The Iraq Trap-Don't You Feel Dumb Now
http://projects.publicintegrity.org/WarCard/?gclid=CKm4iMT4pp4CFR9M5Qod0jTOUQ
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Now You Are Really In Trouble-The Brits Are On To You
You Can Only Run A Master-Scam Like A War For So Long
What Weapons of Mass Destruction? Inquiring minds in Britain want to know what the real deal was, and why they were so bloody dumb as to just take Bush's word for anything.
http://www.sphere.com/2009/11/25/british-launch-inquiry-into-iraq-war/
And they don't own Chevron stock so don't care who they expose.
ITS ABOUT DEAD KIDS
What Weapons of Mass Destruction? Inquiring minds in Britain want to know what the real deal was, and why they were so bloody dumb as to just take Bush's word for anything.
http://www.sphere.com/2009/11/25/british-launch-inquiry-into-iraq-war/
And they don't own Chevron stock so don't care who they expose.
ITS ABOUT DEAD KIDS
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Love This Guy Holder
Could it possibly be (just askin') that Gulliani (or however you spell his name) doesn't want
trials in NYC of terror suspects because someone might ask (a) so why did Mr. Mayor G. put a gag order on the firefighters to prevent any talk about the internal demolition explosions at the World Trade Towers? (b) so why did Mr. Mayor G. know to leave the building at the World Trade Towers where he had some central command office. Not that this might impact the evidence in any respect concerning whether these characters actually were the masterminds of those events-where three buildings melted in internal demolitions and only two were hit- to name a few anomalies that the Patriots Question 911 Truthers posit (google it- I am tired of defending them.) THINK FOR YOURSELF ya mindless automatron eater of whatever garbage they want to stuff down your throat. Seriously, Are you that hungry fool?
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20091120133657843
THE LOVERS CHOICES
Love Hits You For Real
Once in a great while.
You either believe in the deal
or change that dial.
You either trust that its true
or trust in your doubt
You either have faith
or flail wildly about
in sarcasm and shouting
mockery.
You either believe in love
or doubt you are worthy.
You either grab the ring
and rise to sing
or swim in disbelief and grief.
The saddest Crucifixion is the one
done to yourself by you
Because you believed in the lie
more than the truth.
Love Hits You For Real
Once in a great while.
You either believe in the deal
or change that dial.
You either trust that its true
or trust in your doubt
You either have faith
or flail wildly about
in sarcasm and shouting
mockery.
You either believe in love
or doubt you are worthy.
You either grab the ring
and rise to sing
or swim in disbelief and grief.
The saddest Crucifixion is the one
done to yourself by you
Because you believed in the lie
more than the truth.
Republican "Purity"
War for the sake of War-and the Billions of Defense Contractor bucks-lots of which are now in Dubai.
According to one of my favorite talking heads Keith Olberman (MSNBC), the RNC has now tried to push a loyalty test, called a "purity test" (like the corrupt bunch of war profiteer terrorist fabricators collectively have the first clue about spiritual "purity"-gag me with a maggott)- and in it is a ten point litmus test they call the "Reagan test" that Reagan himself would fail. One of the litmus tests for Republican purity is that one must "support all troop surges"- In other words- regardless of whether military solutions are feasible, intelligible, calculably winnable, or productive for any other reason than lining the pockets of the defense contractors, war profiteers, and everyone feeding off them in their Bethesda and Potomac estates feeling "pure", we must all support the million dollar a soldier troop increases- because it is the basis of our War economy. This is because we are too moronic to figure out how to make that kind of money on any other sector-and haven't invested in the infrastructure development or greening technologies and other innovations that would create another basis for the economy than perpetual mindless fabricated pretextual wars to serve industry.
