Israel, the U.S. and You!

Nigel, a knowledgeable friend of a friend, sent this letter.  He says he was sick of reading about U.S. aid to Israel from people who "were really nasty, misguided, and probably Anti-Semitic.  ...  

"Why," he wonders, "do the same idiots spout the same old lies and restate the same old B.S.?"

What follows is what one man wrote in defense of Israel and against the "nasty, misguided, and probably Anti-Semitic" people. 

 + + + +

Israel receives money to purchase U.S. weapons made by U.S. companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, etc. These are all U.S. Companies with U.S. employees and U.S. manufacturing footprints.

About 1/3 of the money from the U.S. to Israel goes directly back to the U.S. Treasury through taxes. The other 2/3 goes to companies which employ U.S. workers and are owned by U.S. taxpayers. 

All capital gains, share repurchases, and dividend payments are eventually taxed with proceeds again going to the U.S. Treasury. So it takes a bit of time, but all money provided to Israel for weapons/arms purchases comes back to the U.S. Treasury. 

Since the money comes back to the U.S. Treasury after earning a return, the U.S. taxpayer actually makes money on the whole transaction. For example, if Boeing earns a 10% return on all invested capital, the taxpayer receives the remaining 2/3 at 10% interest.

This is far higher than the U.S. government can earn investing in U.S. government bonds. So you can stop whining. There is a delay, but the U.S. taxpayer actually comes out ahead in the end.

Now what does the U.S. get in addition to the return of its money?

1) Israel keeps American scientists, engineers, and manufacturers employed. As King Obama cuts military spending, Israel picks up the slack so that American defense workers aren't fired and join the food stamp lines.  [Editorial note:  "King Obama" doesn't cut military spending and has not done so!  The Pentagon continues to dominate the U.S. budget  and will doubtless do so for the foreseeable future!]

 

2) Israel buys America's most sophisticated systems and weapons, which Israel always upgrades as Israel is the 2nd most important technical center in the world. Israel always informs the U.S. of these improvements, so the U.S. receives invaluable RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT for free. These improvements are often included in the weapons the U.S. employs at home and around the world to protect us. Not too shabby.

3) Israel is basically an extremely large and powerful U.S. military base. It would cost the U.S. 25x to run its own bases in the region if it tried to recreate Israel's footprint. The U.S. uses Israel as a first line defense against the Muslim terrorists including Iran and ISIS.

 

So from the U.S. taxpayers' prospective, the U.S. gets to outsource a very highly trained and skilled military on the cheap. And while the U.S. has military bases elsewhere in the Middle East, they are much smaller, very expensive to operate, aren't permanent, and aren't safe to house our most powerful weapons.

 

4) If the U.S. is ever attacked by Iran or other Muslim countries with missiles, the Iron Dome System (which Israel and the US. jointly developed) and other systems being developed will be used to shoot down those missiles. The system works so well because it has been extensively field tested to knock down the Hamas rockets.

 

What many Americans don't realize is that Israel has effectively become the 51st state. Nearly every S&P 500 company has an Israeli division. And a huge amount of Israeli technology is inside every smart phone, router, and computer. If you used your smart phone today to make a call or access the internet, you've used Israeli technology (lots of it in fact). 

Unlike China which just provides cheap labor and cheap manufacturing and then steals our technology, Israeli technology helps to make U.S. products and services better. From Apple to Intel to Facebook to Cisco, nearly every tech company shaping our world today and tomorrow has assets in Israel which benefit U.S. consumers and taxpayers. Without Israel, a major R&D center for the entire U.S. Fortune 500 would simply not exist.

 

Also, there is no Muslim country that would ever fight for the U.S. (air power and boots on the ground) in any significant way. The U.S. outsources the second best air force in the world for FREE. Why do I say free? Because the Israeli government provides the top shelf pilots, training exercises, and bases. Israel, by taking on Hamas and Hezbollah, has already been fighting (and bleeding) for U.S. interests. And if Iran were to ever to get close to attacking the U.S. with missiles, Israel would without delay attack on our behalf. That is meaningful and irreplaceable.

 

P.S. - Your life has probably already been saved by technology developed in Israel. Israeli doctors, scientists, and researchers are working at the bleeding edge of nearly every medical advancement. Moreover, just about every major American pharma, biotech, and medical device company employees Israelis for their superior skills and educations.

If you see a paralyzed American soldier walking with robotic limbs, that is Israeli technology. And if you or your family members have been sick in the past 10 years, they've been helped by Israeli medical innovations. 

Though the doctors treating you won't tell you (they probably won't even know), your life will likely be saved by some very smart Israelis working half-way around the world for the betterment of humankind.

Christian Fundies vs the Taliban

The following article comes from RightWingWatch.  I have changed just a few words:  where the interim dean used the word, "Christian," I substituted "Muslim."  Where she used the word, "God," I substituted the word, "Allah," and the word, "Scripture" was changed to "the Koran."

* * * *

Recently, Rena Lindevaldsen, Liberty University Law School's interim dean, delivered an address to students on the question "Do Government Officials Have Authority to Impose Their Morals on Others?"

Lindevaldsen's answer was a resounding "yes," provided that the morals being imposed are Muslim ones. But if the morals being imposed are not Muslim ones, then the answer is obviously "no." As she explained, "civil government only has the authority that Allah has established" and so "civil government, if it's acting rightfully within its authority, should be acting consistent with the Koran."

"Government's only just authority [is] derived from Allah and it's purpose is to protect those inalienable rights that we have been given, not to infringe them as we're seeing take place a lot in society today," Lindevaldsen said. "Whether it's zoning or taxes or marriage or abortion, in those issues, government doesn't have authority to say that these things are appropriate because they're contrary to the Koran."

