About Funky Dung
Who is Funky Dung?
29-year-old grad student in Intelligent Systems (A.I.) at the University of Pittsburgh. I consider myself to be politically moderate and independent and somewhere between a traditional and neo-traditional Catholic.
I was raised Lutheran, spent a number of years as an agnostic, and joined the Catholic Church at the 2000 Easter Vigil.
Why Funky Dung?
I haven't been asked this question nearly as many times as you or I might expect. Funky Dung is a reference to an obscure Pink Floyd song. On the album Atom Heart Mother, there is a track called Atom Heart Mother Suite. It's broken up into movements, like a symphony, and one of the movements is called Funky Dung. I picked that nickname a long time ago (while I was still in high school I think), shortly after getting an internet connection for the first time. To me it means "cool/neat/groovy/spiffy stuff/crap/shiznit", as in "That's some cool stuff, dude!"
Whence Ales Rarus?
I used to enjoy making people guess what this means, but I've decided to relent and make it known to all. Ales Rarus is a Latin play on words. "Avis rarus" means "a rare bird" and carries similar meaning to "an odd fellow". "Ales" is another Latin word for bird that carries connotations of omens, signs of the times, and/or augery. If you want to get technical, both "avis" and "ales" are feminine (requiring "rara", but they can be made masculine in poetry (which tends to breaks lots of rules). I decided I'd rather have a masculine name in Latin. ;) Yeah, I'm a nerd. So what? :-P
Wherefore blog?
It is my intention to "teach in order to lead others to faith" by being always "on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful" through the "use of the communications media". I also act knowing that I "have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors [my] opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and [I] have a right to make [my] opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward [my and their] pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons." (adapted from CCC 904-907)
Statement of Faith
I have been baptized and confirmed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I, therefore, renounce Satan; I renounce all his works; I renounce all his allurements.
I hold and profess all that is contained in the Apostles' Creed, the Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.
Having been buried with Christ unto death and raised up with him unto a new life, I promise to live no longer for myself or for that world which is the enemy of God but for him who died for me and rose again, serving God, my heavenly Father, faithfully and unto death in the holy Catholic Church.
I am obedient to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. That is, I promote and defend authentic Catholic Teaching and Faith in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.
Thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for all Thy infinite goodness, and, especially, for the love Thou hast shown unto me at my Confirmation. I Give Thee thanks that Thou didst then send down Thy Holy Spirit unto my soul with all His gifts and graces.
May He take full possession of me for ever.
May His divine unction cause my face to shine.
May His heavenly wisdom reign in my heart.
May His understanding enlighten my darkness.
May His counsel guide me.
May His knowledge instruct me.
May His piety make me fervent.
May His divine fear keep me from all evil.
Drive from my soul, O Lord, all that may defile it.
Give me grace to be Thy faithful soldier, that having fought the good fight of faith, I may be brought to the crown of everlasting life, through the merits of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Behind the Curtain: an Interview With Funky Dung (Thursday, March 03, 2005)
I try to avoid most memes that make their way 'round the blogosphere (We really do need a better name, don't
we?), but some are worth participating in. Take for instance the "interview game" that's the talk o'
the 'sphere. I think it's a great way to get to know the people in neighborhood. Who are the people in your
neighborhood? In your neighborhod? In your neigh-bor-hoo-ood...*smack* Sorry, Sesame Street flashback.
Anyhow, I saw Jeff "Curt Jester"
Miller's answers and figured since he's a regular reader of mine he'd be a good interviewer. Without
further ado, here are my answers to his questions.
1. Being that your pseudonym Funky Dung was chosen from a Pink Floyd track on Atom Heart Mother, what is you
favorite Pink Floyd song and why?
Wow. That's a tuffy. It's hard to pick out a single favorite. Pink Floyd isn't really a band known for
singles. They mostly did album rock and my appreciation of them is mostly of a gestalt nature. If I had to
pick one, though, it'd be "Comfortably Numb". I get chills up my spine every time I hear it and if
it's been long enough since the last time, I get midty-eyed. I really don't know why. That's a rather
unsatisfying answer for an interview, so here are the lyrics to a Rush song. It's not their best piece of music,
but the lyrics describe me pretty well.
New World Man
He's a rebel and a runner
He's a signal turning green
He's a restless young romantic
Wants to run the big machine
He's got a problem with his poisons
But you know he'll find a cure
He's cleaning up his systems
To keep his nature pure
Learning to match the beat of the old world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third world man
He's got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend the mess he makes
He's old enough to know what's right
But young enough not to choose it
He's noble enough to win the world
But weak enough to lose it ---
He's a new world man...
He's a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He's a writer and arranger
And a young boy bearing arms
He's got a problem with his power
With weapons on patrol
He's got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control
Trying to save the day for the old world man
Trying to pave the way for the third world man
He's not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today
He's noble enough to know what's right
But weak enough not to choose it
He's wise enough to win the world
But fool enough to lose it ---
He's a new world man...
2. What do you consider your most important turning point from agnosticism to the Catholic Church.
At some point in '99, I started attending RCIA at the Pittsburgh Oratory. I mostly went to ask a lot of
obnoxious Protestant questions. Or at least that's what I told myself. I think deep down I wanted desperately
to have faith again. At that point I think I'd decided that if any variety of Christianity had the Truth, the
Catholic Church did. Protestantism's wholesale rejection of 1500 years of tradition didn't sit well with me,
even as a former Lutheran.
During class one week, Sister Bernadette Young (who runs the program) passed out thin booklet called "
Handbook for Today's Catholic". One paragraph
in that book spoke to me and I nearly cried as I read it.
"A person who is seeking deeper insight into reality may sometimes have doubts, even about God himself.
