Klassiker aus den 80ern, der DJ legt aber auch schon mal Slayer auf, wenn man lange genug nervt. Als ich letztes Mal dort war, bin ich gleich von einem besoffenen Nazi-Wikinger-Deppen angepöbelt worden, der von mir wissen wollte, ob ich “zur Antifa gehöre”. Während ich mich noch gefragt habe, ob solche Gestalten dort zum Stammpublikum gehören, wurde der Kerl erfreulicherweise vom Wirt unter Mithilfe zweier Gäste vor die Tür geleitet.
• Eckstein: Ich erinnere mich von früher daran, dass das eine Kneipe war, wo nur Amis oder besonders “schicke” Leute (die typischen gegelten Bürschchen) hingegangen sind. Nachdem es offenbar seit einiger Zeit einen neuen Chef gibt, ist das glücklicherweise nicht mehr so. Das Musikprogramm kann man eigentlich ganz ähnlich wie beim Joe beschreiben, nur dass hier noch ein deutlicher Anteil an Mainstream- und Indie-Rock dazukommt.
• Karl: Der Chef dort spielt gerne Classic Rock, wenn allerdings Marcus, der Sänger von Doggirl und Dirty Deeds, hinterm Tresen steht, kann es gerne mal etwas heftiger werden. Hier trifft man am Wochenende auch häufig einige Metaller.

Recently Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv the posek hador (the ultimate living authority on halachah) for Lithuanian chareidim (ultra-orthodox Jews) issued a ban against accepting money from the Intenational Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). According to Yair Ettinger in Haaretz (10-26-09), this was done to damage Rabbi Yitzhak David Grossman’s chances of becoming the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. Grossman the Chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek operates an orphanage, Migdal Ohr, which receives money from IFCJ. According to Haaretz, the timing of R. Elyashiv’s ruling is suspicious. Eight years earlier, Elyashiv decided not to join a ruling by other rabbis against IFCJ monies. If he had supported that ruling, Grossman and other Lithuanian chareidi groups would have stopped taking IFCJ money.

The critics of chareidism see this as yet another example of politicization and corruption. Chareidi defenders claim the timing is coincidental, and Rabbi Elyashiv is impartial. I am inclined to believe Elyashiv is a learned and pious man. But this does not preclude the possibility that the process was corrupt. The quality of a ruling  also depends on the system within which it is generated.

It seems as if R. Elyashiv reached his decision without meeting with Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the Director of the IFCJ. Eckstein would have been the best person to make the case that the donations were not motivated by missionary goals and the funds were not used to support missionary activity. If Elyashiv’s decision was made without regard to the other side’s argument, the process was corrupted. I also suspect that those who advocated the ban were trying to exploit halachah to advance their own political agenda of opposing Rabbi Grossman. If that is true than the process was corrupted, unless the posek was aware of the complainant’s motives and took steps to independently confirm the allegations against IFCJ.

Seven years ago R. Elyashiv banned Rabbi Nosson Kamanetsky’s book, The Making of a Godol, without reading it (he doesn’t read English) and without hearing R. Kamanetsky’s rejoinder. According to Kamenetsky in his lecture The Anatomy of a Ban, Elyashiv later apologized to him and said he was misled into believing Kamenetsky was not willing to appear and defend the book. If this is true I think it shows that R. Elyashiv is susceptible to manipulation by others who are corrupt. Moreover, once he recognized that he was misinformed he did not apologize and reverse his position. This failure to admit and correct the mistake, imposed heavy burdens on Kamenetsky, a member of Elyashiv’s community. He deferred to the ruling and withdrew the book, suffered a loss of status in his community which interfered with his ability to find suitable matches for unmarried members of his family, and lost an opportunity to share a portrait of his father and Rabbi Aaron Kotler which he has spent  15 years researching.

Elyashiv should have publicly apologized and withdrawn the ban. But that would have involved admitting that he and his fellow rabbis sometimes make mistakes. Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Judah, King David and other gadolim in the torah had flaws for which they repented. However, due the refinements of chareidi leadership in the last century, it is no longer necessary or desirable to describe leadership flaws. Such descriptions constitute insults to our great ones. That was one of the the stated reason for banning Kamenetsky’s book. The other was the insinuation that the torah greats of the past believed that it could be desirable to combine torah study with secular learning.

The Making of a Godol described at length two Rabbis that chareidim celebrate as gadolim of an earlier generation, R. Aaron Kotler and R. Yaacov Kamenetsky (the author’s father). As indicated by the title, the author celebrates them as gadolim who reached that level by struggling to attain greatnes and overcoming weaknesses. This is wrong since we know that they are gadolim from the get-go. No one disputed the accuracy of his facts. But he should not have reported that his father and Aaron Kotler read Russian novels when they were young men. Aaron Kotler’s occasional outbursts of temper were unworthy of description; though to Kotler’s credit he deterred other young people from repeating his youthful mistake of indulging in the consumption of Alexander Pushkin’s novels. Kamanetsky’s father stopped reading the stuff, but even in later years he let his students believe that they ought to also seek wisdom outside of the torah.