* * * *

The point of this little exercise is to illustrate rather dramatically that rightwing Christian fundamentalists who insist on their way or the highway, who have convinced themselves this is a Christian nation, who are devoutly certain that their god demands his laws (as interpreted by fundamentalist rightwing Christians) become the law of the land, are no different in essence than Muslim fundamentalists/extremists!

And that, my friends, is why they're so dangerous.


There's more here: 

Jeb Bush's Vision is Eric Cantor's Vision

Eric Cantor, one of the most sloppy political philosophers in modern times, has endorsed Jeb Bush for president.  Evidently, Jeb's vision for the United States lines up with Eric's vision for the United States.

Here's what Cantor twitted:

"Governor Bush is a true conservative leader with a long-term vision for this country and the practical know-how to implement it," Cantor said in a statement. "After eight years of anemic growth and declining international relevance, America needs a president that can re-energize our nation and recapture our greatness – Jeb Bush is that man. I look forward to working closely with the governor and his team as they chart a course to the White House."


Okay, when you've stopped laughing, give that statement another read.  I've come to believe, founded on overwhelming evidence, that Eric Cantor is one of millions of Republicans who live in an alternate reality, or who believe that if they believe some thing with enough fervor it will become true, or who simply are incapable of perceiving the truth through the fog of their political power ambitions.

I mean, really, read this sentence again:  "...Bush is a true conservative leader with a long-term vision for this country and the practical know-how to implement it."  That is probably the biggest pile of hogwash I've read in a long time.  Jeb is thought to be the smart brother.  He's not.  G.W. Jr. is much smarter.  Jeb has no long-term vision for this country.  He can barely get from one day to the next.  And if past is prelude, watch out, because his long-term vision for Florida when he was governor was to privatize everything, break down the Constitutional barrier between church and state, ruin our public schools, and make his rich friends richer.

But even more bizarre is Cantor's statement that "After eight years of anemic growth and declining international relevance, America needs a president that can re-energize our nation and recapture our greatness."

We could write several pages about how Obama's economic program has saved the country from another Great Depression; how job growth has accelerated; how the deficit has shrunk; how millions of people without health care, now are covered under the Affordable Care Act; how we've repaired our relationships with world leaders and other countries which G.W. Bush managed to destroy; how we pulled back from the Middle East and at the same time finished our business with bin Laden, etc., etc.

Hmmm.  So why would Cantor or anyone want to go back to the economic "growth" we suffered through under Georgi W. Bushki, who bailed out everyone but the people who needed it, whose economic policies damn near destroyed our country, whose international shenanigans brought us nothing but heartache and death and the evolution of hatred as expressed by the resurgent 7th-century barbarians, ISIS?


If there are any right-wing Christians reading this, please get on your knees and pray to your god that Jeb's vision (which is Cantor's vision) never, ever gets put into play in the U.S. of A. 

Donald Trump has visions, too.  Actually, they're nightmares, and I don't agree with him about the time of day but once in awhile he makes me laugh, especially when he jabs people like Cantor for their stupidity.  When he heard that Cantor had endorsed Jeb, he said something to the effect, "Well, who cares?  Who wants the endorsement of a person who lost in one of the biggest Congressional upsets in history?"

As chief clown in the Republican wannabee Clown Car, Trump may yet bring down the Republican Party.

And that's a good thing.

Huckabee and Huckster

On the left:  Mike Huckabee:  Baptist preacher.  Teevee personality.  Presidential wannabee.  Homophobe.  Anti-Choice.  Faux Christian.  Close friend of Josh Duggar.

On the right:  Josh Duggar:  Member of infamous family of gadzillion children.  Right wing Christian spokesperson.  Homophobe.  Anti-Choice.  Child molester.  Has addiction to violent sex.   Faux Christian.  Close friend of Mike Huckabee.

Is this a great country or what?  


[Photo from Americablog, and Tengrain at Mock, Paper, Scissors/Flickr]

Martin Luther should be excommunicated

[Photo from Wikipedia]

Some years back a Lutheran pastor friend of mine presented me with a gift.  I expressed my gratitude in an appropriate manner and put it on a shelf.  The gift was a small statue of the one Lutherans consider their founder and the closest thing in Lutheranism to a saint.

While this is neither here nor there, the statue is very well done and may have accrued some value.  I'll keep it a little longer.

Ask most Lutherans what they know about Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) and if you get anything at all it will consist of a few pious phrases about the great piety of Pastor Luther and how he began this thing called Protestantism, posting 95 theses on a church door, and that the Lutheran churches are named after him.

Ask many Lutheran pastors what they know about Martin Luther and based upon my experiences from years past, I'd guess you'd get comments very similar to those expressed by the laity.  Luther is spoken of in reverential terms, as worthy of emulation and adoration, and if by chance his shortcomings are mentioned, they are hushed over with some fanciful mental gymnastics which usually involve phrases such as "Well, he was a man of his time, and a man of his culture," which is used to excuse the fact that not only was he a raging anti-Semite, but ignorant of the Bible in the most profound sense, and filled with bile and hatred for those who disagreed with him.  Luther had no scientific leanings, but abhorred the use of reason as a means of determining the truth.  He believed in magic, in witches, and in evil spirits.

Martin Luther is known best for his notion of "salvation by grace, through faith" which he had stumbled upon while reading the New Testament.  It resonated mightily with him because he had always felt unworthy before God; that he could never live up to what God demanded of him.

Aha!  Here was his answer.  He didn't need to worry anymore.  All he needed was faith and God would accept him.  His "works"  --  those things he did or neglected to do --  didn't matter so much relative to his salvation status.

