I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to Twitter today; too busy with the job search. Hit a new record for myself today with sixteen online applications, this after a week that thus far has featured one in-person interview, one in-person placement agency interview and one phone interview with an employer. If nothing else I’ve been active. Hope it pays off soon.

Worth noting is a moment during the online applications portion. To liven, or if you prefer lighten, the mood during this daily soul vampire routine I like having music on. Today I chose Crumbächer, which through no fault of the band’s found me perilously close to (ahem) sinus trouble (ahem). This reaction came courtesy of last week, when Mrs. Dude and I traipsed down SoCal way to participate in the first of hopefully many Frontline Records Legacy Makers concerts. Yours truly led a workshop, did some live in-between sets interviews and announced the contest winner. And sold a couple of books. However, the best part of the evening aside from finally hearing Bloodgood live was meeting old friends newly made and spending time with lifelong friends of recent vintage, namely Dawn Wisner-Johnson of Crumbächer. The evening reminded me of how much I’d dearly love to do God’s language in some form, be it as performer, writer, journalist, radio or what have you, full-time for a living. Listening to Crumbächer this afternoon forcefully reminded me of this point, hence the emotion moment. I pray for it to be so one day, knowing that opportunities for such are extremely scarce. And so, pursuing full-time employment in my fields of expertise (social media, creative marketing, internal and external communications, client relations) continues, and will continue until I find work. As long as I can do the music part-time I’ll be a happy boy.

Anyway, I did notice the big brouhaha on Twitter about Mitt Romney voicing his preference to not go after President Obama personally, and later in the day the furor over a 1991 bio of Obama stating he was born in Kenya. My reaction to both was noting how each provided a terrific exercise opportunity. Nothing burns the calories like stifling yawns.

Not to put down politics and related matters’ importance. But when young children are savagely orphaned by their father’s own hand; when people are suffering and struggling with not only crippling disease but how to pay for their medical coverage; when people doing their best to do investigative, accurate journalistic work on behalf of conservatives struggle mightily to pay the bills (yes, there is more than one); when people are looking for work and trying to keep their finances together while doing what they can for others (that would be me); when so many are in dire need of love and support – y’know, it’s a little difficult to drum up outrage for today’s political outrage fueled by politician A refusing to throw raw meat into the audience by going attack dog against politician B. Or whether Obama’s misrepresentation was a lie, a mistake or somehow both. I’m all out of concern right now for anything not directly addressing hurting people or our tattered economy.

What are the priorities here? Is it caring about and for each other as so many say they do, and as the Scriptures so many claim to follow command believers to do? Or is it preoccupation with preening, posing and strutting across the stage, too busy begging for and/or demanding accolades from others to notice those in need? If it’s the latter, then there’s a problem; not the least of which is not recognizing there is a problem.

If our message is strict adherence to political ideology trumping all other considerations, including each other, we have no message save that of proclaiming our total indifference to each other and humanity as a whole. It is easy to say, “We propose these political solutions believing that a rising tide lifts all boats.” Fine. But unless conservatives are doing what they can now, themselves, to directly help others they are no better than liberals who push off human services to government agencies. They are spitting on people while convincing themselves they are watering the garden. They’re not.

Sometimes, it’s all white noise to me.

Defective youth, the writing’s on the wall
Decline of the West, see the fallout fall
Violence, banner of the tough
Politicians playing blind man’s bluff

Now what, whose deal?
What’s truth, what’s real?
Turn it down, turn it off
It’s all white noise to me

America’s missiles, a superpower blessed
A hungry child is crying, pretend it’s just a test
Russia’s got the gulag, Pretoria the bomb
Making sure the weak keep silent, move along

Now what, whose deal?
What’s truth, what’s real?
Turn it down, turn it off
It’s all white noise to me

Defective man, the writing’s on your heart
Reality of evil, tearing you apart
Hanging in the balance, you hear the Savior call
Make Him Lord of everything or see the nations fall

Now what, whose deal?
He’s truth, He’s real
Open up, start to feel
No more white noise for me