Unocal and it's Board, (Condi and Rumsfeld included) apparently all agreed that a pipeline in a place like Pennsylvania isn't as cost-effective as in a country with an ineffective if not non-existent federal government throughout the country and an under-developed highly corrupt legal system. In Pennsylvania we sue people for environmental disasters and contamination and have advanced labor laws and codes not to mention powerful Unions, that makes doing business there and opening pipelines there potentially expensive. We have advanced labor laws/codes, not to mention powerful Unions. something here called "class action lawsuits" which makes opening pipelines and factories in places with under-developed legal systems -or those in our pocket- more appealing. Hence, if we can get the US military to pay for security in these regions, with the blood of Americans that have nothing whatsoever to do with reaping any direct profit off it- and convince AIPAC and others in the Jewish lobby that it is in the security interest of Israel for us to go to war in these places- we can get everyone who had any sensitivity to the Hollocaust, like Richard Pearl and other Neocons, to believe that our Agenda also serves their interests. (Richard Pearl by the way it is reported backtracked on his support of the Iraq war.) -Yes, Iran may be an actual existential threat- but that doesn't justify our war efforts in Afghanistan or Iraq, which some argue exacerbated the situation and just gave the jihadist fundamentalists a better recruiting tool- because we are over there slaughtering civilians by the hundreds of thousands and that is inciting the insurgencies.
Unocal has since merged with CHEVRON- and on its board sits Sam Nunn as well as an officer/director of Northrup Grumman now.
So to be a good and 'pure' Republican- one must "support all troop surges" it appears-In other words, one must be a person of War- mindless War, War for the sake of War. Because
it's too expensive to do business properly in America.
I believe it's time for a new Party Agenda, new Party leadership, new Party innovation, and new Party direction- or the Republican Brand will be viewed as full of crap as CHARMIN.
According to one of my favorite talking heads Keith Olberman (MSNBC), the RNC has now tried to push a loyalty test, called a "purity test" (like the corrupt bunch of war profiteer terrorist fabricators collectively have the first clue about spiritual "purity"-gag me with a maggott)- and in it is a ten point litmus test they call the "Reagan test" that Reagan himself would fail. One of the litmus tests for Republican purity is that one must "support all troop surges"- In other words- regardless of whether military solutions are feasible, intelligible, calculably winnable, or productive for any other reason than lining the pockets of the defense contractors, war profiteers, and everyone feeding off them in their Bethesda and Potomac estates feeling "pure", we must all support the million dollar a soldier troop increases- because it is the basis of our War economy. This is because we are too moronic to figure out how to make that kind of money on any other sector-and haven't invested in the infrastructure development or greening technologies and other innovations that would create another basis for the economy than perpetual mindless fabricated pretextual wars to serve industry.
Unocal and it's Board, (Condi and Rumsfeld included) apparently all agreed that a pipeline in a place like Pennsylvania isn't as cost-effective as in a country with an ineffective if not non-existent federal government throughout the country and an under-developed highly corrupt legal system. In Pennsylvania we sue people for environmental disasters and contamination and have advanced labor laws and codes not to mention powerful Unions, that makes doing business there and opening pipelines there potentially expensive. We have advanced labor laws/codes, not to mention powerful Unions. something here called "class action lawsuits" which makes opening pipelines and factories in places with under-developed legal systems -or those in our pocket- more appealing. Hence, if we can get the US military to pay for security in these regions, with the blood of Americans that have nothing whatsoever to do with reaping any direct profit off it- and convince AIPAC and others in the Jewish lobby that it is in the security interest of Israel for us to go to war in these places- we can get everyone who had any sensitivity to the Hollocaust, like Richard Pearl and other Neocons, to believe that our Agenda also serves their interests. (Richard Pearl by the way it is reported backtracked on his support of the Iraq war.) -Yes, Iran may be an actual existential threat- but that doesn't justify our war efforts in Afghanistan or Iraq, which some argue exacerbated the situation and just gave the jihadist fundamentalists a better recruiting tool- because we are over there slaughtering civilians by the hundreds of thousands and that is inciting the insurgencies.
Unocal has since merged with CHEVRON- and on its board sits Sam Nunn as well as an officer/director of Northrup Grumman now.
