Yesterday a fellow stated, on my personal Facebook page, that people who get tattoos are stupid. (I’m confident he took note of my profile pic, in which one can see several of mine.)

He’s a big “support our troops” guy, so I informed him that a large percentage of this nation’s Spec Ops warriors are heavily tat’d and I’m sure they appreciate him calling them “stupid”. There are likely also quite a few tat’d folks with IQ’s higher than his.

This fellow is a fervent Republican. His statement exemplifies something all too common in Republicans’ thinking (or lack thereof). They believe the only “good Americans” are those who look, act, and think, just like they do. Not only is this incredible petty, narrow minded, and arrogant, but it is also completely antithetical to the principle of liberty! With guys like him the equation goes like this:

Longer hair than they like to see on a man – You’re the problem with America.

Wear a style of clothing they don’t like – You’re the problem with America.

Use language they don’t like – You’re the problem with America.

Follow a different religion than they do (or no religion at all) – You’re the problem with America.

Express sentiments with which they don’t agree – You’re the problem with America.

Have visible piercings (other than 1 in each ear, and only if you’re female) – You’re the problem with America.

Don’t walk in lock-step with their political views – You’re the problem with America.

Married to a person who is visually obvious as being of another race – You’re the problem with America.

Have tattoos that are visible when you’re wearing a tank-top and shorts – You’re the problem with America.

Homosexual – You’re EVERYTHING that is wrong with America.

(Side Note: If you smoke a couple of packs of cigarettes a day, drink to excess nightly, and are 60 pounds overweight, you’re good-to-go to be in the club!)

In a world that is ever more diverse, these small-minded dolts have created a “just like me” club and anyone not in the club is “the problem”.

With all the difficulties this country is facing, this guy chooses to insult those who may otherwise have been political allies, and spits in the face of Thomas Jefferson – all the while claiming he loves this country.

And for the record, such people do NOT love this country. This country is made up of all sorts of people. But these narrow-minded creeps do NOT love the America in which The People are free to be themselves. They love the ideal that is in their head of what America “should be” once all the “losers” (see the above list) get straightened out. In other words, they love their fantasy version of America in which everyone is a member of the “just like me” club and all that “individuality” nonsense has been forced into its proper boundaries!

Why do I say, “spits in the face of Thomas Jefferson”?

“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.”
~ Thomas Jefferson

These folks would have made great Nazis. Their definition of what constitutes a ”good German”…oh, I mean a “good American”…is only slightly more permissive than Adolph’s – and that’s only because one of their own doesn’t have dictatorial powers at this time.

This of course does not describe all Republicans.

There are many reasons why Barack Obama is sitting in the oval office. But one of those reasons is that far too many Republicans are those I just described above.

Copyright 2013 – Dave Champion

Not long ago I did a show on laying out the facts and debunking the nonsensical myths about what is most often referred to as “gay marriage”. I prefer referring to it by the more realistically descriptive phrase; “equal marriage rights for all Americans.”

While those who oppose equal rights are comprised of people from various demographic groups, the leading category of people opposing equal rights (by far) is, ironically, Christians.

Because I am about to say some uncomplimentary things about a certain type of Christian, I will begin as I usually do by reminding you – in this case, Christians – that my words are directed at those exhibiting the conduct described in this article, not all Christians. If the shoe fits, then you earned it. If it doesn’t, good on you!

I’m not going to re-hash the points covered in the show because it’s available for you to watch at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq-39iefjVs. However, for your convenience I am providing a 1 minute and 40 second clip from that show that is directly applicable to what I am addressing in this article. It can be seen at http://archives.davechampionshow.com/Championtv_gaymythsclip.mp4.

I entitled this article “Fragile Faith” because apparently there are some Christians whose beliefs are held so tenuously that they simply cannot expose themselves to facts that may contradict what they have been told to believe.

On the other hand, I suppose the same behavior could be equally well explained if the Christian was so arrogant – or stupid – as to believe that once he has a particular understanding of something (allegedly) from the Bible, then there simply can be no information, of any kind, from any source, no matter how valid, that could possibly alter that Christian’s (false) understanding of the Word.

Possibly there is a third explanation, though I think it less likely. It is that the Christian has built his emotional stability – his “self image” – upon certain things he believes to be so, and anything that might prove these emotionally important beliefs false, thus pushing him outside his chosen comfort zone, simply will not be permitted. The difference between this characterization, and the first one, is that the first one fears that his faith will be damaged. In this one it is not as much about faith as it is simply an unwillingness to change – even if the facts dictate that change is called for.

