Saturday, July 11, 2009
Rachel Maddow Show - C Street Band
Rachel Maddow follows up her reporting on the C-Street House and what secrets lie within it.
Maddow: But we start tonight with a mystery. A mystery that’s unfolding along side the two major political scandals of the summer. It’s a mystery that concerns this house, at 133 C Street Southeast in Washington D.C. I’m calling it a house because, that’s what it looks like to me and people do live there, but if you consult this building’s financial paper trail you will find that it’s actually considered to be a church. That designation makes C-Street a convenient tax free haven for the secretive organization that runs it. An organization that is known as The Family.
It also makes for some awkward tax and income questions for the at least five, probably seven members of Congress who live at the house in exchange for what appears to be substantially below market rent. As explained by our guest last night, Jeff Sharlet who secretly infiltrated The Family to write a book about them, the C-Street house is a former convent. It’s used as a sort of subsidized, really upscale dorm for members of Congress who are associated with this powerful, poorly understood religious group.
The Family and the house at C-Street have ended up reluctantly in the headlines now because of the two major politicians’ sex scandals that are embroiling the Republican party this summer, and that have taken two of their reported 2012 presidential hopefuls out of political contention.
Embattled Sen. John Ensign lives at the C-Street house. The husband of Sen. Ensign’s mistress says that prominent members of The Family and this religious group including the sons of the group’s founder, as well as other members of congress who live at C-Street were both aware of Ensign’s secret affair, and were involved in his efforts to pay off the mistress and her family as the affair was on again, off again, ending. Republican Sen. Tom Coburn lives at C-Street with Ensign. He has said he encouraged Ensign to end the affair, but he has denied the allegation that he specifically encouraged Sen. Ensign to pay the mistress off to the tune of millions of dollars.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford mentioned C-Street by name in his long public statement of regret about his affair with a woman in Argentina.
[…..]
Hard questions. Gov. Sanford said he was working with C-Street, somehow about his affair for months while the affair was ongoing, while it was still secret, and while Gov. Sanford continued to lie about it publicly. This is the first point about C-Street and The Family that makes the group more than just a cameo appearance in both of these sex scandals. In both incidences these powerful, family values preaching, conservative politicians who were themselves having adulterous affairs, say now that they disclosed those affairs to other members of congress, and other people affiliated with this secretive religious group for a long time, while the affairs continued, and while they were kept secret from the world at large. This organization was allowed to know but nobody was, nobody else was.
Zach Wamp of Tennessee is a Republican member of congress who says he has lived in the C-Street house for twelve years. Today he told the Knoxville News Sentinel that the members of congress who live there are sworn to secrecy. Quoting from the News Sentinel “The C-Street residents have all agreed they won’t talk about their private living arrangements, Wamp said, and he intends to honor that pact.” “I hate it that John Ensign lives in the house and this happened because it opens up all kinds of these questions,” Wamp said. But he said, “I’m not going to be the guy who goes out and talks.”
When you start looking into this organization and its members oaths to the secrecy and fidelity to one another, that “I’m not going to be the one who talks” here theme, looms very large. But last year, when Jeff Sharlet’s book about The Family first came out in hardback, the resultant buzz around the secrecy and high level connections of The Family and the C-Street house spurred NBC’s Andrea Mitchell to obtain sermons of the groups long time leader, Doug Coe.
In order to find out more about what this group’s agenda might be. Here’s some of what she found.
[…..]
Every American’s faith is her or his own business. It’s our constitutional inheritance as Americans. There’s no religious test for public office. There’s no official religion in this country. And every American has a right to believe or not to believe. To worship, or not worship as he or she sees fit. This is a private matter in this country. And religion is the organizing principle of many, many powerful interests in the United States, including this one, very connected, sworn to secrecy, ministry only to the powerful, that has had a key role in how two major Republican sex scandals have unspooled this summer, that has a theology of power that is poorly understood, and cites Hitler a lot, and that currently houses at least seven members of congress, in what it calls, a church.
Rachel followed this segment with another interview with Jeff Sharlet. It would be nice to see this whole story blown wide open and every member of "The Family" having to explain their membership. They sound more like members of the mafia with this secret society and their "cells" than anyone who should be running our government.
From Video Cafe.
A moment of silence please, for a real American hero
Ed McMahon died this week. He was a great entertainer, but prior to his stage accomplishments he was a distinguished Marine Corps fighter pilot in WWII earning six Air Medals. He was discharged in 1946 and volunteered to fly again in the Korean War. He joined the CA Air National Guard and was later promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
Farrah Fawcett died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actress. After she was diagnosed with cancer, she became an activist for cancer treatment and devoted her last remaining years encouraging people to seek treatment. She documented her plight on film and used it to encourage others to stay positive and upbeat despite their diagnosis and suffering.
Karl Malden died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actor. He also served in the US Air Force during WWII and also served on the US Postal Service committee to review and recommend commemorative stamps. In 2005, the US House of Representatives authorized the US Postal Service to rename a Los Angeles post office the Karl Malden Postal Station.
Michael Jackson died this week. He was perhaps one of the greatest singers of modern time. He will also be remembered for his eccentric lifestyle that included sleeping with a chimpanzee, living in a carnival-like atmosphere at Neverland, his fascination with Peter Pan, and his numerous masks and costumes. He also admitted to finding pleasure sleeping with young boys and paying out millions of dollars in settlements to the families of these boys despite being acquitted by a court on one allegation of sexual molestation.
QUESTION 1) - Which of the above did the House of Representatives declare a moment of silence for today? (Hint - It wasn't the first three)
QUESTION 2) - Which of the above's family received a personal note of condolence from President Obama? (Hint - It wasn't the first three)
Need we say more??
With thanks to Bob Poris!
Farrah Fawcett died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actress. After she was diagnosed with cancer, she became an activist for cancer treatment and devoted her last remaining years encouraging people to seek treatment. She documented her plight on film and used it to encourage others to stay positive and upbeat despite their diagnosis and suffering.
Karl Malden died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actor. He also served in the US Air Force during WWII and also served on the US Postal Service committee to review and recommend commemorative stamps. In 2005, the US House of Representatives authorized the US Postal Service to rename a Los Angeles post office the Karl Malden Postal Station.
Michael Jackson died this week. He was perhaps one of the greatest singers of modern time. He will also be remembered for his eccentric lifestyle that included sleeping with a chimpanzee, living in a carnival-like atmosphere at Neverland, his fascination with Peter Pan, and his numerous masks and costumes. He also admitted to finding pleasure sleeping with young boys and paying out millions of dollars in settlements to the families of these boys despite being acquitted by a court on one allegation of sexual molestation.
QUESTION 1) - Which of the above did the House of Representatives declare a moment of silence for today? (Hint - It wasn't the first three)
QUESTION 2) - Which of the above's family received a personal note of condolence from President Obama? (Hint - It wasn't the first three)
Need we say more??