No wonder Elyashiv could not retract his ruling. That would have been a triple whammy directed at the core of the chareidi value system. It would mean that a posek hador could make a mistake, two gadolim could be imperfect, and that the writings of non-chareidi thinkers can be a useful adjunct to the training of a yeshiva boy.

Chareidism is corrupted by the presumptuous and exaggerated claims of its leadership and its insistence that all necessary wisdom can be found inside its walls. When truth conflicts with these claims, truth has to be suppressed. Chareidi leadership bases it’s authority on the claim that they are the authentic continuation of the Jewish tradition embodied in the teachings of previous generations of rabbis. Chareidism is corrupted by its misrepresentation of the Jewish past to deny that many of celebrated rabbis learned from non-Jewish sources and respected aspects of non-Jewish wisdom. No system of justice can maintain its integrity when it denies the truth, distorts the truth, suppresses the truth even when told lovingly by its own faithful adherents, and excludes any outside knowledge that might challenge its monopoly in defining the truth. My complaint about chareidism is not that it is too traditional, but that it is not traditional enough. It violates and distorts the tradition, in the name of that very tradition. As this bunker tendency accelerates, the distortions pile up.

Rabbi Elyashiv is 99 years old. Almost all abilities decline with age and the rate of decline accelerates somewhere around the age of 75. The designation of posek hador implies more than just competence or even impressive competence. It implies competence at the very highest level. Why should we believe that great poskim are immune to the effects of aging? Are there any precedents for poskei hador losing that status or being bypassed because there has been too much decline in capacity? I would argue that a system lacks integrity if its posek hador can retain that status even if he suffers significant impairments. In the chareidi world such impairments are covered up even as they are exploited and manipulated.

Ordinarily, when we read a psak we don’t have a full picture of what information was considered or excluded, which parties played important roles in pursuing the ruling, and what precautions were taken against improper influence. When critics complain about a lack of accountability, chareidi stalwarts insist that their great poskim are known for exercising due diligence. I cannot accept that answer unless it can be supported with facts about the norms for due diligence and facts about how it was exercised in the cases of Eckstein and Kamenetsky

It was alleged that the ruling’s timing was driven by a desire to affect an unrelated matter, the outcome of the election for Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. I would assume that anyone who had a preference for or against Rabbi Grossman was nogeiah b’davar (involved in the matter) and thus should be suspected as a witness or advisor on this matter. I suspect the integrity of the halachic system was compromised by reliance on the opponents of Rabbi Grossman.

It is possible that Rabbi Elyashiv would have ruled the same way if the information had been presented a few years earlier. If a faction in an election can determine the timing of a decision, the halachic process becomes a political tool and it is corrupted. That was exactly the issue in the scandal surrounding the US attorney firings in the Bush administration. The administration was not trying to get false convictions. It was just trying to have charges raised against Democratic politicians in the lead up to elections to hurt their electoral campaigns. The strategy relied on timing. In this case, even if the result was not affected by political considerations, the timing of the ruling turned halachah into a factional tool.

In sum, I would argue that in these two cases the halachic process was corrupted. Those who wish to argue otherwise have to show:

1. That R. Elyashiv retains his abilities notwithstanding his age,
2. That the system has mechanisms for dealing with formerly great poskim who are no longer at the highest level of excellence,
3. That the system’s hierarchical preference for selecting leaders on the basis of age is capable of producing leaders who can wisely exercise their powers,
4. That the system has adequate protections from those who seek to manipulate it,
5. That the system genuinely considers both sides of a case and gives affected parties the chance to make their case,
6. That the system admits and corrects mistakes when they happen, and
7. That the system will accept the truth about the past, even when it contradicts the doctrine of daas torah, or causes embarassement to its leading members and political allies.

I am open to being proven wrong, but it will take more than waving the title posek hador, invoking Rabbi Eliyashev’s piety or brandishing the slogan daas Torah. While I wait for the rejoinder I am wondering how long it will be before the leadership furnishes us with an enhanced version of the Tanach where  King David, Moses, Judah and others are portrayed without flaws so they can better correspond to the gadolim in this generation. If you chuckled, you get it. There is a problem.

