The Reverends on Meet the Press Part 2

More on the continuing analysis of Nov 28th Meet the Press:

Marriage.

Falwell and most born again/evangelical Christians prefer to use St Paul's letters as the basis of moral theology. They do not take into account that these letters were written to specific people in a specific time and place for particular reasons. Therefore what he wrote 2000 years ago from Palestine during the Roman Empire is not necessarily meant for us today unless you're a born again Christian looking to restrict some civil rights and then St Paul is just perfect for that.

I studied St Paul's letters in the seminary and once I learned where he was coming from, I hated him less. St Paul should be used sparingly when arguing Christianity though as he is so misunderstood. I'm in disagreement with the early church fathers for putting these Pauline chapters in the New Testament because if you just read them without any historical and situational background, they seemingly contradict Jesus in the Gospels and St Paul looks like a male chauvinist pig. But then again the early church fathers probably liked that. They took a lot of St Paul to heart in forming some unnecessary dogma.

The first thing we must know is that at the time of St Paul, Christians believed that Jesus' return was imminant. They expected Jesus to return in his firey spaceship and gather up his people at any minute. This preoccupation with the end of the world is evident in Paul's letters and evident by the christians in the first century who volunteered to be thrown to the lion's den (they weren't going to miss much since the world was ending anyway). St Paul lived in the Roman Empire during a time when women had no rights. It was a patriarchal society. Men were in control. It was not dogma.

When Falwell or Dr Land whipped out some St Paul quotes to back up their ridiculous positions, it became evident to me that neither on had any real biblical training. And here ya go...

TIM RUSSERT: We can try to find common ground, but there are differences, and I want to see just how profound they are. The Southern Baptist Convention in 1998 passed this statement on the family: "...A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband... She...has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household..."

And, Reverend Land, you went on to explain it this way: "If a husband does not want his wife to work outside the home, then she should not work outside the home." Is that your vision of America?

DR. LAND: It's my vision for Christian families. I don't think that the law has anything to do with it. That was a statement about the theological belief of Southern Baptists. And, you know, George Will had a real great answer for that when somebody asked him, "Where'd they get this stuff?" And he pulled out the Bible and turned to Ephesians, chapter five: "He got--we got it from Ephesians, chapter five." We almost needed to footnote the Apostle Paul when he said that "Husbands should love their wives the way Christ loves the church," which means husbands will always put their wives' needs above their own. And they are to be the head of their home, which means that they're responsible. It's a servant leadership role.

It is not a servant leadership role today. St Paul is actually making a radical departure from the usual servant leadership role of the time.
These passages seem as if St Paul is anti-women but in fact he holds men to very high standards too and does not expect them to treat women as submissives or lesser beings in a marriage. So where Dr Land comes up with this "women shouldn't work outside the home" nonsense as biblically inspired, he is just plain wrong.

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife , even as Christ is the head of the church : and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing . Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (from Ephesians 5)

Paul doesn't expect men to only be on the receiving end of the marriage deal. It's a 2 way street. Paul expects a husband to love his wife so much that he is willing to die for her. If a husband truly loves his wife, he isn't going to demand that she stay at home 24/7 if that is not her wish. Get it? Good. I can't believe I defended St Paul. He's not my hero. But lets move on to another letter of St Paul that discusses marriage.

Here, St Paul only recommends marriage for those who are weak willed and lacking self control. (I just love this):

Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I (single). But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:1,8,9 )

When my dad was growing up Catholic, this was your choice: You either become a priest or get married. Period. My favorite line is "But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." It looks like St Paul is saying that marriage is a cure for horniness and those who get married are weak willed. Notice how the evangelists kind of skip this part of 1 Corinthians? St Paul is urging people who are living in the supposed end times to really try to refrain from getting married because technically everyone should be on watch for Jesus in the sky. It makes sense from a theological point of view. Evangelicals also believe that these are the end times and I am surprised that they haven't picked up on this passage and used it. It would make for fun debates.

MR. RUSSERT: I want to ask Reverend Falwell about something and broaden the conversation. We talked about Iraq and the war on terrorism. Something that you said two days after September 11, when you were with Reverend Pat Robertson: "I fear... that [September 11th] is only the beginning. ...If, in fact, God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve ... I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle ... all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say `you helped this happen.'"

DR. FALWELL: And I went on to say in a sleeping church, a lethargic church likewise is responsible. I do believe, as Ben Franklin said, that God rules in the affairs of men and of nations. I believe that when God blesses a nation, as he's blessed America for a lot of reasons, things happen that don't happen other places. I believe when we defy the Lord, I think we pay a price for it. So I do believe in the sovereignty of God.

Jerry Falwell, always eager to blame others for any misfortune clearly placed the blame on homosexuals for 9/11 and on churches for not making it clear to the sheep that if they sin, God will in fact, punish us... deliberately. Falwell leaves out the part that really really shitty foreign policy by a greedy power hungry government had something to do with 9/11.

When Falwell said this he was right though, "I believe when we defy the Lord, I think we pay a price for it." Another way to say it is: What goes around comes around or You get what you pay for. Those who follow Jesus truly and/or those who are ethical, and are sensitive to the needs of the poor and the oppressed, those who put people before money (corporations) are less likely to be attacked. Anyone can be a greedy piece of shit. You don't have to be an atheist, homosexual, feminist or an abortionist. You can be a rich white man working in government or a church and cause a punishment to come on you and your country in the form of al Qaida. I'm just saying...

more later

I mean when they dropped the towel she's naked!

More hypocrisy from Lush Bimbo:

• Lush Bimbo had this to say about Desperate Housewives meets Monday Night Football (from NY Times): "I was stunned!" he told his listeners. "I literally could not believe what I had seen. ... At various places on the Net you can see the video of this, and she's buck naked, folks. I mean when they dropped the towel she's naked. You see enough of her back and rear end to know that she was naked. There's no frontal nudity in the thing, but I mean you don't need that. ...I mean, there are some guys with their kids that sit down to watch 'Monday Night Football.' "

Oh my God, the children saw some naked woman's back. Oh the humanity! I hope these folks who watch football never go to the beach. I was so traumatized by Nipplegate that I haven't been able to watch football this season. I'm surprised anyone with family values still watches football. Lush Bimbo doesn't want to see any nakedness during a sweet family values kind of game like football but he has no problem with torture:

• Lush Bimbo, May 6th on Abu Ghrab torture: "The thing though that continually amazes -- here we have these pictures of homoeroticism that look like standard good old American pornography , the Britney Spears or Madonna concerts or whatever, and yet the Libs upset about the mistreatment of these prisoners thought nothing of sitting back while mass graves were being filled with three to 500,000 Iraqis during the Saddam Hussein regime."

I've never seen a Britney or Madonna concert but do they torture victims during their shows?

• Lush Bimbo, May 5th on feminism:"I think a lot of the American culture is being feminized. I think the reaction to the stupid torture is an example of the feminization of this country."

Yes we are all a bunch of pussies for being outraged at pictures of our troops torturing Iraqi's.

• Lush Bimbo, May 4th on Abu Ghrab torture: CALLER: It was like a college fraternity prank that stacked up naked men -- LIMBAUGH: Exactly. Exactly my point! This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of need to blow some steam off?

College pranks, huh? Is that what they do at conservative colleges? No one tortured anyone to blow off steam where I went to school. We had too much homework. I went to a liberal wussy Catholic College. We blew off steam at the local bar (as all good Irish Catholics do).

• Lush Bimbo, May 6th on Abu Ghrab torture: "And these American prisoners of war -- have you people noticed who the torturers are? Women! The babes! The babes are meting out the torture.

Babes? Family values? This piece of shit is the mouthpiece for the GOP? May the God of the GOP help them.

Limbaugh quotes from MediaMatters.org

The Reverends on Meet the Press Part 1

by blondesense

The discussion with Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jim Wallis, Dr Land and Dr Falwell aired on Meet the Press Sunday morning. What I learned is that Southern Baptists and fundamentalist Christians have a very narrow understanding of the bible and an incomplete understanding of family values and life issues. Simply quoting bible passages out of context and not once using Jesus as a reference in their "christian" arguments should be highly suspicious to anyone with a critical mind. To someone with an advanced degree in theology, it's an affront to modern biblical scholarship and a denial of God's continuing revelation to humankind.

It was no problem for Dr's Land and Falwell to agree with the war in Iraq while going on and about about abortion being murder. They cut off Rev Wallis when he tried to speak about what Jesus really taught. They would change the subject, accuse the other in a backhanded way of being anti-American or unchristian.