Then there's the story of him nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg (the story may be more legendary than real.)  He opposed the Roman Catholic practice of granting "indulgences" for the payment of money and his "theses" were arguments against the practice.   An indulgence was thought important for it could take years off a person's time in purgatory.  Luther thought this practice could not be supported by scripture.

Maybe he was just looking for an out.  He was headstrong and willful and didn't bow easily to authority.  There were many other practices current in the Roman church which could not be found in Scripture to which could also have objected.  The notions of "mortal" as opposed to "venial" sins is not found in the Bible.  The idea that a priest can forgive sin is not found in the Bible; nor was the doctrine of purgatory.

Whatever, it was his belief in salvation by grace through faith, that became the core of his "protesting" system.


Certainly, Luther was a man of his time.  We cannot expect him to know of Biblical criticism, historical criticism, literary criticism.  He would have no knowledge that Paul's letters are the earliest books in the New Testament and that the Gospels come much later.  He would not know that a number of the books or letters attributed to Paul were not from his hand at all, but from other, unknown writers.

Furthermore, Paul believed in seven heavens.  I've always been curious as to why that fact is supremely ignored by ancient and current theologians and religious historians.

What follows are some quotes which put into bold relief why it is correct to say Luther was a man of his time.  These were collected from his writings by the Freethought
organization.

Luther says:

"Idiots, the lame, the blind, the dumb, are men in whom the devils have established themselves: and all the physicians who heal these infirmities, as though they proceeded from natural causes, are ignorant blockheads."

"I myself saw and touched at Dessay, a child of this sort, which had no human parents, but had proceeded from the Devil.  He was twelve years old, and, in outward form, exactly resembled ordinary children."

"In Switzerland, on a high mountain, not far from Lucerne, there is a lake they call Pilate's Pond, which the Devil has fixed upon as one of the chief residences of his evil spirits...."

"The fool [Copernicus] wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy.  But sacred scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and not the earth."

"No gown worse becomes a woman that the desire to be wise."

"We may will lie with what seems to be a woman of flesh and blood, and yet all the time is only a devil in the shape of a woman."

"When I was a child there were many witches, and they bewitched both cattle and men, especially children."

"As to the common people, ... one has to be hard with them and see that they do their work and that under the threat of the sword and the law they comply with the observance of piety just as you chain up wild beasts."

"Some [demons] are also in the thick black clouds, which cause hail, lightning and thunder, and poison the air, the pastures and grounds."

"The winds are nothing else but good or bad spirits.  Hark! how the Devil is puffing and blowing..."

"A large number of deaf, crippled and blind people are afflicted solely through the malice of the demon.  And one must in no wise doubt that plagues, fevers and every sort of evil come from him."

"An earthly kingdom cannot exist without inequality of persons.  Some must be free, some serfs, some rulers, some subjects."

"I feel much freer now that I am certain the pope is the Antichrist."


Yes, Luther was a man of his time.  Not many today would agree with the sentiments expressed above (although there are some among us who probably agree too readily!).  For most of us, Luther speaks nonsense.  His words have no meaning.  We know that what he believes is simply not true in any sense.

So, when Luther speaks of deaf, crippled and blind people as if their afflictions were caused by a "demon" or the Devil, we cringe for we know he is full of shit.  (By the way, he was quite vulgar and often used the word, "shit," in his sermons).

So by what irrational strangulation of our mental faculties do we conclude on the one hand that his interpretation of the Bible is correct and should be a foundation stone of our faith (if we are Christians) but the rest of what he believed is pure shit?

If Luther's ideas about the world and the universe and people were full of shit, why does anyone give credence to his notion of "salvation by grace through faith."  What makes him "right" in this belief and not in his other beliefs, other than our wish that it is so?

If truth be told, this is a terrible doctrine that makes God into a horrible monster.  It means that a person who spends his or her life doing good, making the world a better place, saving lives, etc., but rejects Luther's notion of faith, will spend an eternity in torturous hell fire, whereas a Hitler, whose life is committed to killing many millions of people and destroying entire countries, can be welcomed at the Pearly Gates if, at his last breath, says "I believe.  I have faith in Luther's Christ."

What utter nonsense!


The title of this essay speaks of Luther being excommunicated.  That's nonsense, too.  The Christian church still reveres this corrupt and ignorant fool.  He belongs, he's one of them.

Termination of the Chosen People Contract

To:  Lord, our God, King of the Universe

From:  The Jews

Re:  Termination of Our Special Status as The Chosen People


As you are aware, the contract made between you (God) and Abraham is up for renewal, and this memorandum is to advise you that after, yes, those many millennia of consideration, we've decided not to renew.

We should point out immediately that there is nothing in writing, and contrary to popular beliefs, we have not really benefited too much from this arrangement.

If you go back to the early years of our arrangement, it definitely started off on the wrong footing.  Not only were Israel and Judea invaded almost every year, but we went to enormous expense to erect, not one but two Temples and they were both destroyed.  Of course, you know all this, but we feel it's a good thing to account for all the reasons we wish to terminate the contract.

After the Hittites, Assyrians, etc., not only were we beaten up almost daily, but then we were sold off as slaves to Egypt (of all countries), and really lost a few hundred years of development. 

Now we realize that you went to a great deal of trouble to send Moses to lead us out of Egypt; and those poor Egyptian buggers were smitten with all those plagues.  But, reflecting on those years, we are at a loss to understand why it took almost 40 years to make a trip that El Al now does in 45 minutes.

Also, while not appearing to be ungrateful, Moses did lead us to the left instead of to the right at Sinai:  To the only place in the Middle East without any oil, and with water that is controlled by Jordan and Syria.  Oy, if only he had stopped to ask directions.