So to be a good and 'pure' Republican- one must "support all troop surges" it appears-In other words, one must be a person of War- mindless War, War for the sake of War. Because
it's too expensive to do business properly in America.
I believe it's time for a new Party Agenda, new Party leadership, new Party innovation, and new Party direction- or the Republican Brand will be viewed as full of crap as CHARMIN.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Not As Crazy As You Think They Are
If it's too much to Swallow you will Choke on it and Suffocate.
Imagine a Halloween co-op where everykid on the block got candy no matter how rich or poor their parents that year, and every house gave out candy no matter how rich or poor because the richer houses the night before halloween came to each poor house and gave the parents a big bag of candy. How cool would that be- everyone gets candy. Everyone goes to City Hall and signs up for the Free Candy program- and mysteriously if they make below a certain annual income the candyman delivers a bag of select mixed Hersheys right to their door.
Imagine a Halloween co-op where everykid on the block got candy no matter how rich or poor their parents that year, and every house gave out candy no matter how rich or poor because the richer houses the night before halloween came to each poor house and gave the parents a big bag of candy. How cool would that be- everyone gets candy. Everyone goes to City Hall and signs up for the Free Candy program- and mysteriously if they make below a certain annual income the candyman delivers a bag of select mixed Hersheys right to their door.
What mean miserly person would possibly object to such a "mom, flag, apple pie" program.
Now imagine that the program will only be allowed to work because it is partially underwritten by "Gillette" so there are razor blades hidden in the chocolates of one in ten bags that get delivered.
WHAT! Who in their right mind would pay for that? Who would sign up for it? Why would the rich guys want to subsidize the razor chocolates? It's morally repugnant- we don't slice the mouths up of little children!! Are you CRAZY? How off the wall?!! Who invited Gillette in the program in the first place?
We don't slice the mouths of children with razors, we just delimb them in utero, puncture their skulls with sharp instruments while they flail and kick in utero, and "extract" them delimbed and decapitated from wombs.
Now, Who Wants To Sign Up For Abortion In HealthCare?
http://www.prolifetraining.com/WMV/Abortion-Pictures-high.htm
http://www.klanparenthood.com/History_of_Abortion_Statistics/
I'm Taking A Poll
"Do You Think Abortion Should Be Covered By Government Health Care?"
I asked an African American professional democratic woman who owns her own real estate brokerage business over 40. Smartly dressed in a gray designer suit, hair coiffed expensively and stylish boots that set her back a few hundred on sale as Ferrigamos.
She defines herself as "pro-choice."
"But only in early stages of a pregnancy-not for birth control for stupid women "
I asked "Do you think abortion should be covered by Goverment health care?
She replied
"Hell No- Who in their right mind would think everyone had to pay for someone else's abortions?" "I paid for my own abortions."
Who indeed? Harry Reid maybe?
I asked an African American professional democratic woman who owns her own real estate brokerage business over 40. Smartly dressed in a gray designer suit, hair coiffed expensively and stylish boots that set her back a few hundred on sale as Ferrigamos.
She defines herself as "pro-choice."
"But only in early stages of a pregnancy-not for birth control for stupid women "
I asked "Do you think abortion should be covered by Goverment health care?
She replied
"Hell No- Who in their right mind would think everyone had to pay for someone else's abortions?" "I paid for my own abortions."
Who indeed? Harry Reid maybe?
Even the Homeless Guys are Upset Now
Talk About a PR Fiasco.
Today's monday morning homeless breakfast and scripture reading in a basement conference room at Saint Matthews Cathedral took a disturbing turn until one of the homeless ministry leaders reigned the conversation back on track and quieted a potential uproar over hot cocoa and day old muffins. The homeless men were actually talking about the controversy over Catholic Charities allegedly not providing certain services as a response to the same-sex marriage legislation. "The church runs the shelter! are they going to shut it because they don't like gay people? " one upset homeless man said, sitting in the scripture discussion circle. No one really wanted to talk controversy. "It's complicated."