With thanks to Bob Poris!
Francis Collins? Say it isn't so, President Obama
Everyone knew, of course, that Barack Obama would not live up to all the expectations of his supporters. But the planned nomination of Francis Collins to head the National Institutes of Health is quite disappointing.
Not that Collins is a raging fundamentalist, but he is a "true" believer who considers life on earth as a creation of the Christian god, and has referred to it as complex, beautiful and "God's most divine and sacred gift."
Not that Collins is not an intelligent man. As Liliana Segura writes, "Collin's claim to fame is having led the Human Genome Project, the ambitious scientific endeavor that achieved a landmark goal: unlocking the DNA code of humanity."
So, what's the problem?
The problem takes shape in this question: Can a person be considered a "true" scientist whose "science" is based upon the religious beliefs that 1) there is a god whose nature is encompassed by Christian theology, and 2) that this god is responsible for everything we observe and experience?
Here's how the problem rears its ugly head. Segura quotes a article from The New Scientist which discusses the BioLogos Foundation, described as "the brainchild of geneticist Francis Collins ... Along with 'a team of scientists who believe in God' and some cash from the Templeton Foundation, Collins, an evangelical Christian who is also a staunch proponent of evolution, is on a crusade to convince believers that faith and science need not be at odds. He is promoting 'theistic evolution' -- the belief that God (the prayer-listening, proactive, personal God of Christianity) chose to create life by way of evolution."
That way sound fairly sensible, but anyone on a "crusade" is worrisome! And as Segura points out:
"As the head of NIH, Collins will oversee a massive research budget; $37 billion in research grants and $4 billion on research programs ... With the years President George W. Bush spent mixing faith and politics (often at the expense of science), an all-too recent memory for many Americans, one might be forgiven for recoiling in horror at the thought of Collins heading up one of the country's most prestigious medical research institutions."
Collins is not a fundamentalist and is, in fact, opposed by the christianist wingnuts. Still, his nomination raises the hackles of those who really don't want to see another Christian "crusader" heading up another government entity - especially one that will direct where and how billions of dollars of research monies are spent.
Read Ms. Segura's entire article here.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Family - How Christian Conservatives will rule the world
If you have not yet read Jeff Sharlet's The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, it would behoove you to do so as soon as possible.
The following was copied from Crooks & Liars Video Cafe:
I was listening to the Thom Hartmann show the other day, and Thom was interviewing an author that caught my attention. Little wonder since the topic was "Is there a secret society of Christian crazies and is Mark Sanford a member?".
That author was Jeff Sharlet and after listening to to Hartmann interview, I wondered if anyone in the main stream media would put him on the air. Of course, Rachel Maddow, who seems to be getting all of the best guests lately-- or at least when the "news" hasn't been canceled all week for Michael Jackson's death and she mysteriously ends up taking vacation the same week-- ended up being the first one to have him on.
Sharlet is the author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Scary, scary stuff for any of us that don't like the idea of our government being run by creepy, extremist, right wing Christain fundamentalists.
Sharlet also wrote a piece for Rolling Stone on Sam Brownback which is well worth the read back in 2006 titled God's Senator: Who would Jesus vote for? Meet Sam Brownback.
Maddow: As part of the research for the book, Jeff lived among the family and saw many of its actions first hand. [...] What is C-Street? I know it's a house on C Street in Washington. How is it part of the family?
Sharlet: Well, the C-Street house is actually a former convent and now it's registered as a church and it's run by The Family and used by them to provide housing for six to eight congressmen at any given time, and to provide spiritual counseling for these congressmen.
Which all sounds fine so far, but what makes it a little bit different than other Christian conservative organizations, two things, you said that it's secretive. Indeed the leader of the group describes, he says, the more invisible you can make your organization, the more influence it will have. And the other things is the nature of the influence they want to have.
I got to sit in on one of these spiritual counseling sessions between the leader of the family and Congressman Todd Tiahrt when I visited the C-Street House, I actually met Sen. Ensign there. As the leader of The Family was counseling Congressman Tiahrt, he had this very standard issue, bill of issues related to the Christian right. He said you've got to have a bigger vision of what we're talking about here. He called it Jesus plus nothing.
He said it's sort of a totalitarian idea of Christianity and he gave as examples men who he believed understood the way power should be wielded. He actually gave as examples, Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama bin Laden and Lenin.
Maddow: Wow. When I read your book, The Family, when it first came out in hardback, my notes on um, I write notes in the flyleaf about what I was thinking about. And my notes about it, I went back and looked, were that it was essentially to promote, it saw its role as promoting American power, world wide, unfettered capitalism with no unions, no programs to help poor people, all with this idea that godly powerful rich men should get as many resources as possible personally, and they should just privately help everyone else. That is the impression that I was left with. Was I close?
Sharlet: That's dead on the money. The family began, it's the oldest Christian conservative organization in Washington and it goes back seventy years. And the founder believed that god gave him a new revelation saying that Christianity had gotten it wrong for two thousand years and that what most people think of as Christianity, as being about, you know, helping the weak and the poor and the meek and the down and out, he believes god came to him one night in April in 1935 and said what Christianity should really be about is building more power for the already powerful. And that these powerful men who were chosen by god can then if they want to dispense blessings to the rest of us, through a kind of trickle-down fundamentalism.
Maddow: Well do you see a connection between that large sort of power theology and the fact that neither John Ensign or Mark Sanford for that matter, who's also affiliated with the group, aren't quitting despite these scandals. Is there something about this type of theology that tells these guys, hey don't worry about the affair, you know, big picture, you're good, stay where you are, it's important for you to stay in power?
Sharlet: Yeah, no, I think actually Gov. Sanford made it very clear when he cited King David as an example of the reason why he wasn't going to be resigning office and that struck a bell with me because I, the King David story, the core teaching of The Family, when I first heard it, I was living with The Family.
One of the leaders of The Family was explaining why King David was important and it's not because he was a good man. It's because he was a bad man. You know, he seduced another man's wife, he actually had the husband murdered and he once explained why this was a model and he said it to one of the men in the group. He said, suppose I heard you raped three little girls. What would I think of you? And this guy, being a human being says, you would think I was a monster. Well, the leader of The Family says no, not at all because you're chosen. You're chosen by god for leadership, and so the normal rules don't apply.
Maddow: When Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina talked about his relationship to this group, he's also lived at the C-Street House, he described the group to the AP years ago, six years ago by saying "We do have a bible study...somebody'll share a verse or a thought, but mostly it's more of an accountability group to talk about things that are going on in our lives, and how we're dealing with them". And you've written that members of The Family give each other veto power over their lives, which, with these two scandals, I mean looking at the John Ensign scandal, how does a group like that not veto putting the mistress' kids on the Republican party payroll? How does that not get outed by this group?
