PEACE ON EARTH

GOODWILL TOWARD ALL MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, BORN AND UNBORN

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Life

CELEBRATE IT MONDAY

The annual march for life is getting more sophistocated- not so many signs last year stating "repeal Roe" because people realize it isn't that simple- and all Roe did was decriminalize state statutes (Texas in particular) and establish a framework by which various trimesters were treated differently. Subsequent case progeny made clearer what spaces and blanks Roe left out and there is now a well established body of precedent that is based on a few premises that are easily challengeable.

But whatever you think of the now decades of judicial reasoning one thing is clear:
50 Million abortions in a country of 300 Mil in a generation is outrageous and stunningly obscene. Something is really really wrong on a societal level-not just
a personal one that society needs to address.

Responsible people recognize it- and without knowing exactly how to fix it, they want it paid attention to and addressed responsibly by Congress-so people are now marching on a Monday to go visit their Congressional reps.
They are coming from all over the country- because there isn't a town or village that is not impacted by this social and moral crisis.
If you would like to participate in a Mass first then Rally (8:30-10:00am) at St. Matthews Cathedral, they would like you to register first at

http://AdultRallyForLife.EventBrite.com

Bishop Gonzales will be the presider and Fr.Evelio will lead the March. Both these special clerics are deeply inspirational- they are both bilingual which is critically important in DC where large immigrant populations from various latin american countries live (Fr. Evelio is originally from El Salvador and Bishop Gonzales from Spain.)

At the Rally a very special guest Tony Melendez , a Nicaraguan who was born without arms and plays beautiful guitar with his feet will be there . He played for the Pope once upon a time.

I have to be in trial Monday am. but may try to get there prior.
If I miss seeing you my prayers are with you.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Monday

Stroll For Life

Want to Stop a War

BEFORE IT STARTS?


http://www.popeater.com/2011/01/20/george-clooney-malaria/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%7C37901


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LiyE8-MokY&feature=related

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Speaking of


OUTRAGEOUS and DISGUSTING!

Rare unique highly valuable sculptures by the artist Ratner who has displayed pieces at Ellis Island, the JPII Center and other prominent places which were in the yard of his Bethesda Museum which houses many of these incredibly beautiful sculptures of biblical themes were stolen for scrap metal. http://bethesda.patch.com/articles/ratner-sculptures-recovered
The Museum also doubles as a part time Hebrew school.

The thief chopped them up for scrap metal sale. Everyone should now go to the Museum and support it in solidarity- These are really irreplaceable pieces. I wrote about this Museum before (put Ratner in the scroll search above) because the DeChantal group at Holy Trinity has a holiday party there every year.

With All Due Respect

Not a Smoking Gun Mr. Anderson

A recent piece of correspondence is being whipped up as something so significant one of those plaintiff lawyers suing the church now opened a London office thinking this is his pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/19/vatican-says-leaked-sex-abuse-policy-letter-is-no-smoking-gun/
The Vatican denies it is that telling.

The obvious intent of writing a letter that says - you don't need to report every allegation of sexual abuse to the police or civil authorities is to preserve fairness and guard against unjustified assaults and attacks on some people's (priests) character- some of these allegations could be recreated memories by suggestion, some could be totally trumped up extortion, some could be wildly imaginary or motivated by vendetta or monetary gain- so why report something until you have credible evidence. That is how the letter possibly should be read. As the Pastor of about a billion folks there is nothing unusual in a Pope saying- have a little wisdom please- you don't need to fly off the handle and call the police everytime someone makes an allegation.
The church is full of crazy people- God loves crazy people too.

In the US legal system there is a process called a 'summary judgment' which means that there has to be sufficient evidence to even maintain a case for it to even get to trial.
What's wrong with asking for a little evidence first?
There could be a 'rush to judgment' in this climate of anti-catholicism.

Would we want a Pope that was not fair and thoughtful who would hang out to dry the people the community invested in training to become priests who serve them with love and kindness daily without something more than an accusation??

No, of course the letter makes sense.







So I hope Mr. Anderson didn't take out a long lease on his London digs.

Breaking

Pennsylvania Abortion Doctor charged with Murder

Inducing late term abortions to deliver them live then killing them with scissors is Murder. Can't call it anything else. Anything post viability that is induced then killed is murder. Plain and Simple.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/19/abortion-doctor-kermit-gosnell-charged-with-8-counts-of-murder/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk2%7C37254

HORRENDOUS!!!!
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/19/investigators-lack-of-oversight-allowed-pennsylvania-abortion/

Spiritual Blindness

And Pulling a Fast One on God



Yesterday an elderly white man got on a bus. He was wearing dirty jeans, a smelly old brown sweater frayed at the bottom of his sleeves and carrying a slightly torn plastic bag of what looked like groceries. He wreaked of stale alcohol, had puffy hands and was slightly bloated. He was easily identified as "alcoholic." He tottled onto the bus, grappled the high bar above his head and missed the first time.



As I looked at him I wanted to say "alcohol is poison to you- if you give it up you can make it and your life can totally change." He wasn't a bad looking elderly man-I imagined how different his life could be if he cleaned his act up.

This had everyone on the bus looking at him, some with pity some with scorning disgust. After he left the bus one young African American man wiped tears from his eyes it was such a sad sight to see a man so destroyed by alcohol. Some were so angry at the sight of someone so destroyed - a living death of sorts- you could see their "don't you dare stand next to me" venemous eyes.

He seems completely oblivious to the reaction of people moving away from him and the staring eyes of people trying hard not to look.



And then I thought that this is probably how God views a lot of us more or less- with some profound defect easily identifiable to the holiest of holies. To the holiest of holies we all look somehow scarred and marred by the filth of the corroding effects of sin on the earth. God might look at that one and easily identify "GREED" or another is "SELFISH" or another is "PRIDE" or "VANITY" or "ENVY" or "HATE" and it all looks like horrendously smelly diseased defects to God-



But at the same time that God sees all of that, he is the one looking at it with profound pity, which the french language reminds us is Mercy- because in French the word for mercy is PITIER. Empitier Nous- Have Mercy on Us oh Lord. Have Pity on Us- we are all pathetic. And it isn't really until you understand how much you look like a sinful alcoholic of another sin that you really understand how much you need God's Mercy. Because otherwise you would just get your fat smelly arse kicked off the heavenly bus.


Washington is full of prideful spiritually arrogant people posturing for power in the biggest superpower that is. Power. Ambition, Greed, these are not theological virtues.
This is why spiritual pride is the worst kind of sin of presumption and why hypocrites don't make it to heaven. There are few things more lethal than spiritual pride that separates you from the Love of God -Love which is God.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Well Done

Good and Faithful Servant.
Sargent Shriver, died today, age 95. Thoughts and Prayers to all his extended family everywhere.
Avoir de la confiance
que Dieu est vrai
et la verite
quand meme
Ce qui est juste et bon
le pain de la vie
aime bien ton ame
mon amour.

Avoir de la confiance
que Dieu est vrai
et la verite
quand meme
Si tu vie en lui
tu peux vachment vivre
dans la joie eternelle est ici
Amen.
When the new Priest came
he held in some disdain
the people who laid claim
with claws into his predecessor
Like an overgrown garden untended
they spread their clinging vines unmended
all around his patio choking the rhyme
out of his song as that dragged along
their bribes and favors earned and demanded
So one day in a clearing rage
he took a pic ax to the yard
and swiftly bagged the wilted folliage far
he flung it to the burning trash-heap
like Gehenna.