For more examples of dysfunction in the chareidi halachic process see this article on the latest ruling about shabbat elevators in the Jewish Press of  Oct 21, 2009

Synopsis from Myriad Publishers:

West Africa in the early 1990s. Isabel Redmond is tiring of her iconoclastic husband’s penchant for pendulous black breasts; the High Commissioner and his wife Fenella are both enjoying illicit affairs; an old English judge is wandering through the scrub following a tribe of Fulani herdsmen; Bob Newpin is about to make a killing in timeshares; and just what Father Seamus is up to is anyone’s guess.

Enter new diplomat Daniel Maddison on his first posting abroad. Rebelling against the endless rounds of cocktail parties, golf and gossip, he finds himself drawn to people and places that lie way beyond the experience of his High Commission colleagues – and specifically to the dusty warehouse in the heart of the city where a thin white woman is silently measuring out lengths of brightly coloured cloth.

In this assured début about loneliness and passion in Africa, Sue Eckstein enthrals with a deliciously intricate plot, compelling characters and razor-sharp dialogue.

Eckstein, in her début novel, transports us to life in West Africa in the 1990s. We meet Daniel, who is experiencing his first international posting as a British diplomat. But life is more play than work. There are plenty of parties, many affairs, mysterious women and an entrepreneur who wants to build time shares in the “real Africa”. This is not the life he expected when he was posted here. This is life that is full of gossip and racism, not politics.

This was an interesting novel that I enjoyed. It looks at life in West Africa for the British diplomats out there. There is an eclectic group of people to learn about – in fact one of the problems I found with this book were the sheer number of characters. I found myself forgetting who some people were as I read the book. However, there were a few I liked. Such as Isobel, a lovely lady with a husband with a slightly disturbing hobby; Daniel, who seemed to genuinely care for people – he seemed like someone you would want to have around; and Father Seamus, who just made me chuckle as he went around in shirts with the Pope on.

Eckstein states in the back of the book that this is purely fictional, and that is how I read this book. As I was not concerned about how accurate the story and events were I was not disappointed with the novel. It is a bit disjointed but there is one main storyline, in which Daniel investigates the mysterious Rachel, with which every storyline eventually links up with. Each character and their part of the unfolding story is explored, giving the book greater depth.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it did not take me long to read it. I found myself wanting to know what happened, and although there were aspects of the book I didn’t like they didn’t completely spoil the book. This is a good debut novel.

8/10

Synopsis from Myriad Publishers:

West Africa in the early 1990s. Isabel Redmond is tiring of her iconoclastic husband’s penchant for pendulous black breasts; the High Commissioner and his wife Fenella are both enjoying illicit affairs; an old English judge is wandering through the scrub following a tribe of Fulani herdsmen; Bob Newpin is about to make a killing in timeshares; and just what Father Seamus is up to is anyone’s guess.

Enter new diplomat Daniel Maddison on his first posting abroad. Rebelling against the endless rounds of cocktail parties, golf and gossip, he finds himself drawn to people and places that lie way beyond the experience of his High Commission colleagues – and specifically to the dusty warehouse in the heart of the city where a thin white woman is silently measuring out lengths of brightly coloured cloth.

In this assured début about loneliness and passion in Africa, Sue Eckstein enthrals with a deliciously intricate plot, compelling characters and razor-sharp dialogue.

Eckstein, in her début novel, transports us to life in West Africa in the 1990s. We meet Daniel, who is experiencing his first international posting as a British diplomat. But life is more play than work. There are plenty of parties, many affairs, mysterious women and an entrepreneur who wants to build time shares in the “real Africa”. This is not the life he expected when he was posted here. This is life that is full of gossip and racism, not politics.

This was an interesting novel that I enjoyed. It looks at life in West Africa for the British diplomats out there. There is an eclectic group of people to learn about – in fact one of the problems I found with this book were the sheer number of characters. I found myself forgetting who some people were as I read the book. However, there were a few I liked. Such as Isobel, a lovely lady with a husband with a slightly disturbing hobby; Daniel, who seemed to genuinely care for people – he seemed like someone you would want to have around; and Father Seamus, who just made me chuckle as he went around in shirts with the Pope on.

Eckstein states in the back of the book that this is purely fictional, and that is how I read this book. As I was not concerned about how accurate the story and events were I was not disappointed with the novel. It is a bit disjointed but there is one main storyline, in which Daniel investigates the mysterious Rachel, with which every storyline eventually links up with. Each character and their part of the unfolding story is explored, giving the book greater depth.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it did not take me long to read it. I found myself wanting to know what happened, and although there were aspects of the book I didn’t like they didn’t completely spoil the book. This is a good debut novel.