OK, so mineral rights were not part of the deal, but then the Romans came and we were really up to our necks in dreck.  While it's true the Romans did give us water fit to drink, aqueducts, and baths, it was very disconcerting to walk down one of the vias, look up and see one of your friends or family nailed to a three-by-four looking for all the world like a sign post

Even one of our princes, Judah ben Hur, got caught up with Roman stuff and drove like a crazy man around the Coliseum!  It's a funny thing, but many people swore that Ben Hur had an uncanny resemblance to Moses -- go figure.

Then, of all things, one of our most up-and-coming carpenters (he did great work, real cheap) declared himself your son (there was nothing said like this about Abe) and before we knew what was what, a whole new religion sprang up.

To add insult to injury, we were dispersed all over the world two or three times while this new goy (oops, guy) really caught on.  We were truly sorry to hear that the Romans executed him like so many others, but -- and this will make you laugh -- once again we were blamed.

Couldn't someone else be chosen, maybe just once?

Now here's something we really don't understand.  That guy, Jesus Christ, really came into his own.  Millions of people revered and worshiped his name and scriptures - and still killed us by the millions.  They claimed we drank the blood of newborn infants, controlled the world banks, operated the world's media, etc.

Are we beginning to make our point here?

So let's fast forward a few hundred years to the Crusades.  Hoo boy!  Again, we were caught in the middle.  They, the lords and knights, came from all over Europe to smack the Arabs and open up the holy places, but before we knew what hit us, they were killing us along with everyone ese.

Every time a king or a pope was down in the opinion polls, they called for a Crusade or Holy War (today they're called a jihad), and went on a killing rampage in our land. 

So, you tested us a little here and there, but some bright cleric in Spain came up with the Inquisition.  We all thought it was a new game show, but once again we and quite a few others were used as firewood for a whole new street lighting arrangement in major Spanish cities. 

Alright, that ended after about a hundred years or so - in the great scheme of things not a long time.  But every time we settled down in one country or another, they kicked us out.  We wandered around a few hundred years or so but it never changed. 

Finally, we settled in a few countries but they insisted we all live in ghettos, while the Russians came up with progroms.  We all thought they made a spelling mistake and misspelled "programs," but we were dead wrong (very dead wrong).

Apparently, when there was nothing else to occupy their time, killing Jews was the thing to do. 

Now comes the really tough noogies.  We were doing quite well, thank you, in a small European county called Germany, when some house painter wrote a book, said a few things that caught on and became their leader!  Oh boy, what a bad day that was for us -- your Chosen People (by now, you must be getting the drift of this email?)

We really didn't know where you were in the earth years 1933 to 1945.  We know everyone needs a break now and then, even the Lord God Almighty needs some time off.

But when we needed you most, you were never around.  You are probably aware of this, but if you have forgotten, over six million of your Chosen People, along with millions unchosen others were murdered in cold blood.  They even made lampshades out of our skins!

Look, we don't want to dwell on the past, but it gets even worse.

Here we are, it's 1948, and millions of us are displaced again, when you really pull a fast one.  We finally get our own land back!  Yes, after all these years, you arrange for us to go back.

Then all the Arab countries immediately declare war on us.  We have to tell you that sometimes your sense of humour eludes us.

So, with all the wars, and we're now in a new century, but nothing's changed.  We keep getting blown up, hijacked and kidnapped.  We have no peace whatsoever.

Enough is enough!  We hope you understand that nothing's forever (except you, of course), and we respectfully would like to pull out of our verbal agreement vis a vis being your Chosen People.

Look, sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't.  Let's be friends over the next few eons and see what happens. 

Meanwhile, how about this idea?  We're sure you recall that Abraham had a whole other family from Ismael (the ones who got the oil).  How about making them your chosen people for a few thousand years?

Respectfully yours,

The Jews


[Author unknown.  Hat tip to Bob Poris.]

Michele Bachmann, Ignorance, and the End Times

Why anyone would give a rat's ass what Michele Bachmann thinks about anything these days is a foul mystery.  Unfortunately, there are many people in the U.S. who are as screwed up as is Ms. Bachmann.  Steeped in ignorance and paganism, they tear the Bible to shreds as they attempt to give credence to their political religiosity.

Most all of these people despise President Obama.  These are the "birthers," the ones who call him a Muslim, a socialist, a Marxist, or worse.  But all of that is merely to disguise their racism.  They hate Obama because he is only half-Caucasian, or more importantly from their point of view, half-Black.

Bachmann's pronouncements become "news" because she is not alone.  The United States, during the years that I've been alive, has become a nation of pious, pompous ignoramuses - people who vote for the totally unqualified, George W. Bush for example; people who think Mr. Trump would be a good president; people who ignore Ben Carson's inane nonsense; people who would vote for Christy, or Santorum, or Jeb Bush, or Mario, or any other of the creepy-crawlies who have lined up to seek the golden ring.  There are millions of Bachmanns by other names!


Just recently, Bachmann did an interview on a Christian right-wing radio program.  Bachmann has a history of warning that Obama's actions are going to bring about the "end times."  If he plays a round of golf, takes a walk on the beach, or reads a book, Bachmann will find a reason (and a Biblical passage) to "prove" these actions are the catalyst for the "end times."

Ironically, scientists have recently concluded that there will, indeed, be an "end times."  But it has nothing to do with pagan prophecy or deluded ex-Congresspersons, or Israel, or the U.S., or Russia, or Slovakia.  Scientists have determined the universe is dying.  It won't happen for eons, but the death throes have begun!  

Bachmann and her minions, however, worry not about the universe for their world is encompassed by the small empty areas of their brains.  As reported by Right Wing Watch, in this radio interview, Bachmann proclaimed that the Iran nuclear agreement is "proof" that we're living in the "end times."  The vote by the United Nations Security Council was "the most important national security event of my lifetime" and a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:3 where the prophet sees the nations of the world uniting against Israel, says this moron.