The Nebbish

I once met a lady
so elogant and proud
so jealous and twitty
she shuddered out loud
when spotting me conversing
with a priest traversing his flock
she imagined her place of first
lady defrocked so inquisitioned
me like Dominican Royalty
did she and where exactly
did I live, demanding to know
as though I had to show her
with retiscence I humored her
'In a crack house I am sure
because it's all of your business'
so she told her high priest
who called the police
and found me in my mansion relaxed
and wrote a citation which read
"you have ten days to get your legs waxed."

The Proposal

Let me water your roses
let me bake your bread
let me fold your laundry
she imagined she said
to the gentle man
who visited her dreams
and wouldn't leave her head
it seems
I will go with you
If you want me to
but when we get there
what will I do?
Let me water your roses
let me bake your bread
let me fold your laundry
she softly said
He then turned his head
in quiet reply, no, I'll cook for you
my lady true and take you
over the ocean blue
and we will have gardens
of lavender, sunflower and rose
overflowing wild and wonderful
for children to marvel and hold
and run through. And for your
kitchen as your wish an herbalist
would envy this-thyme and sage
and lots of rosemary
which you may throw in our omelet
for breakfast in bed
in which you mix this honeysuckle kiss
and so they wed
and it was all bliss.

Gout

There was an old woman
so lonely and blue
she lived in a shoe sort of
condo. She loved to have guests
but cooked up a mess
so watered instead her geraniums
She had to still work
and her boss was a jerk
of course and so was the neighbor
and cat next door
who peed on the floor.
The gas station attendant
wasn't very nice either
and neither was that store
manager. And too dumb for words
the maintenance that didn't come
and too slow that fed ex delivery
and nothing was right
her meds were too tight
and expensive everywhere
but Walmart in another city
which was too far to drive
of course and now there's ice
and no one will drive me
she whined till her face
turned blue with distaste
of everything but her own cooking.
So sat she in her house for months
at a time eating and spitting in anger
that no one came up to her high
expectations and everyone
a tasteless skinny stranger.
Her fanny so large for sitting
too long in stewing disgust and pain
at all the ignorant people
she had to deal with
she couldn't refrain
from cursing when sloth
got her gout and she tumbled about
not able to squeeze through the frame
of her house and collapsed in a heap
not found for a week
so geraniums grew on her hiney.

Shopaholic

I once met a woman
who shopped every day
she could not help herself
She had a coupon in the mail
and there's another sale in Waldorf
She had more canned goods
than her pantry could hold
and still she bought some more
and that sweater looks cute
I don't have that color yet
so she bought herself another
And every night she moaned and writhed
in complaint that her money
kept running out. And still
the next day on her way
home from work she turned
into the Mall to buy something small
that would squeeze into her cupboard.
She had so many things
with the tags still showing
she surprised herself at what she forgot
she bought last week.
Without a clue
whether she needed it new
she bought it again and another
and this went on till her closets headstrong
kept tumbling out over the floor
so she could hardly walk on a space
that didn't have clothes
or crumpled all over her ironing board
And still every night
her checkbook a fright
she moaned and wailed and writhed
in anger that she had never enough
and so blamed the mouse
found trapped in her house one summer
that she decapitated with a hammer.

The Scorned

Was it fun for you
To steal a heart for
shredding in a meat grinder
I watched in horror
as you took the cleaver
to my left ventricle
Was the Ferris Wheel closed
that day for your inner
child's play or were you
just bored and reckless
so target practice
on my soul was what was
for breakfast?
Was it good for you?
Did it send you smirking
in utter ecstacy?
And whose is next in this merry mess
you call spiritual celibacy?

Monday, January 17, 2011

Dites pas un mot
mon cher mon frere
C'est bien claire to me
Tu est en colere avec Dieu
pour la vie vole
Dites pas un mot
mon cher mon frere
C'est bien claire to me
La tristesse deviens la doubte
et c'est pourquoi je donne bisous
partout pour que tu sois
croire encore.
Dites pas un mot
mon cher mon frere
C'est bien claire to me
Je t'aime more and evermore
jusq'au fin du monde on dit.

The Law

The Spirit and The Truth

Paul and Peter had a discussion early at the church's founding in which they battled whether all the laws of the Jewish talmud, codes and traditions had to be meticulously followed to be a follower of Christ. There are 613 Jewish laws and lots of commentary regarding how they had to be implemented and followed.
Peter had a vision in which he was told directly by God "DO NOT CALL UNCLEAN WHAT I HAVE MADE CLEAN."
This prompted him to accept the mission to the Gentile world and allowed massive numbers of converts to become Christians without first becoming full Jewish converts. Cornelius the Roman soldier was brought into the faith fold after Peter visited him after this dream which inspired a movement of enormous numbers of Christians from the ranks of the Roman military which helped it spread throughout the Roman World as these military men were mobile-and travelled throughout the Roman Empire.

Legalism lost to the Spirit of Truth.

Here is where we are again-the Traditionalists want to hold on and hang tight to 'Canon Law'- which is a man made creation which frankly imposes burdens ridiculously heavy to bear contrary to the "my burden is easy and light" Spirit- and totally fabricates theology around man made doctrine elevating it to "law" which serves man made institutional purposes and never was designed by God. Very complicated and too involved for a blog post. Suffice it to say anything against the heart of God is not worthy of the name 'theology'- it is a bastardization corroded into petty legalisms.

But clearly if the Spirit of Truth is to be followed, in a manner that facilitates the New Evangelism, in the spread throughout the world, in the expanded spirit of Vatican II in the name of JPII, we should throw out any legalism which impinges the work of the Spirit of Truth.

It is totally clear that the mandatory celibacy imposed from afar and above for anyone wishing to serve as a Priest or Permenant Deacon is harmful- harmfully emotionally and spiritually to women, and the church.

It is just beyond insane that people don't want to fix a clearly broken system.
You cannot pour new wine into old wineskins. The old wineskins will burst wide open and all the wine goes all over the place in puddles to be trampled upon. The New Wineskins have to be the New Church. Following the Eternal God- who got it right in the first place, when Peter, the married man was appointed by Jesus the First Pope.

DO NOT CALL UNCLEAN WHAT I HAVE MADE CLEAN.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Words That Wound

Words That Heal

In a recent email from the non-partisan Presidential Prayer Team I found this:

"Additionally, Christ-like kindness enables you to be benevolent toward others, even enemies. Meekness indicates a thoughtful, considerate attitude. Today commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. who exemplified Christian character in responding to opposition by seeking to be kind, not quarrelsome ... and by using gentleness, not violence.
Beloved, put on new life in Christ. Be renewed in the Spirit by reading Scripture daily. Then intercede for this nation, calling its leaders to work with kindness, humility, meekness and patience for the country's good."


There is a proverb (google it) which says essentially The Power of Life and Death is In the Tongue.

And there is a spiritual understanding that some have operating in the karmic realm that if you are spiteful and abusive in your speech, it will come down on your head like a torrent. If you abuse the vulnerable, if you insult the poor, if you oppress the fatherless, if you are all just in it for you, you are in for a huge heavenly spanking if you even get there.
Because the Lord hears the cry of the poor, blessed be the Lord. He vindicates the righteous, he champions his children in whatever state of oppression.
Your speech should be gracious and kind. Always.




ONE

In the Spirit ONE In the Lord

Christian Unity- because you were baptized in Christ not in any particular apostle.
This week Christians everywhere are praying for unity and on Wednesday evening a service will be held at Grace Episcopal church in Georgetown with all denominations, Catholic and Protestant.

In addition, Thursday, January 27, the eloquent estimable Pere Jean-Marie Vincent, Catholic Pastor of the St. Louis de France parish in DC and Bethesda will speak at the Wesley Theological Seminary, 4500 Massachusetts Ave, NW on the theme: Unity in the teaching of the apostles, the universal brotherly communion, the breaking of the bread and the prayer. (Acts 2:42)-
Call the Parish for more information at:202-537-0709, http://www.saintlouisdefrance.us/ or email StLouisdeF [at] aol.com (sub @ for [at])

John

You Have Created A Monster.

