"Swear" words

Okay, I guess I can understand why “God damn it” would be a big no-no to our pals in the Religious Right TM, given the whole ten commandments thing, but why should they care about good old-fashioned Anglo-Saxon cussing?

(Honestly, if you’re offended by allegedly “foul” language, you might want to stop right here. On the other hand, you might gain a new outlook.)

Because of family connections and other accidents, there are a few devout Christian readers of this site, and for that I am grateful. The number of venues in which religious and not can meet and discuss is small and getting smaller. I can hurl invective with the best of them, but Lordy, it would be nice to have a dialogue.
I don’t want to drive anyone off, but this seems like a fitting topic for a rant.

The Onion once had a great article by a guy selling Bibles. “Why can’t I sell any of these fucking Bibles? These aren’t some cheap ass shitty Bibles. They’re fucking quality Bibles.”

The church definitely preaches that words like ”shit”, ”piss” or ”fuck” are somehow “bad”. On what scriptural basis? Why is feces not obscene, but shit is? You can say fornicate from the pulpit, but they’d throw you out for saying, “Fucking come to Jesus, y’all”.

Any theologians (or English majors for that matter) who can clarify this for me?

On the theme of tradition vs. scripture, I had to throw in the old joke:

Q. Why don’t Baptists make love standing up?
A. Someone might see them and think they were dancing.

And my brother Steve’s line of artificial swearing:
“Got dandruff! And some of it itches!”

Religion, bane of humanity and deity

Okay, earlier in this blog, a devout, educated, American Christian, Ben, defends the righteousness of sending a starved 5 month old child to eternal damnation because the child may have sinned.

I’m watching a mob of Sudanese on CNN marching to demand the execution of a teacher who “allowed” her 7 year old students to name a teddy bear Mohammed.

Last year, a huge brouhaha broke our in Kabul after an Afghani
converted to Christianity and was sentenced to death as a result.

My earlier post included the letter from the RV park host warning that “Muslim mosques are “Hate America Centers””.

I don’t remember the last time an agnostic killed an atheist over his or her religious views.

I can’t count the number of catholic/protestant/muslim/hindu/mormons killed because they weren’t catholic/protestant/muslim/hindu/mormons.

What the hell is wrong with you people?

Is it possible that God hates religion as much as I do? It’s really not hard to imagine. In fact, I take it as an article of faith.

Abortion- Jesus thought it was a great idea

Okay, the idiots in today’s right wing consider opposition to abortion to be the touchstone shibboleth of faith. The death of millions of innocent zygotes, whose lives they will defend, right up to the moment of birth and not one minute more is some kind of genocide. These same knuckleheads can’t find $100 a head to have at risk 5 year olds get a school lunch or tutoring, but God forbid that a cluster of 12 cells gets sucked into the Hoover and all hell breaks loose.

Jesus hung with ho’s and never said a thing about abortions. Think about it; unless these women only worked 3 days a month, they were practicing abortion, whether falling down stairs or using herbal potions. He never said a thing. What the hell is wrong with these idiots whose real motivation I believe is, “The little slut wouldn’t sleep with me. Screw her.” Or "I never got laid in high school, why should you?"

Oh the absurd suffering that's been laid (sic) on the world thru the sexual neurosis of the Religious Right and its' ancestors. A bunch of inhibited perverts, in my opinion. Latent child molesters and wanna be swingers with too much weird guilt to pull it off. Get over yourselves.

Justice and mercy anyone?

What’s the struggle?

Evangelicals, it seems to me, are always bitching about the corrupting influence of the culture, the oppression they face, the secular humanists running the world (huh?), the rampant sexual content (pardon me, but Jesus forbids consensual sex outside of wedlock between adults where? He hung out with prostitutes, you tight-assed Puritans!) and all manner of other distraction from their living a Godly life.

WHAT? If I actually believed that I’d get a billion years in heaven and all I had to do was survive my 70 plus years here on earth, it’d be a piece of cake. No sex, no drugs, no problem. It's like telling a kid you'll take him to Disneyland for a month if he stays quiet for 10 seconds. So why is it such a trial for Christians? Could it be doubt? What if this is the only chance I get at life and I make the wrong bet?

So Is God Evil or Weak?

There’s a religion out there that worships a god who allows 29,000 innocent children to die of starvation every day. The vast majority of them, these folks believe, go to burn and suffer in unimaginable pain for billions of years, and then billions more and billions more. Because of original sin. This is considered the actions of a merciful god. In fact, they like to say, “God is love.”

