What does that say?

Dick Santorum mentions gay sex (not gay marriage or gay “lifestyle”) in 43% of his public speeches. He repeatedly compares gay sex to bestiality and pedophilia, and tells rape victims to “make the best of a bad situation”. What does that say about him?

Willard Romney has greatly resisted any sort of transparency about his income tax records. At first he announces that he would not release any of them. Then he claims he’ll release 2011 tax returns in April. Now he says he’ll disclose 2009 and 2010 returns on Tuesday. What does that say about him?

Newton Gingrich remains an inconsistent force in the primaries. Last year he said (simultaneously) that America was in danger of being both an Islamic theocracy and an atheist nation. He cheated on two wives (and married his mistresses) while claiming that he was “driven” to adultery due to his passionate patriotism. What does that say about him?

Ron Paul maintains friendly relationships with and refuses to disavow support from white supremacist groups such as Stormfront. Likewise, Paul refuses to disavow the writings of Lew Rockwell that appear in Ron Paul’s newsletters (edited by Rockwell) that are filled with racism (“the coming race wars“), homophobia (“First, these men [gays] don’t really see a reason to live past their fifties“), and wild-eyed conspiracy theories (“Evidence indicated the Anti-Defamation League monitored such groups as the Davidians in Waco, and may have helped instigate the attack“). What does that say about him?

Does the Republican Party really think it can field a winning candidate in 2012?

What does that say about them?

Published in: on 23 January 2012 at 20:33  Leave a Comment  
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“Oh, this one’s *easy*!”

God can look like George Lazenby if He wants to.

The intercom on His desk buzzed. He put down the latest copy of Playboy and thumbed the switch. “Yeah?”

“Peter would like a word with You, Sir.”

“Send him on in.”

St. Peter stuck his head in the door. “Got a second, Big G?”

“Sure.” God’s eyes wandered over his desk, and his eyes locked onto Miss January’s splendors, which were open for all to see.

“Sir, I’ve got a problem at the Gate.”

“Yeah?” God’s eyes didn’t move.

“Yes, Sir. I’ve got Joe Paterno wanting in.”

God was obviously more concerned about where he wanted to put his Godhood than he was with Peter’s issue. “Yeah?”

“There’s a problem, Sir. The man knowingly let his subordinate…Sir, are you listening to me?”

“Yeah. I’m omniscent, remember?”

Peter waited. He knew better than to intrude when He was in one of His Moods.

Finally God noticed the silence and looked up. “Sooooo, what about it?”

“Well, Sir, I’m not quite sure what to do. Paterno was a game-winner that made a lot of money for his school, and he showed a lot of young men what it was like to be winners. He was dutiful to the rules that were set before him by his superiors at Penn State, but he let those awful things go on for years without taking any action.”

Peter waited. God finally said, “Pete, what does that plaque over My Door say today?”

Peter turned and read it. God was fond of changing what was on the plaque, and Peter hadn’t glanced at it when he came in.

“Sir, it says ‘There is no higher Law than doing Good.’ “

“There’s your answer, son. Paterno knew what was going on, and that asshole’s moral compass worked about as well as Frothy’s. Following the letter of the law without doing what is Good gets him a big ‘Fuck Off!’ in my book. It should in yours as well. Call Lucie and tell him to reserve a big pot of boiling pitch and an ass funnel. Joe’s in for a bad time.”

“Yes, Sir.” Peter watched as God picked up his Playboy. Lindsey Lohan was on the cover, and Peter had no doubt at all as to what to do to HER when the time came.

Published in: on 22 January 2012 at 22:06  Leave a Comment  
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Sunday funnies

The concepts this simple statement brought to my mind will be with me all day.
And it’s so true.

20120108-132046.jpg

Published in: on 8 January 2012 at 13:21  Leave a Comment  
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Some people just don’t give a shit about anything

I don’t normally post tear-jerkers like this, but Whiskey and the Morning After‘s Facebook share made me tear up:

If I believed in Hell, I’d imagine a special level for people who allow such things to happen, and for such things to go on happening.

Published in: on 8 January 2012 at 10:53  Leave a Comment  
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“Can we count on this, Mr. Obama?”

To paraphrase Tom Clancy, “Why should I trust you? You’re a politician.”

Published in: on 1 January 2012 at 17:49  Leave a Comment  
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“Wadda ya mean, you won’t do it for free?!”

This piece of artwork came my way via Facebook this evening (Thanks, Mark!):

That got me to thinking about this wonderfully educational, sweet-natured video from Harlan Ellison:

Yes, Virginia, artists need money for groceries and rent, just like the rest of us. Think about that the next time you feel the urge to ask that artist friend of yours for just a quick sketch, or a quick coaching session for that three-minute monologue.

Published in: on 23 December 2011 at 19:26  Leave a Comment  
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Why *do* we fall in love?