REV. WALLIS: But, Jerry, when you say things like what you just quoted, and you say God is pro-war, and so many things that you sometimes say...
DR. FALWELL: I said there is a just war in a theological position.
REV. WALLIS: You said God is pro-war.
DR. FALWELL: I don't believe God loves war. Everybody hates war.
REV. SHARPTON: But you said it was pro-Christian.
REV. WALLIS: Jerry, there are millions and millions of Christians who want the nation to know that you don't speak for them...
REV. SHARPTON: That's right.
REV. WALLIS: ...that Jesus, our Jesus isn't pro-rich, pro-war and only pro-American. We don't find that Jesus anywhere in the Bible.
DR. FALWELL: I don't believe that either. But I was also against Adolf Hitler, and if you had been...
REV. WALLIS: Well, most of us were.
DR. FALWELL: If you had been the president in World War II, we'd all be speaking German now.

Falwell can't argue rationally. No wonder Falwell has this idea that he is right. He comes out with the most inane rationale that usually leaves people dumbfounded and speechless.

REV. WALLIS: You know, we're not--no one's pro-abortion. How do you prevent unwanted pregnancies? I'd like to find some common ground to work together to dramatically reduce the abortion rate. On so many of these issues, we get in the polarized, ideological debates and then we don't talk about to solve the problem.
DR. FALWELL: You're a preacher, aren't you?
REV. WALLIS: "How do we make abortion"--Democrats--"safe, legal and rare?" Well, they're keeping it legal, but let's try to make abortion truly rare in the society. That is a common ground around which I think a lot of people, pro-life and pro-choice could and should support.
DR. FALWELL: Jim, let me ask you a question. Did you vote for John Kerry?
REV. WALLIS: I did vote for John Kerry.
DR. FALWELL: Now, he is pro-choice. How can you as an ordained minister--you are an ordained minister, right?
REV. WALLIS: Jerry--Jerry...
DR. FALWELL: How could you vote for some--I wouldn't vote for my mother if she were pro-choice.
REV. WALLIS: Yeah. You endorsing George Bush. That's fine. But you also called--you ordained him. You said all Christians could only vote for him. That's ridiculous. There are Christians who voted for deep reasons of faith for both candidates.
DR. FALWELL: Well, I don't think--I can't command anybody. I can only take the Bible seriously. You're certainly going to have to--Psalm 139:13-16--believe that life is sacred from conception on...

Once again, Falwell goes to the OT to find a passage to support his faux "pro-life" position. Of course all life is sacred. Progressives believe that. Being pro-life means you actually are pro-life across the board. Our country is in the active violation of many Christian and human ethics in pursuing the war on Iraq which Falwell's supposed family values organization refuses to address. What is he going to say? If we didn't attack Iraq, we'd all be speaking Iraqi?

REV. WALLIS: And Jerry, there are 3,000 verses in the Bible about the poor--about the poor.
DR. FALWELL: And I'm for all of those, too. But George Bush has taken the initiative because of the Democrats
REV. WALLIS: The Republican agenda--the Republican agenda was not satisfactory to many who support him.
REV. SHARPTON: Well, 1.8 million people added to the poverty lines in the last four years under George Bush. But, Reverend, I think you have the right to vote for George Bush. I defend your right to do that even though I disagree with you. We're talking about you not having the right to therefore bar others from exercising their personal decisions.

Jim Wallis was trying to say that there are over 3,000 references to the poor in the bible. Taking care of the poor is the most important issue in the bible. Why? Because humanity and ethics centers on how we take care of each other on earth overall. Modern theologians have concluded that the way God works in the world is by our treatment of the poor and those on the margins of society. Abortion is only one life issue. There is genocide happening in other parts of the world. Our country is killing tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. We have more and more poor people in America every day. Many of them work fulltime jobs and they are living below the poverty level. These are all life issues. Family values and christian values. There are no exceptions. either you are pro-life all the way or you are not pro-life. You may be anti-abortion, but you are not pro life unless you are against capital punishment, poverty and war as well.

REV. SHARPTON: It's strange to me, Reverend, how the right wing wants to privatize public policy and make public private lives. I mean, people have the right to their private decisions.
DR. FALWELL: No, I'm just trying--I'm trying to do what Martin Luther King did. I'm trying to...
REV. SHARPTON: Jesus--Jesus met the woman at the well. She was guilty of adultery. The state said she could be stoned. He stopped the stoning. You would condemn her for that.
DR. FALWELL: We have a home for unwed mothers.
REV. SHARPTON: He wasn't condoning adultery. He was not condoning adultery. He was saying that the state does not have that right to not say...
DR. FALWELL: You guys talk about that. We have a home for unwed mothers. We have a national adoption agency.
REV. SHARPTON: That was not just a mark. That was law on that day. That was law.
DR. FALWELL: You guys are great at spending somebody else's money.

Falwell does not listen to anyone. Look at how he ends the above portion of the conversation. He must have ADD. He has his pro-war, anti-abortion, anti-gay agenda and that's about all he cares about although he claims that he lives by the bible. Ironically, these bible christians are very selective in what parts of the bible they pay attention to.

REV. AL SHARPTON: ...And I think that where a lot of the misinformation and a lot of the debate went awry--and we're not talking about whether or not we don't share values. We're talking about whether we have the right to impose what we believe on people that may disagree with us. Even God gives you a choice of heaven and hell. We don't have a right to tell people we're going to force them to live in a way that we want them to live and, therefore, they're going to heaven. That's where I disagree.
DR. FALWELL: You still owe me a steak dinner.

Sharpton made an excellent point and Falwell did not answer it. As usual. Sharpton's point is that religious views should not be imposed on a secular society. America is secular whether anyone likes it or not. I believe that if anyone is even going to attempt to try to impose their religious beliefs on me, especially if they are Christian which I know all about, then they had better make perfect sense, be consistant and be sensitive to the rights of all the living with no exceptions.

REV. SHARPTON: I will give you a steak dinner. We bet on the election. But you will get a steak dinner, but you will also get a lecture on civil liberties while we eat it.
DR. FALWELL: But I've waited three weeks.

More later...

Greedy Hogs in Angel Costumes

by pissed off patricia

Okay, I admit it. I don't understand how the "faithful" are able to spend all their capital fighting against abortion and gay marriage when the future of our country is threatened by a plague of Greedy Bastards. Many too many of our problems today are the results of greed. We are earth hogs and we are financial hogs. Greedy hogs need to stop gobbling up our future.

I posted a report about the Repubs going after the Endangered Species Act today. There would be no argument with the Act if Americans weren't so damned greedy. It's all about me they cry. It's my land and I'll do any damned thing I want with it. Screw my neighbors both human and animal and plant.

Here's the deal. It's not your land, you're just basically renting some space here on earth. You aren't entitled to mow it down, poison it, rape it and then lay down your responsibilities when they lay you six feet under. No! You are the guardian of that land you are renting. You are responsible for any injuries you cause, because when you're cold and dead, the land still must function if the following generations are going to be able to enjoy its beauty and reap its bounty in the circle of life. Those who use the land entirely for their own personal benefit at the cost of the future are earth hogs.

Next, let's talk about trial lawyers. They wouldn't be talked about at all if it weren't for the greed of the US citizens. Many who wail and moan about lawsuits are first in line if they think they have some opportunity to get free money from someone else. Slip and fall in a store and they yell, get me a lawyer. If a neighbor's dog bites your kid when your kid is in the neighbor's yard, an all-points bulletin goes out for a trial lawyer. Greed is what drives frivolous lawsuits. Personal responsibility is so passé. Lazy opportunist are greedy. They want to take money from someone, no matter what, no matter the cost. I've seen this theory in action. For example, a friend was visiting and his child was acting up around our pool. The friend said nothing to the child, so finally I asked the little kid to stop monkeying around. The friend didn't seem to mind that I had admonished his child. "I said to my friend, I don't want him (the child) to fall and hurt himself." My friend remarked, "If he did fall and hurt himself, I would sue your ass off." I was dumbstruck by the comment. I said, "You would sue me?" He laughed and said, "I wouldn't be suing you. I would just be suing your insurance company. It wouldn't affect you." His logic was insane. Didn't he realize by suing me and my insurance company that he and all other insured would be picking up the tab in our insurance rates? My friend was giving the American example of greed without forethought. Greed steers many, many Americans when it comes to interaction with trial lawyers.

When did Americans begin to believe it was all about them? When did we become such pompous greedy hogs? What makes us believe we have no personal responsibility for what happens to our country? When did greed become a right instead of a sin? Don't talk to me about your moral values until you demonstrate that you have more than two. Don't talk to me about the right to life of a fetus as you spray poison in the air. Don't talk to me about what the bible says about homosexuals while you rob the pockets of your neighbors. Sure, you have the right to your beliefs but you also have a responsibility to the health and welfare of your fellow man and woman. Demonstrate to me that you are aware of what is going on in more places than your greedy, self-centered little world of ignorance and then maybe we can come to some sort of meeting of the minds. While we liberals from hell are trying to protect what is better not only for now but for future generations, you very well meaning conservatives are so busy being greedy with your moral values that you are blind to the hell you are creating for others. As you would force a mother to give birth to a child she is unable to care for, you won't notice that that child will be growing up in a poisoned atmosphere. As you protect the word "marriage" that you so righteously believe belongs only to heterosexuals, you will abuse the very earth we all must share. You are not morally superior. You are earth and financial hogs in angel costumes.

More Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

WE MUST FIGHT BACK!
BECAUSE EXTINCTION REALLY IS FOREVER!

Here it comes. We knew they would do it and they're going to. This is some very, very sad news.

"Congress taking aim at Endangered Species Act"

This is a part of what you'll read:

"We have hundreds of species that would not be around today if not for the Endangered Species Act," Kostyack said. "Success stories like the whooping crane and the bald eagle and the black-footed ferret are all things we should celebrate and build upon."

Environmentalists said they fear Republican lawmakers are more inclined to try to gut species protections to appease their allies in industry rather than craft changes that will enhance species survival."

and

"For example, the administration has approved a regulatory change allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to take steps toward approval of new pesticides without consulting the wildlife service on risks to wildlife."

and

"Earlier this year, the administration fired a wildlife service biologist after he publicly complained that the agency had manipulated scientific research to appease developers who wanted to build on land critical to the Florida panther, one of the world's most endangered big cats."

First they destroy the plants and animals. What will be next? Who will be next?

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

Crime and no punishment. While many in my area of Florida were denied FEMA money, some in Miami stole it with their lies. Please read what happened.

"FEMA Paid $28M Bogus Claims in Dade County, Fla."

is my bush stupid!

It's worth it to deal with watching the ad to read Salon.com.

This article by Sidney Blumenthal describes our illustrious leader at the Clinton Library opening. More embarassement, but at least his did it in front of the "family".

Here's some excerpts:

"Bush tried to push his way past Clinton at the library door to be first in line, against the already accepted protocol for the event, as though the walk to the platform was a contest for alpha male."

About KKKarl Rove: ""You're not such a scary guy," joked his tour guide. "Yes, I am," Rove replied. Walking away, he muttered deliberately and loudly, "I change Constitutions, I put churches in schools ..." "

"On his tour Bush appeared distracted and glanced repeatedly at his watch. When he stopped to gaze at the river, where Secret Service agents were stationed in boats, the guide said, "Usually, you might see some bass fishermen out there." Bush replied: "A submarine could take this place out." "

"Upon entering the tent, Bush, according to an eyewitness, told an aide, "One gulp and we're out of here." He had informed the Clintons he would stay through the lunch, but by the time Peres arose with wine glass in hand the president was gone."

What manners! How much more will bushie lower the bar for American manners?


Anyway, while you're at Salon, there is a story that will cheer you up.
Scrooge's Nightmare
Despite Bush's election, the cranky old conservatives' days are numbered. The future belongs to middle-aged boomers and their kids, who embrace the tolerant values of the '60s.
By Leonard Steinhorn

Excerpts:

"All the claims about mandates and values notwithstanding, the very fact that one-fifth of voters cited moral values means that four-fifths didn't."

and

"How little the "moral values" voter represents the future is evident in surveys of today's youth, who may be the most inclusive, tolerant and socially liberal generation in our nation's history. From the media we hear all about the controversies of the so-called culture war, such as the occasional school superintendent who shuts down all school clubs to keep gay and straight high school students from forming "gay-straight" clubs. But what we don't hear is that these clubs have quietly formed in about 2,800 schools nationwide. In fact, research on young people confirms that they have little patience for intolerance, that they have no problem accepting homosexuality, that most even support the right of gay people to marry."

We're the silent majority. Just because the media likes to report on the big mouthed bigots of America who hide behind bibles, guns and flags, they do not represent the majority of Americans.

And since your at Salon.com, check out this piece by Eric Boehlert, Clinton to ABC News: It's payback time The former president chastises Peter Jennings for ABC's "sleazy" coverage of Whitewater -- and he's right.

Excerpts:

"President Clinton's prime-time interview with ABC on Nov. 18, in conjunction with the opening of the Clinton presidential library, was for the most part a feel-good, nostalgic affair, as Clinton looked back on his presidency with ABC anchor Peter Jennings. But Clinton flashed real irritation when Jennings suggested some historians thought that Clinton's presidency had lacked "moral authority," without mentioning its having been tarnished by independent counsel Kenneth Starr's multiple investigations.

""You don't want to go here, Peter," snapped Clinton, who proceeded to criticize the reporting of ABC News, in particular, in the 1990s. "Not after what you people did and the way you, your network, what you did with Kenneth Starr. The way your people repeated every little sleazy thing he leaked. No one has any idea what that's like."

"In truth, Clinton's criticism of the media's overheated and often conspiratorial scandal coverage could be applied to a host of mainstream news operations. But it was fitting that the comment was directed at ABC, which occupied a unique role amid the seven-year, $70 million media feeding frenzy surrounding Starr's probes. At times ABC, led by reporter Jackie Judd and producer Chris Vlasto, seemed to act as the broadcast counterparts to the print reporters relying on news from the Office of the Independent Counsel -- making an early investment in the Whitewater story and determined to see it pay off. "

... "In 1998 Salon's Joe Conason wrote, "After Murray Waas and I published an article in the Nation about Starr's conflicts of interest ... [a]mong the most hostile responses was a telephone call from ABC producer Chris Vlasto, who has worked the Clinton scandal beat at the network for several years. ... "

"According to Starr himself, when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke on Jan. 21, 1998, Starr's top deputy, Jackie Bennett, spent the day talking "extensively" with a handful of reporters, including ABC's Judd, the one TV reporter on the shortlist at Starr's office. In November, ABC's loyalty was rewarded when it beat out its network competitors, including CBS's "60 Minutes," by landing the first lengthy television interview with Starr. ... "

Oh puhlease, that Clinton nightmare was such a conspiracy through and through. Did you see the Hunting of A President? Unbelievable. I'm glad Clinton didn't keep his mouth shut. Can you imagine a reporter asking Bush questions that he doesn't like? Oh wait. No one asks bush questions he doesn't like. The media loves bush.

Isn't This Dangerous? Just asking.

(AFP/Gerardo Gomez)

"I think my wife loved Jesus more than she loved me"

Arkansas Woman Killed in Mistaken Rapture
by Elroy Willis

ARKANSAS CITY (EAP) -- A Little Rock woman was killed yesterday after leaping through her moving car's sunroof during an incident best described as a "mistaken rapture" by dozens of eye-witnesses.

Thirteen other people were injured after a twenty-car pile-up resulted from people trying to avoid hitting the woman, who was apparently convinced that the rapture was occurring when she saw twelve people floating up into the air, and then passed a man on the side of the road who she believed was Jesus.

"She started screaming `He's back! He's back!' and climbed out through the sunroof and jumped off the roof of the car," said Everet Williams, husband of 28-year-old Georgann Williams who was pronounced dead at the scene.

"I was slowing down but she wouldn't wait till I stopped," Williams said. She thought the rapture was happening and was convinced that Jesus was gonna lift her up into the sky," he went on to say.

"This is the strangest thing I've seen since I've been on the force," said Paul Madison, first officer on the scene.

Madison questioned the man who looked like Jesus and discovered that he was on his way to a toga costume party, when the tarp covering the bed of his pickup truck came loose and released twelve blow-up sex dolls filled with helium, which then floated up into the sky.

Ernie Jenkins, 32, of Fort Smith, who's been told by several of his friends that he looks like Jesus, pulled over and lifted his arms into the air in frustration and said "Come back," just as the Williams' car passed him, and Mrs. Williams was sure that it was Jesus lifting people up into heaven as they drove by him.

"I think my wife loved Jesus more than she loved me," the widower said when asked why his wife would do such a thing.

When asked for comments about the twelve sex dolls, Jenkins replied "This is all just too weird for me. I never expected anything like this to happen."


PS. This is an urban legend.

more of God's will and handiwork

"God always stays ahead. He's a pro." Hannibal Lector, Red Dragon

Since it is Thanksgiving, I hope that you are able to give thanks for a family that understands, for a church that supports, and a government with priorities in order. Why is it that we expect the mentally ill to support themselves?

"DALLAS -- The minister of a woman who admitted killing her baby daughter by severing the child's arms said Wednesday that her husband seemed emotionally stable but was searching for answers and concerned about how God will judge his wife

"He's concerned, overall, about why this happened and what would happen to her and how does God view her right now," said [the minister], who leads a nondenominational church in Plano that [the parents] have attended with their children.

Dena Schlosser, 35, was charged with capital murder Monday after she calmly told a 911 operator she cut off the arms of 11-month-old Margaret. Police found Schlosser, who had a history of postpartum depression and psychotic symptoms, covered in blood and holding a knife, a church hymn playing in the background.

[The minister] said that when he talked to [the father] on Monday about funeral arrangements, the father seemed to be emotionally stable. He also inquired about his wife's fate. A telephone message left for a [the father] was not returned Wednesday.