8/10

Vor einigen Wochen angekündigt. Nun ist er da, der feine Vortrag von Hans-Joachim Eckstein, Professor für Neues Testament an der Uni Tübingen. Gehalten auf der Theologischen Woche des Bundes FeG in Ewersbach. Mich hat er – wieder mal – begeistert…

Eckstein hat schon vor einiger Zeit eine feine Abhandlung zum Thema Gesetz und Evangelium geschrieben (Verheißung und Gesetz. Eine exegetische Untersuchung zu Galater 2,15 – 4,7, WUNT 86, Tübingen 1996 (307 S.)), er verbindet auch in seinen Vorträgen Humor, gute Rhetorik und Nähe zum Zuschauer. Natürlich: der Vortrag ist schwere Kost, man muss sich durchhören. Theologie vom Feinsten. Aber wie er Gesetz und Evangelium bei Paulus auseinander dröselt, das Verhältnis vom Alten zum Neuen Bund definiert und auch die new perspective on paul berücksichtigt - das ist schon bereichernd und begeisternd! Zur Ermutigung: Eckstein verwendet Fremdworte und griechische Vokabeln, aber er erklärt sie alle. Also: zuhören, die Pausetaste bemühen zum Nachdenken und das NT bei Galater 2 aufgeschlagen haben… und los gehts!

Da ich nicht zum allgemeinen download-Portal werden will, gilt: Wer den Vortrag als mp3 haben will (60 MB), der schreibe hier einen Kommentar mit gültiger email-Adresse in der Eingabemaske (nur mir sichtbar) und dann flattert eine mail mit der download-Adresse in den elektronischen Briefkasten. Und wenn dann noch ein inhaltlicher Kommentar zum Vortrag dazu käme, dann würde mich das sehr erquicken!

Komme gerade von der diesjährigen Theologischen Woche des Bundes FeG – und bin hochgradig inspiriert. Thema war schlicht Gesetz und Evangelium. Und das auf hohem Niveau. Prof. Hans-Joachim Eckstein und Prof. Wilfried Härle vor allem waren einfach beeindruckend. Präzise, anspruchsvoll, dennoch geerdet und nicht vollkommen verquast in der Wortwahl. Ein paar Impulse, die mein Herz einfach erwärmt haben. Dich lassen sie vielleicht kalt, das ist auch ok, ich habe sie gerne gehört und sie haben mir geholfen, Dinge zu klären. (ACHTUNG: ich werde das Wort Luther verwenden. Wer mich jetzt wieder mit Lutherhass zupostet, wird sofort als spam deklariert. Wer historische Personen nicht differenziert wahrnehmen kann, gehört hier nicht hin.). Ich mische Gehörtes mit selbst Gedachten, man möge mir das verzeihen…

Eckstein referierte unter anderem auch über das Heiligungsverständnis. Gerade bei den Pietisten und Freikirchen verkomme die Heiligung doch leicht wieder zur getarnten Gesetzlichkeit, mit der man sich im Nachhinein doch als würdig erweisen wolle. Doch auch Heiligung sei Gnade. Eckstein betonte, dass Heiligung zu oft als Tat missverstanden würde. Dabei ginge es viel mehr um eine Haltung. Nämlich auf Christus zu schauen und von ihm her auf das Leben, sich selbst etc…. zu schauen. Und dann aus Liebe danach zu leben, was man erkennt.

Wie schnell verkommt auch unsere “Entscheidung” für Christus zur frommen Leistung. Doch selbst der Glaube ist ja Geschenk. Und wir willigen ein und nehmen an. Mehr aber nicht. Gott geht 99 Schritte auf uns zu und geht mit uns zusammen den einen Schritt. Nicht wir machen das. Wenn wir das täten oder auch nur im Ansatz glaubten, dann würde bei der ersten Krise sofort der Gedanke hochkommen: habe ich mich richtig entschieden? Ich kann mich gar nicht richtig entscheiden, das hat Gott in Christus längst getan. Ich kann nur die Hand ergreifen und glauben. So ist auch die Heiligung weniger ein sich selbst den Puls fühlen und ein Drang, sich selbst verändern zu wollen (dazu neige ich!), als vielmehr ein Wachstum im Vertrauen auf Christus und ein zunehmendes Sehen von ihm her. Frucht wächst dann von alleine! Das ist Frohe Botschaft!

Härle klamüserte sehr schön den Gewissenskonflikt von Luther auseinander und er ist mir so zum ersten Mal richtig spürbar geworden. Sehe ich das Gesetz als Heilsweg – sprich: ich halte die Gebote und versuche so, in den Himmel zu kommen (vereinfacht ausgedrückt), dann verstoße ich gleichzeitig gegen das Liebesgebot gegenüber Gott. Denn wenn ich den eigenen Gehorsam gegenüber den Gesetz in den Mittelpunkt stelle, dann kreise ich um mich selbst und kann Gott nicht mehr lieben (homo incurvatus in se – der in sich verkrümmte Mensch). Zudem man einen Scharfrichter und Zuchtmeister eh nicht lieben kann. Das Gesetz als Heilweg ist also ein Teufelskreis und gar nicht haltbar!! Zumal dann nicht, wenn ich die Verschärfung des Gesetzes durch Jesus in der Bergpredigt hinzu nehme und dieses mich dann nicht nur im Verhalten, sondern auch in der Tiefenschicht meines Herzens trifft. Halte ich das Gesetz dem Wortlaut nach, liebe ich Gott nicht und kreise um mich selbst. Halte ich das Gesetz nicht, erlange ich kein Heil. In diesem Teufelskreis fühlte sich Luther unbarmherzig gefangen und konnte sagen: ich hasse Gott!!