Sorry, but God sounds like a major league asshole to me.

Nobody has ever successfully explained to me whether God is weak, and can’t prevent evil, pain and suffering, simply because he’s not up to the task, or if he’s evil and wants us to suffer.

As for the “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, the game was rigged. Adam and Eve faced the choice of the skinny kid facing the schoolyard bully, ho asks, “If you don’t want me to hit you, say, “Hit me.”” For this, billions of humans are relegated to eternal suffering on an infinite scale.

Sorry, but I don’t get it. What is it, weak or evil or just a bully?

Are Christians evil?

So I was walking around the Tucson Barnes and Noble, trying to think what English language drivel I’d wish I had during a month in Mexico, and I saw the Harper’s cover story, “Are Christians evil?”

This I obviously had to have. The point of the article, which is actually a book review of David Lewis and Phillip Kitcher’s “Philosophers Without Gods” published in August, is interesting..

The premise is that because God insists that those who know nothing about him are sentenced to unimaginably long torture of unimaginable agony in unimaginable ways that God is intrinsically evil. Works for me.

The following idea is that if Christians approve of, and in fact worship this kind of behavior, then they are in fact evil. Where the hell is the love in sentencing African five month olds who die of starvation to billions of years of anal rape by barbed penised demons? It has always struck me as the plan of a less than loving deity.

Call me crazy.

If I were Eve, I’d pick an apple from a tree because it’s human to be hungry, and that’s all.

Lies, damned lies and statistics

Okay, a month ago one-third of Americans still believe Saddam Hussein had a personal role in the attacks o 9/11, and 40 percent believed he had some role. (This result certainly includes my parents and various other family members, who also believed That Governor Bill Clinton imported cocaine to Arkansas and that his wife killed Vince Foster. Also, Nixon was framed.)

How can you believe in democracy when these boneheads each get a vote? It drives me crazy that my vote is countered by a guy in an F-150 with Confederate Army battle flag decals on the bumper.

“Hey man, being White is my heritage.” Yeah, but being White doesn’t mean a damn thing except that you’re not Black. It’s not being English or Irish or Lithuanian. That’s not heritage, it’s just another ugly, ridiculous abuse of the ignorant by the right wing to get their votes. Those people are utterly contemptuous of those ignorant lowlifes, but they sure are useful stooges.

Safety, security and an atmosfear

Here’s a rant anyone who’s known me in the last decade will recognize; what’s up with all the gated communities? We are passing through some nice areas, and some not so nice, but there seems to be many more “gated communities” than when I was a kid. I’m not sure I remember ever seeing one until not too long ago.

People who move to an upscale, crime free area who immediately put industrial strength deadbolts on the door, and an alarm system in the house and teach their children of “stranger danger”.

As for me, I’d rather be robbed than live in fear. Fear is a full time corrosive thing, that can suck the mercy and humanity right out of you. Think of the drivel that idiots like Lou Dobbs and Tom Tacredo spew at their fans- “Fear Hispanics! Fear invasion.” The result of such vitriol is NOT mercy and not Christ-like and NOT, in my humble opinion, very American.

I don’t think I’ve been robbed in decades, though I never lock the house, routinely leave the keys in the car, and go to scary countries carrying lots of cash. What a waste it would have been to spend that time in fear.

Don’t be afraid. They use your fear.

Taxing the poor more and more

In this town of 35,000 residents (Casa Grande, Arizona) I counted 17 payday loan outlets and 13 real banks. Oh the unmitigated blessings of deregulation, another right wing fave. One of these parasites actually brags on their web site, “New customers pay 50% less, only $9.31 per $100.00!” Keep in mind this is a one or two week loan. Basically this is a hideous tax on people with little education and few resources. Screwing around with Excel, I come up with an annual rate of 7,000%. Nice.

Just another abuse of the poor by unbridled deregulation.

While I’m ranting, how hard would it be to add personal finance to high school curriculum? We are schooling a generation of financial idiots, unleashing them on a world with easy credit, credit cards practically forced on them and a great new bankruptcy bill that is tantamount to debtor’s prison.

How many times have I stood behind some moron taking out $20.00 from an ATM? There’s a $2.00 fee, so you’re basically taxing yourself an additional 10% in addition to any other taxes you’ve paid. Makes me want to grab them and give them a lecture on personal finance.

Sex and personal finance are two of the few things just about every one of us will have to deal with. Why don’t we teach about them?

What inflation?