Seriously, why does anyone listen to Palin? Who in the world is backing her? Who could possibly think her electable on a national level? John McCain should regret every second she was on the ticket now. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mccain-palin-split-obama/story?id=12624649&flv=1

Her rise to fame and fortune clearly indicates that America is full of half-wits who can't see through the production aspect of this loose canon lipping off with the self anointed authority of false prophets and self anointed demagogues. She didn't write her own books, she doesn't write her own facebook and tweeting entries (tweets) she doesn't hold any office- barely did one which by most accounts she didn't do well enough. Yet she is this self created media darling who people think should have the same gravitas as someone on Meet the Press. Are you Kidding?

Palin reminds me of a woman hawking too many girl scout cookies shoving them down people's throats. We don't want any more girl scout cookies. She is the girl who wanted to ride on the float in the parade but was one upped by a blonde beauty so she has been proving herself worthy of center stage ever since she didn't get the cut for the NBC local affiliate Alaska newsgirl slot. She is the kid who wanted to be Mary Tyler Moore in the newsroom, but when she didn't make the cut she decided everyone would be talking about her-and look! We are!

But definately NOT Presidential. Unless we all want the country to start looking like a bad episode of Bonanza on the Tundra.

Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Olympia Snowe, Lisa Murkowski and Libby Dole have more gravitas if you are looking for a woman. And women don't like it when you just want to elect women because they are women- we like it when they are the BEST candidate. About ten thousand men would be better than Palin. Just because she is a woman means nothing but that she may have inherited a few good recipes from her mother. It doesn't mean she is qualified to be Commander in Chief of anything but the local fish fry.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hopping

into Heaven.

No that is not a typo. While I have long suspected a worm, trojan or other nepharious hackery making the editing in this five times more difficult because letters are changed after they are typed mysteriously, the "hopping" in the title is not a misprint. I mean Hopping Into Heaven.

Because I just read about that Gabor beauty losing her leg to a clot at over age 90 something.
Spare me please. If I am over 90 and I have a clot-let God unwind it, don't take my leg off please. Of course, I don't know about all the medical necessity of her ailment but it strikes me that if you are 90 - you don't need to go out with one leg. Eventually if Heaven is as great as they all say, it's wierder to hang on to earth crawling on one leg.

I visited in Rome across the Street from the Planet Holywood Rome (yes they have one there!) the Franciscan Cappuchin monestary where they have all the bones of deceased Franciscans displayed into floral arrangements along the walls in intricate wallpaper type designs-only they are the real bones of hundreds of dead Franciscan monks. It was truly eerie. I said to myself "well, you fellas made it about a thousand times harder for God to put you together on the Resurrection Day."

Can someone explain to me why people like to delimb themselves before they hit the hereafter? Let this be my living will-- I want to go out as incorruptible as possible (but don't encase me in wax if I am not to make me look Madam Tussauds saintly.)

the Con Thickens

Get Another Golden Girl

Everyone loves a comeback story- yes, we can all get intrigued by the girl who came from behind from defeat to take the golden ring. When it was really hers to begin with.

Get friggin real WSJ.

Apparently the 'blood libel' was something she was parroting from a WSJ piece that initially was fueled by some Manhattan Rabbi making the misanalogy pathetically who now is out front and center defending his own malapropism.

Like saying people are responsible for their putting a gun taunting menacing bullying targeting cross- hairs is REMOTELY analogous to centuries of false accusations promoting and instigating pogroms and holocaust slaughter. Are you crazy Rabbi Schmouley? No, this was off the rails, off the charts ridiculously insanely unjustifiably retarded. Sorry to insult your mentally defective child but we all know in common parlance what that word really means.

RETARDED.
"adjective--
less advanced in mental, physical, or social development than is usual for one's age." Oxford online Dictionary.

Faaagetabout it Schmooley- you cannot resurrect that with that ridiculous WSJ editorial.

GAME OVER- Get another golden girl.

Rabbi

Schmouley You are a Tooley and You are Wrong.


A Tool of what I am not sure- but if it is the palin campain, find another benefactor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703583404576079823067585318.html


First allow me to correct your misunderstanding of Biblical History. 1. The fact Pontius Pilate as the Roman Ruler was the ultimate crucifier is irrelevant. In fact, he offered one of two to be released and the Rabbinical hierarchy-the Sadducees --chose to release 'Barrabas" not Jesus of Nazareth so there was a choice to save one Jew by the Romans the Jews themselves picked w hich one would die-and they picked the innocent one-not the criminal. The Jews did that, not Pilate. But we don't call that libel. Christians call that spiritual blindness.
That is the historically accurate truth as acknowledged by Christian and Catholic biblical scholars everywhere including Palin's leaders unless she wants to make up her own religion now. Just like she made up her own persona on her facebook page as ghost written by that out of work screen-writer in LA-(not her but acting like she has the endorsement of anyone)
Point No. 2.
The unbelievable genocide and pogroms over the ages by Christians fabricating against Jews this "blood libel" accusation against innocents is not remotely on a par with the ridiculous protest by Palin that she is 'innocent' of the sort of inflammatory rhetoric that builds into the Zeitgeist that allows a nutjob to take a vengeance irrationally. It promotes it- it almost applauds it- so she is not an innocent. She is a part of the wild mess of the idiots at the RNC who are trying despirately to come up with a strategy and can't think of anything better than this hyped up second amendment red-neckery threatening the common good. Thank God Steele is gone so they have someone with half a brain in there- no offense to the Georgetown law Grad who built up a 20 Mil. debt at the RNC. They are as morally bankrupt now as they are financially irresponsible.

I am shocked that any self-respecting Rabbi would come to her half -defense. Must be because you have no actual Congregation paying your bills.

Thirdly, Rabbi Schmouely- who asked you.
Palin is not a Jew, so your moral reasoning has little bearing on her spiritual insight into Blood Libels even if she actually knew what they meant.
What is your deal? And how much money did she or Cheney pay into your synagogue?

Lastly- Schmouley-- I doubt that is even you. Which out of work LA screen-writer wanna be are you really?

How Cool Is That?

Run of the Brides at Filenes

On this entry of My Favorite Things...



Ever since my grandmother told me the story about how she was a hosiery model in Filene's Basement (the actual basement of Filenes in Boston before the Basement became its own spin -off) wearing seamed nylons when they were practically first invented in the 20s, while engaged to my grandfather who was a law student at Harvard I had a thought about getting a bridal gown on sale at Filenes Basement. Turns out they have something called the Run of the Brides every year where hoardes of stampeding Bridezillas elbow each other for their Cinderella moment. It's coming up! So someone has to propose to me before the date in NY or DC:-) http://filenesbasement.com/running-of-the-brides/

Filenes exists 3 places in DC; Metro Center, downtown next to the Mayflower and also in Chevy Chase around Maza Galleria. Call for where this event takes place. The Pope says marriage is a good thing. So does Martha Stewart. Its a Good Thing.

The Demon in the Details

And Seductive Fake Friends

If I proposed a social construct whereby half the black babies conceived had to be slaughtered to turn their cells into something useful for wealthy mostly white sick people, would you be totally horrified? You should be. Now look at the statistics on racial composition of abortions and look at what kind of 'stem cell' research is going on from aborted fetuses and look at what products including possibly vaccines and other medicines were derived therefrom. When you see 'placental' in anything the FDA should send investigators there like ICE troops.

The Devil doesn't broadcast his battle plans. He makes it look appealing. He makes it look rational even .Why wouldn't you want to cure all those great sick people?