"He's concerned about his wife. I mean, who wouldn't be? He asked me: 'What is God saying now? I mean, my wife's in jail,"' [the minister] told The Associated Press. "I said 'John, we'll have to watch the court system and how it works out."'

[The minister], who started Water of Life Church in 1980, said he believes God uses the courts to work his will. He said he told [the father] that although the Bible instructs not to kill, God also forgives.

"God will forgive every sin and he will forgive this woman. He's the only one who can lead her to repentance," [the minister] said. "My basic thing will be simply to pray that Dena will be brought to repentance to God and acknowledge her sin and then she'll be free."

[The minister] said he did not have a close relationship with the Schlossers. He said they attended the church sporadically for about three years. Dena Schlosser and her daughters, ages 6 and 9, attended more often than her husband, he said.

"I'd say hello and that was about it," the minister said. "I don't think anybody here had that much contact with them."

The Schlossers' daughters were placed in temporary custody with Texas' Family and Protective Services after an agency determined their father failed to protect them from their mother.

---30---

Is it really an expression of God's will that Dallas County may try this mentally ill woman for capital murder? Mind you, this is a question from someone who finds it difficult to believe that it was God's will that His Son was also tried for a capital crime.

One of the expressions of God'w will that I recall vividly from interning in the Family/Juvenile Courts in Harris County was watching His children dressed in orange jumpsuits in shackles and chains shuffling out of their holding cells to the courtroom.

The court system in Texas is hell. This family will not be able to afford the excellent legal counsel it is going to take to keep her out of prison and in a mental institution. The State of Texas will probably bill her family for her medication.

Why isn't it God's will that we rise above our ignorance and help make this life bearable rather than worrying that there is a next life?

Eighty-seven percent of Americans believe that evolution played no role in human development. We sprang from God's hands fully formed.

I am wagering if science does not occupy a certain amount of our reality, then understanding mental illness is beyond us.


Mental health must be difficult for some citizens of Texas to understand. We have a difficult time legislating enough money for it, churches have a difficult time seeing that mental illness is not a sin. Does a woman really need prison in order to get the help she needed? If it is a sin to be mentally ill and seeking psychiatric help, and this church didn't necessarily think that it was, but, it didn't help one of the flock when the lamb got lost? How about leaving those children or an infant alone with an obviously ill woman? Where was this woman's husband? He didn't think his wife or his children were in danger? Why didn't he think so?

Very few people in Texas can afford legal counsel skilled enough to fight the state's resources. This case is going to require a level of sophistication most cases don't need and don't receive.

Texas Family and Protective Services isn't indifferent. They are simply moving as much paper across their poorly funded desk as possible. Don't blame them. We are fortunate that they have the college education they do have, we are fortunate that they don't run away but go to their jobs everyday.

Another woman in East Texas killed two of her children and disabled one for life by crushing them with stones. When she got her prescriptions for anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medications, she said, "Why doesn't someone educate us about this? Why don't the schools? Why doesn't the church?" she pleaded.

Hell if I know, sister!

If the people of Texas think that government shouldn't be taxing citizens to pay for mental health then why isn't the church filling that gap? So her government fails her, her health care fails her, her church fails her, her husband fails her.

And she is supposed to confess her sin?

Thanksgiving Prayers

Mark Twain's Prayer for Soldiers (excerpt)


__________________________________

Blondesense Prayer for Liberals

Oh Lord, our God, please give us the courage to unceasingly pester
the government into getting our troops out of Iraq soon
whether they like being there or not
and not sit by and criticize it without doing anything.
Give us the courage to call upon our cable companies
and demand that they take Fox News off our television.
Give us the impetus to travel from all corners of the land
and march on Washington by the millions before inauguration day.
Give us the strength to say no to buying goods that we don't really need.
Especially me, dear Lord, I beseach you.
Help us to truly live in peace and fight all the injustices in the world
with perseverence and little regard for our creature comforts.
May we always practice what we preach.

If you're out there, please help.
Amen

My Holiday Wishes to All

from pissed off patricia

We are quickly approaching the day I happily refer to as National Eating Day. I guess you could also call it National Eating, Watching Football and Napping Day. Maybe even National Tryptophan Day. That would pretty much wrap it up nicely for most of us.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be the day religious people thank their god for all they feel grateful for and for all the wonderful things they have. Things like family, health etc. Non-religious people can be thankful too, they just don't have to write thank you notes to anyone. That's fine.

Luck seems to me to have a lot to do with what you have and don't have. I don't believe a god was punishing my neighbor for being an ass, which my neighbor surely is, by sending two hurricanes here this year. It would be kind of mean to blow the roofs off of so many homes in this area just to punish one jerk. It would be a very costly and very mean sort of way to let one guy know he needs to stop being so damned selfish and demanding. I don't think as Jeb bush does that a god sends hurricanes on a predestined path. I think we were just damned unlucky, unfortunate, call it what you will. I am grateful that the damage wasn't any worse and that we are on our way to total recovery.

I'm grateful that I found the perfect gentleman to call my husband. That wasn't luck, that was determination on my part. No thank you notes to anyone but me for that charming part of my life today. I found him, I love him so much and I'm keeping him, just as I have for 18 years.

I'm grateful that my pets are in good health and content little creatures. We are a mutual admiration family on that front. We have a bundle of love and it's shared.

You probably have a great and long list of things you are grateful for this holiday week. Would you like to share? If so, please do. We have spent so many months together complaining about the world, let's take one day to share with one another what makes us happy.

Have a wonderful, safe and happy holiday. And as the greeting card says, Gobble 'till you Wobble.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Affectionately,
patricia

Jim Wallis on Meet the Press

This Sunday, Jim Wallis of Sojourners is going to be on Meet the Press. Remember him? God is not a Republican... or a Democrat ? He's going to talk about Moral Values.

"It's time to spark a real debate in this country over what the most important "religious issues" and "moral values" in politics are - and how broadly and deeply they are understood. Religion doesn't fall neatly into right and left categories. If there were ever candidates running with a strong set of personal moral values and a commitment to be pro-poor and pro-peace, it could build many bridges to the other side. Personal and social responsibility are both at the heart of religion, and the two together could make a very powerful and compelling political vision for the future of our bitterly divided nation. -Jim Wallis"


(hat tip: Chuck Currie)

Ironic Isn't It?

Some anti-war movement we have...
"What seems to be today's antiwar position — it was a terrible mistake and it's a terrible mess, but we can't just walk away from it — was actually the pro-war position during Vietnam. In fact, it was close to official government policy for more than half the length of that war." -LA Times

Israeli Soldiers Jealous of Abu Ghraib?
"...another officer, 'G', who asked to be photographed next to the severed head of the Palestinian. "Everyone laughed at the idea, and they put the head on a wooden pole like a scarecrow and one soldier even put a cigarette in the head's mouth." " Al-Jazeera

American Values
"We [Americans] are surrounded by poor and low-income people. (The definitions can be elastic and easily blurred, but essentially we're talking about individuals and families that don't have enough money to cover the essentials - food, shelter, clothing, transportation and so forth.) Many of them are full-time workers, and some have more than one job. " -NY times

US Republican Officials Shocked at Ukranian Stolen Election
"Western observers immediately denounced the election. Senator Richard Lugar, a Republican sent by President George Bush to monitor voting, accused the Ukrainian government of supporting a “concerted and forceful programme of election-day fraud and abuse”. " -The Economist

I told you it was a good browser.
"...Microsoft is promoting Mozilla Firefox. (inadvertently) The company recently provided the press with a screenshot of MSN Search displayed on the open source browser. Microsoft's PR firm denied using Firefox for any of MSN Search's screenshots.
Alert reader Dror Levin read a review of the new MSN Search on the Seattle Post Intelligencer. He noticed something strange about the screenshot in the article, found a larger version of it and was surprised to find out that while the OS was Windows XP, the browser used was Firefox. The photo credit says "(AP Photo/HO/Microsoft)", which menas it was distributed to AP by Microsoft. "

by blondesense

The Funniest Thing I Read All Week

"... every year, just before Christmas, she would schedule a mammogram, knowing she would not get the results until after the holidays. The remote possibility of cancer was something to hang over her children’s heads..."

From the New Yorker

Bitchin

by pissed off patricia

Christ on a Fish Stick

You Are The Heartland
A Letter to Liberal America
by Barbara Sumner Burstyn

www.dissidentvoice.org

November 22, 2004

Since the election my liberal inbox has been filled with screeds of hand-wringing articles dissecting the ascendancy of George W Bush. They all talk of winning back the heartland, reinvigorating true democracy, fighting the red-blue war of culture, ideology, politics and psychology. But for all the column inches steeped in despair there were very few action plans and even less insight. The reason is simple. Democrats and Republicans are feeding at the same trough.