I will leave you to determine which is the most likely scenario.

As you can see from the three possible characterizations, this is not strictly about Christians. These points are just as applicable to Jews, Muslims, Hindus…or atheists.

If these kinds of people exist within virtually all demographic groups, why am I using Christians as the example? For a couple of reasons. First, the situation I am soon to describe came to pass in a discussion about equal marriage rights for all Americans. Second, the man who conducted himself in the manner I am about to describe is a self-professed Christian and will let you know that at the drop of a hat. Third, as I stated earlier it is the Christian community (though not all Christians) that is leading the resistance against equal rights.

My fourth reason is a bit more complex. There is old adage, oft repeated, that “God is love”. I would posit there is another more fundamental reality; that “God is truth”. If it is true that “God is truth”, then those who profess to be God’s followers should be those who are most committed to seeking truth. Therefore, to close one’s self off from facts and information is to show that one is not a follower of God, but rather a follower of whatever you may believe is the opposite of God. (Most Christians would likely describe that as “evil” or “Satan”.) I should also remark that this is true no matter what the person’s motives are (the 3 characterizations discussed above), for refusing to look at facts. It remains the opposite of seeking God.

So, with the framework laid out, I will now get to the occurrence that spawned this article.

The discussion began because of an on-line post (mine) excoriating a Christian band for demanding that the lead guitarist/lead singer change his pro equal rights position or leave the band. A gentleman who is known to me, and who is of course a professed Christian, made a continuing effort to defend the Christian band members.

I have a very clear view of this matter. It is not applicable solely to the gay marriage question, but to all bigotry. It goes like this: “Any time you attempt to justify denying any minority the same rights you enjoy, you’re a hypocritical piece of shit and if you died tomorrow the world would be a better place.” Given that is my paradigm, when someone defends pieces of shit there is always some ridiculous fabricated immoral untruth the person is trying to support.

It didn’t take long for this gentleman to play the card I knew was behind him defending immoral reprobates who were punishing a good man who was standing for equal rights and against bigotry. Of course, in reality, he wasn’t defending the band members at all. He was defending a “ridiculous fabricated immoral untruth”. And what was the “ridiculous fabricated immoral untruth” he was defending? It was that the Bible declares homosexuality to be a sin.

So…when he finally unzipped his zipper and showed me what he had, what did I do? Did I explain that the vast majority of Christians take Leviticus 18:22 out of context and that it is actually in reference to homosexual acts with the male priests in the temple of Ba’al (and other polytheistic gentile cultures in proximity to the Hebrews)? No. Since that is not what Christians are taught in Sunday School, most Christians refuse to believe it (despite it being reality).

Did I tell him that Leviticus was the law given to the Hebrews and not the gentiles, thus making it wholly inapplicable to anyone who is not Jewish? No. And for the same reason; if it ain’t taught in Sunday School, Christians won’t believe it. Whether it is the truth is completely irrelevant to them.

Did I remind him (if he even knows) that once the “New Covenant” was ushered in that the “Old Covenant” is no longer operative? No. The Christian herd says “homosexuality is a sin”. He can’t be expected to cut himself away from the herd by using his rational faculties. God forbid!

Did I tell him that in Galatians Paul makes the point that Leviticus is the law of slaves? Nope. He’d simply justify his position by making up some bullshit like “Paul didn’t mean verse 18:22.” Of course Paul didn’t say that but this fellow would have to make it up in order to continue to hold onto his fantasy.

Having listed all the things I DIDN’T say, what did I say? Well, I did something really terrible. I informed him that he was mistaken and suggested that he watch the show wherein I discuss the matter so that he could get the facts. I sure am heavy handed, aren’t I?

On-line discussions have the benefit that they can be left and returned to later. Later in the evening I noticed he appeared to still be anchored on that same fallacious point. (He wasn’t saying it directly, but absent a reliance on “homosexuality is a sin” he would have sounded even more ridiculous than he did.)

I asked if he had watched the show. He told me he had not. I asked him to watch it before we continued with the discussion. He refused. I asked why he was refusing. He replied that he knew what the Bible said about homosexuality so there was no reason to watch it. I reminded him that in my view his position was based on incomplete information and an absence of pivotal facts. I indicated that I would not be willing to waste my time continuing with the discussion if he willfully refused to examine the available evidence. He adamantly refused to watch the show.