Sharlet: Well, because the responsibility of the other men in your accountability group, and I would say by the way, you don't have accountability behind closed doors, that's the opposite of accountability, what these other men are doing is they're saying, alright, we're going to look out for you. Sort of self interest by proxy and what they're calling accountability is a man might bring to the group for instance that he is having an affair with another woman, or the fact that he is perhaps corrupt in some way and so on, and these guys are going to deal with it internally.
Maddow: Wow.
Sharlet: Very much behind closed doors, and we as a group actually once said, what we do is, to use this pretentious Latin phrase, beyond the din of the vox populi. What it means is beyond the voice of the people.
Maddow: Jeff Sharlet is an editor at Harper's Magazine. He's also the author of the book The Family, and if you think this has incredible implications for domestic politics and hypocrisy and affairs, wait till you read about third world dictators and how these guys empower them.
I have written about The Family previously here.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Letterman vs. Palin via Keith Olbermann
Ms. Prissy Palin just ain't gonna win in a war of words with Dave Letterman. Hell, she wouldn't win in any war involving words with a 12-year old middle school student!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Al Franken sworn in - Finally
This swearing-in has been too long delayed by the alleged corrupt former senator from Minnesota, some guy by name of Coleman. Al Franken is a liberal, a thinker, an extremely intelligent man who will be a wonderful addition to this august body. He's also funny.
Many other senators are funny, too. But in their case, as we used to say when we were kids, they are funny as in strange!
As you watch this video clip, you might ask yourself why there are so many empty seats. The Republicans, also known as the disloyal opposition, seem to be absent. But aren't they the ones, with tears running down their chalky cheeks, who have been wailing about the need for "bipartisanship"?
Perhaps bipartisanship does not include the swearing in of a Democratic senator. Of course it doesn't. Silly me! Bipartisanship, in Republican terms, means the Democrats kiss the Republicans' collective asses and ask the Republicans how they can assist the Republicans in pushing the Republican legislative agenda through Congress!
Anything less is, well, socialistic!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Answers in Genesis - an evil organization
Now that you've seen this truly evil and untrue advertisement for Jesus from Answers in Genesis, watch the video.These are very sick puppies!
If you're interested in reading the truth about Sweden (and the other Scandinavian countries and their "godless" societies), pick up a copy of Phil Zuckerman's book, Society Without God.
From Cynical C via Adult Christianity.
Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong on Hell
Bishop Spong hits several nails on the head here. There is no hell; hell is an invention of the church. The church hates like hell to give up hell because hell is a means of controlling the hoi polloi and the church is in the business of controlling people!
Hey baby, let's skate!
This is appropos of nothing much, but it's truly funny. It's an Evian water commercial and in French, but the language is of no consequence. I got it from a friend in France who has thought about having another baby but after watching this is not sure that's a good idea.
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Best of Atheism This Week #8
This is a bit long at 10 plus minutes and it's slow starting out, but stick with it, it's funny as hell!
Bernie Madoff hires prison "consultant"
This is all over the blogosphere, so it's not exactly news, but Bernie Madoff has hired a prison consultant to help find him the "best" or most appropriate prison in which to spend the rest of his miserable life.What the hell's going on here?
There seems to be a consensus among "those that know" that Bernie will not enjoy the luxury of the so-called "country-club" facilities because he was a very, very bad boy!
But, he doesn't want to go to a really dangerous prison, either. My god, he's an old man and can't really defend himself, and can you imagine the damage some redneck white supremacist might do to him in the showers?
When Madoff received his 150-year sentence, the judge did recommend he not be thrown to the wolves in one of those famous hell-holes where the worst of the worst roam around foaming at the mouth.
But, the judge can only recommend. Now, if Madoff is allowed to say anything about his future, he can call up his consultant's recommendations and plead his case. But the ultimate decision is made by the Bureau of Prisons.
What the hell is going on here? Who gives a rat's ass what Madoff wants? While maybe not a violent serial killer, he sure ruined the lives of a lot of people!
He hires a prison consultant?
Please. May the BOP ignore his pleas and give the old nasty what he deserves. For 150 years!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The pathological Ms. Palin
"Abandoning your office and your state, while patting yourself on the back and framing your dereliction as some sort of selfless, patriotic act isn't narcissistic. It's pathological."
This is a summary quote of an excellent article on Ms. Palin's resignation speech. You can read it in its entirety here.
This is a summary quote of an excellent article on Ms. Palin's resignation speech. You can read it in its entirety here.
Prezident Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush, ex-governor of the state of Florida, has said previously on several occasions that he was not going to run for prezident of the United States.Who could blame him, considering that his brother, George W., is the most disliked prezident in history and was such a massive failure that the history books will need to be greatly expanded just to summarize all his dirty deeds and his incomprehensible stupidity?
But blood, as they say, is thicker than water, and Jeb is a chip off the old block, as they also say, and daddy thinks he should run and would be a good prezident, so now it appears that Jeb may be considering, God help us!, to offer himself to the American people as a candidate for the White House.
According to Deeky at Shakesville, "Recent robocalls to Iowa asked potential voters which of the following they'd most likely vote for: Huckabee, Palin, Gingrich, Jindal, or Jeb Bush ... "
What a group, huh? Huckabee, the self-anointed spokesperson for God and righteousness, who believes in a fundamentalist Christian theocratic state; Palin, who's too damn stupid to walk upright without help; serial adulterer and now convert to the Roman Catholic institution, the ever nasty Grinch, Gingrich; Jindal, another convert to Roman Catholicism who does exorcisms in his spare time, never letting his substantial intellect get in the way of pious religious extremism...and then there's Jeb Bush.
You might think Jeb is less likely to lead America into a nuclear holocaust because he doesn't have a stupid grin on his face all the time like his dumber brother, but don't be fooled. Jeb is a dyed-in-the-wool right wing fanatic, and another Roman Catholic convert who tends toward theocracy, dogmatism and reliance on authority - his!
As governor of Florida, he screwed up the entire educational enterprise with a system of testing that did nothing but dumb down the school population. He was also a vociferous fighter for vouchers so parents could send their kids to private (read religious, read Catholic) schools on the public's dime. He further fought for the right of the religious right to impose their non-scientific "Intelligent Design" crap on our high school students - you know, on the basis that students ought to know about different interpretations as to how life came to be.
Jeb was also a big fan of providing private entrepreneurs (of which he is one, with the help of moneyed friends!) the ability to dip their grubby little hands into the public pot...and so we have, in part, a private prison system, which doesn't seem to have worked out too well!
Under Jeb, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, 'cause the rich were granted the right to pay less taxes and the state's infrastructure went to hell -- Florida's bridges are, in truth, falling down.
And, well, we don't even want to begin to talk about 2000!
Jeb is just another Bush in a suit sans cowboy hat. He carries all the elitist baggage of the Bush family and if you haven't yet read Russ Baker's Family of Secrets - The Bush Dynasty, The Powerful Forces That Put It In The White House, And What Their Influence Means For America, get thyself to a bookstore!