Tun wir das nicht vorschnell ab… wie viele Menschen denken heute noch bei Christentum an Gebote?? Und: wie viele Christen werden traurig daran, wenn sie Gebote (wie zum Beispiel das Gebot: du musst täglich Stille Zeit machen!) nicht halten. Hier gilt es, den Galaterbrief zu verinnerlichen und nicht wieder das Gebot aufzurichten (wo man doch im Geist begonnen hat). Wenn ich Gebote halte, dann ist das eine Frucht des Geistes und der Liebe – und wenn ich sie nicht halte – dann ist die Gnade größer. Eine gefährliche Freiheit und Spannung. Aber so ist es biblisch und befreiend.

Werde die Vorträge wohl in einigen Wochen als mp3 erhalten. Wer Interesse hat, kann sie dann gerne von mir beziehen, ich werde dann darauf hinweisen.

Die Gnade Gottes in Jesus Christus sei gerade jetzt mit dir. Lebe aus der Gnade. Betrachte dich und dein Leben aus der Gnade. Und der Himmel wird jubeln und dein Herz wird diesen Jubel widerhallen.

Berlin,  31. 12. 08 Mi

Gegenüber den ‘Warnsprüchen’, die von staatswegen heute auf den Zigarettenschachteln stehen müssen und gut ein Drittel der Fläche einnehmen, waren die Sprüche in meiner Jugendzeit das Thema betreffend doch viel lustiger und farbiger und die verbreiteten sich einfach so, wurden nämlich freiwillig mit verschmitztem Lächeln weitergesagt. Sie klangen längst nicht so dröge wie ‘Rauchen kann töricht,,äh tödlich sein’ oder ‘Raucher sterben früher’ , sondern da ging es gleich richtig zur Sache wie bei jenem famosen Eckstein-Spruch – Seht ihr die Gebeine im Unterholz ? Das waren früher mal Raucher von Eckstein und Overstolz !   Eine Botschaft, die die Runde machte, ganz ohne Werbeagentur und Gesetzesinitiativen. Eckstein waren jene superstarken, kratzigen Zigaretten ohne Filter in giftgrüner Packung. Dürfte es mittlerweile wohl nicht mehr geben, oder ? Vor gut zehn Jahren sah ich sie noch irgendwo in eim Zigarettenautomaten. Und weil’s so schön war, noch einer. ‘Alkohol und Nikotin / rafft die halbe Menschheit hin. / Doch ohne Suff und Rauch / stirbt die andre Hälfte auch.’  Was lernen wir daraus ?  Dem Tod kann niemand wohl entgehen;  irgendwann ist die Uhr abgelaufen und sie bleibt stehen – so oder so.  Und darüber hinaus gibt es – wie mein Freund Georg zu sagen pflegt – unbegrenzt viele Möglichkeiten sich zugrunde zu richten. Meistens wird dann irgendeine Einseitigkeit total übertrieben also bis zum Exzeß getrieben. Bis zu dem Punkt, wo es nicht mehr (gut)geht. Tja, man kann alles treiben, sagte mein Großvater, aber, fügte er nach einer kleinen Pause hinzu, man kann es auch übertreiben. Wie wahr, denn allzu viel zerreißt den Sack. (Eine alte Müllerweisheit) Und weniger ist mehr. Eine Regel, die auch ganz gut auf das Rauchen selbst angewandt werden kann; denn eine gewisse Beschränkung erhöht den Genuß. Aber daß Rauchen mit Genuß zu tun haben könnte, ist, wie schon mehrfach betont, so gar nicht in die Diskussion um das Rauchverbot alias Nichtraucherschutzgesetz mit eingeflossen. Dieser Umstand ist eigentlich nur zu verstehen, wenn man begreift, daß für die Rauchfrei-Bewegung, also die fanatischen Raucherhasser, erstens von Genuß im Zusammenhang mit Rauchen nicht gesprochen werden darf und zweitens das Wort Genuß in deren Reihen eh einen schweren Stand haben dürfte, da sie wegen Aktionismus, Fanatismus und Unduldsamkeit nur selten zu Ruhe und Ausgeglichenheit vordringen, was wiederum eine Grundvoraussetzung für das Genießen ist. Bei den derzeitigen Minustemperaturen jetzt lernt man diese Leute langsam hassen und fragt sich, wieso solche eindimensionalen Fanatiker heute so einflußreich sein können. Nun, das scheint wohl ein Trend zu sein und ist typisch für unsere Zeit in vielen Bereichen – fast nur noch Idiologen und Volkserzieher, wo gesunder Menschenverstand und Pragmatismus vonnöten wären. Das alte Jahr jedenfalls hat schon mal einen Vorgeschmack davon gegeben, was von dieserart Weltverbesserern und Menschheitsbeglückern in Zukunft noch zu erwarten sein wird. Man muß sie leider ernst nehmen, denn sie haben noch viel vor und ihre Zuchtruten heißen verbieten verbieten verbieten, verteufeln verteufeln verteufeln und verteuern verteuern verteuern. (Demnächst mehr über die Pläne von Bätzing + Co)- Insofern sollten wir die Herausforderung annehmen und das neue Jahr mit guten Strategien und Aktionen gegen die systematische Ausgrenzung der Raucher ankämpfen.
Nur mit der lächerlichen Position, in die sie uns gebracht haben, kann und will ich mich nicht abfinden. Auch wenn ich mich wiederhole…vor der Tür oder auf der Straße im Gehen hektisch seine Zigarette zu rauchen bietet nur wenig Genuß und ist keine echte Alternative, gerade jetzt, wo der Winter mit Minusgraden die Leute bibbern läßt.
Allen Lesern hier, vor allem den passionierten Rauchern, ein gutes Neues Jahr 2009.