So…apparently “knowing” God’s Word means excluding facts that are inconvenient to one’s declared position. That’s pretty pathetic. And it does not bode well for Christians.

Many Christians today feel they are being muzzled and/or marginalized in American society. Let me ask you a question. If, for the sake of argument, we presume that a significant percentage of Christians act like the fellow I’ve describe in this article, why wouldn’t people want to marginalize Christians? And if Christians act like this fellow, do Christians imagine it engenders respect for Christianity?

How many Christians act like this fellow? I don’t know. But I will tell you it seems like the percentage is growing. Twenty year ago I would have said this fellow was the exception. Today I see him as the rule.

I will close with two points.

Not only did this “Christian” fellow close himself off from facts, and the learning that facts can impart, (thus moving himself away from God in my view), but he also apparently picks and chooses the parts of the Word he wants to follow.

Earlier I stated the position that “God is truth”. Without knowledge how can one discern what is true? Well, the Bible speaks to that. Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” I guess this fellow closed himself off from that info too!

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and will never be.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

A nation is made of people, so what Jefferson is really saying is that if people want to be ignorant and free they are expecting what never was and will never be. (When you have enough people and the proper circumstances, you end up with a nation.)

Some Christians claim that America is going downhill because the people are turning away from God. That statement is almost always used to imply that everyone except Christians are responsible for America’s decline. If “God is truth” and “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” are eternal truths, then I would posit that there are some Christians contributing to America’s decline by rejecting knowledge, which makes truth difficult to discern, which means such Christians are actually turning away from God – no matter what they would like others to believe.

Copyright 2013 – Dave Champion

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This is my first blog article for davechampionshow.com, so I thought I’d make it something personal (as opposed to political), lighthearted, and not very profound.

A few months ago I got a “sleeve” on my right arm. (For those who don’t know, “sleeve” means a tattoo, or tattoos collectively, that cover the majority of one’s arm.)

In a few days I am getting the left arm sleeved as well.

As I am 53 years old, I started to wonder how many of my friends are quietly saying, “Wow. Dave is going through midlife crisis.” I know some folks are saying that because I’ve said it about others at times.

Although I know that in my case it isn’t midlife crisis (and I’ll get into that shortly), it got me wondering about the whole “midlife crisis” story that society tells itself.

My definition of midlife crisis has always been more severe than getting some ink. When I’ve looked at a man’s life and made the judgment that he is going through midlife crisis, his actions normally include drastic changes such as walking away from a well-established successful career, divorcing a woman who has been a good wife to him, disappearing for weeks or months, and in some case walking away from children at home.

By comparison, some tattoos seem trivial.

I have a political TV talk show that is at its beginning and holds great promise for success. That comes after 9 years of doing a successful political talk radio show. This seems to me more like an upgrade than “walking away from a well-established successful career”. I’m not married so I won’t be getting a divorce. While I might go on vacation at some point, I have no plans to “disappear for weeks or months”. And since I have no children at home, I can’t walk out on them.

So…if I am not fulfilling the traditional view of “midlife crisis”, what is going on? I’m glad you asked! (This article would have been real short if you hadn’t.)

Some people are raised by parents who take care to insure their children know the truth about life and the world in which they will be expected to succeed. I didn’t have that. To be blunt about it, my parents essentially told me a bunch of fairytales and sent me down the road. Sort of like being a teenager who still believes in Santa Claus.

My fairytales were things like; the government is good and moral, policemen never break the law, attorneys are to be admired, judges are men of the highest character who would never make decisions on any basis but a correct application of law, etc. I think you get the point.

The day I moved out my parent’s home was the first of a very long process of unwinding all the nonsense I’d been programmed with for 17 years. Unfortunately, in the early years I didn’t even know it was nonsense. I just couldn’t understand why people weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing – at least what they were supposed to be doing according the ridiculous way my parents had programmed me to believe the world worked.

I won’t bore you with a slew of stories about some real moments that shocked the hell out of me. But I will tell you that it took many years for me to completely unwind those ingrained false models of how the world works – or at least most of them. Which brings me to tattoos.

Like most people my age I’d been programmed that anyone with tattoos, visible or not, was a LOSER. I don’t know anyone my age that wasn’t told that story. I was told that if one had tattoos one would always be seen by police as a scumbag; that there was a hard ceiling in business that one could never pass through with tattoos. And in fairness to a whole lot of parents of that era, there was – at that point in time – likely some truth to that. (Whether it was an actual truth, or a self-fulfilling truth, is a whole other question.)