On another note-a senior ministry leader in a Jesuit parish said "I was raised in a Non-Traditional Marriage because my parents divorced when I was 2. I lived with my Mom, my aunt and my grandmother-all women. I think I turned out fine." She was raised in a strict polish catholic home. She turned out spectacularly in fact.
I, and many head scratching people like me are incredulous if we are told that Catholic Charities or other catholic social service agencies will not, once the City has called someone gay "married" give them any essential services that Catholic Charities normally provides to everyone- like HIV counseling, medicines, Health clinic care or other services. Certainly health care should not be dependent on one's state of sin or grace- or we wouldn't treat diabetics if they ate too many Twinkies, we wouldn't treat lung cancer if the patient snuck a cigarette, we wouldn't treat heart conditions if people didn't get their regular exercise and stop eating so many burgers, and we wouldn't treat obesity if people kept eating too much and drinking sodas.
Health Care should be provided regardless of any one's state of sin or grace. Because Jesus did that. He didn't ask anyone seeking healing what got them in that predicament. So I hope that isn't what they mean.
The adoption question poses another interesting ethical situation. Should kids be languishing in parent less situations in orphanages, or in foster care with too many kids to get necessary attention, because we don't want to allow two people who are of the same gender to adopt a child because we don't like what they do with each other in the bedroom and consider it sin? Should kids suffer because we morally disapprove of people's lifestyles? Does anyone seriously think gayness transmits to kids?
Have you not heard of kids raised already by gay people who are not gay?
When Catholic Charities takes a moral position like this (or the Wuerl-Wind dictates it)- it means everyone who is Catholic has to step up to the plate to fill in the funding void that loss of city funding means-and we are as broke as the next guy. So now we see double collections more and places that used to have Masses during the week free of the collection basket circuit now are asked to pony up. So while Catholic charities used to service catholics and non-catholics alike, because they operated under city contracts, now only Catholics will be paying for services for catholics and non-catholics alike- because this is what it means to be catholic. But this imposes an increased burden on the flock- to take a moral position about not wanting gay people to have adopted children. Just so we can feel superior to people who sin in a different way than other people sin-according to our theology.
If I am missing something here- please correct me because the record on this has me more confused than Anglican priests who can be married unless they haven't started Seminary yet.
The social justice committee advocacy chair at one catholic church in the District raised the question of possible objection or even civil disobedience to the church hierarchy which appears at times painfully nonsensical in its positions, at which point the old excommunication bugaboo reared its ugly head and people reminded the group that the church hierarchy isn't exactly a democracy. Deal with it.
The best thing that can be said about this recent upheaval about toting this moral line is that it has caused people to be truly exercised and upset- on both sides of the catholic divide. And a few homeless guys are choking on their day old muffins.
Today's monday morning homeless breakfast and scripture reading in a basement conference room at Saint Matthews Cathedral took a disturbing turn until one of the homeless ministry leaders reigned the conversation back on track and quieted a potential uproar over hot cocoa and day old muffins. The homeless men were actually talking about the controversy over Catholic Charities allegedly not providing certain services as a response to the same-sex marriage legislation. "The church runs the shelter! are they going to shut it because they don't like gay people? " one upset homeless man said, sitting in the scripture discussion circle. No one really wanted to talk controversy. "It's complicated."
On another note-a senior ministry leader in a Jesuit parish said "I was raised in a Non-Traditional Marriage because my parents divorced when I was 2. I lived with my Mom, my aunt and my grandmother-all women. I think I turned out fine." She was raised in a strict polish catholic home. She turned out spectacularly in fact.
I, and many head scratching people like me are incredulous if we are told that Catholic Charities or other catholic social service agencies will not, once the City has called someone gay "married" give them any essential services that Catholic Charities normally provides to everyone- like HIV counseling, medicines, Health clinic care or other services. Certainly health care should not be dependent on one's state of sin or grace- or we wouldn't treat diabetics if they ate too many Twinkies, we wouldn't treat lung cancer if the patient snuck a cigarette, we wouldn't treat heart conditions if people didn't get their regular exercise and stop eating so many burgers, and we wouldn't treat obesity if people kept eating too much and drinking sodas.