She went on to say, proving again how dense she is, that God would use "heaven's armies," which includes "groups like AIPAC to defeat the deal in Congress and in doing so 'prove to the world His power and His strength.'"

If God's going to defeat the deal, then the "end times" must certainly be delayed or postponed.  So we won't be living in the "end times."  Consistency has never been one of Bachmann's strong suits. 


It's all nonsense, of course.  Bachmann is neither Jew nor Christian.  Maybe she's Paulinian.  Her religion is light years away from what Jesus taught.

Zechariah, along with Haggai and Malachi, constitute a triad - the last of Israel's prophets.  The book of Zechariah derives in part from "the early years of the reign of Darius I (522-486 BCE)."  It is concerned with "the restoration of community in the Persian period ... and legitimizes the rebuilding of the Temple."  It emphasizes repentance and urges the people to follow God's will so they can "avoid the fate of their ancestors."

It looks forward to an "ideal future in which the remnant of Israel will grow and prosper, Jerusalem will take its proper place, the Temple will become the focal point of worship for the entire world, and the kingship of the Lord [Yahweh, not Jesus] will be recognized by all nations."

Zechariah is not about the "end times" or the "Rapture."  It's about "future glory" for Zion.  The prophet sees much turmoil, a "cosmic upheaval" even, which will result in a new Jerusalem.


But there's more.  Many scholars are quite certain that originally, the book of Zechariah included only chapters 1-8, and that at a later time, the rest - chapters 9-14 - were added to give the book its current arrangement.  Each of these two sections are by different authors and the latter chapters derive from the Hellenistic period

While Christians early on interpreted certain messianic passages as applying to their Christ, they did so wrongly and do so wrongly today.  The writers of Zechariah knew not of Jesus or any other particular messianic figure.  And while many in the rabbinic community felt these texts may have referred to a messianic time of the future -a time when the Lord (Yahweh) would rule and Jerusalem would be the center of the world - this messianic time was not thought to be, in any sense, the "end times" but the beginning of a new time!

Zechariah chapter 12 begins with a poem which is a prophetic "word of the Lord":

"The utterance of the Lord,
Who stretched out the skies
And made firm the earth,
And created man's breath within him:

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a bowl of reeling for the peoples all around.  Judah shall be caught up in the siege upon Jerusalem... [verse 3] when all the nations of the earth gather against her."

But this again has nothing to do with the "end times" and in fact, will be a joyous time, for the Lord says, "I will make Jerusalem a stone for all the peoples to lift; all who lift it shall injure themselves."  There's more along those lines but the end result is that those who fight against Jerusalem will be "devoured" and "Jerusalem shall continue on its site, in Jerusalem."


None of this has anything whatsoever to do with current events, or the United States, or Iran, or Canada, or Turkey, or Iraq, or Syria, or Greece, or Obama, or the United Nations, or nuclear war or my cat, Cleopatra!

The UN Security Council vote does not fulfill "the prophecy of Zechariah."  

God and "heaven's armies" (e.g. AIPAC) will not be used by God to defeat the Iran deal in Congress.


Ignorant flakes like Bachmann and all the other non-Christian con artists - Mike Huckabee, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, Rick Perry, Jindal, Jeb, Santorum, etc. - are, well, full of crap!  They massacre the Bible and especially the prophets for their own misguided and sick political ideologies.

You may safely ignore anything and everything they have to say.

It is impossible to be a Christian and a member of the Republican Party

 [Jesus and the rich young ruler]

Paul Krugman, the erstwhile economist, noted that during that so-called debate last week between the Republican wannabe pretenders to the throne, our economic problems were referred to 10 times while God was mentioned 19 times.

Many, if not most of these suits who wish to sit in the Oval Office, claim to be Christians and they're damn proud of it!  Mike Huckabee, maybe the least Christian of the bunch, is a Southern Baptist preacher, among other things.  Jeb! is a Roman Catholic.  Mario was a Catholic, then a Mormon, then a Baptist, and I think he's again given his fealty to the papacy.  Whatever religious garb they wear, they wear it with pride and often use their religion to bolster their political views.  Everyone of them is homophobic and can quote chapter and verse where the Bible says homosexuality is an "abomination."

The stories of Jesus that appear in the New Testament frequently call attention to his animosity toward the Pharisees.  Even if the story of Jesus is factual (there's no evidence to support such a claim), the men who cobbled together their stories from the first writer Mark, (who, in turn, cobbled his story from an unknown source), all make note of the difference between Jesus and the religious leaders of the time. 

This is suspect, because, in fact, the Pharisees were the good guys of the first century, doing the work of God to the best of their ability.  The priests were the ones who tended to climb over the common folk on their way to the temple.  Because the gospels were written many long years after Jesus was supposed to have walked the dusty trails of Palestine, the writers had some problems determining just what was the religious situation in Jesus' day.  And it is likely none of them were Jewish!  None of the gospel writers had met him or knew him but simply copied and modified material which had been put together in a rather shaky attempt to give a history to the Christ to which Paul and others referred. 

We don't know who wrote the gospel stories.  The names are fictitious.  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, could just as well have been Samuel, Joseph, Nathan and David.  And by the 2nd Century, there had developed a good deal of animosity between the Christians and the Jews.  That animosity is reflected in many of the gospel tales.

It would be reasonable to conclude that if Jesus had been real he would not have been in conflict with the Pharisees.  They were devoted to keeping the law, as was he.  Jesus was a teacher (rabbi) as well as a healer and a prophet.  If Jesus had been real he would have worked with the Pharisees, not in opposition to them, as they mirrored his love for God and the Law.