When corporations with the worst records for race discrimination are sued in class actions for race discrimination they invariably lawyer up with at least one really good looking black guy. Same thing for gender discrimination. When sued for sexual harassment make sure at least one lawyer on your team is a really sexy looking woman. She's happy here, what's wrong with you. If I am thinking I want to pass off this pro-abortion choice on all the unsuspecting black population, that is what I would do- get a black President who was convinced it was more pro-Life to kill off half the black babies to cure the sick people.

Here is the sick part about it. You don't need to kill off any babies/fetuses to make sick people well. Jesus did it without medicines or herbs- not to say that those are not useful also-God did make the entire Valley outside the Temple in Jerusalem full of folliage and fern that served as plant medicinals watered from the Temple waters.

But nowhere does God say it is critical to use intentionally killed off fetuses to make folk well.
It runs against the prohibited rules against cannabalism- it is a form of slaughter of the innocents.

This is why the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. is out there telling people to wake up. http://www.priestsforlife.org/articles/3383-martin-luther-king-jrs-niece-abortion-not-a-civil-right
To cast pro-abortion choice as a civil right is another perversion, a twisting so sick it looks demonic.

If some harbinger of negativity, whether they are a doctor, your mother, or a bad lover, comes to you and convinces you that a child is not in your interest and you have to destroy it before it undoes your life, that person is not your friend- they are a fake friend doing the work of the devil right under your eyes with all the seduction of a demon worshipping Jezebel.

Karmic Kindness


Blessing of Persecutors on Martin Luther King Day.

I loved that Native American blessing at the start of the Service in Arizona. I wonder if Native Americans of any tribe have a Blessing of Persecutors. Jesus did. He said-Bless those who Persecute you and spitefully use you - especially if they curse you because you stand in my name. Blessed are those who face persecution for being supreme truth-tellers. He was.

Martin Luther King blessed his persecutors and those who spitefully used him. This is the key to Peacemaking. Some could hardly believe he could be so non-violent against fire hoses and
dogs and trumped up charges that got him locked up-just like Jesus. But he didn't call for raising a sword-he told Peter to put his sword in his sheath.

Bless those who use you spitefully persecute you and curse you. Because, he told us, it is like heaping burning coals on their heads. What frosts the froth off someone steaming mad? If you don't fight back. If you just say-Lord bless them --you deal with it. Because the battle is the Lord's. He has more Angels than you can see working it out for his children. Because his children don't go abandoned. He promises never to abandon them or forsake them. What can man do to you if the Lord has your back? Martin Luther King knew that. What can man possibly do to you? Throw you in jail- HA! When the Lord has your back you come out Victorious even if they shoot you dead- because the Lord has your back- and he has a mansion with many rooms waiting for you. That is the key to fearlessness- the Lord has your back.

So this Martin Luther King day, the best way I can see to honor his memory is to thank the Good Lord that he has your back, and bless all those who persecute you and spitefully use you and dump you, and insult you, and leave you for dead. Because if you are in the Lord, you already have his Victory-so you don't need to fight back- let his angels do it for you.

My grandfather used to sing and my grandmother used to whistle that tune "Be kind to your fine feathered friend, for that duck may be somebody's mother, they live in the marsh and the swamp and in any place that's damp. You may think that this is the end, cuz it is." It is a parody of another similar tune- but it resonated. There are people whom you think are swamp skum.
Nasty, smelly, to be avoided or just left to die - be kind to them. Your kindness may serve to clean up their act. Because they can't stand it when you are-it's like burning coals on top of their head. When they burn enough, any with any good in them will get a grip and not want to burn alive and change their ways. The bad ones will self destruct of their own spite.
I know you have a persecutor. We all do- it's our trial.
Be Kind to your fine feathered friends, for that Duck may be somebody's mother.

This Martin Luther King Day, do something somewhere unexpectedly Kind to someone who can't stand you. Give someone a cloak when they ask for your shirt. Return a curse with a smile and a blessing. Go out of your way to be friendly to a jerk. Make a banana bread for the boss you can't stand. Send your nasty neighbor a happy new year card. Give that lazy beggar a buck.

We can turn spite and anger around, one random act of kindness at a time.

The Games People Play

Washington Monopoly

Parker Brothers here's an idea for you.

The Republican convention yesterday was amusing to listen to on the radio. I tuned in just about voting round four whereafter Steele conceeded and exited 'stage right.' Stage is Right. It is all about the staging. He knew he was a gonner, and could have graciously conceeded before the voting started, but he held tight until it was too obvious- or until the person he endorsed made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Why else would he say in his parting remarks that he urges all his supporters midway through the game to vote for the woman who had the Cheney backing and bucks? In this waiting to be bought game influence seems to want to go to the highest bidder. For that reason I applaud the folks who didn't go for it. The other guy won.

What was the offer I wonder. I will concede if you make me Secretary of the Navy? Or was it all about the bucks. Perhaps he will tell perhaps he won't. Because that's how corruption works.
So long as no one finds out, I get to keep the bucks.

Tweeting Trompe D'Oeil

And Political Fraudsters.

I gotta gal named Daily, she almost drives me crazy.

It is one thing for a spokesperson like the ubiquitous Mr. Gibbs to say what the President says or may be thinking about something with the implicit qualifier-I am not the President.
It is quite another for an entire media rush campaign to be built on the faceless facebook and tweeting frenzy of an out of work Hollywood script ghost writer channelling Palin. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/13/sarah-palins-secret-asset-cyber-messenger-rebecca-mansour/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk5%7C36604
What-you thought that half century old moose-hunting, anti-conservationist, oil and gas PTA girl was hip enough, adept enough and savvy enough to work all the social media by herself?

Why this is so disturbing is that we have no clue who Palin really is because her personality is now a meld-merge of a Lebanese-American daughter of Midwestern professor living in Los Angeles with too much disposable time on her hands. What less than a hundred thousand can buy you in Los Angeles these days! What we do know about her is the malapropistic school yard bully we actually have seen-the one held back a few grades before she was allowed to graduate so switched schools about four times.

Not that all campaigns don't have staff- like that guy from "organizing America" who sends out mass emails to half the country, sometimes with the signature of "Barack Obama" at the bottom (really? I'm sure.)
But when a faceless nameless for the most part unsigned person proposing to be Palin sends things out pretending to be her aren't we traversing in the "Unauthorized Practice of Politics" category a bit? A lawyer can give an assignment to a paralegal and the paralegal still signs it - Jane Doe, paralegal to John Smith, or when a secretary signs off on some letter, they use the
______/s/_______ to signify that it was signed for him/her sometimes.

But in the brave new world of electronic political posing and facebook forgery, creating entirely new personalities seems a bit of a con game. But call me old fashioned. Will the real Moron please stand up. That is why I think that lots of people who saw that Palin video couldn't believe how inappropriate it was- it actually shocked them she was so off tone. "Blood Libel" is actually something a Maronite Christian Jesuit Professor (the ghost-writer's father) would know a lot about. Palin on the hand (scripted even) wouldn't know the first thing about how inappropriate the reference was in that context. Let me sound a little Jesuitwitty she probably thought.

I wonder if the progeny of six million slaughtered Jews and survivors thought it appropriate to compare telling her to tone it down and shut up to their holocaust. As my Jewish friend/quasi-mentor said "Hmmmmmmmm, shall we commission a study. Hmmmmmmm."

-------
Oh, and I love that a Divorce Attorney no one heard of practicing in the middle of nowhere appalachia-shenandoah Virginia incorporated or is registered agent for service of process on her PAC - a DIVORCE lawyer- good family values there. Making a living off people's crumbled marriages and lives -and the occassional incorporation of wingnut PACs.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Karma

He tried to 'fire' Pelosi, and had to quit before they fired him. Pelosi is still there. Steele is out as RNC Chair.