Health Care should be provided regardless of any one's state of sin or grace. Because Jesus did that. He didn't ask anyone seeking healing what got them in that predicament. So I hope that isn't what they mean.
The adoption question poses another interesting ethical situation. Should kids be languishing in parent less situations in orphanages, or in foster care with too many kids to get necessary attention, because we don't want to allow two people who are of the same gender to adopt a child because we don't like what they do with each other in the bedroom and consider it sin? Should kids suffer because we morally disapprove of people's lifestyles? Does anyone seriously think gayness transmits to kids?
Have you not heard of kids raised already by gay people who are not gay?
When Catholic Charities takes a moral position like this (or the Wuerl-Wind dictates it)- it means everyone who is Catholic has to step up to the plate to fill in the funding void that loss of city funding means-and we are as broke as the next guy. So now we see double collections more and places that used to have Masses during the week free of the collection basket circuit now are asked to pony up. So while Catholic charities used to service catholics and non-catholics alike, because they operated under city contracts, now only Catholics will be paying for services for catholics and non-catholics alike- because this is what it means to be catholic. But this imposes an increased burden on the flock- to take a moral position about not wanting gay people to have adopted children. Just so we can feel superior to people who sin in a different way than other people sin-according to our theology.
If I am missing something here- please correct me because the record on this has me more confused than Anglican priests who can be married unless they haven't started Seminary yet.
The social justice committee advocacy chair at one catholic church in the District raised the question of possible objection or even civil disobedience to the church hierarchy which appears at times painfully nonsensical in its positions, at which point the old excommunication bugaboo reared its ugly head and people reminded the group that the church hierarchy isn't exactly a democracy. Deal with it.
The best thing that can be said about this recent upheaval about toting this moral line is that it has caused people to be truly exercised and upset- on both sides of the catholic divide. And a few homeless guys are choking on their day old muffins.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Which is bigger news
And Which Got More Coverage from the MSN (Main Stream Media)
1. The German High Court has outlawed all Electronic Voting in Germany: the Fourth Largest Economy in the World. (The US outsourced its elections to ES&S, an arguably partisan electronic voting machinery company with little transparency, auditability and verifiability process standards met.) Can anyone say "Remember John Kerry?"
2. Over One Million Iraqis have died at the hands of US soldiers and by US weapons since 2003.
(And it's YOUR fault)
3. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who has been in a wizzing battle with the Catholic hierarchy over his views and votes on abortion, has been officially excommunicated by the Bishop of Rhode Island where he officially lives.
Answer: Pat Kennedy's wiz battle with the Bishops got the most major play (except for that American Papist character who would be all over it except he is in Poland ironically at a conference on use of media for promotion of pro-life efforts.) The Million Dead Iraqis - no one seems to think it relevant because? They were the undemocratic kind? The reporting of the German High Court decision made its way first into the blog world then appeared in The Rock Creek Press, the only Washington paper that cares and dares to cover the news that doesn't suit the Eisenhower pet peave; that military-industrial corporate feeding frenzy he called a "complex" when it's really simple and simply about money, greed and corruption.
AND THEY WONDER WHY THERE ARE BLOGS.
1. The German High Court has outlawed all Electronic Voting in Germany: the Fourth Largest Economy in the World. (The US outsourced its elections to ES&S, an arguably partisan electronic voting machinery company with little transparency, auditability and verifiability process standards met.) Can anyone say "Remember John Kerry?"
2. Over One Million Iraqis have died at the hands of US soldiers and by US weapons since 2003.
(And it's YOUR fault)
3. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who has been in a wizzing battle with the Catholic hierarchy over his views and votes on abortion, has been officially excommunicated by the Bishop of Rhode Island where he officially lives.