Raucherclub um 1630 (Collage)

So whenever I see an olympic athlete interviewed, they are always asked something like, “what separates you from everyone else?”

And they ALWAYS answer with something like, “I think my heart.  I just want it.  I’ve always wanted to be the best.  My friend David, he’s 3′ 4″ and wins every limbo contest by just walking normal, but he hasn’t let that or his limpid, melanin free skin stop him from trying at other sports too.”

It’s pretty annoying.  The only reason I’m not playing on the US basketball team is because of my heart.  I have heart problems.  It runs in my family.  My cholesterol is like crazy.  It’s so crazy, I didn’t even get to grow up to be 6′6″, black, ridiculously athletic, and good at jump shots.

Oh well.  I’ll still watch.

The United Cardinal Bloggers Group is winding down the roundtable discussions, with one more debate to be posted on Monday.  Yesterday I posted three questions to the group for open discussion.  In addition to me, we had four other Cardinal bloggers participate:

Pitchers and catchers will report to Jupiter, Fl for Spring Training in just over three days now.  There are already a few members of the ball club in camp, including Chris Carpenter, Rick Ankiel, and Chris Duncan. The anticipation has been building all winter.  As we wait just a few more days, I’ll direct you to a couple of good articles about our beloved Birds.

 The Mets have come to an agreement with free agent second baseman Luis Castillo on a 4 year, $25 Million Contract.This deal comes after the Mets were rumored to be wining and dining David Eckstein. Eckstein is believed to have been asking for a deal in the 4-year, $36 Million Dollar range.

I would concur with Omar in choosing Castillo over Eckstein, who I believe is overrated due to his percieved “hustle” and “scrappiness”. Castillo comes at a cheaper price, but the length of the deal is worrisome. Castillo is s a slap hitter with very little power, and thus very dependent on his legs. As a result, Castillo’s numbers have seen a steady decline over the last couple years as he experienced knee problems, probably linked to his time on the Metrodome’s carpet. Castillo hit .296 with 1 home run and 8 doubles after coming over to the Mets this past season. Castillo underwent surgery this offseason, and his recovery will go a long way in deciding whether this deal is a good one. 

There were several other options at second, both via free agency (Eckstein, Tadahito Iguchi) and within the organization. Ruben Gotay had a breakout season last year, hitting .295 with a .421 slugging percentage. He also had 4 homers and 12 doubles (compared to 1 and 19 respectively for Luis Castillo in almost twice as many). The Mets traded for Gotay because of his perceived upside, but now have decided to keep him firmly anchored to the bench. While I understand that going into spring training with Gotay as the starter could be too risky given his relative lack of experience, but I hope Ruben still gets some starts. I am nervous about Castillo’s knees, I hope Omer knows more than I do.

Boyce, Concurring in Part, Dissenting in Part: FOUR YEARS? SERIOUSLY?

What has Luis Castillo shown us that warrants a four year deal? A guy who was never a great hitter, has serious knee problems, and his one greatest asset, his speed and defensive range don’t outway his negatives in any way shape or form anymore. This deal is ridiculous.