Something further to ponder from Media Matters, quoting the New Yorker's George Packer :

In fact, there is no balance -- none whatsoever. Only one side has made the rhetoric of armed revolt against an oppressive tyranny the guiding spirit of its grassroots movement and its midterm campaign. Only one side routinely invokes the Second Amendment as a form of swagger and intimidation, not-so-coyly conflating rights with threats. Only one side's activists bring guns to democratic political gatherings. Only one side has a popular national TV host who uses his platform to indoctrinate viewers in the conviction that the President is an alien, totalitarian menace to the country. Only one side fills the AM waves with rage and incendiary falsehoods. Only one side has an iconic leader, with a devoted grassroots following, who can't stop using violent imagery and dividing her countrymen into us and them, real and fake. Any sentient American knows which side that is; to argue otherwise is disingenuous.


Lets hope the next guy has better sense and more control over wing-nuttery. Because that may go down in Biloxi but it won't fly in Philadelphia.

Truly AMAZING

GRACE

Hats off to the Bishop in the middle of the grief who is reaching across aisle, window and road to help people rediscover what it really means to love your neighbor and bless those who persecute you. http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-31449

"Our all-good God never wills evil, never inflicts harm, never injures or hurts,"
Bishop Kicanas
"And we can work together to honor their legacy by following their example – by embracing our fellow citizens; by standing up for what we believe is right; and by doing our part, however we can, to serve our communities and our country."
Michele Obama on the tragedy.

Servant of God


Pope John Paul II Beatified May 1, 2011

It's official. I woke up today to happy news. The Pope John Paul II is now considered on his way to official sainthood with the acknowledgement of a bona fide miracle in his name. A french nun who had Parkinsons is miraculously cured. Benedict the current Pope says its real, making
John Paul II someone who is someplace where he can postumously make miracles happen because this French nun prayed to him. See---another reason we love the French!

http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=454138

In Catholic belief and tradition, one may ask for intercession of Saints to help them here on earth. Their souls live on and are watching over us. Some are close enough to God that they can relay messages to him and get results.

I am particularly happy about this one because I saw JPII twice in person, once so close he was in rosary swinging distance as I was on the aisle at Saint Peter's when in his quite advanced age he made his way down the aisle for a special mass. Little boys had rosaries dangling over the rails so he could bless them. I joined the church not long after being in a crowd of Popemobile watchers in Los Angeles when he visited in the late 1980s.

This Pope did truly historic things on earth- travelled to an amazing number of countries, and worked behind the scenes to unravel communist rule in Poland among his other feats for freedom of spirit. This Pope, my technically protestant (although I wonder) mother once remarked "Is the greatest force for Good on the Earth."

He was a strong advocate of religious reconciliation even forgiving the Muslim who shot him nearly fatally in a very moving act of forgiveness that marveled even the hardest hearted. As a youth during the German invasion of Poland he held a special place in his heart for the Jewish people and a particular horror for the atrocities of that era. He was life long friends with Jewish rabbis and honored Jews at Vad Yashem in Jerusalem.

A giant among men and now orchestrating angels in heaven.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

NOW

and in the hour

Too Too Much

On another twisted note:

What's with mommies dressing up their 3 year olds in Madonna Cone bras!! Can you spell i-n-a-p-p-r-o-p-r-i-a-t-e boys and girls?? (hope i spelled that right:-)
The oversexualization of youth-topic for another ranting day. Clunking around in mummy's hats, bracelets and shoes are fun but mini-cone bras are definately not on the approved Christmas stocking stuffer list.

http://www.parentdish.com/2011/01/11/toddlers-and-tiaras-mom-talks-dressing-her-child-3-in-makeup/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-sb-n%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk3%7C195211

And This Pretty Much Sums It Up

Pathological Narcissism--and just plain bizarre.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-ostroy/the-political-implosion-o_b_808572.html

Conservative "Values"

My Arse

This is not your grandfather's Republican Party and he would be horrified.
It is not the elevation of ignorance to some cultural norm that is so worrisome --indeed it is but what is worse is this: the beligerent defense of aggressive in your face confrontation with taunting malice and allusions to acceptable violence that heretofore dignified politicians would be totally ashamed to associate themselves with much less defend their right to use on First Amendment grounds. For the information of people who were NOT Constitutional law professors like the President, the First Amendment is not an unfettered absolute right and many qualifications exist. A person may not incite a riot. A person may not yell "fire" in a crowded theatre unless there is one-people are reasonably expected to stampede and it could forseeably harm the public.
That is what we are dealing with here. The same kind of incendiary rhetoric whooped up and trumped up like a junior high pep rally to incide a mob mentality that is reasonably forseeable to send someone a little "off" quite off the range.
Palin is totally responsible for this sort of 'in your face' confrontational politics.
We have seen abortion doctors murdered. We have seen now a sitting Federal Judge attending a Democratic Congressional town meeting murdered. We have seen a Democratic Congresswoman who was clearly targetted shot in the head.

And the best we can do is say- can't we all play nice now?
No- there has to be some serious accountability for this sort of thing. It is NOT First Amendment protected when it reasonably may be forseen to incite violence-and that appears to be what is intended.
Find your Cahoonas Obama. We don't tolerate incitement to murder or attempted murder on the part of anyone.
At best the sort of language coming from the right wingnuts is highly negligent. At worse, it incites murder- and there ought to be a law against it. There is NO such constitutional right in the America by My Heart.
-----------

postscript and note to EPPC Fellows:
Look at the Billboard that Limbaugh had up which was taken down thank goodness-http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/13/rush-limbaugh-straight-shooter-tucson-billboard-stirs-controve/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl2%7Csec2_lnk3%7C36372
What is the point of that? What is the point of something this over the top militant?
Do people not realize that things like a psycho shoot up rarely if ever happen in the civilized world like England where police (bobbies) don't even carry weapons for the most part. We have an insanely weaponized society in America. This has to be reversed-and it is completely irresponsible not to recognize it.

Second Amendment

Contextualism

People who favor 'original intent' of framers vis-a-vis constitutional interpretation often cite to what they think was the context of any given constitutional phrase or amendment to extract it's meaning now. Some tension in constitutional interpretation has arisen with the juxtaposition of those who believe that it is a living breathing document that evolves in meaning with the time and society begging the interpretation at the moment. Hence, we construe terms like 'equality' in the context of modern equality in which slavery is abolished, and women have suffrage, something that was not the case at the founding. We don't interpret 'equality' in the eyes of exclusively slave-holding male landowners any more. To make a gross oversimplification, those who tend to like 'original intent' tend to veer on the 'conservative' side of the political spectrum.

So lets look at the context of the Second Amendment for arguments sake. From 1754-1763 what we now think of as American colonies were in a territorial war called the French and Indian War, known in Europe as the Seven Years War (the American theatre being only one part) and in Canada known as La Guere de la Conquete in which native Americans allied themselves with the French staking a claim to "New France" that went from Canada/Montreal-Quebec down through the States East and at times centered in an area of convergence over the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers (both Native American names) in what we now know as Pittsburgh (so called after William Pitt was given the land after defeat of French forces by the British.)

Native Americans and French fought together against English colonists and British troops working with them and enscripting them. Then in 1776 we know what happened. There was another war- of independence from the British- by the colonists who years earlier previously fought with them to fend off the French and Native Americans/Indians.

The Constitutional convention took place at a time where borders were being carefully carved drawn and not yet solidified by history of legislative prerogative. Citizen militias existed and rallied together to win the war of Independence.

In 1803 Napoleon lost his shirt fighting in the colony we now know as Haiti and needed to retool his troops and get funds-so he sold the Louisiana Purchase to Thomas Jefferson.