Drive through the liberal enclaves of any privileged blue state or through the conservative interior of a red state and you see the same big houses – or aspirations of big houses and the same super-sized vehicles.

Open the door of a liberal or a conservative home (a double-wide trailer, a mansion or a New York loft, it doesn’t matter which) and you’ll find the same wide screen TV, the same huge sofa, the same gigantic refrigerator overstocked with pretty much the same food.

Perhaps you’ll find more organic labels in the liberal fridge but the abundance and out-of-season array will be the same. Check the labels on the clothes of a liberal or a conservative and you’ll see they are all made in the same out-sourced, third world sweatshop factories.

One commentator declared the forces of Bushim would eventually be overthrown. But overthrown with what? The polite man who changed his suites and even his ties to match the President, who participated in sham debates, who never once deviated from the script, even when the whole country was watching and he could have turned to the President and asked him the real questions?

Some commentators have bemoaned the choice of Kerry. But did you, the so-called liberal America really want someone different? Perhaps you supported Kerry, who is neither a revolutionary nor a man of vision because you wanted business as usual, you wanted your politics like your cappuccinos: fluffy and comforting.

That’s why the streets aren’t overflowing with protest. That’s why you’re not massing outside the corporate owned television stations demanding they retract their lies and rescind their self- censorship.

That’s why all the columns about fraudulent electoral practices are no more than hot air. Because actually no one wants the system to end, because despite the increasing numbers of poor and working poor, the vast and growing gap between the haves and have-nots, the majority of you are just too damn comfortable.

It’s the great hypocrisy of the American left. Take the very liberal Democrat supporting Sarah Jessica Parker. Pay her more money and she’s happy to re-voice the newly edited, sex-free Sex in the City to keep the heartland happy.

Or Will Smith, the actor who respectfully declined to be present at last year's Academy Awards, supposedly in protest for the war, is happy to make millions in a film like I Robot with a gun super-glued to his hand as he saves the world from yet another black and white evil, with barely a bad word for the corporate greed that created that evil.

That’s because making money is the American way. Because money trumps conviction every time. If you’re a liberal it’s a sign you’re successful in a secular way. If you’re a member of the new force of evangelical conservatives it’s a sign of Gods blessing.

Where I come from the choice between Kerry or Bush is called a Claytons choice: the choice you’re having when you’re not having a choice.

Would the anguish and torment of the Iraqi people have ended under a Democratic leader? Would the environment have been given the kind of urgent priority needed to slow global warming? Would the rights of pregnant women be respected? Would the price of gasoline have been raised so high that Americans would limit their driving? Would coal fired power plants have been forced to control their pollution? Would the coded double-speak rhetoric that says one thing and means another have ended? Would the pharmaceutical industry be called to heel? Would anything have changed in any significant way?

Republicans may have co-opted religion and promoted morality over economics, the environment and human rights. But how is that different from senior Democrats such as Senator Harry Reid of Nevada?

A tee-totaling Mormon who is about to become the conservative standard bearer of the party, Reid’s stand on abortion would drop women back into a dark age. Or California Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein who recently commented that she believes very strongly the voice of the moderates in caucus ought to have some sway (as if the Democrats were somehow extreme). Or Sheldon Silver the Democratic speaker of the Assembly who supports the death penalty. Or Hilary Clinton who is being advised to represent herself as moderately pro-life. Or the scramble, as outlined in the New York Times last week, by Democrats to organize the “religious left” and phrase their positions in more moral and religious terms.

The great con is the idea that having an election makes you a democracy, that your vote makes a difference. A difference to what? The ideology of profit as the highest motivation? Or to the fact that the invocation of religion and morality is no more than a smokescreen to hide the reality of corporate feudalism. That perfect system that ensures your serfdom while sating your senses with consumerism and numbing your awareness that your country is run by and for the corporations who are your real leaders and where in exchange for your compliance you get your every whim sated in a consumer hog heaven.

That’s why you don’t take your idols to task; your hypocritical movie stars, your lying, Teflon suited politicians, your liberal neighbor in his SUV. Yourself. So this is what I want to say to the liberals of America. You’re not going to win the heartland no matter how committed you are to the environment or equality or if your heart bleeds for the poor, or for the innocents of Iraq because you are the heartland. Every time you switch the remote, start your gasoline engine, stuff another McDonalds, chug on a Starbucks, down another anti-depressant, muscle relaxant, painkiller, or shop at The Gap, you are the heartland.

The 2004 election was not a revolution of the right or a failure of the left. It made no difference who you voted for, because until you recognize the conscription of your consumption and your obedience to it, until you smash your widescreens and your SUVs, until you renounce your comfort at any cost and all the other methods of your mass distraction you will get the government you deserve. Because you are the heartland.

Barbara Sumner Burstyn is an award winning freelance writer who commutes between Montreal, Quebec and The Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. She has contributed to a wide range of media, and is currently working on a new novel. She can be reached at: barb@sumnerburstyn.com. Visit her website to read more of her work: www.sumnerburstyn.com/. © 2004 Barbara Sumner Burstyn

Arnold? C'mon

I have no problem with constitutional reform, but amending the constitution for Arnold? Puhleese. Out of all the people in the whole country who came here from other lands, Arnold is the best person they can come up with to promote a constitutional amendment to change the birth requirement for the presidency? This is just wrong and disturbing on so many levels.

He's not real! He's an action figure.

But

Every country has the government it deserves.
- Joseph de Maistre

"Marines don't shoot rainbows out of our asses. We fucking kill people."

From the Village Voice by Evan Wright, an embedded reporter in 2003.


Here's a couple of paragraphs from the article. The entire article is a must read!

"The Marines constantly debated the morality of what they were engaged in. A sergeant in the platoon told me he had consulted with his priest about killing. The priest had told him it was all right to kill for his government so long as he didn't enjoy it. By the time the unit reached the outskirts of Baghdad, this sergeant was certain he had already killed at least four men. When his battalion commander praised the unit for "slaying dragons" on the way to Baghdad, the sergeant later told his men, "If we did half the shit back home we've done here, we'd be in prison." By then, the sergeant told me, he'd reconsidered what his priest had told him about killing. "Where the fuck did Jesus say it's OK to kill people for your government? Any priest who tells me that has got no credibility."

He and several other Marines recently returned from Iraq (many from their second tours) whom I've talked to about the Falluja shooting say they are not sure they would have dead-checked the wounded man in the mosque had they been in the same position. Most say they probably would have, even though the mosque had already been cleared once. "What does the American public think happens when they tell us to assault a city?" one of them said. "Marines don't shoot rainbows out of our asses. We fucking kill people."

Another Marine in the unit I followed—a Democrat's dream, he returned home from fighting in Falluja in time to vote for Kerry—added, "Americans celebrate war in their movies. We like to see visions of evil being defeated by good. When the people at home glimpse the reality of war, that it's a bloodbath, they freak out. We are a subculture they created and programmed to fight their wars. You have to become a psycho to kill like we do. To most Marines that guy in the mosque was just someone who didn't get hit in the right place the first time we shot him. I probably would have put a bullet in his brain if I'd been there. If the American public doesn't like the violence of war, maybe before they start the next war they shouldn't rush so much."

(it's worth your time to read the entire piece)

Proof That We Evolved From Monkeys

Holy Fucking Shit.

If anyone who voted for this asshole is reading this. Fuck you.
And you called Clinton, Bubba?
This dry drunk is pretending he's at a goddang hoe down and his fucking fly is open!

I went out this morning to do some errands and I have to come home to this? It's thanksgiving week and I am trying to be thankful for something, anything, and this is the thanks I get from Chimpy McFlydown. Thank you Peter of LoneTree for bringing it to my attention. And a happy thanksgiving to you too.

First he's all macho with his SS guy, then he poses in the Juan Valdez look alike contest (see below) and now this. How can we send this boy anywhere?

What country am I in? Have I been so secluded living in New York? I must be. I had no idea Americans were such simpletons. We evolved from monkeys, dammit. Get over it.

Dammit, I want a northerner for the next president. I have nothing against southerner presidents because Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were real charmers, but it's time we had someone who represented the cold liberal states. I'm just saying...
What the hell was wrong with windsurfing? That's what coastal living people do. It's not elitist to do water sports and it's not a northern thing. Do we make fun of tractor pulls?
Don't answer that.

Now someone tell me some good news.

UPDATE: Peter sent me more news. I don't know if it's good. It's news and I am not steaming from it. So that's good. It seems that a hypnotherapist in Boca Raton Florida is making money curing depressed people who voted for Kerry. heh. Anyway, he was doing really well and making lots of money until the people found out that Ohio is being recounted and now they are feeling better and don't need to be hypnotized in order to accept bush as their lord and savior.
Government Accountability Office to Conduct Investigation of 2004 Election Irregularities

Ok, so cheer up you depressed people. Snap out of it.

Surrender?

Never!

You might check out this pledge sponsored by Working Assets. I signed it.