Okay, here’s a short one, but it bugs me. I have a degree in Economics, and though I’m no expert, I have a lot of friends who are. A special nod to old friend Eric Janszen and his excellent, if intense, web site iTulip.

Here’s the thing- there is a big risk of inflation going through the roof for a variety of reasons. If you’re much under 50, you don’t remember inflation, but I do and it really, really sucks. Unemployment rises, all boats are falling in an ebb tide, and the price of everything gets insane. You’re not going to like it.

But. I believe it’s official White House policy because it’s the only way to shrink our MASSIVE debt (note- George W. Bush has borrowed more money than all previous Presidents COMBINED!)*

Anyway, here’s the rant part. When they report “core” inflation, which is what the current CPI (consumer price index) shows, they remove energy and food. Energy and food aren’t a core part of most people’s spending? When you include groceries, restaurants, gas, utilities and all the other things that constitute food and energy, how the heck is that NOT part of “core” inflation?

They are lying to us in so many ways.

This is my dream- let the South secede

I swear this is the best thing that could happen to America. With thanks to http://cronus.com/redstates/ for the material.


Dear Red States
We're ticked off at the way you've treated California, and we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the entire Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.
To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home.
With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners)
90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.
By the way, we have all the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.
— Anonymous in California

School choice, the real story

This one really steams my shorts. The Right has been talking for years about “school choice” or vouchers to help them poor colored kids in the inner city. How can you Liberals leave these poor things in failing schools? Oh, the humanity!

Okay, when I was a kid, there were two kinds of public schools in the American South- White kid schools and Black kid schools. “Separate, but equal” was the absurd claim. Absurd as witnessed by the way the White schools got new textbooks and the Black kids got the old used ones from the White schools. There is enough evidence of the profound inequalities that I’ll leave it there.

So then along comes Brown v. Board of Education and everyone has to go to school together- red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight- and so obviously the White (Christian) parents had to pull their kids from the public schools full of them nasty heathen coloreds to send them to Liberty Baptist Academy (oddly all white).

Wink, wink. It’s fer them coloreds, right? Wink.

School vouchers and school choice is a cynical, racist ploy to the base of White (Christian, racist, but I repeat myself) voters.

Bush to Congress- "Don't tell generals what to do!"

Civilian control of the military is an important feature of this republic. Independent action by Generals or the Pentagon is the path to disaster, witness Pakistan. Why does the bonehead-in-chief think it’s wise and or prudent to hand over the strategy, goals or missions of the US armed forces there?

We have seen time and again truth to power speaking patriots get smeared and reviled by the administration. When they finally can find a willing dupe, they play it as, “All is well and always will be. Now shut up and support the troops.” I feel bad for Betraeus. Who had to get up there and twist the truth into a pretzel. He’s a motivated, driven guys. He wants to go places. He knows what they did to Shinseki. He’s spoken of running for President. For him, he has to make happy talk and try anything. If he turns around this disaster, he’s a shoe in for the White House. If he doesn’t, well, it was already broken when he got it. It's the way the hedge fund managers have to think. They get 20% of profits amd share none of the pain of losses. How would you invest under that scenario? Risky, risky, risky.

My nephew Nat tells me he’s teaching his high school students about the Constitution and balance of power between the branches of Government. Apparently very depressing when you see what a circus they’ve made of it.

I miss my country.

The surge is working (what were the original goals?)

Okay, I’m really freaking tired of the moving targets in all aspects of the “Global War on TerrorTM”. The latest is the “surge” (don’t call it escalation). They fired General Shinseki for saying Iraq required “several hundred thousand” troops; four years later, they add troops and surprise! Fatalities fall.

Except, it’s not sustainable. And, it forgets the original point. The point of the surge was to give breathing room to an embryonic government to get its act together and get past sectarian division. Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Zero progress and an absurdly broken “government” that is completely irrelevant outside the Green Zone.

So the Right still gets to ask rhetorically, “Would you prefer that Saddam Hussein was still in power?” Hell yes! Like Tito in Yugoslavia, sometimes an iron fist is required to hold back nasty ethnic tendencies. Somebody should attack this thinking about now, and note that Prez MonkeyBoy wants to spread democracy, not strong man rule. Except he gives $10,000,000,000 to support strong man Pervez Musharraf. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.

Islamofascism Vs Neoconservativism

By any normal definition of fascism (a) creates dangerous enemies, (b) enables great corporate power, (c) promotes fierce nationalism, (d) suppresses differing views, (e) creates extraordinary police powers, (f) funds the extensive use of propaganda. Wait a minute. That's the Bush administration to a T.