Then in 1812, a mere 36 years after the War of Independence from the British- less than one generation later- the British tried again to take back the colonies in the War of 1812. The White House was burned. The British wanted their colonies back.

The Second Amendment arose in conjunction with a historical situation in which the European power colonizers were playing chess with American holdings for a period of time when our borders were unstable, native americans were still slaughtering settlers and the Rule of Law was virtually unenforceable during warring times and as against native americans who were in perpetual war against settlers.

NONE of these confluent circumstances currently exist.

We are the world's major superpower. We have an enforceable Rule of Law, and well established criminal justice codes and courts throughout all the lands of the territories comprised now of these United States. We have no need to have citizen militias because we have the world's best military power of a centralized Federally run Military system.

When looking at Gun Laws, it is critical to understand what the Second Amendment sought to protect and what it did not seek to protect. It NEVER sought to protect criminal or pathological conduct, it did not seek to protect individual personal vigilanteeism or rogue undisciplined nutty
expressions of political dissent. It was established to protect Americans from colonizers and from
the slaughter of perpetually warring native americans.

Gun Law MUST be created sufficient to penalize anyone carrying weapons for person destructive uses not consistent with the Second Amendment purposes- which largely no longer exist.

These are the times that try men's souls

And make me want to shake the shoulders of the Presidential political advisors.

"This is not the time to turn against each other"-
What part about several people were just gunned down in a Democratic congresswoman's town hall rally while the opposition is calling for 'elimination' and targetting with cross hairs and saying "reload" do you not get?

This is not a madman derranged indiscriminately who shot up a liquor store or a bar fight or a gas station. This is a person who PLANNED an assassination on a sitting Democratic Congresswoman and stalked her to a Rally. What part about that is evading your political calculus in talking to the nation about the hateful climate that people daily swim in hearing insanely over the top hateful rhetoric from right wingnuts? What part of that part of America have you missed living in?

Seriously. Man Up Obama- or your time is up in 2012. You may not care-which may explain some of the really head-scratching moments of your tenure- but if you do- Wise Up Man.


http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/sarahpalin/a/palin-top-10.htm (except not so funny because 30,000 people on her facebook page applauded wildly her refusing to acknowledge anything wrong with the use of her violent imagery and hateful mocking rhetoric.)

OBAMA

I Predict will Lose the White House for Democrats-

... not to Palin as much as that thought has her chilling down her tundra. Some other moderate,
well spoken, well educated, highly dignified personality will surface. All of a sudden people previously overlooked will rise and be funded furiously- and it will take the White House by storm.

OBAMA cannot afford to rebuke his base- People who saw a Democratic Congresswoman and a Federal Judge gunned down after reckless irresponsible reprehensible outrageous political rhetorical bullying by people vowing to bring down Democrats had every right to tell people to tone down the rhetoric. People on both sides of the aisle did- People on both sides of the aisle with any gray matter between their ears did acknowledge that it was out of control and at a level of incivility that is appalling. Religious leaders have been saying it for years.

Obama's call for civility was a back handed rebuke in his effort to look more gracious than the more left of his party. His attempt to play to the middle will earn him the disaffection of the people motivated to get him there. He now looks too wimpy. Full of Pomp and Flatulence.
His base is the motivating force that moves campaigns and builds elections and walks door to door in rain, sleet and snow to hang doortag fliers and make phone calls at the DNC. His attempting to say -let's all play nice and go home is a bit of a mockery to people who elect Democratic Congresspeople- for a reason. And those people know that Sarah Barracuda and her ilk are going to try to make life living Hell for the base Obama rebukes.

Leadership, Mr. President. We need something stronger from you. Really Soon.
Recall what happened to Jimmy Carter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-russnow/media-pundit-sarah-palin_b_808400.html

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Why The Republican Party

Needs to Grow Up and Wake Up

President Obama made a thoughtful appeal to say words that heal and words that unite rather than steam up divisiveness or hate. Palin -the Anti-President, did the opposite.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/12/sarah-palin-and-christian-conservatives-love-judaism-but-is-tha/

The Party part that is promoting and backing her, hypocritic to its core, stands by her because she is Pro-Life and says nice things about Israel and
bore a child willingly with Down's. Very nice for her and her family.

The Republican Party has to look at more than this sort of character attribute in picking leadership. Pro Life Nice. Good --whatever she thinks that means for policy reasons and hopefully it does not just mean prosecute women. Leadership means something wholly different than making home movies by your fireplace insulting Journalists and Jews everywhere.

The Party is stubbornly invested in its bad decisions. It keeps doing this to itself.
The House flipped over health care- the Presidential Race is something completely different.

Obama is not tough enough on people who should be called to task. He is the great appeaser.
He needs to start calling out people who deserve to be called out and shutting up people who should know better. He is seen as a sell out to those who elected him. John Kerry is waiting in the wings to throw down a gauntlet and there are a few other Democrats who want to throw their hat in the ring. You cannot be the suck-up in chief when your Congresspeople are fighting for their life for too long. You have to come out and make some statements about how serious measures need to be taken to prevent this sort of thing from happening ever again.

It's not a 'whoopsie' 'we have psychos here and there whatdya gonna do' - it's lets get serious gun control and lets stop letting irresponsible reckless people call for the assassination of political figures.

2012

Started Today and Ended For Palin Today.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-halper/top-10-reasons-to-stop-th_b_808289.html
If ever the coyness of writing books on going "Rogue" or traveling the country for book-signings, or shooting -em up Alaska on reality TV or jealous catfights with her rebellious daughter to put her in her place out of State, or showing up to GOP fundraisers, or hanging with Guiliani at Yankees games was mistaken for an Un-Run it was dispelled today when Palin took to the little homemade Video Vimeo next to a flag and her fireplace trying to look like she actually held any official office (she holds none but a Facebook accountholder wannabee social starlet with a PAC and a few canned books) to try to get one- actually The Big One- President.
Today Sarah Palin declared that she is in fact running for President if you were so asleep you didn't notice, and she is in fact going to spin homemade vimeo videos to tell you her opinion whether you want to hear it or not. Really we don't. Didn't ask for it in the first place, don't care.
Palin, because a few years ago John (who also lost) McCain had the poor judgment of picking her for a running mate that doomed whatever chances he had left, has the delusional notion that she is of the quality of a national figure of any note or prominence- and has convinced a bunch of Republican old drooling white guys that she can win anything other than PTA Mom of the Month who insanely have given her a few million bucks to try.
Palin who refuses to acknowledge her role in ratcheting the rhetoric,
refuses to do or say anything remotely responsible regarding tampering down gun violence, refuses to acknowledge that there is even a climate of unacceptably hot provocative political language that could send off an unbalanced person (like we couldn't possibly have any of those in this distressed ecomonic climate) is the furthest thing from Presidential anyone could imagine wildly self-promoting her fantasy ambitions.
Not many people have anything spectacular to say about her. Ask Meghan McCain what she thinks of her. Ask anyone on John McCain's campaign come to think of it. Ask her Mother In Law who likely didn't even vote for her in 2008. Ask her daughter, Ask Levi Johnston, Ask her Neighbors, Ask the new Alaska Governor, Ask Lisa Murkowski. Sarah Palin is a self-promoting media starlet (which rhymes with....) and is about as Presidential as Lucy of Charlie Brown fame - Lucille Ball would have made a better President. She speaks no second language, she barely articulates gramatically well English, she thinks foreign travel means spotting what might be Russia from a fishing boat in Alaska, she has the intellectual coherence of small town beauty queen jock who shoots Moose for fun and hasn't read any books in the last five years that political handlers didn't tell her were good titles after that Katie Couric interview other than the Vogue magazine her picture is in.