"Take the pledge to Never Surrender"

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

That's What I'm Talkin' About

See, this is what I was talking about yesterday in my post, "Bitchin' in the Afternoon, The Three Billion Dollar Ass Kiss." I wrote: No one mentioned that perhaps the illegal drug trafficking was down in Colombia because maybe, just perhaps, it's because it's really picked up in Afghanistan.

Robert Scheer:
Cultivating Opium, Not Democracy
Afghanistan's crop 'has spread like wildfire.'

***

See, this is what I was talking about the other day when I wrote about what happens to some babies after they leave the womb. In my post "Doves Have No Talons and Neither Do I," I wrote: I also believe there is more to birth and life than exiting a womb. There is the life outside the womb and for some babies, that's a hell unto itself.

"I cut her arms off," Schlosser replied, as the hymn "He Touched Me" played in the background."

ABC News : Mother Charged With Murder After Telling 911 Operator She Had Cut Off Baby's Arms

***

In light of the deer hunter killing (now it's six people) and this woman cutting her baby's arms off allowing it to bleed to death, explain to me why human beings shouldn't be considered nature's most despicable and dangerous creatures. Yes, of course I know all human beings are not awful, but some surely are. Before we set off to fix the world, I think more time should be devoted to fixing ourselves.

That blinding glow you see just may be the sun reflecting off our own glass house.

Jesus is wrong for America

He's too liberal.
Check out this flash

Bush in Chile: the fracas

From the Buzzflash mailbag today (11-22-04)
Subject: Bush fracas during Chilean visit

I am a Chilean citizen but read your paper daily. Most of us here in Chile share your views and that of like online papers such as Truthout, Whatreallyhappened, Commondreams, etc.
Bush´s visit to Chile has left - so far - most of us chuckling because of the overkill in the security measures taken by his entourage, which is also disproportionate to those of the other leaders. By far. Especially in a town almost empty because of the three day weekend.

Two Jumbos filled up with secret service people; 40 (yes, forty) cars in his caravan including two limos just alike so to inspire doubt as to which one he´s in, a huge ambulance, ominous looking vehicles with 6 antennaes; Two planes (Awacs); 200 9mm weapons introduced into the country; Snipers galore; An entire hotel cut from all contact to the exterior for blocks around it; Bush sneaking in and out of tunnels and back entrances: he even refused, and was the only one to do so, to receive honors in the square in front of La Moneda, our government house, because he would have had to walk 80 yards to get inside the latter.

He broke protocol a few times arriving whenever he pleased with disregard for the other leaders including Putin who was not bothered by it, apparently.

The gala dinner that was scheduled for tonight (Sunday 21st) and was to be hosted by our president with an attendance of 250 ministers, government people, and big Chilean entrepreneurs was cancelled by my president due to the insistent requirements of the US Secret Service (SS?) to check everybody bodily for arms with metal detectors and such. Since we did not want to subject our people to such manhandling the dinner is going to be a smaller affair of 20 people. Hours before this happened, before Bush was to arrive to the CEO Summit, everybody had to leave the room (from all 21 countries, mind you) so the SSs could check seat by seat with detectors and dogs.

Then he made his grand entrance after ignoring the host of the Summit, a Chilean, and read a speech titled "Peace and Prosperity in the World." Of course the irony of it was not lost on us, simple spectators, or the press. All this to great applause, half of it real, and half of it pre-taped.

As for the fracas that your paper mentions, reading the news article one may think that Chilean secret service and police just interfered without reason. The truth is that the protocol indicated (and this was made known weeks ago) that each leader was to go inside the dinner place with only one bodyguard. They all complied, except Bush, that tried to enter with six. Of course five were stopped.

Some papers said Bush had "imperial airs."

I think he was hiding as usual.

By the way: My president improvised in his second language (English) while Bush had to read in his native one.

Yours truly,

M. Escudero
Santiago, Chile

Bitchin' in the Afternoon

by pissed off patricia

The Three Billion Dollar Ass Kiss

If you saw the press conference that bush and the president of Colombia held today, you just shook your head and repeated to yourself one more time, this guy got four more years, why?

Seems over the past four years we have given Colombia over three billion dollars to help them fight the illegal drug marketers. Ergo the ass kissing speech made by Colombia's pres. He basically said that he had never kissed an ass sweeter than bush's. At least that's what I heard.

Bush proceeded to say, in so many words, yes my ass is just that fine. Then he rattled on and on about how well the Colombian pres. had worked to cut down drug traffic and whatever.

Then came the question and answer part with the reporters. One reporter asked bush if the US would continue to give Colombia as much money considering the US's national debt. Good question, I thought. Bush said he would convince congress to continue the giveaway. What I heard was bush saying that he had his mandate and he wasn't afraid to use it. He would get his attack dogs in Congress to bite the ass of any who didn't go along with his plans.

Then bush looked down at his list and called a reporter, realized he had called the wrong name and changed the name he called. Then he repeated both names and said, "What the hey (or heck or hell, you really couldn't tell) This reporter told the story of the big dinner in Chile being cut to only a precious few because the US demanded that all guests pass through a metal detector and then he told about the bush secret service guy being in the melee and how bush had pulled him from the fracas. The reporter asked bush why he thought there was so much animosity toward him in Chili. Bush replied, "You call that a question?" Then he sort of skipped over the question and began repeating what a good job the pres. of Colombia was doing at fighting illegal drug trafficking.

Then bush turned to the Colombian pres. as if to end the whole thing. The president of Colombia asked if he would like to take one more question and bush said, "No". Exit, stage right.

Bush hates questions like I hate hurricanes. No one mentioned that perhaps the illegal drug trafficking was down in Colombia because maybe, just perhaps, it's down because it's really picked up in Afghanistan. Yep, no one talked about that at all and I'm betting bush shut the curtains on the news conference because he was afraid it was coming.

So, just so as ya know, bush plans to send more big old bucks to Colombia because they have had such success transferring the illegal drug trade to Afghanistan. At least that's the way I heard it.

Hunters, Hunting, Death

by pissed off patricia

My father was a hunter. He came home one day when I was five years old and he had a dead, gutted, bloody deer strapped across the hood of his car. Somewhere in the family there's a picture of this event. He boasted for years about that day. He recycled the deer's hair and hide into a rug, its hooves into a gun rack, and its head became a wall hanging. It was one of the first and most awful things I ever experienced. For years and years, our house was a shrine to an animal that walked in the wrong place at the wrong time while a half drunk man was holding a fully loaded rifle in the Tennessee Mountains. Over the years, I saw that photo of him and his kill dozens of times as I wandering through our box of old photos. Now, more years have passed since I last saw the photo than the length of time during which I was exposed to it. I would love to erase it from my memory completely.

Unless one is starving, I cannot condone hunting. It's not a sport if you use a bow and arrow or a gun. No other sport uses a gun or bow and arrow to best the competition. No other sport allows one of the competitors to be armed. Even the title "Hunting" is misleading. It should be called Animal Killing. That's all it is. There are even reserves where animals are hand raised and kept in small areas where hunters can go and shoot them. No hunting is even involved in that unless you count hunting the yellow pages for the location of one of these reserves It's not man against beast. It's man's weapons against beast. What's there to brag about?

I've heard all the stories about deer populations needing thinning due to over population or lack of food stocks. This comes about because we have "hunted" down all the deer's predators or development has scrunched the populations into ever smaller areas. Either way, it's our fault and if there is such a need to thin herds, wouldn't it be better to have professionals doing the thinning instead of lunatics with loaded guns? (see my Bitchin' post today)

What the hell was someone thinking of when they decided that we would have a season when people could go into the woods wearing camouflage clothes, drinking alcohol and carrying loaded guns? If that isn't a recipe for disaster, what is? If it had never before occurred and someone suggested it now, that person would be deemed completely insane.

Now if you're thinking about telling me how hunters are environmentalists because they appreciate nature and they appreciate wildlife, don't. Groups like Ducks Unlimited are concerned about ducks because they want to have more ducks to shoot and kill. It's self-serving, pure and simple.

My father used the death of the deer to portray himself as the mighty victor, even though the odds were stacked against the deer's survival thanks to my father's use of a rifle. I feel that a hunter uses hunting season as an excuse to legally kill another living creature because the primitive part of his mind still wants to remind the tribe that he is the most macho, even if he has to cheat with an assault rifle to do it.

Democracy and the Media

Fellow blogger, Doomocracy, has a really well thought out post about this subject.
Here's a snippet:

In recent history we have seen that in case of all revolutions, uprisings, coup d'etat's, regime overturns, the first thing that happened was always the take over of the national television stations, major newspapers and radio stations. Controlling the flow of news and information brings success to your cause. People need to know what's happening in order to side or oppose the events.

Democracy could not have been achieved without the help of the Media. The Media has a duty to defend Democracy. The Media is the watchdog of events unfolding and protector of democracy. It is the duty of the Media to inform the masses with fact based news and authentic stories.