You may think George was a nightmare. Jeb will make that nightmare look like a pleasant dream!
But, hey, Daddy think's he's a "good" man and would be a "good" prezident. The problem with that is that Daddy doesn't know the different between good and goofus.
Sam (Joe) the plumber in Florida
He's baaaack! Sam or Joe the plumber showed up in Florida yesterday, July 4, at a Tea Party to protest the government's rapacious tax policies...I caught just the tail end of it, but I believe it was in the town of Apopka that the dimwit paraded his nonsense. There's a lot of nonsense "paraded" about on July 4th.Sam (Joe), as you recall, is the unlicensed plumber who failed to pay his taxes, but was nevertheless put on a pedestal by the Republican Party as a symbol of the "average" working American for whom the Republican Party lives and dies.
Oh, stop laughing. That's true!
This empty-headed twit spoke yesterday about how the government is bad and taxes are bad and he has the answers. What are those answers? Hmmm. He did suggest that people ought to read the Constitution. Other than that, I'm not sure. Don't pay your taxes?
Now, Joe (Sam) admitted one time that he'd probably take "handouts" from the guv'mint when he retired, albeit reluctantly...even though, if he was truly a working man he would have paid in substantial monies to the government in order to get some of it back.
Sam (Joe) further failed to mention how he would pay for police and fire protection, construction and repair of roads, regulation of airplanes, trucks and railroads, prisons, schools, and lifeguards, etc., etc., if people didn't pay their taxes.
Nevertheless, the hoi polloi stood around, applauded his "stimulating" rhetoric, took pictures of his bald head, and generally acted patriotic. Patriotism comes alive on July 4th, you know. In Florida, all true patriots buy illegal fireworks (they have to lie to get them) and then proceed to blow up hundreds of dollars worth of the stuff in their driveways, threatening to burn down their neighbor's houses and drive the local animals into hiding.
Not so long ago, I read that Joe (Sam) might enter politics. It depends on what God tells him to do. But wouldn't it be nice to have a "real" Uncle Sam?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
We won't have Sarah Palin to kick around anymore. Or will we?
Sarah Palin has resigned as governor of Alaska and will leave office at the end of July. Lucky Alaska! Can you imagine this airhead in a national office? Once again, we're reminded of the fact we narrowly avoided a national meltdown. It seemed possible not so long ago that the next president might be the increasingly dotty John McCain and the next vice president might be the strident, nasal, whiny, nitwit from Alaska.
The gods must have been smiling on us.
Here's her resignation speech. I'd suggest one try to make some sense of it, but that would be like trying to understand the New Testament book of Revelation. It can't be done!
The gods must have been smiling on us.
Here's her resignation speech. I'd suggest one try to make some sense of it, but that would be like trying to understand the New Testament book of Revelation. It can't be done!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Hiatus, Ray Comfort & the Evangelist's Nightmare
This will likely be my last post for a while. I'm taking a bit of a hiatus to recharge ye olde batteries.
I shall return, however!
So, I leave you with another delightful video from the NonStamp Collector.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Obama's National Day of Prayer Proclamation
As we noted yesterday, Ronnie Reagan, Bush the elder, and Georgie had a habit of issuing pious proclamations on the so-called National Day of Prayer, but also held prayer services in the White House - the better to get their god to bless their rapacious and murderous instincts, I suppose.
Not only did Obama not hold a prayer service, but his proclamation was a breath of fresh air in the stale stink of hypocritical piety.
I swiped this from Friendly Atheist.
In 2008, Georgie began his National Day of Prayer proclamation thusly:
"America trusts in the abiding power of prayer and asks for the wisdom to discern God's will in times of joy and of trial. As we observe this National Day of Prayer, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty, we thank Him for the many blessing He has bestowed upon us, and we put our country's future in His hands."
It is all bullshit, of course, and Georgie didn't believe a word of it.
Compare that crap with Obama's proclamation. In this proclamation, while the president still called on Americans to ask for God's guidance, he also made an effort to include all Americans, and not just those who pussyfoot around with Jesus on their back:
"On this day of unity and prayer, let us also honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We celebrate their commitment to uphold our highest ideals, and we recognize that it is because of them that we continue to live in a Nation where people of all faiths can worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience."
Yeah!
None of this phony prayer stuff belongs in the government to begin with. Maybe saner heads will take action to snuff it out in the future.
Not only did Obama not hold a prayer service, but his proclamation was a breath of fresh air in the stale stink of hypocritical piety.
I swiped this from Friendly Atheist.
In 2008, Georgie began his National Day of Prayer proclamation thusly:
"America trusts in the abiding power of prayer and asks for the wisdom to discern God's will in times of joy and of trial. As we observe this National Day of Prayer, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty, we thank Him for the many blessing He has bestowed upon us, and we put our country's future in His hands."
It is all bullshit, of course, and Georgie didn't believe a word of it.
Compare that crap with Obama's proclamation. In this proclamation, while the president still called on Americans to ask for God's guidance, he also made an effort to include all Americans, and not just those who pussyfoot around with Jesus on their back:
"On this day of unity and prayer, let us also honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We celebrate their commitment to uphold our highest ideals, and we recognize that it is because of them that we continue to live in a Nation where people of all faiths can worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience."
Yeah!
None of this phony prayer stuff belongs in the government to begin with. Maybe saner heads will take action to snuff it out in the future.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Joe, the dumbest plumber since Noah, leaving GOP
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
God, Obama, National Day of Prayer, Wingnuts
[Shirley Dobson praying with the torturer, G. W. Bush, at right]The National Day of Prayer is a joke foisted upon the nation by a bunch of christianist wingnuts who pretend they can manipulate their deity to 1) do their bidding, or 2) protect the US from the bad guys around the world who don't much like us, or 3) save us from "socialist" presidents like Barack Hussein Obama.
In 1952, Harry Truman decided a national day of prayer might be a good thing and took it national. No biggie. Just another useless not to god. Then in 1988, the B-grade movie actor turned politician, Ronnie Reagan, signed a proclamation making the first Thursday in May the time to observe this national disgrace.
Since Reagan, most presidents had issued some kind of momentous declaration in honor of a national day of prayer.
Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, and Georgi all went a step further and actually held some kind of prayer service in the White House on the first Thursday in May. Isn't that funny? The biggest war mongers of the past 50 years are the biggest prayers. And the biggest phonies!
Obama decided not to hold a National Day of Prayer service in the White House this year, but instead issued the usual bullshit proclamation.
Good for him!
The christianist wingnuts are going crazier than usual. Of course, it's what you would expect because between them, you couldn't come up with one full brain or an ounce of common sense. They've long called Obama a Muslim, a Marxist, a fascist, the anti-Christ, and lately a Nazi.