Answer: Pat Kennedy's wiz battle with the Bishops got the most major play (except for that American Papist character who would be all over it except he is in Poland ironically at a conference on use of media for promotion of pro-life efforts.) The Million Dead Iraqis - no one seems to think it relevant because? They were the undemocratic kind? The reporting of the German High Court decision made its way first into the blog world then appeared in The Rock Creek Press, the only Washington paper that cares and dares to cover the news that doesn't suit the Eisenhower pet peave; that military-industrial corporate feeding frenzy he called a "complex" when it's really simple and simply about money, greed and corruption.
AND THEY WONDER WHY THERE ARE BLOGS.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Its Time To Get Your Shrine Christmas CD
2009 Christmas at Mary's Shrine CD
Once again you can experience the beautiful sounds of Christmas from the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Christmas at Mary’s Shrine, performed by the Basilica Choir under the direction of Dr. Peter Latona, wonderfully captures the beauty of Christmas at the Basilica.
This beautiful music will certainly fill your hearts, minds, and souls with the peace and joy of the Christmas season. The Christmas at Mary’s Shrine CD is available while supplies last at a suggested donation of $20.00.
Track Listing
Silent Night / Grüber (3:59)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring / Bach (6:15)
Puer natus in Bethlehem / chant / arr. Latona (4:00)
Alma Redemptoris Mater / Palestrina (2:49)
Ave Maria / Schubert (4:30)
In Dulci Jubilo / Praetorius (3:56)
Adieu des Bergers / Berlioz (4:48)
Sweet Was the Song the Virgin Sang / sixteenth century (5:34)
Andante (Sonato in A Minor) / Telemann (2:29)
Panis Angelicus/ Franck (4:38)
Away in a Manger / Kirkpatrick / arr. Latona (2:25)
Angels We Have Heard on High / French carol (2:43)
Request a copy
You can also order Basilica Christmas CDs from previous years:
Christmas at Mary's Shrine 2007 CD includes Angels We Have Heard on High and Silent Night.
Songs of Christmas 2006 Edition includes the traditional O Come, O Come Emmanuel, I Wonder as I Wander, and Schubert's Ave Maria.
Songs of Christmas 2005 CD contains favorites such as O Holy Night, and Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.
Christmas at Mary's Shrine 2004 CD contains Mulet's Ava Maria and Away in a Manger.
Follow the link below to place your order, and please don't forget to share this beautiful music by forwarding this message to a friend. In order to allow adequate delivery time before Christmas, please submit your order no later than December 11, 2009.
Request your Christmas at Mary's Shrine & other CD's
For more information about mass schedules and events at the Shrine or for more gifts ideas for this Holiday Season please visit our website at www.nationalshrine.com
Once again you can experience the beautiful sounds of Christmas from the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Christmas at Mary’s Shrine, performed by the Basilica Choir under the direction of Dr. Peter Latona, wonderfully captures the beauty of Christmas at the Basilica.
This beautiful music will certainly fill your hearts, minds, and souls with the peace and joy of the Christmas season. The Christmas at Mary’s Shrine CD is available while supplies last at a suggested donation of $20.00.
Track Listing
Silent Night / Grüber (3:59)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring / Bach (6:15)
Puer natus in Bethlehem / chant / arr. Latona (4:00)
Alma Redemptoris Mater / Palestrina (2:49)
Ave Maria / Schubert (4:30)
In Dulci Jubilo / Praetorius (3:56)
Adieu des Bergers / Berlioz (4:48)
Sweet Was the Song the Virgin Sang / sixteenth century (5:34)
Andante (Sonato in A Minor) / Telemann (2:29)
Panis Angelicus/ Franck (4:38)
Away in a Manger / Kirkpatrick / arr. Latona (2:25)
Angels We Have Heard on High / French carol (2:43)
Request a copy
You can also order Basilica Christmas CDs from previous years:
Christmas at Mary's Shrine 2007 CD includes Angels We Have Heard on High and Silent Night.