What do we have:
Bush administration, yes on a, b, c, d, e, and f.

Your avg Islamic terrorist group, yes on a f, no on b, no on c, incapable of d, impossible to do e.

What the heck? All I can think is that it's part of trying to call Al Qaeda as big a threat as Hitler. In fighting Hitler, taxes were raised, gasoline was rationed, we created the greatest air, sea and and land based military the world had ever known. launched a Manhattan project, and we did it in less time than we've been in Iraq. A young George HW Bush lied about his age to get in the fight.

Today, tax increases are anathema (but not borrowing $2 Billion a day from China), gasoline is practically subsidized, the military has been ground down and the Bush twins haven't done so much as to send the troops cookies.

Exactly how stupid do they think we are? This is NOTHING like WWII.

Here's a really interesting take on the issue from an American Muslim's point of view.

Emergency funding?

The Senate was expected to start work on the 50 billion dollar emergency war funding bill by Friday, though the measure is considered dead on arrival due to ...

Which moron is it precisely in this administration that keeps needing to have "emergency" funding? Four and a half years in, it's still an emergency? Where's the adult supervision?

When your house catches fire, that's an emergency.

When you are in a head-on collision with a truck, that's an emergency.

When at this point in Iraq you mismanage such that you need another zillion, it shows a monstrous lack of competence at the highest levels.

Jesus was a Buddhist Jew, Paul founded Xianity

I stumbled upon this and had to post it. It's not that I agree, but it's an interesting bit of writing. The hillarious "Lamb", by Christopher Moore has Jesus doing similar travel.


Before I begin, I would like to make it clear that I believe Jesus existed, whether his name was really Jesus or not. I also hold a high reverence for his teachings, which I try to live by every day. I just don't believe in hell, heaven, killing, and damnation. I have no doubt that some readers will consider me a liar who thinks he knows everything, but that is simply an untrue judgment. There is a lot I don't know and I feel that the key to progress is in embracing that idea. It is the way of education and especially science, which I hold in high regard. Failure to realize our short-comings is failure to progress.

Because I have not studied Judaism, I cannot really say factually how the Jewish people see Jesus. However, it is my understanding that he is simply regarded as a teacher. I find it odd that Jesus was a Jew, which is not argued, yet alleged followers of Jesus denounce many Jewish beliefs and traditions and harbor a new set of beliefs, not taught by Jesus. The bible states that Jesus was like man in all ways except sin. What does this mean? It seems to say that Jesus was a man, in all ways with the exception of the fact that he lived by strict morals that were scarcely found in the religious practices of that time and place. I have heard about the parallels of his teachings and those of Buddhism. Were these coincidences or something else? It is undeniable that a good portion of Jesus' young adult life is unaccounted for pursuing his teachings of logical, undeniable morals. Where did he go? Where did these new insights come from? In 1887 a respected Russian journalist named Nicolas Notovich published a book called "The Unknown Life of Jesus." The book was, obviously, called blasphemy. Notovich claimed his book was a factual account of his trip to the Himalayas in northern India to an isolated Buddhist monastery. Notovich wrote about ancient Buddhist scrolls speaking of a scholar and prophet named Issa, a foreigner from a small, Mediterranean country who arrived as a teenage boy to study the teachings of the Buddha. He was there 500 years after the death of Buddha, which coincides with the time of the lost years of Jesus' life. In 1902, a Hindu priest came to the same monastery and translated those scrolls with the same conclusion. There are many reports of Jesus visiting other countries, going as far north as ancient England to meet the Druids. It seems likely to me that the success of christianity should be attributed to the fact that, for quite some time, Jesus traveled thousands of miles, preaching all the way. The bible even states that Jesus' great uncle traveled to England often as a merchant. Joseph of Arimathea was the uncle of Mary and a successful tin merchant, which tin was abundant in England and similar in value to present-day steel. It was quite likely that Jesus accompanied him at least once. Loyal great uncle, Joseph, carried on Jesus' teachings after the crucifixion.

Jesus was brilliant in the respect that instead of preaching to the leaders of countries who would have surely persecuted him (oh yeah, they did), he preached to the poor, telling them they will inherit the kingdom of heaven. In his later days, he claimed to be the son of god, which originally could have simply meant that he obeyed, honored, and taught what god would teach like a good son would do, but later was blatantly a claim to be of god's seed. I would attribute this to egotism because at this point, Jesus was considered a leader and a savior in the sense that Gandhi was savior to his people. I mean no disrespect, but let's be honest. If Jesus is capable of anger and hostility (his persecution of the merchants), then why not egotism and perhaps a deliberate lie, albeit for the greater good. In fact, the alleged lost books of the bible speak of how Jesus was even capable of murder. Keep in mind that I do not consider these ideas as facts, but there is just as much evidence, if not more in some cases, as the truth of the complete works of the bible.