Lovers of Christ, they are!
Now, the National Day of Prayer prayers were dismayed and befuddled at Obama's display of reason and intelligence, but nevertheless continued with their plans. So there were prayer ceremonies in many of our 50 states. Did you know that?
In recent years, the National Day of Prayer has been hijacked by the wingnuts on the right and thus the "Task Force Chairman" is none other than Shirley Dobson, the christianist wingnut married to one of the world's worst christianist wingnuts, James Dobson, who recently resigned -- but really didn't -- from Focus on the Family.
Shirley "presented at the event" on Capitol Hill, and a bunch of wingnuts from the various branches of government attended. Other presenters included James Dobson, Beth Moore, NFL player Shaun Alexander, and .... and ... are you ready for this ... the number one christianist moron in the world - Michele Bachmann!
Tada!
What I find most humorous is that ultimately none of this has to do with God, or prayer, or concern for our country. It's all about these folks getting media time and being up front and becoming recognized as "spiritual" leaders.
Furthermore, an event like this proves conclusively that these people do not give a damn about the Bible, that magical book they think so sacrosant. For Jesus warned specifically about such events as a National Day of Prayer. He said if you feel the need to pray, get the hell off the street, get into a closet somewhere where no one can see you, hear you, or smell you!
Then pray, if you must.
Don't touch my earmarks!
We've known for a long time that the discussion about the "evil" of earmarks was just a bunch of hooey to distract the American people from the fact that every politician in Congress is a huge fan of earmarks - well, so long as they are his or her earmarks!
For example, President Obama's proposed budget has folks in New York a wee bit upset. Obama thought that $600 million located in the federal terrorism insurance program which was to "cover builders against terror attacks" was not a smart use of federal dollars; it was, in fact, "an excessive federal subsidy."
You think? Are you covered if your house gets blown away by a terrorist attack? I don't think so. Why then should our government protect billionaire New York builders from terrorists attacks? Isn't that "socialism." Oh, that's right, socialism is fine if it helps me; wrong if it helps you!
In fact, as the White House pointed out, this money actually encouraged builders to build less safe buildings and thus hopes that these cuts encourage the builders to "mitigate terrorism risk" by "building safer buildings."
New York pols were also upset that Obama scotched a program which handed $18 million to the New York City police department to fight illegal immigration, and another program which provided funds for build a new presidential helicopter fleet in Oswego.
It seems that much of the so-called "terrorism" funds have, since 9/11, been given to cities large and small across our country, the great majority of which are at about as much risk from a terrorist attack as they are from Mars falling on their city halls. What they've done is use these funds to bolster their police departments and put up cameras in every nook and cranny of their towns to spy on ordinary citizens.
Count the number of little cameras at intersections where you live. Welcome to 1984. Courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security, which is busy at work protecting ze faderland from ze bad guys!
Earmarks are really great, so long as they're my earmarks. That's the unsung refrain haunting the halls of Congress.
For example, President Obama's proposed budget has folks in New York a wee bit upset. Obama thought that $600 million located in the federal terrorism insurance program which was to "cover builders against terror attacks" was not a smart use of federal dollars; it was, in fact, "an excessive federal subsidy."
You think? Are you covered if your house gets blown away by a terrorist attack? I don't think so. Why then should our government protect billionaire New York builders from terrorists attacks? Isn't that "socialism." Oh, that's right, socialism is fine if it helps me; wrong if it helps you!
In fact, as the White House pointed out, this money actually encouraged builders to build less safe buildings and thus hopes that these cuts encourage the builders to "mitigate terrorism risk" by "building safer buildings."
New York pols were also upset that Obama scotched a program which handed $18 million to the New York City police department to fight illegal immigration, and another program which provided funds for build a new presidential helicopter fleet in Oswego.
It seems that much of the so-called "terrorism" funds have, since 9/11, been given to cities large and small across our country, the great majority of which are at about as much risk from a terrorist attack as they are from Mars falling on their city halls. What they've done is use these funds to bolster their police departments and put up cameras in every nook and cranny of their towns to spy on ordinary citizens.
Count the number of little cameras at intersections where you live. Welcome to 1984. Courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security, which is busy at work protecting ze faderland from ze bad guys!
Earmarks are really great, so long as they're my earmarks. That's the unsung refrain haunting the halls of Congress.
Bye, bye, abstinence only!
It's about time! Finally, some sanity reigns in the precincts of the White House!
President Obama's budget calls for cutting out abstinence-only sex education programs, while at the same time provides additional funding for "comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention."
Would you believe we finally have a president who is not driven beholden to or driven by rightwing christianist ideology or the need to satisfy a rightwing christianist base, and is making policy on the basis of science, sanity and common sense?
After eight long years of darkness, it's hard to believe we can once again walk in the light!
This move, of course, has the rightwing christianist fruitcakes in a tizzy! In spite of the fact that every study since God created little green apples shows that abstinence education doesn't work and it's a total waste of money!
Rightwing christianist fruitcakes, as we know, however, don't give a rat's ass about truth and reason.
President Obama's budget calls for cutting out abstinence-only sex education programs, while at the same time provides additional funding for "comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention."
Would you believe we finally have a president who is not driven beholden to or driven by rightwing christianist ideology or the need to satisfy a rightwing christianist base, and is making policy on the basis of science, sanity and common sense?
After eight long years of darkness, it's hard to believe we can once again walk in the light!
This move, of course, has the rightwing christianist fruitcakes in a tizzy! In spite of the fact that every study since God created little green apples shows that abstinence education doesn't work and it's a total waste of money!
Rightwing christianist fruitcakes, as we know, however, don't give a rat's ass about truth and reason.
Bill Maher asks the Prez to tell us what to do
[Photo from Salon.com]In a New York Daily News opinion piece, Bill Maher eviscerates the American hoi polloi for being, well, just plain stupid!
The President, he notes, felt it important to tell the American people to wash their hands to lower their risk of catching the swine flu.
This, says Maher, "augers well for next month's 'National Wipe Your Butt' day. Next week, in a fireside chat, he'll tell us not to put a fork in the toaster."
The American people, suggests Maher, are not only stupid, but have forgotten what sacrifice means. "There's a name for people who do the right thing for their country, even if it involves sacrifice," writes Maher. "And no, it's not 'socialists.' It's 'patriots.' We all know the modern definition of a patriot: It's the person who pays the least taxes and listens to the most A.M. radio. But that wasn't what it always meant.
"Patriots want their fellow citizens to be able to go to the hospital. They want to make sure no one sells them bread made out of Chinese skulls. They want a country where the deer and the antelope can still play - and not just so Sarah Palin can shoot them from a helicopter. Patriots want to burn less coal and buy less oil. ...
"Rush Limbaugh celebrated Earth Day by praising coal-fired plants and the plastic bag, while Glenn Beck cheered a man on while he cut down trees."
