Quick responses

A garage band sounds like fun! :) Yes, I really do sing poorly. If I got training and all, I would probably be a half-way decent alto - but most of the current church music is set for tenor/soprano voices and I've nothing in that range. Fortunately you can't hear me for the guitars. I remember going to women's Bible study and we'd have a small group with just a woman and her guitar to lead us... this woman had a very light soprano and I sounded like an ox singing along. I do love to sing! Well, at least someday our Maker will tune up what He's given me and point me in the correct direction for song.

As for the objection - yes, I object to a pastor saying "God Damn America". I don't care why he said it. He's a *pastor*. If a political leader says it, if an actor says it, whatever - I won't care for that person, but I hardly think they're shirking their duties. But I don't hear Paul saying, "God damn Rome" - a much worse place to live. Nor do Christians in other countries, far more repressive than our own, call from the pulpit for damnation to come on a country. Either he was taking the name of our Lord in vain or he was being serious - either is disgusting.

I think, and have thought for a long time, that race problems in America are largely a camoflague for class problems. We have a taboo about discussing class issues in America -we are supposedly all middle class! There is nothing that prevents someone of any color in America from climbing to the top - provided they have the self-expectations to do so. That comes with class. Education, in my opinion, means less what you know that what you expect of yourself to achieve. I could give you endless examples from my own family and my inlaws. Yes, there is still some racism, but *far* less than you might think. Certainly less racism that would affect opportunity (for instance I can't even imagine race being taken into negative effect in a hiring situation, and non-white/Asian races are given college entrance preference). Yes - African-American males are disproportionally in jails, etc. Is that racial? I'd say 20% race, 80% class. If you grow up in poverty, around people who expect nothing of themselves other than survival, and value is given to surface things - of course your opportunities will be limited.

There's no fix outside of our Lord's return. Or a total do-over... in which case we'll have new problems. (Okay, our grandchildren will - we will be frantically dealing with survival).

Don't know if this was helpful at all... :)