A quick and dirty post today — Christmas business awaits me:

Click to enbiggen

Thanks to Questionable Content for this rather potent thought-provoker. Why indeed do we fall in love? Is not being alone enough?

Published in: on 20 December 2011 at 10:22  Comments (1)  
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Great Internet Truth #8

When a blog doesn’t allow comments, it isn’t worth reading.

Published in: on 16 December 2011 at 13:37  Comments (1)  
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A fervent wish for my 1000th post

If I could have one wish, and only one wish,

I would wish that transparency and accountability
would be integral parts of politics and business.

Capitalism and politics have lost the sterling reputations they should have because

  • most businesses practice neither in the quest for the almighty dollar and
  • politics shun both because politicians lack the courage of their convictions in the quest for power.

That said, one could get carried away with transparency:

Published in: on 10 December 2011 at 18:38  Comments (2)  
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“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.”

These words of Franklin Roosevelt are from his 1937 inaugural address. At the time our country was struggling to recover from the worst world-wide economic depression in history, and it was Roosevelt’s firm economic hand that was slowly guiding us to a recovery:

It has often been said that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt saved capitalism from itself. What that means is that FDR took office at the lowest depths of the Great Depression, when it was clear that rampant uncontrolled capitalism had not only failed to benefit the more than one-third of Americans were ill-housed, ill-clothed, and ill-fed, but had also collapsed on itself due to the uncontrolled excesses that unregulated free markets had created. But rather than scrapping the system, FDR went about fixing it by establishing the regulations that capitalism needs to function effectively, the policies needed to give people confidence in the system, and the programs needed to ensure that a larger and larger proportion of Americans would benefit from the system.

I have been a free-market advocate for a good deal of my adult life, but the last few years have demonstrated to me an important aspect of capitalism that is currently missing from our world:

Transparency and accountability are essential to a healthy capitalism.

And right now, they’re missing.

The “problems” that corporate business has with government regulation are self-generated. If businesses ran openly, with complete transparency and personal accountability in place, most government-mandated regulation would be unnecessary.

However, as the financial industry illustrated quite clearly in 1929 and in 2008, regulation is necessary because that industry failed to regulate itself and failed to act in a moral manner. Further, the banks in particular refused to see what their less scrupulous financial competitors were doing, and did it themselves.

And guess what, folks? This is exactly what the Occupy movement is demanding! Not “gimme money!”, or “eat the rich!”, or “burn it down!” All that Occupy wants is for there to be a level playing ground for getting ahead in this world. As the 1970′s PSA used to say about blacks, “All they want is the best job they’re qualified for, the best house they can afford, and the best education they can swing for their kids.”

Published in: on 7 December 2011 at 12:02  Comments (1)  
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The Incredible Chootz-pah!; or, Just How Stupid Must You Be to Be a Politician?

We all have events and deeds in our lives that we’re ashamed of. Many committed youthful indiscretions are chalked up to “he’s being a kid” or “she just needs to grow up a little” or (my least favorite) “boys will be boys”.

Most of us learn from those events and deeds and grow up a bit and don’t repeat them.

However, it would seem that many politicians, already full of hubris (or because of hubris), just don’t absorb those lessons well.

  • California governor Arnold Schwarzeneger not only had a years-long affair with his children’s nanny, but actually fathered a child by her and kept her in his employment — and all of this before he ever ran for governor! He had to know that news of his actions would eventually leak. (Schwarzenegger and his wife are now in divorce proceedings.)
  • U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner made a habit of sending unsolicited pictures of his genitalia to women. He had to know that news of his actions would eventually leak. (Weiner resigned his seat in the House.)
  • Former House Speaker Newton Gingrich, now running for the highest office of the most powerful country on Earth, cheated on his (sick with cancer) first wife, divorced her, married his paramour, and then cheated on her, divorced her, and married his new paramour. (Gingrich continues to run for President.)
  • Married businessman Herman Cain, also running for the highest office of the most powerful country on Earth, not only had four different women file complaints about his unwanted sexual advances (and no one knows how many more that didn’t file), but continued to have a years-long affair with a woman that he “thought was a friend”. He had to know that news of his actions would eventually leak. (Cain is reportedly “reconsidering” his campaign.)

All of these politicians (and many, many others) knew what they had done, knew that they were pursuing a career where (at least nominally) moral fiber is looked upon as a desirable attribute, and yet continued to flash, adulter, and procreate outside societal bounds.

Did they really think they’d get away with it? Did they really think people were that blind and stupid? Did Michele Bachmann really think she could simultaneously 1) claim that “big government” was giving away too much money, and 2) accept annual 5-figure farm subsidy payments for a farm that produces nothing, and 3) deny that she’s getting farm subsidies despite tax returns that give proof to the contrary?

Why the HELL would you want to vote
for people like that?