This is Maher's best line, though:
"When the President suggests things that will help the greater good, that's not a slight against your fragile manhood. I know, you're a rugged individualist. But you're not - you're just a schmuck."
Describes most of the Republicans I know.
Sean Hannity, chickenhawk
Torture is wrong, illegal and stupid - it seldom, if ever, achieves the goal of obtaining worthwhile information.Those facts did not stop FAUX News chickenhawk, Sean Hannity, who, a couple of weeks ago, while praising the value of waterboarding and blasting Obama for ending the procedure, said he would be delighted to be waterboarded, and would do so in order to raise money "for the troops' families."
That inane comment has proved him to be the chickenhawk he is. Keith Olbermann, knowing that Hannity is nothing more than a blowhard who spouts whatever comes into his weak little mind, took up the challenge, offering $1,000 to Hannity's fundraiser for every SECOND he was waterboarded.
Hannity, because he is, in truth, a chickenhawk, has not responded.
Like so many of these idiotic massagers of the truth, Hannity probably figured no one would remember what he said and he could continue pretending to be a real patriot, wrapping himself in the flag, even though, in fact, he doesn't know the difference between a patriot and a parrot.
It's too bad, too. If anyone deserved waterboarding, it's Sean Hannity!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
FAUX News twists the truth, mocks free speech
This project by Media Matters is most important. Please click here to see how you can help by emailing Fox News to insist they cease and desist from what is, in truth, outright lying about those with whom they disagree politically.
Free speech is one of our most precious rights guaranteed by our Constitution. FAUX News, however, makes a mockery of free speech, by distorting that right into baseless propaganda which further twists our democratic process into a mockery of everything for which we stand as a nation.
Where's the FCC when we need them? Is there no agency to deal with creeps like Hannity and Beck and O'Reilly, et. al., who blatantly pervert the meaning of another right, the right of a free press?
Wurzelbacher and queers
[Photo from Huffington Post]Did you know that Joe (Sam), the so-called plumber, is a real Christian who loved Jesus and tries to live a Xtn life?
If only he wasn't so goddamn stupid!
Alex Koppelman noted, in an interview with the fundy rag, Christianity Today, Sam (aka Joe) was asked as to how he felt about homosexuals getting married, you know, just like real folks, and Sam (aka Joe) hiked up his britches, dusted off his boots, straightened both hairs on his head, and said he thought gay marriage should be up the states and the feds should stay out of it.
But as for he and his family, they will serve the Lord! Yessiree. "I personally still think it's wrong," saith Jose the prophet (aka Sam the prophet). "People don't understand the dictionary -- it's called queer."
I knew that was the problem. Us folks who think gays are people, too, just don't understand that damn dictionary. But....but....seems I recall Joe (aka Sam) going into a library once looking for a dictionary and he ended up in the section called "Dichotomy."
Nah, I made that up.
Anyway, the prophet Jose (aka Joe, aka Sam), continued to esplain to us stupids: "Queer means strange or unusual." (He must have had someone read that to him from a dictionary (which you don't find in the dichotomy section of a library!).
But not to worry, because to call someone a queer "is not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that." Nosirree! No slur intended, you goddamn queer!
Then, just to show he is a reel profit and knows what God wants, Jose saith: "You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do -- what man and woman are for." Yup. I'll betcha old Jose aka Joe aka Sam wouldn't have a freaking clue if you asked him to point out in the Bible where God is "explicit" like that.
Doesn't matter, 'cause Jose the prophet (aka profit) goes on: "...at the same time, we're supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I've had some friends that are actually homosexual." Notice he said "actually" by which he meant, I suppose, to distinguish between fake homosexuals, or people just pretending to be homosexual.
Now, Joe speaketh in the past tense, too: "I've had some friends..." He doesn't have any homosexual friends anymore, I'll betcha, 'cause "...they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children."
Heehaw! Joe, Jose, Sam, plumber or no, prophet or profit, has to be the dumbest ass in the entire world, and he is a perfect example of the Repugnican base today! Stupid is as stupid does.
You can read all of Koppelman's article here.
Gregg and Republican principles
According to E. Thomas McCalanahan at the Kansas City Star, via McClatchy, the Repugnican nogoodnik senator, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, commented to the Wall Street Journal that the Republican Party is "rediscovering its principles," and "is beginning to speak in one voice on its traditional issues," and "a Republican comeback might come sooner than many expect."Dream on, Gregg.
What "principles"? What "issues"? Aha! Want a good laugh? Listen to this: Republican principles include "fiscal responsibility"? Yup. That's what he said. Oh, and the Repugnicans want the American people to "go out and create a better life for themselves," and his one other issue was that Republicans don't think we should apologize for our nation.
Jesus H. Christ! This guy's a senator. This is the asshat Obama tried to use in a bipartisan maneuver by putting him in the cabinet.
First of all, we know the Repugnicans want nothing to do with fiscal responsibility! That's code for allowing their corporate bosses to make as much money as possible while keeping the hoi polloi in their place. It's code for lowering the tax rate on the top one percent of our population. It's code for spending gazillions on the military and not one penny on health care! It's crabbing about a bailout but never bothering to mention it was their lousy Repugnican Party that tossed over a trillion bucks away on an illegal and nonsensical war in Iraq.
Secondly, we know the Repugnicans, no longer how loudly they proclaim their faith, do not really believe in limited government. That's also a code word for allowing them to impose their will on all of the American people, while denying the rights of the minorities in our land.
So, it's perfectly OK for a Republican "big" government to ban abortion and same-sex marriage, to establish faith-based offices in contravention of the Constitution, to turn the military into a Christian evangelical missionary organization, to appoint crusty old farts to our federal courts because they will uphold "traditional values," to be racist so long as you're quiet about it, to allow developers and corporations to have full access to the national resources which belong to the people, etc., etc.
No, the Repugs aren't against big government at all. So long as they're in control, the bigger government and more oppressive the government, the better!
And don't you love the bit about not apologizing for our nation? To the contrary! As a nation, we should put on sackcloth and ashes and beg the forgiveness of the world for electing the two stooges, Bush and Cheney, to our highest offices. Who the hell does Gregg think we are as a nation - some special place, created and blessed by his deity that can do no wrong?
We have a lot to apologize for. We need to apologize first of all to the American people for electing assholes made a mess of the vision for our country as set out in our founding documents. And, as noted, we need to apologize to the world for our bizarre, jingoistic and imperialistic behavior.
To apologize is not, Mr. Gregg, a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. That's something the Repugnican Party as a whole has never understood!
Go back to New Hampshire, Mr. Gregg. Serve out your time with your mouth shut. Because when you open it and speak, you sound stupid.
Fortunately a slight majority of the American people are smart enough to see through your so-called "principles," and gave you a big thumbs down in November. The only thing that has changed since then is that the Repugnican Party has become even more entrenched in stupidity, racism, hatred, idiocy, fiscal irresponsibility, and is draped in the flag of failure.