The bible also states that Jesus followed the practices of Judaism in every regard. This means that Jesus was circumcised, which makes a man worthy of marriage, and also means that he took a wife, which is necessary in Judaism in order to be a rabbi (priest/teacher). It is obvious if you read the new testament that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, whom his disciples were jealous of and whom Jesus kissed all the time. There is also a story of a wedding in which it doesn't say specifically who was married, but Jesus and Mary were in charge of. Obviously, this was a method in catholicism to portray the purity of Jesus, but it would have been sacrilegious in those times. Also in catholicism, Mary is portrayed as pure, even though the bible states Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters (because of the use of the plural "sisters"). It was his brother, James, who also attempted to continue the ministries of Jesus.

Considering that Jesus was a devout Jew, why is it that his life spawned a new religion altogether? Do you really believe that this is was Jesus wanted? Why is it that most christians don't know that Paul, previously known as Saul, was Jesus' adversary. He only claimed an alliance with Jesus' teachings after Jesus was crucified. It was only then that he claimed to continue the teachings of Jesus, although he had radically different opinions on how to obtain the kingdom of heaven.

The Ethanol Scam

What a crock. When faced with a crisis involving the cost and availability of oil, the administration (oil industry guys, for sure) comes up with a plan to grow more corn to turn to ethanol instead of addressing demand side, and conserving. I think the American people are dying for a sacrifice they can make, and no one is willing to ask for it. The “Global War on Terror ™” can be fought with a Prius and a carpool.

So what are the unintended consequences of this great ethanol plan? We’re starving the already poor in Mexico (I’ll be there for a month or so starting this weekend.)

Next, the rainforest in Brazil is being burned at an increased rate to grow enough corn for the fuel.

It was encouraging crossing Oklahoma and northern Texas and seeing hundreds of HUGE wind turbines. But for the love of Pete, this isn’t going to work without addressing the demand side.

The infallible Bible

Long ago during my brief stint in a Christian school I learned about a concept called “theoneustos”, literally, “God breathed”. The idea was that God breathed through the writers of scripture, so we can know every word in infallible and true.

I have always had a hard time believing that a document in the hands of the Roman Catholic Church for a millennium wasn't doctored with. I wouldn’t trust them with an altar boy, never mind the written basis of a huge religious group.

Anyway, these believers, millions of them in the US today do some odd cherrypicking. To whit:

If a man commits adultery with another man's wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
Leviticus 20:10 we ignore, because we can’t go around killing people such as, oh, let’s say the leading Republican candidate?

You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart as unclean for you.
Leviticus 20:25 we ignore because it’s ceremonial law. Oh yeah? Who gets to pick?

Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
Leviticus 18:22 is the basis for the number one political concern of American (mostly Christian) Republicans. Not hunger, poverty, illness or any of the stuff their religion’s namesake actually said was important. What is the basis for the right’s obsession with sex anyway?

War on Christmas

Well, it's that time of year, so O'Reilly will be dusting off the "War on Christmas" in which evil liberals would deny the kiddies their tree and stockings and more importantly, the name of the birthday boy, Christ.

Nasty non-believers are so repulsed by the name of our Lord, that they would “X” out his name and call the holiday xmas. Have they no decency?

Both of my readers I suspect have some training in theology, so you see where this is going. Of course, in Greek, Christ starts with an X. The secret symbols of the early church often used the X, or a combined alpha/chi or the fish symbol to mark meeting places.

I don’t so much mind the invective of the War on Christmas opposers. But the historical ignorance is really appalling.

Bumper sticker seen today:
God was my copilot. But we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat him.

Not a rant, but a suggestion

We heard a month or so ago about a duet based CD in the works with Robert Plant and Allison Kraus. Huh? Stairway to Heaven meets O, Brother where art thou? We got it a week or so ago and have almost worn it out. Outstanding and nothing like either of them has done before. Awesome song selection and production by T Bone Burnett. Gotta get it.

While you’re at it, my old college buddy Sue has just put out her 3rd CD. Try it here.

No rant today

Leave the computer and say something nice to the next person you see.