Nevertheless, the gospels are adamant about a spiritual conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees.  Now the Pharisees were human beings, just like the rest of us.  I'm sure there were good ones, some not-so-good ones, and a few rascals.  The rascals are the ones that got Jesus' attention for they were often hypocritical, calling for obedience to God and his Law, while flouting it in their own lives.  Jesus said they liked to stand in the middle of the street and pray loudly believing that others would think more highly of them for their spirituality.  Jesus said they were hypocrites and his followers should not do that but should shut themselves in a closet when they pray!


Jesus said many other things, most of which, if not all of which, the Republican Party and its leaders pretend to believe but disavow in their principles and their actions.  One thing I've mentioned numerous times on this blog is the fact that Jesus had no use for riches or the wealthy and in fact said it would be almost impossible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

And speaking of prayer:  The Republican Party continues to fight to force our public institutions to allow Christian prayer, in classrooms and public venues.  Rick Perry, the hypocritical former governor of Texas, was one of the leaders of a huge public prayer service in Houston a few years ago.   This was exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught!

The Republican Party is founded on greed and fed by the rich!  The Republican Party lives to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.  And they do this while claiming to be good Christians.  How can this be?  They invoke the old fears of "socialism" and "communism" and they wring their hands because so many of our problems are brought on by immigrants and the minorities.   Racism is always blatant in the Republican Party!

The Republican Party refuted the election of a black president.  This was purely racial.  We've not seen the likes of such hatred and non-cooperation.  The Republican Party, from the moment Mr. Obama was elected, swore to do everything in its power to bring him down, and welcomed into the Party all those teapot crackpots and other nuts who fearlessly proclaimed any lie about President Obama that came to their demented minds.  Even today, many in the Republican Party can't bring themselves to say Mr. Obama is a citizen of the United States!  Even today, many claim he is a Muslim!


The Republican Party in 2015 stands in open opposition to almost everything the Jesus of the Gospels taught.  Jesus taught us not to judge others, to turn the other cheek, to give our cloaks to those who are cold, to walk the extra mile, to feed the poor, to take care of the sick, to visit those who are in prison.  

The Republican Party in 2015 is a war party.  It is homophobic, judging homosexuals as deviants designed to hell.  It doesn't turn the other cheek, it puts on the gloves.  It doesn't take care of the poor, it figures out new ways every day to screw the poor and put more people in prison and then privatize the prisons so the rich can get richer!  Millions of Americans do not have health care.  The Republican Party has fought any attempt to provide health care for those without and continues to do so.  Today, Republican leaders are vowing to fight Obama's agreement with Iran, even if it leads to war and the deaths of millions of people!


It is impossible to be a Christian and a member of the Republican Party!


Note:  These thoughts were crystallized from an article in Daily Kos, "You Cannot be a Republican and a Christian."

What Would Jesus NOT Do?

Women in the World 2012: Meryl Streep's Tribute to Hillary Clinton

Israel ¡Seeing is Believing!

1 Corinthians 13

So You Want a Day Off?

A Day Off

[This is an email response from the boss to an employee when the employee asked for a day off.]


So you want a day off?  Well, let's take a look at what's involved in such a request.

There are 365 days per year available for work.  There are 52 weeks per year in which you already have two days off per week, leaving 261 days available for work.  Since you spend 16 hours each day away from work, you have used up 170 days, leaving only 91 days available. 

You spend 30 minutes each day on coffee breaks that account for 23 days each year, leaving only 68 days available.  With a one-hour lunch break each day you have used up another 48 days, leaving only 22 days available for work.

You normally spend two days per year on sick leave.  This leaves you 20 days available for work.  We offer five holidays per year, so your available work time is down to 15 days.  We also generously give you 14 days vacation per year which leaves you only one day available for work and I'll be damned if you're going to take that day off!


[Source unknown]

The People Who Own and Run the United States

There are many rich people who have their hooks into the American people.  Two of the most important are the Koch Brothers who are brilliantly creating a new country in their own image through the use of a variety of front groups and paid hacks and organizations like ALEC.

Daily Kos has a most enlightening article on our new plutocracy.  Here's a piece of it:

These are the groups that own the Republican party. And let's be clear, in point of fact they are the Republican Party.  The McConnells, the Inhofes, the Tea Party ilk who vote in lockstep at their bidding are really nothing more than paid-off stand-ins. These organizations, ALEC in particular, are made up of industry lobbyists, executives and  corporate lawyers who will actively and eagerly sell us all down the river in a heartbeat if it means more profits. When you cut to the bone of what the Tea Party really is, it's this: a group of fat and irate fossil fuel corporations who will pay any price to stop the U.S. government from checking their endless thirst for increased profits, increased drilling, increased mining. More than anything else, this shows why the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision was such an abomination: it allowed people just like this to take over our country by buying out our political system. This time, however, what they're doing has life-altering consequences for us all. And right now there is only one person stopping them from doing that--the guy in the Oval Office.
What is ALEC? This is ALEC:

ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through the secretive meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council, corporate lobbyists and state legislators vote as equals on ‘model bills’ to change our rights that often benefit the corporations’ bottom line at public expense. ALEC is a pay-to-play operation where corporations buy a seat and a vote on ‘task forces’ to advance their legislative wish lists and can get a tax break for donations, effectively passing these lobbying costs on to taxpayers. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations.

Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills.

This is what Democracy has come to in the United States of America.  There are a lot of words for it, Oligarchy, Corporatocracy, Plutocracy. Whatever you want to call it, their already-organized response to the President's proposed EPA Rulemaking fits the bill:


Please read the rest of the article here.






  

Caitlyn Jenner - Republican Elitist Snob

It must be difficult to feel out of place in your own body, to feel that you've been screwed, gender-wise, and in Caitlyn's case to feel that you're not a male but a female even though by all outward appearances, you look male.