That isn't going to change anytime soon because you're marching in the wrong direction to the wrong drummer, Mr. Gregg.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Dom Deluise - RIP
One of my favorite comedians, Dom Deluise, passed today at age 75. May he rest in peace!
Monday, May 4, 2009
U.S. military creating a holy war in Afghanistan - in Jesus' name
Our Constitution, as everyone should know, requires that there be a separation of church and state in our country. The founders of our nation, remembering all too well how oppressive an official religion can be, specifically wrote into our documents the following:
* "no religious Test shall ever be required as a qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." (Article VI)
* "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..." (Amendment I)
Some of our U.S. military leaders evidently do not take the Constitution of the United States, which is the supreme law of the land, seriously, nor do they bother following the codes of the military under which they serve.
One of those codes (from the US Central Command) specifically forbids "proselytizing of any religion, faith or practice." This is known as General Order Number One.
Al Qaeda has called the U.S. presence in the Middle East an insult to Islam and has urged a holy war to oppose that presence. Al Qaeda has warned the citizens of the Middle East that it is the desire of the Western countries to destroy Islam and impose their way of life (including their religion) on Muslims.
We've written before about the fact that the U.S. military has wrapped itself in evangelical (fundamentalist) christianism; that 2/3rd of the military chaplains now identify as christianist fundamentalists. The top chaplain is a Southern Baptist fundamentalist.
We have written before about how these fundamentalists demand the right to proselytize among our own troops.
Now they've really gone over the fence.
Jeremy Scahill at Rebel Reports (via Alternet) writes that "New video evidence has surfaced showing that U.S. military forces in Afghanistan have been instructed by the military's top chaplain in the country to 'hunt people for Jesus' as they spread Christianity to the majority Muslim population. Soldiers have also imported Bibles translated into Pashto and Dari, the two dominant languages of Afghanistan. What's more, the center of this evangelical operation is at the huge U.S. base at Bagram, one of the main sites used by the U.S. military to torture and indefinitely detain prisoners."
Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief poohbah of U.S. chappies in Afghanistan, is shown on the video as "telling [the] soldiers that as followers of Jeus Christ, they all have a responsibility 'to be witnesses for him.'"
This story has been picked up by Aljazeera and Aljazeera points out that the chaplains, good christianists they be, have figured out a way to get around General Order No. 1: You don't "proselytize," you give gifts. Like a Bible.
Not only is this kind of crap unconstitutional according to the U.S. Constitution and in violation of military regulations, it is illegal according to the Afghanistan constitution!
Secondly, this kind of crap gives credence to the extremist rant that the U.S. is engaged in a war on Islam, thereby undermining the military effort while strengthening Al Qaeda.
Every one of these miserable "soldiers for Christ," especially the chaplain nogoodniks should be courtmartialed and drummed out of the service.
This is another despicable example of christianist extremism based on the premise that when doing things for Jesus, the ends justify the means.
Read Scahill's article here.
* "no religious Test shall ever be required as a qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." (Article VI)
* "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..." (Amendment I)
Some of our U.S. military leaders evidently do not take the Constitution of the United States, which is the supreme law of the land, seriously, nor do they bother following the codes of the military under which they serve.
One of those codes (from the US Central Command) specifically forbids "proselytizing of any religion, faith or practice." This is known as General Order Number One.
Al Qaeda has called the U.S. presence in the Middle East an insult to Islam and has urged a holy war to oppose that presence. Al Qaeda has warned the citizens of the Middle East that it is the desire of the Western countries to destroy Islam and impose their way of life (including their religion) on Muslims.
We've written before about the fact that the U.S. military has wrapped itself in evangelical (fundamentalist) christianism; that 2/3rd of the military chaplains now identify as christianist fundamentalists. The top chaplain is a Southern Baptist fundamentalist.
We have written before about how these fundamentalists demand the right to proselytize among our own troops.
Now they've really gone over the fence.
Jeremy Scahill at Rebel Reports (via Alternet) writes that "New video evidence has surfaced showing that U.S. military forces in Afghanistan have been instructed by the military's top chaplain in the country to 'hunt people for Jesus' as they spread Christianity to the majority Muslim population. Soldiers have also imported Bibles translated into Pashto and Dari, the two dominant languages of Afghanistan. What's more, the center of this evangelical operation is at the huge U.S. base at Bagram, one of the main sites used by the U.S. military to torture and indefinitely detain prisoners."
Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief poohbah of U.S. chappies in Afghanistan, is shown on the video as "telling [the] soldiers that as followers of Jeus Christ, they all have a responsibility 'to be witnesses for him.'"
This story has been picked up by Aljazeera and Aljazeera points out that the chaplains, good christianists they be, have figured out a way to get around General Order No. 1: You don't "proselytize," you give gifts. Like a Bible.
Not only is this kind of crap unconstitutional according to the U.S. Constitution and in violation of military regulations, it is illegal according to the Afghanistan constitution!
Secondly, this kind of crap gives credence to the extremist rant that the U.S. is engaged in a war on Islam, thereby undermining the military effort while strengthening Al Qaeda.
Every one of these miserable "soldiers for Christ," especially the chaplain nogoodniks should be courtmartialed and drummed out of the service.
This is another despicable example of christianist extremism based on the premise that when doing things for Jesus, the ends justify the means.
Read Scahill's article here.
Sen. Ben Nelson & the insurance industry
In an article at The Seminal, Jason Rosenbaum critques Sen. Ben Nelson's (D-Neb) ties with the insurance industry.On May 1, Nelson announced he would oppose any government-run health care plan, and additionally, he intended to "assemble a coalition of like-minded centrists opposed to the creation of a public plan, as a counterweight to Democrats pushing for it."
Notice the use of the word, "centrist." Centrist as opposed to what? Liberal? Socialist? Marxist?
And how does the good Senator explain his own very comprehensive government-run health care plan? Oh, that must be "centrist." It's "centrist" if one is a member of Congress. A plan for the rest of us is not centrist, but some other murky kind of anti-capitalist plot to derail traditional values.
Rosenbaum suggest, however, that there is more to Nelson's centrism. According to Open Secrets, "Nelson received $608,709 from the insurance industry in 2007-2008, making the insurance industry his biggest donor group..."
Rosenbaum goes further, suggesting that all that money plays a part in Nelson's political stance and determines the causes he backs and those he opposes.
Maybe. While it is likely impossible to prove a quid-pro-quo, it is quite probable that an industry contributing over $600,000 to a politician will expect something in return for all that loot.
It appears, on the surface, at least, that Nelson plans to do his best to do the bidding of his insurance industry bidders.
Read all of Rosenbaum's article here.
Another article of interest here. And here.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Obama & Notre Dame - Catholic power does not reside in the poohbahs
You may have been led to believe that whatever ze bishop says, ze parishioners fall in line, kiss his ring and his ass, and cry, "Yes, father!"