As a Congresswoman lay clinging to her life, Sarah Palin announced today effectively she is running for President, and crashed today any real aspirations or ambitions to be anything other than a bad housewife looking for a second job that will get her out of Alaska where they don't much care for her either. I suggest you stick to modeling -perhaps Gina Davis needs a sub for the next installment of Commander in Chief- but you would have to do something with that hair first.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-01-13-palin13_ST_N.htm

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201101120039

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/us/13palin.html?src=twrhp

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_c4c7e870-1dd4-11e0-aaf9-001cc4c03286.html

PFAW.org

People For The American Way
Sent me this email:
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Dear Cynthia Louise,
The bipartisan calls for a return to civility in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy in Arizona this past weekend lasted barely a day.Americans have rightly begun to examine the recent escalation of vitriolic and incendiary rhetoric in our political discourse. While some initial speculation was too quick to point the finger of blame at specific instances of fear-mongering and violent rhetoric without knowing what actually influenced the gunman, when oft-verbally attacked elected officials are targeted for assassination, it's a matter of basic common sense to call for a toning down of the hateful accusations and hyperbolic hyping of false threats. By simply acknowledging the toxicity of this recent rhetoric, primarily by the Right Wing, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and many others have come under relentless attack.Unfortunately, politicians and pundits on the Right are now responding the same way they always respond to criticism: deflection and denial. They are angry that they would be held accountable and are showing bitter defensiveness by going on the offense against anyone who raises uncomfortable truths like Sheriff Dupnik and some in the media. And they've childishly resorted to their own irrational finger pointing. Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Tea Party leaders and others on the Right are now claiming that the Tucson shooter Jared Loughner is a liberal because he listed Marx's Communist Manifesto among his favorite books (a ridiculous stretch since he also listed Mein Kampf and an Ayn Rand book). Rush Limbaugh said that the gunman has the "full support" of the Democratic Party. And Republicans from Lamar Alexander to Sarah Palin are pushing the message that merely discussing examples of the violent rhetoric which has come to define our political discourse is tantamount to contributing to the ongoing rancor. In an especially twisted, yet familiar, example of right-wing logic, Arizona State Rep. Jack Harper is actually blaming Saturday's massacre on gun laws he sees as too restrictive and Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for apparently supporting those laws -- this, despite the fact that Arizona's laws were lenient enough for the clearly disturbed Loughner to obtain the 31-round-per-clip semi-automatic weapon he used in his attack. And media stars like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin have been quick to use their podiums to try to make this latest debate all about them. Although she holds no official office or leadership position, Palin addressed the country in a web video yesterday in which she decried any scrutiny of recent political rhetoric and even tried to make herself out as the real victim, going so far as to compare herself to Jewish victims of "blood libels." Attempting to draw a line between what she sees as perfectly acceptable "free speech" and incitement, she said, "when we 'take up our arms,' we're talking about our vote." But isn't that exactly the point? Using incendiary language, such as "taking up arms," can have consequences when there are individuals out there who might not grasp the metaphors, especially when it is accompanied by talk of "Second Amendment remedies" to an election not going the way one would like ... or campaign events at gun ranges ... or grave warnings about "death panels," a "tyrannical government," "Dangerous Liberals" and political opponents being "domestic enemies of the Constitution."Meanwhile, as we reflect on this awful tragedy, and debate the nature of, well, our debate, the Right continues its pile-on of Sheriff Dupnik, smearing him for the supposed crime of calling it like he sees it while happening to be a registered Democrat.The Sheriff's standing tall against the right-wing smear machine, but we encourage you to show your solidarity with him by signing on to a brief letter of support.Thank you for your support and for all that you to defend our core values and the American Way ... it's never been needed more.

Sincerely,
Michael Keegan, President




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When A Man

LOVES A WOMAN: Congresswoman Giffords' husband at her bedside. Photo from hospital room today. (I'll call you if I'm dying and see if you show up.)

Oh and on the Blood Libel Thing

We are pretty sure you are not Jewish. Ask your mother. Really Sure.

Are You Kidding?

Looks like High Office to You does it? Looks like the back of a soft porn bad B movie promotional poster. Getting a little chunky there on the thighs eh? Phallic shot gun and demented smile and all. Check out the smoking guy with the beer behind her. This looks like before they airbrushed her three sizes smaller in the waiste than she really is. Get Serious. GO HOME GIRLIE. YOU ARE DONE. Yihaah, Hee-Haw.....and while Palin was sticking to her guns, they cancelled her Show on Alaska. Cheap DVD to follow-purchase at your local gas station convenience mart on the way to the hunt. http://www.examiner.com/tv-on-dvd-in-national/report-sarah-palin-reality-series-canceled-dvd-to-come

Holding His Own

With John Stewart in Good Humor- We Like Huck.

Wisdom

of an Unhinged Bulldozer with Gears Stripped

Palin, and this is my last word on the subject of the tramp because she doesn't deserve unrented space on my blog:
SHUT UP AND GO HOME.

Sorry to be so blunt- I will leave the nuance to those in professional media. When you use words like "Shrill" it evokes the sexism of the ages -because you are a tool of old Republican males who denigrate women by yourself denigrating women by using those sorts of terms. Shrill? You have the imagination of a muppet.
We don't want you to be our leader. Bye Bye Sarah. Seeya Wouldn't Wanna BeYa.
Don't let the door whack your too tight jean hiney on the way back to Moosehead country.
Send us some Salmon to remember us by.

Makes You Wonder

But Not For Long

When Anti-Intellectual, Anti-Elitists want to run the entire country, and arguably Lead the Free World, and become CEO of the most powerful military in the world with battleships at their command- you have to wonder who they think they should get advice from. Frightening.
There is no question that the media hype around Palin is a game that should end before anyone wastes any more money on her political fantasies.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2011/01/sarah_palin_proves_again_what.html

Not only should we be totally horrified to suggest that Palin should sit at any State event next to someone of considerable tact and substance like an Angela Merkel or understand the delicacies and nuances of diplomatic aplomb necessary to maneuver her way around Moldovan Parliamentarians, or negotiation of Smart treaties with Putin, or developing bio-green fuels with African agriculturalists, or negotiating arms reductions with Indo-Pakistani experts, but we shouldn't let her anywhere near any such State events unless she is jumping out of a cake.

Much of the rest of the world would find us such abysmal laughing stocks they will have to send invitations to the G8 and G20 to the White House with this qualifier: This is not an invitation to a fashion design event and G8 and G20 are not european sizes.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20028275-503544.html

President-sure


of the American Wet Tea-Party Tee-Shirt Contest. Come to Mamma and report for duty General honey-we is fightin a war! She's the Biggest Political BOOB to hit the airwaves.

OPEN LETTER TO THE RNC LEADERSHIP

YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MINDS

Do you think educated women of either party are going to listen to Sarah Palin for five seconds? Any financing of her political ambitions is money down the vanity drain. I don't care how cute you think the girl is- she is an idiot. Well scripted or not- a PTA Mom, half term sort of governor of an unpopulated State reality show not-quite actress -almost bachelors degreed after four or five colleges, brain of Marzipan moron dumb.

You can put her in a gray suit with an American Flag lapel and she still is a parody of a politician.

I don't care if she is for LIFE-who isn't. I don't care if she fancies herself the Annie Oakley of the Alaskan pipeline.

Wilma Flintstone should poll better.