I don't expect the media to join the conspiracy theories over the internet. That would be wrong and misleading, and would make people lose confidence in the system. But it is the Media's duty to investigate and dispel doubts about conspiracies. I believe that the conspiracy syndrome is a result of the failures of the Media to investigate, discuss and digress the anomalies of the political and physical events.

What really concerns me, that the Media fails to prevent disaster. Just like in law enforcement, preventing crime is more important than investigating a crime committed.

Read the rest

Shirts and Bumpster Stickers You Always Wanted

I have been designing all sorts of pictures and sayings for T-shirts, buttons, cards and bumper stickers. I'm not done yet. I'll set up a Cafe Press Store one of these days because I want to get some buttons and Tshirts made with snarky sentiments. Last year, I made really bad Xmas cards that only a certain amount of people actually "got". It was a picture of Jesus that said, Love Me or Burn. Ok, so that didn't go over too well. Not from a theology master. heh.

Anyway, do you brilliant folks have any ideas for this project? Snappy sayings on politics, values, god, ecology? Christmas Card ideas? A graphics idea? Dirty Biblical Quotes you like? Ironic Biblical Quotes? Quotes from our Forefathers that contradict America today?

I'll upload some of the ideas soon for your perusal and approval.

What say you?

Kevin Sites

Kevin Sites Blog tells in his own words, what he saw and what happened in the Mosques when the Marine shot the wounded man.

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

A Huntin' We Will Go
A Killin' Will Result

"Five people were fatally shot and three others seriously wounded around noon Sunday.."

In Fallujah, right? Ah, no. This happened in the land of the free and the armed to the teeth.
A must read. Check it out. More morale values shot to hell.
"The shooting began after he was told to leave a deer stand on private land in the Town of Meteor, east of Birchwood, in northwestern Wisconsin."

"The suspect was “sniping” at the victims with an SKS, a military assault-style weapon, Zeigle said. He was “chasing after them and killing them,” he said."

"One of the fatalities was female, he said. Another was a teenage boy, and the rest were men. Some of the victims were shot more than once.

All five were dead when officers arrived, Zeigle said."



Five killed in hunting argument

World Leaders Model New Male Fashion Trend

Write a caption for blondie

Sunday Night Sidebar Update

I finally got around to updating blog links. If I forgot anyone, please let me know.
Thank you all for your links and kind words.
The other links have been moved to this page.

What if God Just Said No to the U.S.?

What if there is a god much like the one that many people believe in - the "Thy will be done" god. Let's pretend that we are "puppets for the big guy in the sky" and we're "war is peace people" for a minute...


What if it's god's will that in order for there to be peace in the world and democracy in Iraq, that the US must suffer a tragic and debilitating defeat? Would we be willing to accept the fact that god wants the US to lose big time and be subject to decades of despair and poverty in our country?

We should have a party

A real political party that represents regular thinking people with real family values. Not family values that spew hatred like Republican family values. Not a bunch of wimpy Democrats who pretend to care, but don't.

The majority of Americans need a political party that gives people a chance to take responsibility for themselves.

I don't need religion in politics. It's too complicated. I don't need the stinking 10 Commandments. Jesus gave us 2. Love God (all creation), Love your Neighbor as yourself. Period. Encompasses everything. If you love, then you won't hurt others or yourself. How simple.

I want a simple political party. Not a mewling puking bleeding heart political party nor a fascist, controlling my life, party. Give all people a fair chance and have social programs for those who really need it. If we help those on the margins they are less likely to commit crimes against the rest of us. duh. How sad is it to step over homeless people in city train and bus stations. How very ridiculous to have that in the supposed greatest country in the world. What a farce.

After reading this excerpt from Maureen Dowd this morning, I knew that I just don't fit in the picture:

At the Republican governors' conference in New Orleans, Ken Mehlman, the Bush campaign manager, answered the question, Who's your daddy party? "If you drive a Volvo and you do yoga, you are pretty much a Democrat," he said. "If you drive a Lincoln or a BMW and you own a gun, you're voting for George Bush."

Where do I fit in? I drive a Chrysler Sebring even though I can afford a BMW, I like to walk for exercise even though I could sign up for a yoga class but I like to be outside, I don't have a gun and I don't want one. Who am I gonna shoot? I'd rather play my guitar or work in the garden for leisure. Where do I fit in? Where's my party?

I want fairness
I want honesty
I want social and economic justice for all
I want less crime and less jails
I want there to be no toleration for those who are greedy.
I want a media and politicians that can't be bought by special interests.
I want anti-trust laws
I want mom and pop stores to come back cause I want one.
I want peace.

UPDATE: Ooops, in the comments, I suggested a 'Superman' party for Truth, Justice and the American Way. It just came to my attention as I was reading the morning news at NewScientist.com that Superman is Too Super a Role Model:

Superman is too good a role model. Fans of the man from Krypton unwittingly compare themselves to the superhero, and realise they do not measure up. And as a result, they are less likely to help other people.

---

They [researchers] asked students to list the characteristics of Superman, or alternatively superheroes in general, as part of a larger questionnaire. Later on, subjects were given the opportunity to volunteer for a fictitious community programme.

Students who thought of Superman volunteered much less of their time than those who thought about other superheroes. Furthermore, Superman-primed subjects were significantly less likely to show up at a meeting for volunteers held three months after they were initially asked to participate.

Nevermind.

Amputees Can Go Back To The Battlefield

With all this new fangled medical technology, troops who have lost body parts can be up and running in no time and rejoin their units in Iraq. If you lost an arm or a leg or both, you can be put back together and run away from bombs, climb rocks and walls, shoot guns, throw grenades, drive a tank into a residential Iraqi neighborhood and kill more people! It won't even hurt if your fake limb gets blown off a second time.

"If there's somebody who drove a tank, we can build a simulated vehicle and actually allow them to drive that,'' said Lt. Col. Paul Pasquina, medical director of Walter Reed's amputee program. ``We look at the controls and figure out how they can operate it with either an upper extremity prosthesis or lower extremity prosthesis.''

I just love this country!

Voter Fraud Update

Astute reader, Jennifer, sent this link to more disturbing information about Florida elections from Jeff Fisher for Congress

Interesting...

Bitchin' on Sunday

by pissed off patricia

Hey, Mind if I Publish Your Tax Returns for All the World to See?

"Tax Disclosure Buried in Spending Bill"

I watched this play out on C-Span last night and it was reality TV at it's best. Stevens was about to explode and implode all at the same time. It appeared that a little hanky panky was discovered hiding in the Omnibus spending bill and it was rooted out by the Dems. Oops! According to Stevens it was a misstep by some staffers. Oh really? Staffers are inserting items into something like the Omnibus spending bill and it takes Dems to find it? The House must have missed this one when they passed the bill earlier in the day. Did they miss it? Mighty interesting.

My football fan husband got so caught up in what was happening in the Senate that he watched the discussion instead of part of the Florida/Florida State game. See, it was that kind of interesting. Too bad the addition of the limitations on abortions and women's rights had not gotten the same attention. At least though, it got some serious attention.

"Anti-abortion provision tucked in spending bill"

The Evil Empire: Wal-mart

After a recent post by my colleague, pissed off patricia, regarding Wal-mart, a visitor to this blog felt that liberals are hypocrites for knocking the very store that sells cheap stuff to poor people.

Funny stuff, but I thought you guys were supposed to be champions of the poor and friends of the underprivileged, unwashed masses. Where's all that compassion for those less fortunate souls who didn't win life's lottery or marry Teresa Heinz? Hypocrites.

I get that Wal-Mart is low brow, but could someone please explain to me why so many liberals hate Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart sells the cheapest stuff on earth. Where do you think all that welfare money goes? Po' folk shop at Wal-Mart. Hell, I shop at Wal-Mart.

Wouldn't it be better if all that welfare money went back to the people? To a mom and pop store? What happened to free enterprise? Wal-mart took care of that.

Sure it's hard not to shop at Wal-mart. Everyone wants a bargain. But is it worth it to be tempted by a bargain when Wal-mart (and their ilk:Home Depot) are making the gap between the top 1% and everyone else even larger? Is it worth it to give up democracy for a bargain? I think not. I'd rather live without stuff than give up my freedom. I miss the days of anti-trust laws.

What say you?

UPDATE: An astute reader and commenter left these links in case anyone had any doubts about the chilling effect of Wal-mart on our country.

1. The LA Times 2003 Series on Wal-Mart
2. Watch Frontline Series: Is Wal-mart Good For America?
3. Steve Gilliard: Working for Slave-mart

Saturday Funnies

Here's the preamble to the Republican Contract With America From 1994:

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA
As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

We're baaaack

The US is building a case for war against Iran (like we're so shocked). I hope the thinking human beings who work for the media are awake for this. Britain France and Germany are trying to deal diplomatically with Iran, but of course the Bush administration is saying that it's unlikely that Iran will really stop enriching uranium.