It must be even more difficult when you head into middle age with a wife and family and even more of a problem when you have become famous and rich as a male athlete and Reality Teevee star.

So, I have a certain amount of sympathy for the former Bruce Jenner, now known as Caitlyn, during this transition period.

I am, however, sick and tired of hearing about it.  I'm sick and tired of looking at her picture every single day when I turn on my computer.  [Note:  I see the hypocrisy in posting the photo above!]  But that's not necessarily her fault.

Now, it turns out there is reason to be frustrated and angry with Ms. Jenner.  She's a Republican.  That, in and of itself, isn't worthy of hell, but she's a right-wing Republican.

She doesn't like poor people; people who, she claims, game the system to get free government money so they don't have to work.  And like the typical Republican she has nothing to say about the huge amounts of corporate welfare expended by the government, or the fact that many of the rich pay little or no taxes, often avoiding their fair share by hiding their money in off-shore accounts. 

What is it with these wealthy Republicans?  They seem to have no capacity for either sympathy or empathy.  Anyone who isn't rich is obviously a slacker and not worthy of our attention or help.

So, Ms. Jenner, I don't give a damn whether you're a man, woman or frog.  But I do care that you're an elitist, selfish, uncaring human being.  Of course, these days, that qualifies you to run for president under the Republican flag!

What might have been!

Some people say there's no difference worth mentioning between Republican and Democratic politicians.  They're equally bad. 

These are usually people who don't like tension or confrontation or dealing with ambivalence.  It's much more convenient to dream up a false-equivalency between the two major parties.  It relieves them of any responsibility if the wrong group gains power.

There is a difference, however.  What is that difference, ah, I have it now.  It's the intelligent look on the face of the cow.  Oh, wait, that's another story my dad used to tell about girls chewing gum.  He was not a feminist. 

But consider this:  Almost every single piece of progressive legislation - legislation which provided assistance to the people of this country over the past 50 years - has been enacted by members of the Democratic Party!  Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, business regulations to keep the bankers honest, FDA regulations to keep your medicines safe, environmental regulations to save your national forest and parks and keep our water safe to drink and our air safe to breathe.  Regulations to keep our food safe to eat.  Legislation to protect and improve our public schools.  Laws protecting the right of workers to unionize and bargain for fair treatment and pay.  Laws protecting the right to vote.  And much more.

This is the truth:  The Republican Party has fought every single one of these legislative efforts and every one of these regulatory actions!  If the Republican Party had had it's way, there would be no Social Security, no Medicare, no Medicaid, no welfare for single moms and dad, no protection for workers, no health care for anyone (except themselves), and today it is the Republican Party that is trying to destroy our public schools, privatize our prisons, deregulate just about everything, and chainsawing the right to vote for millions of our citizens.  And significantly, it's the Republicans who have fought tooth and nail any attempt to deal with what is most likely the most serious challenge we have ever faced as a nation and as a world - that of climate change and global warming!


The presidency is where the difference between a Democratic president and a Republican president becomes most clear, even when a Democratic president, such as Barack Obama faces intense hatred and hostility.

Think of what might have been if the duly elected president of the United States had been allowed to take office in 2000.  Al Gore won the popular vote!  But Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his cronies were able to game the system to such an extent that the matter went to the U.S. Supreme Court which handed the presidency to the loser, his brother, George W. Bush.  And what a loser he was.

If Al Gore had taken his rightful place in the Oval Office, we would not have gone to war with Iraq.  The billions of dollars wasted in that effort would have been put to much better use.  The thousands of our service men and women killed for no reason whatsoever, would still be here serving their country.  The many thousands maimed and forever damaged by that war might well be providing many much-needed services and enjoying life with families and children.  And the hundreds of thousands (some say millions) of Iraqis who lost their lives would still be alive to love and be loved.  We would have given no cause for offense in the Middle East which led to the rise of various terrorist groups.  And torture would not have become national policy!

If Al Gore had been president, the budget surplus left by President Clinton would likely still be intact.  There would have been no recession which has caused so much heartache for so many millions of Americans.  We would have reined in the vast illegal Wall Street conspiracies which devastated our economy.  And one of the most important issues - that of climate change - would have been faced and actions taken to mitigate the damage which is already upon us by rising seas.

Finally, if Al Gore had been president, we would not have a Supreme Court controlled by unrepentant oligarchs [appointed by George W. Bush] who bow, not to the Constitution, but to the rich and the powerful.  The rich and the powerful would not be able to buy elections as they do today.  It is reported that the Koch Brothers alone, through their various phony organizations, plan to spend over $800 million to get "their man" in the White House!  That would not have been possible if Al Gore had been president.


Jimmy Carter is, I think, basically a good man, although he has made some outrageous statements relative to Israel for which I think he should be ashamed and somehow do penance.  Israel is not now, nor has it ever been, an apartheid state.  He knows better!

But having said that, I must say that his latest word on the current situation in our nation is worth listening to and heeding.  Carter says outright we are no longer a democracy!  The average person in this country has no influence whatsoever.  We are run by the rich and the powerful.  We have become an oligarchy in which the very wealthy have gained control of our government on most every level.

Any further pretense of being a democratic country is futile.

Which makes this next election so damn important.  Just take a look at the 17 bozos riding in the Republican clown car.  There isn't one of them who should get anywhere near the Oval Office.  Not one of them is remotely qualified to be the president of the United States.

Hell, most of them aren't qualified to run a McDonalds!

Christian Apologetics: Hitler can't help you.

Chuck Norris vs. HIllary Clinton

Chuck Norris, that erstwhile action hero of movies and teevee, is a born-again Christian.  Maybe that's why he's full of hate and lies.

Mr. Norris is claiming that Hillary Clinton will win the election because she somehow will manage to engage in massive voter fraud.