Poor oppressed Christians

"Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history." –Pat Robertson

Maybe Pat Robertson doesn't speak for the broad Christian (vast) majority of this country, but what's with the persecution complex? All of the presidential candidates are Christians. The vast majority of both houses of Congress are Christians. It's illegal in 38 states for an atheist to hold statewide office. It's illegal in 0 states for a Christian to hold statewide office.

Taking his statement literally, the following are consistent with the opening statement.

The Jews in Germany in 1942 had it better than Christians in the US today.
The Jews in Spain in 1492 had it better than Christians in the US today.
The Indians in America since 1492 had it better than Christians in the US today.
The Indios in Central America since 1492 had it better than Christians in the US today.
The Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994 had it better than Christians in the US today.

Let's sum this up:

The above 5 groups killed for being who they are: more than 7 million
US Christians killed for being who they are: 0

Honestly, why the persecution complex?

The 10 Commandments are the basis of American law. Huh?

This is not an attempt to bash Christians or their beliefs. I just want to address the morons across the south who try to put the 10 commandments either on a wall or in a monument at the (taxpayer funded) courthouse. Honestly, people, the 10 commandments certainly are the basis of much Christian doctorine, beliefs and practice, but they are hardly the basis of Western law. I believe the Magna Carta holds that honor.

Here's what bugs me- if you broke all 10 commandments, how many crimes would you have committed under US law? Two. Murder and theft. So 80% of the 10 commandments aren't even against the law. In addition, 2 of them aren't practiced by the mainstream Evangelicals usually caught up in these circuses. The proscription against graven images (Muslims do a better job covering this one) and worshiping on the seventh day (the Adventists and the Jews get this one right) are completely ignored.

Anyway, I have no problem with anyone holding any religious belief. Just don't be ignorant of history.

You can't make this stuff up

My wife and I are on an extending camping trip this winter, and headed for Mexico. We research RV parks or state parks or Wal-Marts (really!) to spend the night. We stumbled across this screed in Gallup, NM at USARVPark.

USA RV PARK

AN AMERICAN OWNED CAMPGROUND 100 PERCENT


In response to your questions about the ownership of USA RV PARK, I have stated this campground is 100% American owned. We support the AMERICAN CONSTITUTION and BILL OF RIGHTS that outline our freedom. We support and give thanks to our American veterans who served their country. We support and give thanks to and for our troops fighting the war against islam terror. We have freedom because citizens gave and continue to give their lives to protect and preserve our freedom.

Please note, islam believers do not own this campground. The KOA (Kampgrounds of Arabia) at exit 26 on I-40 in New Mexico is islam owned and managed next door to the islamic center of Gallup, New Mexico.

Please note that The Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR) has as their stated goal to transform the U. S. into an Islamic state.

Islamic centers across America are part of CAIR and adhere to its goal to transform America into an Islamic state. Omar M. Ahmad, the chairman of the nations lead muslims rights group--Washington-based Council on Islamic-American Relations or (CAIR), -- has asserted the following to a muslim audience: “islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant, The Quran should be the highest authority in America.”

IRS financial records show that CAIR, the powerful muslim advocacy group, had donated money to terrorist front groups such as the Holy Land Foundation, while employing three officials recently arrested for terrorist-related activities.

Islamic centers across America are known as “HATE America Centers”.

Many Americans feel if they trade at islam/muslims owned businesses they are supporting the enemy.

The RVing citizens I talk to, tell me they will not do business with islam/muslim owned businesses. They tell me they become angry when unknowingly they do business with muslims, such as at Kampgrounds of Arabia.

Some RVing citizens have started a program to boycott all muslim businesses. I am told there are blogs that urge Americans to boycott muslims businesses, and thereby stop possible aid to islam terrorists and to put sleeper cells out of business and protect America.

Islamic teachings demand that muslims not give royalty and allegiance to a non-islamic government.
Islamic teachings demand that muslims not give charitable contributions to non-muslim entities, unless it promotes islam’s image.

Think about it.

Whom do you support?
America and our troops,
Or islam,
You cannot support both
www.usarvpark.com


"Political Factions and a Modest Proposal for Dealing With Islam" by Robert Klein Engler

Marginalizing the free press on purpose

The next time I hear somebody complain about the “liberal media”, I’m going to smack them. Why for the love of God would GE, the definition of a corporate profits first organization subsidize a leftist agenda at NBC? Why would Disney do the same over at ABC? Sumner Redstone, well know leftist, is doing the same with CBS? It’s just so ridiculous; unless you repeat it over and over and over in the echo chambers of talk radio.