Ah...the Catholic prelates wish it were zo. In fact, the biggest poohbah of them all, ze Pope in ze city/nation of ze Vatican wishes it were zo.
It is not zo.
For example, when ze University of Our Mother (Notre Dame) invited ze President (Obama) to speak at its commencement this year, zere was a holy uproar among ze faithful, which ze media tried to imply meant all ze Catholics in ze United States.
Not zo.
Ze so-called "uproar" was a well-orchestrated outcry by Catholic conservatives who don't like Mr. Obama because when it comes to abortion, although he abhors it, he believes women should make that choice and not ze government nor ze Roman Catolic Church.
Catolic conservatives believe every government and every person should abide by Catolic rules for zey are from zair god!
Interestingly, Alex Koppleman at Salon.com tells us a Pew poll which discovered that "of those Catholics who say they've heard about the controversy, 54 percent approve of the school's choice. 38 percent oppose it."
It gets worse for ze Catolic conservatives. Joan Walsh noted that other data indicated 73 percent of Our Mother's students (including 97 percent of its seniors) were in favor of ze president speaking at Our Mother's commencement.
None of this is surprising, of course. For many years, studies have indicated that a majority of Roman Catholics in this country disagree with ze church's teachings relative to birth control, abortion, and married priests.
It seems ze Catolic poohbahs are pissing in the wind.
Jesus is coming soon
Quit your job, sell everything you have, and go await on the nearest mountain! (Oh, and bring your family, too, unless they're a bunch of heathen.)
by Proudfootz
by Proudfootz
Ronald Reagan on torture
Glenn Greenwald, at Salon.com, has a most interesting article entitled "Ronald Reagan: vengeful, score-settling, Hard Left ideologue".Greenwald begins by noting how our thinking on torture has changed dramatically in a mere 20 years, "and how depraved and extremist our political and media classes have become ... "
He quotes what has become a relatively "famous" article by Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post, in which Krauthammer ends up saying that there are occasions when the use of torture is not only acceptable but necessary.
What?
Surprise, surprise! The hero of the Krauthammer's of the world, Ronald Reagan, thought otherwise!
May 20, 1988, when sending the Convention Against Torture to the U.S. Senate to be ratified, Reagan said:
"The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of the Convention. It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.
"The core provisions of the Convention establish a regime for international cooperation in the criminal prosecution of torturers relying on so-called 'universal jurisdiction.' Each State Party is required required either to prosecute torturers who are found in its territory or to extradite them to other countries for prosecution."
Here's what the Convention actually said:
"No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability, or any other public emergency, maybe invoked as a justification of torture...Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law."
Reagan, the "hard-left ideologue" signed the treaty!
Torture can never be justified under ANY circumstance! We are obligated to prosecute our torturers, and if we do not do so, another state may do so.
Welcome, Spain. Have at the bastards!
Greenwald offers much more of importance, which you can read here.
Armed men in la-la land
I am not anti-gun and I own guns. That does not mean I agree with the NRA or the other crazies in the hinterlands who are busy stocking up on ammo and heavy-duty weapons just in case the government decides to put all gun owners in a concentration camp.
Max Blumenthal of Daily Beast fame decided to get a closer look at our gun-loving loonies, and headed off to California and Nevada to check out a couple of gun shows.
He writes, "I came away from these events with a portrait of a heavily armed, tightly organized movement incited by right-wing radio to a fever-pitched resentment of Obama and his allies in Congress."
Blumenthal's referring to such kooks as Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and the conspiracy fruitcake, Alex Jones. It's because of the ranting of such characters that many of those attending the gun shows have become "convinced Obama planned to usher in a Marxist dictatorship."
The people Max spoke with are typical of some, but not all gun enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the NRA has led too many to believe that sensible laws relative to the sale and possession of certain weapons is the first step toward a Soviet system.
The NRA is big and powerful and has the ability to influence many people with its lies. It defends the most bizarre claims, shrilly crying that any attempt to control gun sales and distribution is an evil, satanic plot.
Thus, Blumenthal says, "At the gun show in Reno, I witnessed the sale of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and bazooka guns; I watched a California dealer demonstrate how rapidly he could field-strip his .308 sniper rifle, then stash it in a deliberately innocuous-looking backpack and a briefcase that 'looks just like a camera case.'
"Nearby, I interviewed another dealer retailing a brand of .50-caliber assault rifle that was banned in California because it could supposedly bring down an airplane. He told me by slightly altering the bullets his gun fired, and by converting the gun from semiautomatic to bolt action, he was able to sell it in California once again."
I cannot think of any good reason why any sane person in this country needs a grenade launcher or a bazooka gun or a .50-caliber assault rifle that can bring down an airplane. And I don't think that by banning such weapons, the interpretation gun enthusiasts put to the 2nd Amendment would be in jeopardy.
Someone needs to stand up and tell the NRA to take its craziness and shove it!
You can read Blumenthal's entire article here.
And just in case you're not convinced, watch this video:
Max Blumenthal of Daily Beast fame decided to get a closer look at our gun-loving loonies, and headed off to California and Nevada to check out a couple of gun shows.
He writes, "I came away from these events with a portrait of a heavily armed, tightly organized movement incited by right-wing radio to a fever-pitched resentment of Obama and his allies in Congress."
Blumenthal's referring to such kooks as Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and the conspiracy fruitcake, Alex Jones. It's because of the ranting of such characters that many of those attending the gun shows have become "convinced Obama planned to usher in a Marxist dictatorship."
The people Max spoke with are typical of some, but not all gun enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the NRA has led too many to believe that sensible laws relative to the sale and possession of certain weapons is the first step toward a Soviet system.
The NRA is big and powerful and has the ability to influence many people with its lies. It defends the most bizarre claims, shrilly crying that any attempt to control gun sales and distribution is an evil, satanic plot.
Thus, Blumenthal says, "At the gun show in Reno, I witnessed the sale of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and bazooka guns; I watched a California dealer demonstrate how rapidly he could field-strip his .308 sniper rifle, then stash it in a deliberately innocuous-looking backpack and a briefcase that 'looks just like a camera case.'
"Nearby, I interviewed another dealer retailing a brand of .50-caliber assault rifle that was banned in California because it could supposedly bring down an airplane. He told me by slightly altering the bullets his gun fired, and by converting the gun from semiautomatic to bolt action, he was able to sell it in California once again."
I cannot think of any good reason why any sane person in this country needs a grenade launcher or a bazooka gun or a .50-caliber assault rifle that can bring down an airplane. And I don't think that by banning such weapons, the interpretation gun enthusiasts put to the 2nd Amendment would be in jeopardy.
Someone needs to stand up and tell the NRA to take its craziness and shove it!
You can read Blumenthal's entire article here.
And just in case you're not convinced, watch this video:
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