Would you stop enriching uranium if a foreign superpower reduced your neighboring countries to rubble? I didn't think so. What would we feel like if China invaded, occupied and reduced to rubble both Canada and Mexico? How much do you wanna bet that the US wanted to invade Iran from the get go but went for the neighbors first? Maybe bush isn't that stupid afterall. Well one thing is for sure. This administration has no family values, no fear of god, no morals and certainly no integrity.

This administration laughs in the face of true christianity. This administration makes a mockery of Jesus' teachings. This administration is a fraud. Christian values do not include war, torture, executions and lying.

Liberals do not despise Jesus or his teachings as they like to proclaim. It's a lie. In fact liberals are more in line with Jesus' teachings, whether they are christian or not, than this administration and the Bob Joneses and Jerry Falwells. Natural law, endowed on us by the creator and embraced by liberals demonstrates the love and forgiveness of Jesus. Don't let the xtian right tell you otherwise. They are lying, deceptive tools of evil who spit in the face of everything that is good in the world. I am just fucking sick of the bad guys pretending that they own Jesus.

War and fear sure keeps our minds off the raping and pillaging of our democracy.

So where is the underground railroad to Canada for our kids?

Bitchin' on Saturday

by pissed off patricia

I wouldn't plan that vacation in Iraq just yet, if I were you. Seems the flowers haven't arrived yet, so they are showering us with something else. Wonder if some in Washington are questioning their decision to get our country into this disaster? What runs through their head when they read a report like this one?

"Insurgents attack Baghdad police station
Three U.S. armored vehicles were in flames after clashes broke out"

Election Fraud Update

It's still being investigated. Not so much to change the results of the election, but it could. It's to be sure that the voice of the people actually counts. I'm sure you all know that military ballots were not counted. I for one, would have liked to know how the military voted. Wouldn't you? I find it interesting that not all votes are counted at all.

Isn't it strange though how exit polls are usually counted on to determine a winner long before many votes are counted, yet this time the exit polls were discounted in favor of electronic voting machines which have proven to be inaccurate and easily hacked? What did the media tell us? Oh yes, it told us that the exit polling had to be investigated, not the evoting machines.

It's also strange that Kerry just conceded, packed up and went away even though he had lawyers and money ready.

As it turns out One-Third of Bush Fund-Raisers Got Appointments. Others got to sleep at the White House. Remember when Clinton had fundraisers and contributors for a sleep over? oy. This time. Not a peep. Oh that liberal media. I hope they don't make a big deal out of that again.

Links:

• Exit Polls and Voter Fraud: A User-Friendly Explanation Op Ed News
• 'Stinking Evidence' of Possible Election Fraud Found in Florida by Thom Hartmann
• Was it Hacked? Orlando Weekly
• Democrats take up fight over ballots -Cleveland Plain Dealer
• Voting Trends of the 29 Democratic Florida Counties in Question Graph Independent Media
• Researchers: Florida Vote Fishy Wired.com

Just Say No To Shopping.

What better way to stick it to the man?
Oh I love the smell of anarchy in the morning....

Check out RevBilly.com.
He has the 1o Commandments for Buy Nothing Day 2004 (11/26)

And Join the Christmas Resistance Movement (Praise the Lord!) xmasresistance.org
Hat tip to Jesus Politics for the good links!

• People complain that Walmart ruins their communities, but they still shop there. It's cheap. People complain about the media, but they still watch it or read it.
• People complain about pollution but they drive SUVs and support the president who is devoted to industries who pollute and lowers the emissions standards and cuts down trees!
• People complain about corporations but they buy stock in them, they support them, they vote for an administration that gives more power to non-voting corporations than to the people.
• People complain about gasoline prices but they still drive gas guzzlers, take the car out several times a day for little errands, sit in traffic rather than use mass transit where available, drive a few blocks away, drive to work alone and keep the gas pumps pumping.

What ever happened to sacrifice? That's one thing that this administration is averse to, isn't it? When we were terrorized after 9/11, we were told to be scared, to be vigilant, but by all means to go shopping. What is wrong with this picture?

How much stuff do we need? Where do we put it? It's hard to get rid of it, isn't it? Stuff is a burden. Stop shopping.

Food For Thought

by Pissed Off Patricia

"The Politics of Victimization" by Mathew Gross
(thanks Uncle $cam for the link you left at the All Spin Zone)

And Mark Morford nails it again:
Monday Night Softcore
Who dares call into a TV network to complain about sex?
And can they be stopped?

"...Who are they who apparently have no problem having their gladiator-style violence interspersed with all manner of Barbie-doll cheerleaders who giggle and jiggle in a sea of Botox and silicon, but who cannot possibly tolerate the exposed shoulder blades of "Housewives" actress Nicollette Sheridan in a tame promo spot lest they clutch their hearts and call their senators in a seething colon-clenched fury?"

Movie Review: "The Hunting Of A President"

is based on the book by Joe Conason and Gene Lyons. The movie version which I viewed last night by Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry is a depressing look at the 8 years of Clinton bashing we were subjected to and also makes the current hijacking of the GOP even more clear to this viewer.

The movie was riddled with cutesy retro filmclips set to Morgan Freeman's narration. I could have lived without it, but I was watching it for content more than editing. The editing was pretty good though. There wasn't enough content, but I imagine Freeman would have to read the whole book to us in order for all the content to be covered.

The point of the movie was the smear campaign lodged against Bill Clinton from the get go. It featured interviews with Paul Begala, David Brock, Susan McDougal and various other journalists and people close to the McDougals and Clintons including some of the bad guys who hated Clinton in Arkansas and started this mess. Susan McDougal's account of what happened to her was chilling, especially the horrible way she was treated in prison. She is truly an American hero and patriot.

The smear campaign started with Arkansas right wing radicals who would do anything to smear Clinton including parading out Gennifer Flowers and that Paula Jones character. I remember that time in history even though I was very a-political at the time. I was busy doing the PTA and the mommy thing and only caught headlines in the paper and the evening news if I was lucky. I was a religion teacher, mind you, a recent graduate of a theological seminary and I was more disgusted at the pigs who went after Clinton than Clinton himself.

I was disappointed when I saw Paula Jones back then and disgusted when viewing the movie. Not that I have anything against hideous looking women, it was just that she was so sleezy and cheap. The whole story was so bogus. Honestly, a hunk like Clinton would never drop his drawers to seduce a woman. Nope. Men like him are used to women throwing themselves at them. He was no exception. We women used to discuss that at the playground. We figured that the people going after Clinton were just jealous of his charisma and charm. They still are.

Then the movie goes on to the Whitewater faux scandal. Watching that crap now in light of the worse scandals perpetrated by the bushies, just made me depressed. I am positive now that Whitewater was nothing. The journalists at the time sold their souls just like they did during the lead up to the Iraq quagmire we are in now.

When Hillary Clinton told the world about the vast right wing conspiracy, journalists scoffed, but in reality, many Americans knew it was true. I believed her because I couldn't believe the crap being paraded before us by the press about the president's private life. I always liked her and to this very day, I don't know why people hate her. Hillary was everything I wanted to be. Smart, self assured, outspoken, assertive and a babe. Only jealousy would make anyone hate her. But the movie wasn't about her. I'm just reminiscing.

After watching the movie, I'm interested in reading the book as I'm sure the movie simply glossed over the details. David Brock gave chilling descriptions of the time as did Susan McDougal. The depiction of Kenneth Starr didn't even come close to the evil and perverted man he really is but it did connect some dots I had missed. But all you have to do is think back to the Starr report and think of all the news coverage and your images of the giant circle jerk that must have gone on in the house when they read it. It was disgusting then and disgusting now. I never read the report and I refused to listen to it on TV. I guess back then the FCC wasn't into barring pornography and perversion on television like they are now. God, I hated the press and the senators questioning Clinton back then. What hypocrisy.

Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone. -Jesus

The movie makes no apologies for Clinton's indiscretion with Monica. Everyone was disappointed including myself although sometimes I think that she was a plant. Even the Clinton library stories from yesterday included references to his sex scandal. How sick. How very sick and perverted the press is. Not everyone in America likes this stuff. Why professional college educated journalists would pander to disseminating sleeze still amazes me although I understand that it's all about money and the bottom line and not ethics and truth.

Think about this: During Clinton's administration, the press was more interested in his detractors than what he was doing for the country and during the Bush administration, bush's detractors are glossed over and his lies are reported as truth. Weird, huh?

I remember my mother in law always telling me about the liberal agenda. What liberal agenda? Hell, we need an agenda and should get working on it right now. The first thing we have to do is plant liberals in the media.

You should definitely get your hands on this movie or the book.
By the way, we watched 'White Chicks' after 'Hunting of the President' so we wouldn't go to sleep depressed. White Chicks is hilarious.