As Stephen Colbert pointed out at the national press dinner, “Reality has a known liberal bias.” Since reality wasn’t agreeing with what they wanted to believe was happening, they got their own reality. The reality is that the right has put together what is basically a huge propaganda apparatus that lies to the American people every day.

Most Fox News viewers still believe that WMDs were found, that Saddam ordered 9/11 and that Al Qaeda trained in Iraq. My mother still believes that Hilliary is a murderer and Bill Clinton a drug dealer, based on viewing the “Clinton Chronicles” tape passed around at their Evangelical church.

All of the people are being lied to and taken advantage of. “Values voters” put these boneheads in power and what did they get for the trouble? Privatize Social Security. I really hope in my lifetime to see these well-meaning people realize that they’ve been duped and Lied to by Rush and Sean and Bill and Dick and George.

A democracy cannot exist without a vigorous, independent free press. Oppressive regimes cannot exist without propaganda. What are we?

Utterly free unregulated markets- a nightmare

Today, we risk getting a little geeky by delving into a real pet peeve of mine. There is an entire generation of young conservatives out there who have learned some hard and fast rules that are, in fact, lies. In turn, they create some very strange opinions that fly in the face of logic, kindness and humanity to man.

Here are a few of the most egregious.

* Any government regulation of business is bad.

So you don’t mind if I open a branch of “Toxic Chemicals Are Us” next door to your daughter’s pre-school?

*Outsourcing government tasks is always best (known as the “yellow pages rule”)

One word answer. Blackwater.

*Equal opportunities should be offered, but no affirmative action.

The milk of these people’s human kindness is skimmed and powdered. Honestly.

* Lowering taxes raises always raises revenues.

The first GHW Bush referred to this as “voodoo economics”. It is absurd and has led to a $9 trillion debt burden to pass on to your kids and theirs.

There’s a lot more, but this is already too depressing to read.

Anyway, I tell liberal friend pretty often that, “It’s worst than you think.” It is.

Iran? (shrug) North Korea? (yawn) Pakistan? (Holy %@$#!)

Okay, so diplomacy seems to be improving the situation in North Korea, and threatening Iran with World War III is going swimmingly, but the real scare is in Pakistan. The military dictator Pervez Musharraf has declared martial law, shut down all non-state controlled media and has the police and military beating or jailing anybody they feel poses a threat. There’s an assassination attempt du jour, and one of those bullets could get lucky. Then all hell breaks loose.

Wait a minute. I thought President Bush wanted to bring democracy to the Middle East. Why are we supporting Musharraf? Before 9/11, he was a pal of the Taliban next door. After 9/11, he switched sides and became a US ally, gaining billions in our tax dollars. The country is overwhelmingly Muslim, and a truly fair, free election would have some pretty hardcore people in power. With a modern air force. That we gave them. And a nuclear arsenal. Now. And a bad taste in their mouth about US support for their oppressor.

More racism from the right

Continuing the theme of racism at the heart of the modern Republican Party, I was amused to follow the whole Dubai Ports deal, in which a company in the United Arab Emirates would run the operations of six ports in the US. After 5 years of what I think of as the Bush/Cheney base “All-them-ragheads-look-alike-to-me” strategy of conflating 9/11 and Iraq, they thought the business wing of the party could swing a deal with a friendly Arab neighbor.

After all the drum beating that Muslim radicals (the “radicals” is silent) around the world are plotting our doom, they found that train had left the station and would be extremely hard to stop.

Ignorance and racism are powerful tools. The American people are too good for them.

Immigration reform and racism

There has been much attention paid to the immigration issue lately, and it has effectively split the formerly solid Republican coalition of Southern whites and Corporations. The southern whites are racist (to call a spade a spade) so they oppose anything that legalizes undocumented aliens. (If you don’t believe southern whites are generally bigots, ask an African-American. Or pop into Jena, LA). Nixon's "Southern Strategy" was a clever, if incredibly cynical play for white southern voters. Signing the Civil Rights act, LBJ famously said of Democrats, "We've lost South for a generation." Looks like two to me. The Corporations need a stream of hard-working people to slay chickens and perform other nasty tasks that Americans won't do. Thus the schism.

A few thoughts:

* When my Dad's family got to the new world in the early 17th century, there was no immigration service. When my Mom's family came in the 19th century, they were checked for TB and let in. The current process for getting to America is ridiculously complex and punitive. Would my ancestor have made it in? Would yours?

