What is so amazing about Amazing Grace is that it describes wonderfully the transforming power of God.  Once you put your faith in Him*, He goes about making incredible changed in your life.  The power of that redemption is a gift - i.e., grace.  "Saved by grace" is the phrase.  It describes the life (true account) of a wretched man whose heart is transformed when he begins to believe in the Lord.  He was a pirate, slaver, mutineer, thief, fraud, and a number of other things.  His own crew mutineed against him (on a stolen ship- so saying it was 'his own crew' is a little strong), trussed him up and put him in the cargo hold with the slaves, and left him there for several trips.  But before they put him in the hold, they put out both his eyes.  Then, when they remembered he was there, they abandoned him on an island where he had to defend for himself, scurvy, covered in sores, blind, and weak.  He at some point came to the realization that living life on his terms wasn't getting him anywhere.  Then he remembered the hymns his mother used to sing, and remembered what his mother had taught him about Jesus and put his faith there.  He was rescued shortly after and returned to health and home (but still blinded).  Knowing the history puts some real meaning into the song "was blind, but now I see" "saved a wretch like me" etc. 

As far as why the song gets played at cop funerals, I don't know.  Maybe because the song usually used is the Scots Highland bagpipe version, a lot of American cops have Irish heritage, and movie writers don't know the difference between Scots and Irish.  That's my wild guess about it's use.  But it is absolutely my favorite hymn by a long, long distance, so I hope I at least partially answered the "what's so special about Amazing Grace" some.

- Zurf

* Masculine gender used for grammatic purposes only.  I am not attempting to ascribe a sex to God.

I'm not an attorney, so don't take my word for it.  However, I believe the three strikes system is state by state.  The Federal government does not have criminal jurisdiction unless and until the particular crime crosses a state border.  In the scenario you described, the thief was caught in the state where the particular crime was committed.  The criminal would be tried and, if there is sufficient evidence, found guilty and punished by each sovereign state.  Now, if the person stole from a shop in Portland, Oregon, then another in Willamette, Oregon, then another in Columbia, Oregon and was convicted and sentenced separately for each crime then they could be sentenced under Oregon's "Three Strikes" legislation (if they have it - I don't know whether they do or don't). 

On the other hand, if the person stole guitars in Oregon and sold the stolen merchandise to someone in California and shipped them to that person, then the crime has crossed a state border and it is now Federal jurisdiction, as well as the jurisdictions of Oregon and California.  In other words, that particular criminal is facing charges in THREE jurisdictions for the same action and in a WHOLE lot of trouble. 

Again, take that explanation with a grain of salt because I'm not an attorney and while I do work in the field of law, I do not work in the field of criminal law.  My area of knowledge is Federal contracts legislation and regulation. 

- Zurf

Write back and let us know when the show will air.  I'd love to see you excel, and while no one has elected me spokeman, I suspect a lot of other Chordians would too.

- Zurf

Now Old Doll, how can I not fret?  I play a guitar!  Of course, I could play my fretless bass and avoid the fretting. 

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.  This is just the way it is.  We got one girl potty trained about the time another came long.   It's been seven years of diapers and pull-ups and the dog just keeps getting older.  Life goes on.  It's good for the spirit to be humbled by things we can't control.  This is one of them.  I'll just keep investing in incense, steam cleaners, and enzyme solutions to remove the odor.   It reminds me of one fellow I worked with a long while ago.  He had seven children, each new one coming along about two years after the one before it.  Well, one day, this fellow was so happy.  Normally he was pleasant, but this one day he was just ebulient.  So, I asked him what was making him feel so good, and he told me.  He said, "Yesterday was the first day in fourteen years that I didn't change a diaper."  Now I understand. 

- Zurf

We have a winner!

- Zurf

Whiskey Angel or something like that!  Right, the whole concept that people become angels when they die is stupid (but perpetuated by movies and such for some reason despite it being completely non-Scriptural and still supposedly based in a Christian-ish concept of heaven/hell/angels/demons).  Also, death isn't the sad part of drinking ones self to death.  It's the living while trying to make it happen that is sad.  Death is a sought-after relief from that kind of self-torture.  Dopey song.  Glorifies something that is extra-ordinarily damaging to everyone in the circumferance of the situation and then suggests that the person becomes an angel.  Something like that.  Horrible, horrible song.  Makes me want to smack Kid Rock right upside the head (but not Sheryl Crow - she's much too good looking so it can't be her fault). 

- Zurf

Because diamonds have value.

Sorry, metalheads.  I had to.  Don't get all up in arms, just a little cross-genre smacktalk.

I think it's because they tried to have an industrial sound and feel.  Think of big metal beams and pillars like you'd find in a bridge or joists for a skyrise building or enormous ship.  Think of rivets as big as your head, and I think you'll get the kind of "metal" feel they were going for with that name.

I've got no idea whether that's right, it's just what I always supposed they meant.

- Zurf

Thank you James.

There was another verse I meant to end with, the ending of which was

"If it keeps up, I don't know what I'm going to do.
What'd I just step in?  Oh no, it's #2." 

But I didn't spend the effort to work out the first half of the verse.  It was getting late and the dog had to go out and there was a screaming girl with drippy training pants in my den...

You've got to pick something that you are comfortable singing and that you like singing.  If you pick something that you don't like  merely to impress the auditioners, it will come through.  On the other hand, if you are enjoying yourself while playing, that will come through too. 

Sorry that I can't give you advice on a particular song. 

- Zurf

Doc,

There's a lot of places where you belong, but I'm thinking the priesthood isn't one of them.  But with your medical studies you do know some Latin already!  So you've got that going for you.  If you could get Greek and Aramaic under control, well.... maybe.

- Zurf