Songs of Christmas 2006 Edition includes the traditional O Come, O Come Emmanuel, I Wonder as I Wander, and Schubert's Ave Maria.
Songs of Christmas 2005 CD contains favorites such as O Holy Night, and Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.
Christmas at Mary's Shrine 2004 CD contains Mulet's Ava Maria and Away in a Manger.
Follow the link below to place your order, and please don't forget to share this beautiful music by forwarding this message to a friend. In order to allow adequate delivery time before Christmas, please submit your order no later than December 11, 2009.
Request your Christmas at Mary's Shrine & other CD's
For more information about mass schedules and events at the Shrine or for more gifts ideas for this Holiday Season please visit our website at www.nationalshrine.com
.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Saint Anne, Saint Anne
Did your mother sing this song around the kitchen when you were little like mine did?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Secular Humanist Hedonism
IS A RELIGION : My Random Opinion
by Cynthia L. Butler, Esq.
Graduate of Georgetown Law Center,
Litigation practitioner in the District of Columbia.
"Public Accommodation" exemptions for religious orgs to practice their tenets have been everywhere widely adopted. For example, the DC City Council on November 10 passed out of committee the following language appended to their Marriage Equality legislation:
"No priest, imam, rabbi, minister, or other official of any religious society who is authorized to solemnize or celebrate marriages shall be required to solemnize or celebrate any marriage.
Each religious society has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine, teachings, and beliefs regarding who may marry within that particular religious society’s faith.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious society, or a nonprofit organization that is operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious society, shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, facilities, or goods for a purpose related to the solemnization or celebration of a same-sex marriage, or the promotion of same-sex marriage through religious programs, counseling, courses, or retreats, that is in violation of the religious society’s beliefs. A refusal to provide services, accommodations, facilities, or goods in accordance with this subsection shall not create any civil claim or cause of action, or result in a District action to penalize or withhold benefits from the religious society or nonprofit organization that is operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious society. "
by Cynthia L. Butler, Esq.
Graduate of Georgetown Law Center,
Litigation practitioner in the District of Columbia.
"Public Accommodation" exemptions for religious orgs to practice their tenets have been everywhere widely adopted. For example, the DC City Council on November 10 passed out of committee the following language appended to their Marriage Equality legislation:
"No priest, imam, rabbi, minister, or other official of any religious society who is authorized to solemnize or celebrate marriages shall be required to solemnize or celebrate any marriage.
Each religious society has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine, teachings, and beliefs regarding who may marry within that particular religious society’s faith.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious society, or a nonprofit organization that is operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious society, shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, facilities, or goods for a purpose related to the solemnization or celebration of a same-sex marriage, or the promotion of same-sex marriage through religious programs, counseling, courses, or retreats, that is in violation of the religious society’s beliefs. A refusal to provide services, accommodations, facilities, or goods in accordance with this subsection shall not create any civil claim or cause of action, or result in a District action to penalize or withhold benefits from the religious society or nonprofit organization that is operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious society. "
This strikes me as pretty clear language. They may include an amendment stating something like "neither shall the exercise of any religiously based refusal to provide such services, accommodations, facilities or goods in conjunction in any fashion with same-sex marriage be grounds to deny any such religious organization of any city funds, grants, tax exemption status or bequests in conjunction with any other program that it runs or offers for benefits of residents or inhabitants of the District."
But the purpose of the language seems pretty clear. It was a victory of sorts for the religious communities who should feel as though they were heard on this point.
I suspect that Larry King's research staff reads my blog because most of the controversial topics here he asked a prominent Pastor T.D. Jakes last night. So for Larry's benefit, to correct the record that he misunderstood (and that has been widely misreported and misunderstood, not to single out Larry, bless his heart)- NO, the Catholic church is not threatening to withhold its services to the poor to spite Gay People. Ridiculous. The Catholic Church isn't in the extortion business threatening City Hall.