* We have a problem with Social Security because too many retirees will be supported by too few workers. Solution? 20 million new Social Security cards and Voila! Problem solved.

* Many of the strongest opponents to undocumented aliens would appear to be Evangelical Christians. Were the words in red missing from your Bibles? There are probably no more devout Christian, family oriented people in the world as Latin-Americans. Natural allies.

* "What part of ILLEGAL immigrant don't you understand?" I love this one. Christian prayer in public schools is illegal. Does that make it wrong? Abortion is legal. Does that make it right?

* "Why are they flying Mexican flags?" That’s so insulting to America. See graphic.



Maybe the best way to show the racism in this chunk of knuckleheads is to google "illegal alien invasion". Wooo. That's the true colors coming out.

Mountains of debt

It’s very disheartening to not be asked to sacrifice for the betterment of America. If someone in leadership would just stand up and say, “The most patriotic thing you can do is reduce your energy use. Oil revenues at record prices pay for nasty regimes around the world. Patriotic Americans carpool, they bike, they walk, they wear sweaters indoors in winter with the thermostat on 60. “

It’s part and parcel with the mountain of debt we are running up. The US owes the Chinese nearly a trillion dollars. That’s $3,000 for every man woman and child in America. The average family of four would need to cough up $500 a month to pay it down over 10 years. The 2 trillion dollar cost of the Iraq war is another $1,000 a month for our typical family. The country is living on credit cards, borrowing nearly $2 billion a day from the Chinese and others just to stay afloat.

By letting the debt build up, we are billing our children and grandchildren for our inability to ask Americans to sacrifice. Raising taxes is the responsible thing to do. Anybody with cojones in this Presidential pileup? Enough to tell Americans the truth? Enough to ask for sacrifice from those of us who didn’t enlist?

Where’s the logic?

Scott McLellan, Press Secretary:
“And the President is continuing to move forward on our strategy, which is to take the fight to the enemy, fight them overseas so we don't have to fight them here, and to spread a hopeful ideology based on freedom and democracy.”

Okay, I’ve heard this line come out of everybody from the Vice President to Limbaugh to Hannity to the Washington Times.

“We fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them here.”

What’s the connection? In September of 2001, 19 young men, mostly from Saudi Arabia, none from Iraq, and with no ties or connections to Iraq inflicted damage and death in NY, Virginia and Pennsylvania. How would that have been prevented by having over 250,000 US troops and contractors in Iraq? How is a war in Iraq preventing terrorists from Saudi Arabia, our dear ally, from attacking again?

It’s a freaking non-sequiter AND the official position of the Administration. Is anyone still buying this?

A free market economy with serfs that fight back

Class warfare is a term used by those on the right when those on the left propose taxing the wealthy. Actual historical class warfare has been a bit less tidy; think for instance of the French Revolution. How poor would Americans have to get to rise up? It didn’t happen in the Great Depression, though the ranks of communists and socialist certainly swelled.

A generation of spoiled 1920’s Americans turned into the Cheapest Generation, and I suppose the current one could change as well, given a decade of high unemployment, high national debt, negative growth and high inflation. The social mechanisms will be fascinating to watch.

Will we turn violent and go feral? Will we attempt to eat the rich (I’ve threatened to get a T shirt with “Eat the other rich first” on it.) Will we organize into communal group to afford food and housing? Will the masses demand food and shelter from the government?

I don’t know how it will fall out, but I feel like I’m looking at a dead man who hasn’t fallen over yet.

The coming storm

I take it as gospel (sic) that we are entering a depression. Throughout the history of capitalism, they are generally much more frequent and the recent 70 year absence of one has not changed the historical imperative. The depression itself isn’t so interesting (friend and former employee Eric Janszen’s iTulip (www.itulip.com) does a fine job).

What I’m more interested in are the social consequences. What happens when ten or twenty million Americans lose their homes and find their credit card debt unforgivable? I firmly believe that a generation has grown up thinking that you can spend more than you make using credit cards and occasionally wiping out that debt by refinancing the house and paying them off.

That process is no longer practical, but I don’t think many people have figured it out yet. The nice man at the mortgage brokerage said you can just finance later and the nice woman from the credit card company kept sending additional credit offers and the nice man at the real estate office said you can’t lose. Not everybody is a genius, so it’s hard to fault these people for falling prey, but what the hell happens when 10 or 10’s of millions of people get their lives shattered and have shackles attached that keep them indebted to credit card companies forever?

It’s going to get interesting.