Such doubts do not necessarily indicate lack of faith. They may be just the opposite - a sign of growing faith.
Faith is alive and dynamic. It seeks, through grace, to penetrate into the very mystery of God. If a
particular doctrine of faith no longer 'makes sense' to a person, the person should go right on seeking. To
know what a doctrine says is one thing. To gain insight into its meaning through the gift of understanding is
something else. When in doubt, 'Seek and you will find.' The person who seeks y reading, discussing,
thinking, or praying eventually sees the light. The person who talks to God even when God is 'not there' is
alive with faith."
At the end of class I told Sr. Bernadette that I wanted to enter the Church at the next Easter vigil.
3. If you were a tree what kind of, oh sorry about that .. what is the PODest thing you have ever
done?
I set up
WikiIndex, a clearinghouse for reviews
of theological books, good, bad, and ugly. It has a long way to go, but it'll be cool when it's finished. :)
4. What is your favorite quote from Venerable John Henry Newman?
"Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."
5. If you could ban one hymn from existence, what would it be?
That's a tough one. As a member of
the Society for a Moratorium on the Music of
Marty Haugen and David Haas, there are obviously a lot of songs that grate on my nerves. If I had to pick
one, though, I'd probably pick
"Sing
of the Lord's Goodness" by Ernie Sands.
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. . . this comment is a bit tangential. . . feel free to ignore. . .
“In sum, while I do not believe Plan B is a form of chemical abortion that should be fought by the Culture of Life. . .”
I may be reading too much into what you’ve said, and if I have, please correct me, but what you’ve described as a “culture of life” is primarily a *culture.* Being a culture, does it have a place fighting the legal structures of nations within which it is active? And if it does have the right to fight the laws of nations, why stop at abortion? If the “culture of life” rejects artificial contraception, why not also oppose them?
Hi Funky,
The only reason I said “supposedly” was because I had only read that one post. Since, I have looked around and its pretty apparent that you are in fact a Catholic Blogger. 🙂 I meant no disrespect whatsoever.
I look forward to reading more as it comes. Not to mention, you’ll notice that it was your post that made me hold off on my original judgement on the matter, hence the “No Spin.”
Two things:
One, you’re not making any fans by arguing Plan B is not an abortificient. By being able to argue it’s an abortificient, it’s easier for people to oppose it and try to convince others to oppose it — whether it is an abortificient or not. Hence, you are the enemy to some folks.
Two, Not once in this post (or in most comments and posts) do you mention what I consider to be the primary use of Plan B: rape.
I’m not thrilled about it being restricted for that reason. Getting your parents to buy Plan B for you, when either Dad is the one doing the deed or where they will consider you as having damaged the family honor by getting raped, is not a good idea.
Yeah, ideally, such children should go to a doctor and the police. All rapes should be reported and prosecuted. Having actually worked with young teens that have been raped, I know the difficulty in getting them to report a rape, and the trauma that reporting that rape can cause.
Having known some rape victims, I also know the community response to rape. It’s not only people in backward, savage cultures that think rape is the fault of the woman…a lot of Americans (and Christians) take the attitude that “that child was asking for it.” A lot of cops think the child was asking for it. Some nurses and doctors think that. Some prosecutors don’t like to prosecute, because they feel the adult was enticed. No one wants to believe a parent or “upstanding” adult would do such a thing.
I’ve seen too much. I have no trouble believing it.
Look at what happened in that abuse case in California, where the Bishop hesitated to report the priest. Now the priest escaped, the Bishop might go to jail, and the children are being blamed for what’s happening to the Bishop. Who in their right mind would want to report molestation or rape when blame for a beloved figure’s incarceration could result? That’s the lesson learned there by children.
I know the Catholic church would not permit the use of Plan B even in the case of the most brutal, abusive rape. I may not agree with your position on that. What I think of that position, I should probably not say. But I am willing to allow people to make that choice, and I wish the Catholics would give the non-Catholics the same freedom.
“I worry that Plan B will become a frequent and commonplace fail-safe for when primary means of contraception fail or are not used – either carelessly or deliberately – rather than a rarely used emergency remedy. We just don’t know what repeated use would do to a woman’s health, and that worries me.”
It’s possible that misuse of Plan B will cause health problems. But that’s why they print instructions on the side of the package. Half of all liver failurs in the country are the result of abuse of tylenol, but we still sell it over the counter. Over the counter does not mean perfect risk free.
I think I agree with several of the points in the original post, however …
I think this disregards the intended purpose of the drug. As emergency contraception, the speed with which the drug is required prohibits a visit to your doctor. I don’t know about anyone else, but I have *awsome* health coverage, and I still have to wait days to see my doctor, no matter how sick I am. I don’t think we want people going to our already overburdened ER’s to get this. And what about everyone who can’t afford a doctor’s visit? Shall this only be available to those with enough money to cover the drug and a doctor?
In fact this is a very normal practice. Think about all the things at a grocery store, pharmacy, or convience store that are not available to minors. Simply put, OTC doesn’t mean that it is not kept behind the counter, it just means it doesn’t require a doctor. If it is kept behind a pharmacy counter, it will certainly be more difficult to get than cigarettes.
Before someone starts ranting that minors get their hands on stuff that is not available to minors all the time, let me say I understand the reality is any system can be circumvented. However, even requiring perscriptions can’t prevent circumvention.
Yours is not the first “prescription is too slow for Plan B” argument I’ve heard. If timing of drug delivery were the only problem to worry about, it’d be a very good argument. However, since I do not believe that the long-term effects of Plan B, especially from multiple doses, has been sufficiently studied, time to delivery is moot. Let’s find out if the drug’s safe before worrying about whether or not waiting for a prescription defeats the point of it as EC.
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