They were concerned that they just won't be ELIGIBLE for the DC funds to provide the services if they are non compliant with the laws, and if they don't have the bucks to buy the food, they can't feed the folks. It's about Money- isn't that usually the case...
Catholic Charities is a huge feeder organization that distributes funds out to the many Parishes who provide directly services to the needy- shelter, food, prison rehabilitation and reintegration services, medical care in some cases- even free legal assistance here in the District under the Archdiocese legal network for indigents dealing with things like evictions, SSI disability, etc.
That is the concern. An amendment in the general bill would fully alleviate the concern- and readily solve the problem with the bad PR, but the intention of City Council seems pretty clear from the language already in the Bill. Lets not fight phantoms.
I, as a female, personally have not met a gay person who I knew was gay who I didn't love to hang out with (with the exception of a creepy woman who once tried to hit on me). A few gay men in my life have helped me enormously in a variety of ways, including emotionally, and I value them as treasured citizens. You can call me a "fag hag" if you like, because I love my gays! I am Grace to Will. Red hair and all.
But the sexual expression of gayness, I prefer not to think about. Just don't tell me, and I won't ask. That's because I view it as fundamentally objectively "immoral" - according to my faith. I can't get around it. I read too much scripture. I have made peace with loving my gays and drawing a firm line on sexually immoral homosexual conduct. A lot of people I know dance this line. They don't believe they have jurisdiction to Judge. They suspect at least one of their old boyfriends was really "bi" and they have enough to worry about without picking fights with people minding their own business, they are deeply offended by ignorant hate crimes and language against anyone.
When the first Christian missionaries, who were basically mostly Jews ventured into the Greek territories that were claimed as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great (large populations of Jews spoke Greek as their first language at the time of Christ), they found a culture of unspeakable immorality -essentially a culture of 'whatever gets your rocks off" sensuality- they found Temples to Aphrodite and Diana where cult prostitutes practiced gay sodomy as a ritualistic form of connecting with the Divine, they found rampant bi-sexuality and homosexuality and pederasty.
This was totally shocking and scandalous to the Jewish consciousness. There was a debate between the early Apostles concerning whether someone wishing to follow Christ had to convert first to Judaism and all its rules and traditions. It was determined that there were only three essential core rules that would distinguish the communities of Christians and persons wishing to follow Christ from the rest of the Greek hedonistic world: 1. Do not eat the meat offered to Idols, 2. Do not practice sexual immorality 3. Do not eat blood.
The reference to the meat of idols was to honor the commandment and tradition against idolatry and also to make a statement that Christians were separating from the Greek Temple practices which included idol worship through temple prostitutes and other lewd forms of worship. Do not even eat the meat affiliated with such expression. The sexual immorality prohibition is very clear. Everyone knew the stories of what happened to the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the abominations that brought down the fiery wrath of God there. Sexual immorality included any kind of 'fornication' which is one of the things that gets one squarely locked out of the kingdom according to scripture.
This is what distinguishes a follower of Jesus Christ from the "whatever gets your rocks off" masses. This is what the Catholic Church understands is a core principle of discipleship.
Secular Humanist Hedonism (some call it the "pleasure principle") is nothing new to human experience. It is, as a system of beliefs supporting practices, in fact a religion.
Constitutionally, the State may not establish any laws that favor in any respect any Religion over another. This violates the Non-Establishment provision of the First Amendment to the US Constitution (by extension of the 10th and 14th amendments to the States/District of Columbia). Thus, giving money, or state funds only to organizations that embrace the Religion of Secular Humanist Hedonism is against the US Constitution- and will invoke litigation likely to go to the Supreme Court. --and we all know who sits on the Supreme Court.
For that reason, it is only smart, only right, and only Constitutional, to include the clearest Amendment language that does not threaten or jeopardize the ability of Catholic Charities and other social service organizations from receiving District Funds. I believe that the City Council and its Counsel is close to being on the same page and it's a matter of getting the language incontrovertibly correct now.
We are all praying for you.
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