The “tattoos make you a scumbag” story was so deeply ingrained in my psyche that when I was an Army Ranger – and everyone at the battalion was getting Ranger tats – I adamantly refused. I left the Army with the same number of tattoos I went in with, which was zero.

When I got home and entered corporate America, I received further reinforcement of the “tattoo story”. If you’ve been in the corporate world I don’t need to explain this to you. Later, when I was involved in law enforcement, the story was further ingrained by the type of people I encountered with tattoos. I was usually putting handcuffs on them. (Looking back I failed to take stock of the fact that many of the best cops I knew had tattoos. Probably because they were in discreet places where they’d only be seen at pool parties and the like.)

As I continued on my journey through life, I found that not only were most of the “stories” I’d been programmed with by my parents false, but most “stories” circulating in society were false!

Some of you may be aware that the tattoo culture began to change about 10 years ago. Real artists became more prevalent in the industry. We’re talking guys who not only tattoo but also engage in other artistic expressions, such as sculpting and oil painting. There was a revolution beginning in the technology of the inks being used. No more were tats restricted to dark unattractive tones. Vivid colors were now becoming a part of the tattoo landscape. The advent of diseases such as Hepatitis and AIDS drove the industry to become successfully self-regulated in the areas of cleanliness and sanitation. Along with these industry changes came a wave of public popularity with tattoos that had never been seen! One might even apply the word “trendy”. Interestingly, this new public view of tattoos was led by young people, and those in their fifties who had retired and no longer had any professional reason to refrain. There are more than a few grandmas and grandpas with relatively new tats!

What I began to notice was that the people with highly visible tattoos (such as sleeves) were not assholes. They were not losers. In fact, they were some pretty grounded folks. They were the kind of men and women who would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it – without hesitating. And unlike those still maintaining the old “story” about tattoos, these folks were not judgmental about the choices other people made about what was right for them in their lives. Hmmm.

So here we had bright, outgoing, creative, productive, non-judgmental people being judged by others over some ink. And in my opinion, many of the people doing the judging weren’t half the men/women that the tat’d folks were. I had to ask myself; What’s wrong with this picture?

I won’t speak to the dynamics of 40 years ago, but I will speak to the dynamics that exist today.

Are people refused opportunities in business today because of visible tattoos? Unquestionably “yes”. But the reality is the people denying others those opportunities are precisely the judgmental folks I noticed weren’t particularly good people. So, in today’s society the “story” that being tattooed creates problems in the business world IS a self-fulfilling prophecy. The very people who are telling that “story” are also the ones making it come true by denying opportunities to good people – over some ink.

Senator Rand Paul recently declared that government is 10 years behind the public in its thinking. Likewise, American business is at least 10 years behind society on the issue of visible tattoos. The number of customers who actually care if their needs are taken care of by a person with tattoos is pretty close to zero. But business still acts like people care. In reality, they don’t. My personal experience is people are curious about great looking tattoos and want to ask questions about them. It’s an opportunity to create rapport! Other tattooed business people tell me they’ve had the same experience.

But enough philosophizing! How did my former view of tattoos change and how did I become the proud recipient of several tattoos?

It wasn’t hard. Once I realized that people with lots of visible ink, such as sleeves, were some pretty awesome folks (often far nicer people than those judging them), I simply had no choice but to let go of my former bias. It could no longer stand the test of reality, so it had to get jettisoned in consideration of the current truth. This took place over about a 4-year period. Once my former bias was gone, I was then much better able to determine my views about that kind of ink ON ME!

My re-evaluation came in two aspects. First was – I like it and I had some really compelling ideas about what I’d like on my arm. Second was – I just couldn’t bring myself to care what judgmental assholes think of me. Here was my paradigm: If someone is going to judge me over something as superficial as ink on my arms, then he is, in my opinion, an asshole. And why would I care what an asshole thinks of me?

Might there be some possible financial consequence at some point in the future. Who knows? Maybe. But am I to live my life the way that pleases me, or the way that pleases some petty judgmental asshole who might attempt to (financially) penalize me someday? I don’t know about you, but there was only one decision for me.

So…midlife crisis? Nope; just the latest evolution in the on-going process of living a wonderful and happy life.

How about you? Who are you living for?

Copyright 2013 – Dave Champion