Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Mini Reviews: CR-V, Impreza, Rogue, and Countryman

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Over the last week, Melissa and I have started the process of choosing a replacement for our venerable 2006 Honda Civic. The Civic is ostensibly ‘Melissa’s’ car, even though I do something like ninety percent of the family driving no matter which car we’re using, so Melissa is the primary driving force in choosing what the replacement will be (though I have a veto authority). From a long list of sedans, wagons, and crossovers, she narrowed it down to four possible vehicles and we’ve test-driven each of them over the last week.

In typical Melissa form, the list isn’t particularly logical. It includes two true crossovers, a compact wagon, and a . . . Mini Countryman, which really doesn’t fit in either category. The four vehicles were the Honda CR-V crossover, the Subaru Impreza 5-door wagon, the Nissan Rogue crossover, and the aforementioned Countryman. Here’s a brief review of how they stacked up.

Read more . . .

Getting Back on the Wagon

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Wow, it’s been far too long since I’ve posted anything here. I try to keep a good, steady stream of posts going, but over the last month or two I’ve completely fallen off the wagon. Time to start getting back into the swing of regular blogging.

I do have some valid excuses though.

First and foremost, I am the coordinator of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program at St. Veronica Catholic Church, which is the process by which adults come into full communion with the Catholic Church and/or receive any missing Sacraments. This is the same process I went through back in 2009. This year, we had six un-Baptized persons, four Baptized non-Catholics, and three Baptized Catholics who completed the process and received the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil Mass last Saturday evening. The six un-Baptized received their Baptisms, the four non-Catholics were welcomed into full communion with the Church, and then all thirteen together received their Confirmations and First Holy Eucharist.

This has been the biggest draw on my attention for some time now—getting all the last-minute record-keeping and other concerns addressed in time for the Vigil Mass and making sure everything came together well (with lots of much-appreciated help from our Priests, parish office staff, Melissa, and other volunteers). This was my first year coordinating the program, so I’ve been making more than my fair share of mistakes and errors, which means I’ve have had a pretty high level of stress going on—especially the last couple of weeks before the vigil. After all, I was responsible for shepherding thirteen people through some of the most important spiritual moments in their lives! Don’t want to mess that up, for sure!

Read more . . .

Obama Now the Presumptive Democratic Nominee

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President Barack Obama (D) has won a majority of available delegates for the Democratic presidential nomination and is now the presumptive Democratic nominee. There is no serious national opposition to the president for the Democratic Party nomination, however he has been standing for election in state primaries against some limited opposition including Randall Terry and John Wolfe Jr.

With wins in today’s District of Columbia and Maryland Democratic primaries, Obama is now all-but certain to receive his party’s nomination—an outcome that was essentially assured all along. He will be formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention in September.

Meanwhile, the Republican primary battle continues. Former-Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) holds a wide lead over his opposition, but is still only about half-way to gaining a majority of available Republican delegates. The Republican National Convention will be held in late-August.

April Fools Site: Going Colonial

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On April Fools Day 2012, Off on a Tangent appeared as if it were a colonial-era American news source somehow moved onto the Internet.

Under the name The honorable Scott Bradford, Esq. reports upon the Present State of American Affairs, I posted a couple of articles written as-if it was currently April 1, 1776, and a well-connected American revolutionary pamphleteer was commenting upon current affairs.

I did my best to make sure the articles were historically accurate and referred to events occurring around that time.

Click to see how it looked!

Procuring Religious Freedom for Virginia

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Note: this article appeared as part of the colonial-themed April Fools site, purporting to date to April 1, 1776, from the perspective of a well-connected Virginia revolutionary pamphleteer.

On this, the First Day of April 1776, I have received word by secret courier, dispatched from the home of an esteemed colleague of mine located not far to the southeast at Gunston Hall, that he intends to attempt procuring the right of religious freedom for all Virginians.

My colleague has asked to remain un-named until his official capacity is established by the upcoming Fifth Convention of Virginia, but he has stated unequivocally that he intends to draft a VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF RIGHTS for consideration by that body, which shall include and proclaim the essential rights and liberties of all Virginians, including his heretofore limited free exercise of religion and conscience. Although many essential liberties shall be proclaimed by this document, my colleague is aware that this one is of particular interest to this pamphleteer, and I do truly appreciate his kind consideration.

As my countrymen are surely aware, Virginia—though oft’ ahead of her colonial brethren in the protections of the Rights of Man—has heretofore been less accepting of religious freedoms than, as an example, the great republic of Pennsylvania to the north. Most clearly, our State has, in keeping with the now inapplicable laws of Great Britain, outlawed the practice of the Papist religion within her borders. ‘Tis time to remove the practice of religious faith from the binds of civil governance and allow all to practice their faiths freely within our borders, whether Christian or Papist, Hebrew or Mohammedan, without hindrance.

I have been assured by my esteemed colleague, that the declaration of religious liberty portion of the VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF RIGHTS shall read as follows, or similar: “That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.”

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.