What I wanna know is, who did Reuben Gotay piss off? I know I might be the only one that cares, but didn’t this guy hit pretty well and didn’t play awful defense. Is he Castillo in the field? Probably not, but he offers more pop in his bat, and at this point can sure as hell run better than Castillo. I was ok with Castillo for one year, maybe two…but four years is absoultely absurd, and makes me assume that Omar is spending most of our payroll on bad tabs of acid.

Oh and did I forget to mention the fact that Castillo is supposedly a horrible influence in the clubhouse?

The Boston Herald today reports that Dustin Pedroia played the final two months of the season and the playoffs with a broken hand.

“Some days I would wake up and it would be hard to grip a bat,” Pedroia said. “I changed my grip a little bit on the bat and went from there. It was just one of those things you know you have to take care of after the season, but you have to play through. … We just had to find a way to fight through it.”

Rob Bradford, who scores his second big scoop in a week (having been the first to report the Schilling deal would likely get done), also tells us that when the surgeon went to remove the hamate bone, it “crumbled.”

For the record, Pedroia put up a .324/.368/.462 line the final two months of the season, and hit big home runs in ALCS Game 7 and World Series Game 1.

Eat that, Eckstein

Paul SF                                            

last night that Eckstein was traded to the Cubs. At his press conference they were talking about how one of the major reasons they picked him up was because he needed to talk to and motivate the team. He was quoted saying things like

Its way different in Chicago than it was in St Louis. There I could focus on specific things like fixing someone’s swing or working on fielding. But in Chicago its a complete mess from top to bottom so I need to take a more general approach and get the whole team involved

I guess it mustve been part of the same trade because I also dreamed that Jacque Jones was traded to the Cardinals. I was equally upset about that because Jones has actually been just short of awesome in the second half and trading him to our division rivals would be a huge mistake as much as I was clamoring for his DFAing earlier this summer. Ok, so I’m not a GM.

Anyway the point is that even my subconscious thinks Eckstein is a joke and that Rick Ankiel sucks. Or in Tony LaRussa’s words yesterday…

“Marvel is a good word,” manager Tony La Russa said. “It’s kind of amazing, isn’t it? Clutch, too.”

And after that story, Yahoo! hits us with three more about the HGH suspicion.

game 100 y’all – its all downhill from here. you have no idea how bad I want marquis to get his 3rd win over the cardinals this year and the cubs 3rd win of the series. same lineup as yesterday for the cubs except that jason OPS is catching instead of koyie. kendall is something like 5 for 10 against braden looper in his career.

top 1st cards announcers (still dont know who these dorks are) announce that theriot and fontenot have made a big difference in changing the cubs team from the start of the season til now. the one guy remarks “yeah the young guys have brought a lot of energy”. not to mention they have also brought an ability to get on base. an ability that was conspicuously lacking from ex-cub shortstop cesar izturis.

and cubs go down 1-2-3.

bottom 1st eckstein hops around with all that excess energy and grit after a lead off hit. now he is on third on a sac fly after marquis pays him no attention and he basically walked to second. well, he couldve walked but you know eckstein, he hustled his ass off. cards guy says “eckstein is trying to take things into his own hands and put the cardinals on the board by himself!” and “sometimes you can make your own breaks. eckstein’s trying to do it.”

and derrek lee makes a fantastic catch in foul territory to get pujols out. and duncan grounds to theriot to end the inning. apparently eckstein cant do it by himself. i’m amazed. he just has so much heart but he wasn’t able to will that run home. next time that happens they ought to just give him the run…

top 2nd now these cardinals morons bring back the familiar refrain of “the cubs spent over $300 million this offseason blah blah blah”. actually i think the joke after guy #1 said “a lot of money” was “come on, since when is $300 million dollars a lot of money?”. hilarious. to recap:

cubs signed (the major ones):

1. soriano $136M over 8 years
2. ramirez $75M over 5 years
3. ted lilly $40M over 4 years
4. marquis $21M over 3 years

clearly they did not SPEND $300 million in one offseason. they gave people contracts and decided to pay over a period of time. soriano contract is huge but its over EIGHT YEARS. ramirez was already on the cubs and he gave them a hometown discount. then you have two contracts to starting pitchers that compared to players like Zito and Schmidt have been BARGAINS. money-wise AND performance-wise. but no, we will never stop hearing about the huge money the cubs spent because everybody wants to player hate. so hate all you want. we know you’re just jealous.

top 3rd jason OPS kendall lines the first cubs hit of the day into left field. too bad no one else can hit braden looper and thats the inning.

top 4th so… theriot walks to lead off the 4th. derrek proceeds to fly out to right field. i think its about time for the cubs to open this game up though. and ramirez pops it up. come on… this is really lame.

