Thoughts on Orlando, Christianity, Acceptance

So much has been said – by journalists, the President, talk show hosts, on social media – about the tragic events of Sunday morning at 2am at the Pulse in Orlando that I hardly think my lack of expertise, my limited vision, has much more to add.

I just wish to briefly address this event, and the event, also in Orlando, of only a few hours earlier, for anyone who may care at all.

At 10:24pm Friday night, police responded to reports of shots fired at the Plaza Live Theater in Orlando. Singer and 2014 contestant of “The Voice” Christina Grimmie was shot after her show, while signing autographs, and did not survive the attacks.

Her brother Marcus tackled the shooter, who may have been planning on killing more but subsequently shot himself.

There have been reports that Christina was targeted specifically for her outspoken Christian beliefs.

This past weekend, there were two well-publicized shootings that were instigated by hate for a person’s belief and way of life.

I am a Christian. I know that is not a popular thing to be these days. I consider myself to be a conservative Christian, and I know that that is even less popular.

But regardless of my views on what is right and wrong, I think that every person has certain Constitutional, First Amendment guarantees (these reflecting basic, spiritual, human rights that should be available to everyone) that allows them to marry, vote, speak, think, etc. however they see fit and right.

This supersedes policy. This is the First Amendment. And there is no constitutional privilege anywhere that gives any person another right to infringe upon the life, liberty, and happiness of someone else – namely, killing them.

I have a couple friends, a married couple, who run a nonprofit to benefit the cause of the refugees here in East Idaho where I go to school. They received a message recently decrying what they do, which is fine, people can think what they want.

The sender concluded the message with the expressed hope that when the refugees arrive, that they kill my friends.

In light of all this, I repeat what my wife often says: “Why do people have to be so mean?”

Why do people have to be so mean?

Let Christina Grimmie be Christian. That’s easy for me to say, as I am one as well.

Let the patrons of the gay club Pulse be there, let them live their life. I am not gay, and have certain spiritual beliefs on the whole practice, but LET THEM BE.

As long as my rights are not infringed upon to make allowances for others, I will always support everyone’s right to do as they will.

But NO ONE has a right to bully, intimidate, hurt, or kill in the name of their viewpoint.

Permit me to wax Christian for a moment.

Christ walked, taught, healed, and lived among those who held different beliefs than Him. For those of us who believe in the divinity of Christ, that is extraordinary, and yet makes total sense at the same time.

Despite the view many have on the Christian faith, true Christianity exudes acceptance, forgiveness, love, and kindness. Those were the very traits that made Christ who He was. Anyone who thinks Christianity is anything else is sadly misguided. Any Christian who does otherwise, in that moment ceases to be a follower of Christ.

So you can disagree with me for being a Christian, that is fine. I disagree with most people that I meet on some point or another. But I have grown to love so many people in my blessed life.

I am not one to follow trends so much, but I will join with the masses who #PrayForOrlando and #PrayForHumanity, and all that.

I really do want everyone to live in harmony.

Survivor's Guilt - Vinnie Caruana

The famously personable, charismatic, “too-nice-all-the-time,” Vinnie Caruana, is in all aspects a survivor.

Arriving on the scene fronting a Drive-Thru emo band in the early 2000s was certainly no guarantee of longitudinal success, as hundreds of others in the same boat can attest to. And as good as The Movielife were, Vin took an even greater step in 2005 with the post-hardcore I Am the Avalanche, a superb, sonic, melodic outfit that has proved its merit by the mere fact that they are still touring and making music more than a decade later, which can hardly be said for any original emo bands, much less side projects.

Then, Caruana splintered again in 2013 with his first solo effort, City by the Sea, a landmark among emo-frontmen side projects. Largely
acoustic, coupled with shuffling drums and pump organ, the EP contained all the great attributes of what could be expected from Caruana: scratchy shouts mingled with melodic runs, fractured time signatures, sing-a-long choruses, insightful albeit sometimes clunky lyrics, and augmented chord progressions.

And despite standing firmly on its own two feet, it is also the perfect segue for what would come three years later.

“Survivor’s Guilt” was predated by the typical pre-release routine: a summer tour announced, pre-release on CD, vinyl, and merch/media bundles, social media hype. But with Vinnie Caruana, it feels more like a friend than an artist is releasing this music. This adding to the fact that Vin was engaged to his longtime girlfriend, inspiration for songs such as “Kingwood” off City by the Sea, the same week the album was released…it is evident that much of Caruana’s heart is put into the record.

The album’s leading track, “Burn It Down,” despite being an excellent punk song, is in many ways a “psyche.” Though it bristles and sneers in classic I Am the Avalanche fashion, it does nothing to prepare the listener for what is to come, which is more in the vein of City by the Sea, but yet so much different. “Heavy Weighs the Summer” steers closest to “Burn It Down” in ferocity and punk-heritage, but even this seems to pay more homage to the maturity in sound Caruana has found. And this is where the remainder of the album falls.

The album ranges from fantastic alt-rock flavoring in “We Don’t Have To Die Alone,” the title track, “Gem Street,” and “I Don’t Believe You” to sentimental, acoustic, loving numbers such as “Under My Side of the Bed” and “Roll Back To Me,” to the surprising yet fitting avant-garde closer “Your Religion Is Killing Me.” A true standout is “Angel of the North” in which the listener not only is introduced to Vinnie’s knack for creating a fine love song but also to the different loves he has: Liverpool Football Club, the UK in general, people, and Morrissey and other ‘80’s alt acts. The lyrics, though sweetly clunky, offer the personality that adheres fans so to this artist.

An artist’s solo work should differ distinctively from his main body of work, and on “Survivor’s Guilt,” Caruana is sweepingly successful. Where elsewhere he is bitter, here he is softening. In “The Gravedigger’s Argument” he is burying his ex-wife in the yard, and in “Under My Side of the Bed” he is buying his girlfriend a ring. On Forty Hour Train To Penn he is punchy, punky, and poppy; on Survivor’s Guilt he is pensive, ponderant, and powerful.

Ultimately, the record itself only displays survivor’s guilt in word…the deed displays an unabashed turnout of Caruana’s strengths in musicianship and song craftsmanship, something for which Caruana, public and personal survivor that he is, can be rightfully proud.