That would be funny if it wasn't so sad.  And as they say, sometimes what a person complains about it exactly what that person is involved in doing.  When we talk about voter fraud, we think not of the Democratic Party.  We think of the Republican Party, which started a smear campaign claiming that voter fraud is an epidemic in this country and therefore we need stricter laws to keep the frauds from voting.

What they meant is that there were certain demographics that were voting for the Democrats.  So they invented voter fraud and passed a series of voter ID laws which were not meant to stop voter fraud but rather to stop certain people from voting:  Blacks and other minorities; the young and the old; all of which tend to vote Democratic.

Now, Norris probably knows all this which makes him not only a liar but a hypocrite and proves his religiosity is fraudulent and hell is just around the corner!

What's Happening - July 31?

If you haven't been to Disney World in Orlando for a few years, be prepared for sticker shock.

An adult ticket to just the Magic Kingdom for one day is now $105.  A child's ticked is $99.

It's a little cheaper at Epcot:  $97.  Yikes!


AOL does such a good job.  Not!  Here are the "local" news events according to AOL for my central Florida city:

• Boston's bummer summer: Sox slump, Olympics snub, Brady out
• Germany wins 2nd straight world title in 5k team event
• Hikers drawn to geological gem along Arizona-Utah border
• Judge to consider fate of convent Katy Perry wants to buy

The world's most dangerous countries for travelers:  Nigeria comes in first.  That's not surprising.  Colombia is way up there because of terrorism, crime and violence, although it is said to be improving and has lots of cheerleaders.  Other dangerous countries include Yemen, Pakistan, Venezuela and Brazil.

Stay home and watch TV.


Two gangs in the Los Angeles area are said to have started a contest.  The first gang to kill 100 people wins.  What the hell is going on here?  Civilization is not improving, we're going backwards, fast!

I can't help but wonder what part our movies and TV shows play in the killings (many of which are random) we read about every day.  I'm appalled when I see ads for movie after movie that features killing and violence and the same goes for TV shows.

In all these cases, the value of human life is pictured as nil.  Nothing.  That's got to have an impact on people - especially the young and those whose minds are already messed up.

Amorality is another issue often featured in TV sitcoms, "The Middle," and "Fresh Off the Boat,"and "The Goldbergs."  In each case the female lead has no morals, but will do just about anything to get her way.  That's not funny, that's sad.  It tells our kids that ethical behavior is of no consequence.


Police in Manhattan captured a 2-foot alligator wandering the city streets.  How it got there is anyone's guess.  Alligators can't live that far north.  Maybe it got tired of Florida and hitchhiked to New York.  Maybe it decided to retire in that great city.  Sounds good to me.  Florida has welcomed a lot of New York "animals," so we're glad to return the favor!


Some scientists in the UK are warning of a solar explosion event which would be catastrophic here on earth, disrupting satellite systems, bringing down airplanes, etc.  And we are woefully unprepared for such an event.

The thing is though, that the likelihood of this solar explosion hitting the earth is very small.  Back in 1859, something like that happened; it was called the Carrington Event.

There's a 1% chance of that happening again.  Do you think this might be more of a media event than anything else?


The other day, we mentioned the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil, the famous African lion.  There has been a tremendous backlash against the hapless dentist who did what some people think macho men are supposed to do - kill hapless animals.

There have been protests and he's had to shut down his practice.  Now PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has weighed in on the controversy.  This is from WRAP:

"Hunting is a coward's pastime," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement Wednesday. "If, as has been reported, this dentist and his guides lured Cecil out of the park with food so as to shoot him on private property, because shooting him in the park would have been illegal, he needs to be extradited, charged, and, preferably, hanged."

Whew.  Talk about an eye for an eye.  While I'm all for the ethical treatment of animals, I'm having a hard time distinguishing between Palmer's action and Newkirk's suggestion.  Perhaps she was using hyperbole to get across a point.  If not, then she's lost her case on moral grounds!


The City of Los Angeles has just outlawed the sale of high capacity gun magazines.  Yea!  Maybe we still have a few adults in leadership positions in this country who don't confuse their manhood with a gun.


A message for our hypocritical "pro-life" politicians:

"I do not believe that just because you're opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."

--Sister Joan Chittister
Benedictine Nun, Author, Speaker

h/t to Daily Kos


Saw a story yesterday about a group that put together a list of the 35 "best" sandwich shops in the U.S.  How the hell could they know that?  There must be a million sandwich shops or more across the country.

Well, they pulled names of places they already knew, invited some experts to give their opinions, divided the country up, disregarded chain shops, and voila! they came up with their 35 "best."

What a crock.  Their selections may be great sandwich shops, but don't try to claim they're the best in the entire country.  I've also found that food experts and I don't often agree.  Gourmet be gone!  Furthermore, sandwich shops can change from day to day.  One day their Philly Cheesesteaks may be phenomenal.  They next day you couldn't sell them in Miami!


From GrindTV: 

A massive Burmese python large enough to ingest deer and alligators was captured by a permitted python researcher in the Everglades National Park in Florida recently, CBS Miami reported Tuesday.

The python, found along a tram road at Shark Valley on July 9, measured a whooping 18 feet, 3 inches and was only five inches shy of the largest snake ever captured in Florida. An 18-foot, 8-inch Burmese Python was caught in Miami-Dade in 2013.

Read more at here.

Yikes!  Shark Valley is a national park about 20 miles west of Miami.  My wife and I have often ridden our bikes on that tram road - a 15 mile loop out into the Everglades and back.  One day we counted 150 alligators either in the road or on the side of the road or in the canal next to the road.  We've seen a number of deer also.

But we have never seen a Burmese python of any size.

 

If teachers were as important as sports' heroes