ok theres a base hit from floyd into right-center. theriot slipped going around second but made it into third pretty easily actually. now we need fontenot to get us a lead. 0-2 right now… 1-2… fucking pop up to jim edmonds. 3 out.

bottom 4th come on marquis, do not walk duncan.. nope, he walks. on 9 pitches. so cardinals have a lead off runner. double play ball! fontenot makes a high, wide throw but lee pulls it down and makes a tag.

now scott rolen hits a solo home run. cubs have to keep the ball in the park if they want to win because they aren’t hitting any themselves. whatever. marquis is having trouble throwing strikes now, its 3-2 on molina. strikeout. anyway i hate when the other team scores first.

top 5th ok fact is, jason kendall can hit looper just fine. 1 out double and now marquis is up. question: how ugly is goblin-face chris duncan? answer: ok i’ll stop hating on the cardinals… but really quite ugly.

marquis is hanging in there, 2-2 count after plenty of pitches. ground out to pujols.

soriano now has a chance with 2 outs to tie this game. cubs have been all about 2 out rbis lately, especially in the past two games. 0-1 count after one pitch. no surprise in a soriano at-bat. fuck. duncan catches the next pitch about two feet from the wall. 3 out again.

bottom 5th marquis just fucking hit pujols with the bases loaded and now its 2-0. what the hell? thats after two walks and the first came to braden looper was was trying to bunt the whole at-bat. now chris duncan is up and the cubs bullpen is up as well. grand slam. i guess thats what i get for calling him goblin-face. still doesnt change the fact that he has a goblin’s face but it probably makes it feel better. i’m taking a break from this shit.

joining the game a little late today, its 2-1 cubs after 4. i have no idea how anything happened. i dont really care, we’re winning.

top 5th after lilly strikes out, soriano hits a triple. and the announcer (i have no idea who these people are) says “if you love baseball you love triples”. maybe, but a scott rolen triple might actually make me vomit. will never happen.

can theriot make it 3-1? of course. he hits it right into left, base hit. like clockwork. i think brendan ryan and eckstein might be the pansiest 2B-SS in the majors. can their hats look bigger on them? i think if youre a world champion team, the least you can do is make it to the playoffs the next year. or else whats the point?

now aramis hits a double and its 2nd and 3rd. who is batting fifth today? fontenot? nope floyd. YES! floyd drives into center and its off the wall! 5-1 cubs. “he pounded that ball”, they say. and now its fontenot. bam. fontenot grounds a base hit up the middle, 6-1 cubs. 6 straight hits. jones time… hits it hard but pretty much right at pujols. ok i’ll be back…

top 7th they showed a boy with cancer in the stands. the kid met with pujols before the game and “reminded” him that he had hit a home run each of the other two times he has been at the park. albert is reputed to have replied “i’ll see if i can keep the streak alive”. is it evil of me to hope that doesnt happen? no its probably not since pujols hitting a home run has nothing to do with cancer. thankfully.

its still 6-1, lilly is pitching like a man. it helps that people like scott rolen and so taguchi are pathetic baseball players.

bottom 7th the other “hustler” brendan ryan just bunted on with 2 outs. now lilly is throwing everything way high. and he walks ludwig. prett-y weak. eckstein is up now. and larry rothschild visits the mound. why do all these cardinals choke way the hell up on the bat like little leaguers? its so sad.

if you ever want to know if eckstein takes himself seriously… he does. i bet you mike fontenot (who is one inch taller than eckstein) is never going to write a book about how much he had to overcome to be a baseball player. and eckstein grounds out to fontenot to end the inning. poetic justice. go be a motivational speaker or something, loser.

top 8th jones leads off the 8th with a double. is he for real now? because if so its gonna be hard stopping the cubs. koyie hill is playing today instead of jason OPS kendall. it would be nice to see hill drive in a run here. not gonna happen. is lilly coming out? nope. and he lines a base hit into center! lilly = awesome. suck it gil meche. 7-1 cubs.

soriano now with his 3rd hit. he needs a HR for the cycle. brewers just lost 7-3, btw. and troy percival is pitching right now for the cardinals. i’ll be conservative and estimate he is 45 years old… actually he is 42. close enough. they are talking about how its not dave duncans fault the cardinal pitching sucks. whatever. i cant believe the cardinals actually thought they could still be in the race after this week.

bottom 9th scott eyre is on the close this mother out. he walks molina on 4 pitches with 1 out. “he has been touched for runs in 12 of 29 of his appearances” according to the announcer. the emphasis is mine. not as touching as ecksteins book. double play ball, and thats game. thanks for coming out st louis. chicago is now 4-0 in STL this year.

Airforce base, built in 1922, got abandoned in 1996. The base used to house a school for the airforce and a fully equipped balloon and zeppelin repair and maintenance center.