NOT PRESIDENTIAL. NOT NOW NOT EVER

Sarah Palin who likes to consider herself a formidable opponent of the likes of Biden or even Obama is clueless regarding the malapropisms and misfired speaking bad habits, even inventing words thinking them real- of the sort that would provoke a nuclear assault on America without her realizing it and wondering what happened in the wake and denying any culpability. Moron.
Recently she put out her own little Vimeo video (you or I can do it too)- decrying the criticism of her mindless violent rhetoric as "blood libel." As was well explained in todays' Politico, this is a horrifying reference to this:

(quoting Politico)
"Blood libel" is an extraordinarily loaded phrase because it recalls the false accusation by Christians against Jews that was used for centuries as an excuse for anti-Semitic persecution. The libel generally refers to the charge that Jews required human blood, and in particular the blood of Christian children, to bake matzoh bread."Blood libel" is an extraordinarily loaded phrase because it recalls the false accusation by Christians against Jews that was used for centuries as an excuse for anti-Semitic persecution. The libel generally refers to the charge that Jews required human blood, and in particular the blood of Christian children, to bake matzoh bread.

Palin is just dangerously dumb. Actually embarrassingly dumb.
Not Presidential. Not Now. Not Never. If she is the nominee I vote for Obama. If she is your nominee I vote for a tree stump.

I know very accomplished educated women. My sister is the President of a Division of a Major Corporation. I know a woman PHD Army Virologist who is fully military trained and did a tour of duty as a reservist in Iraq. I cannot imagine any of these highly accomplished, educated, smart women reporting anything other than the local soccer score to Palin-and then only if she paid for the phone call.

This whole media frenzy around Palin is misguided and tiresome. It makes me sick really.
She has no more business putting herself forward on a national political stage than any third rate almost actress looking for a real job. I can't even think of an actress as bad as she is. Maybe Bart Simpson's mother.
As a woman I am insulted that you would think her appealing as Presidential. It is almost sexist to promote it because her biggest redeeming quality appears to be her figure-her face is nothing much, her hair a mess and her educational profile a joke. Her service as Alaskan half -governor wasn't even particularly well hailed by Alaskans-some of whom thought her husband pupetted her decisionmaking because she was too clueless to even make major decisions.
You want that Levi Johnston - Alaskan Hillbillies gone Hollywood Dancing with the Stars, shootem up Deerhunter junk in the White House? Seriously, are you people mad?

My Favorite Things

Because One Cannot Kvetch All The Time

I am starting a Favorite Things list- like Oprah only I am not giving away trips to Australia. It is to foster appreciation for things American. Because I am tired of whiners. Granted, there is a lot to whine about, but the general disposition of whinery is most unpleasant unless it is the kind with Bordeaux or Merlot from a Chateaux in Provence or Sonoma.

So here is today's Thank God For Americans.

In Snow, in Rain, Sleet or Storm the DC Dupont Farmer's Market stays open- ALL WINTER! Every Sunday.
These are farmers from real farms with organic produce, fresh fruits and vegs, hearty and home made artisinal cheeses, yogurts and freshly baked baked goods from Virgina, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is found around the corner from the Dupont Metro right off Mass Ave off the circle. Sometimes the crab cakes guy is there. In the winter hours are from 10:00am-1:00pm - they open earlier in nicer weather and are open until about 3 in the Springtime.
Next I am there I may take some pictures, or maybe not because who wants to look at pictures of cheese.
If you want to be featured (or want to feature your product) on the Pilgrims Patriots and Prophets Fav. Things list email me at Cynthia.Butler [at] gmail.com with a .pdf photo and I will consider including it- no spam please. I am not going to post anything related to any Secrets Victoria might have had. Keep your royal secrets to yourself. The feature will run irregularly when I find good stuff for your thoughtful consideration. If you like my write up you can send me one. Otherwise it's free of charge advertising (in 40 countries.) I want people to see what a great country we really have.

Brought to you by the "HOW COOL IS THAT! Corner"

State of the Subway

Because It's Serious Folks

The brakes on those cavernous escalators have for most of the Fenty administration been not up to snuff. They just recently got a full inspection and major defects were found and are now being replaced appropriately. http://chevychase.patch.com/articles/bethesda-friendship-heights-station-escalators-repaired-after-system-wide-brake-inspection

People from all over the country come and ride the DC Metro system. You can get by without a car in DC and it is preferred for many with the aggressive parking ticketing, lack of parking space downtown and exorbitantly expensive rates that in places shame even New York parking garages.

DC Metro has had its share of unthinkable disasters- like the whole escalator crashing with people tumbling pyramiding to the bottom during a Rally mob scene week-end with folks rushed to the hospital from L'Enfant Plaza, people actually dying on a crash in recent memory and at least one flash mob assault where DC Metro police were nowhere to be found. This all spells big liability. A friend recently emailed me that an entire platform of people at Foggy Bottom recently watched a guy snatch a woman's purse from off her shoulder and bolt out up escalators with everyone minding their own business and no one stopping him. Foggy Bottom metro is closed all MLK week-end for repairs.

People with small children hold their hand as they stand on the escalator and with the other hold their folded baby strollers- especially around Woodley Park at the Zoo stop in warmer weather and other sites of amusement for children- children ride the Metro.

Imagine a break failure with a school classroom going on a zoo visit, or mom and dad out for Sunday strolling with folded stroller on the Metro holding a toddler. Look how long those escalators are at Dupont- now imagine you are a four year old looking down. Rather terrifying when it stops abruptly mid-ride, don't you think?

DC Metro (and surrounding burbs) need major funding for the fix, not just the PR. And it wouldn't hurt to have roaming Metro cops on the trains once in a while.

It does look like this is getting attention with Mayor Gray's priorities -thank you.
We welcome any and all improvement. Because this all needs to be up to state of the art inspection snuff by the Spring. Then we can start talking about the Jubilee Line and the ride to Dulles.

Full Equality

Under God, and Under the Law

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians- see Biblegateway entry today to the right-google it.

This is the fundamental principle of equalitarian even 'secular' tolerant societies. Full equality regardless of differences of gender, social standing, religion.

(I don't see anywhere a qualifier of-except all priests, all religious hierarchy who are so highly above women we must persecute any temptation to be too near them.) RIDICULOUS. Contrary to the heart of God.

ALL ONE

Think about it.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Miracle Child

My nephew's photo appeared in a Stamford Connecticut paper as he enjoyed the snow. He's already in Pictures. I predict him for President in about 40 or so years......or maybe brain surgeon:-)

Hi Kids

I'm Home!

http://www.cathar.info/12050401_gui.htm

Yes, but does it have wireless?

Arrest Palin

I am not Kidding.

Rush you are a Bum. A Bum Rush

Here is why: "incitement to murder"- by clearly vindictively spitefully calling on the assassination of people like Julian Assange- as Palin has done.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/11/julian-assange-violent-rhetoric-will-spark-more-shooting-spre/

And Congressman Weiner is worried also:
http://gothamist.com/2010/03/26/weiner_sarah_palin_is_inviting_viol.php


The problem with elevating people whose alleged so called 'charm' comes from their bumpkinesque 'common man' disdain for intellectuals and those whom they perceive as 'elitists' is that it promotes a culture of just plain stupidity. Reckless stupidity- and sometimes, virulently ignorant stupidity. Here, it's dangerously ignorant reckless stupidity. I have to say I don't get the 'charm.' I think she is a moron with a rifle.

Crazy but Poignant

British artist Hirst strikes a controversy by studding a two week old infant's skull with 8,000 white and pink diamonds.
The point is that three weeks earlier from the death of this two week old infant it was still a beloved baby.--just a week from delivery on the earth. More precious than diamonds-a full head of them.
This is stirring up a lot of heat in Britain as it is deemed insensitive to those who have lost a child. As a nation we have lost about 45 Million of them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8248099/Artist-Damien-Hirst-offends-bereaved-parents-by-using-babys-skull-for-disturbing-new-work.html