Published in: on 29 November 2011 at 15:07  Comments (3)  
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From the darkest pits of marriage hell…

Focus on the Family, it would seem, has an “institute of higher learning”, called the Focus Leadership Institute. The FLI’s mission statement?

Focus Leadership Institute™, commissioned by Focus on the Family®, exists to provide a unique Christian educational community that sharpens passionate and persuasive leaders who are committed to Jesus Christ, equipping them to promote healthy families, vibrant churches and a civil society.

You must be 26 or younger, and you must be single (not sure why).

Part of the application is a core statement for FLI; you must agree and sign this statement in order to apply. Part of this core statement is a section on divorce and remarriage. Here are the FLI’s “acceptable” reasons for divorce:

  1. When the first marriage and divorce occurred prior to salvation. God’s promise in 2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB—”If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come”—applies to divorce as well as all other sins committed in the believer’s past.
  2. When one’s mate is guilty of sexual immorality and is unwilling to repent and live faithfully with the marriage partner. However, we must be careful not to make Jesus’ statement to this effect (Matthew 19:9) into a broad, sweeping, simplistic formula. Instead, we must evaluate each case independently, bearing in mind that “immorality” here refers to persistent, unrepentant behavior, and that divorce and remarriage is only an option for the faithful partner—not a command.
  3. When an unbelieving mate willfully and permanently deserts a believing partner. This does not refer to a temporary departure, but to a permanent abandonment, where there is little or no hope of reviving former commitments and salvaging the relationship.

It would appear that you can’t get a divorce if your spouse puts you into the hospital with a broken jaw or fractured skull. Nor does it count if the couple cannot stand each other, or if one provides no emotional or financial support for the marriage.

However, if neither of you were “saved” prior to divorce, that’s cool. And if your spouse isn’t “saved” and takes off, that’s okey-dokey as well.

There are also scripture-based rants about homosexuality and how it will cause the End Times. Or raise the Beast. Or something like that.

Published in: on 28 November 2011 at 17:48  Leave a Comment  
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“Ya want somethin’ done right, you gotta do it yaself.”

Christianity is a religion that repeatedly proselytizes charity toward others. Its scripture drips with it: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, and “Thou art thy brother’s keeper”, and so on.

That being said, I never could quite get past how Christian churches spend their money. Multimillion-dollar building, expensive decor, and professionally-kept grounds all seem to be part of what congregations like to spend their money on. I see very few churches that have anything like a soup kitchen or homeless shelter or food pantry actually on the church grounds.

Mike Stanfill had this revealing little graphic up on his site today:

According to Christianity Today International, this is the average breakdown of income from U.S. churches. Please note the 16% spent on missions — that is, charities and other deeds done by the church for those in need.

That means that for every $10 bill you drop into the collection plate, $1.60 (1/6th) goes toward the goals of the church.

Now I don’t know about you, tovarisch, but when I give money to a charity, I expect that a little more than 16% go to good works. (That’s why I refuse to give to United Way — that bunch of hoodlums have been skimming large percentages of donations off for private jets and fat salaries. The presidents of United Way in major cities have six-figure incomes.)

Here’s another statistic that Mr. Stanfill pointed me toward:

Click to enbiggen

This statistic chart is from the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Memorial Church (Disciples of Christ). Note that their mission budget is 4% of their income.

Also note the comment directly under this graphic on their page:

“We know that there is a lot of room for improvement in the area of how the church’s money is allocated.”

Ya think? How would you like it if you gave $1000 to a church only to discover that only $40 of it goes to the good works espoused by its clergy?

I’d love to see one organized church that spends at least half of the offering plate take on its mission. Just one. Ask your church where its money goes.

Rather than give that money to some fat church with an oversized mortgage and over-comfortable clergy and staff, think about this alternative:

The next time you feel generous and have spare cash, go down to your local homeless shelter or food pantry and offer $50 in donation and 8 hours of your time (easily worth $50). Spend that time serving in the food line, or organizing residents into a grounds-cleaning team, or teaching pantry customers how to grow a pot of tomatoes for themselves, or showing people how to improve their job-interview-giving techniques. Give some money, and (much more importantly) give some time where it will really make a difference.

Published in: on 25 November 2011 at 18:51  Leave a Comment  
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“The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

English Prime Minister George Grenville and his Stamp Act of 1765, which was designed to suppress protest in the American colonies and generate revenue for the Crown.

~~~

Senator Joseph McCarthy taking advantage of the Red Scare, and only self-destructing when he tried to take on the U.S. Army in front of television cameras.

~~~

Alabama governor George Wallace and his efforts to enforce the Jim Crow “separate but equal” fiction: “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!”

~~~

Chicago’s mayor Richard Daley Sr., who sadistically wielded his city’s police force to try to stop anti-war protests in 1968. Daley is often (mistakenly) identified as the last big city political machine boss.

~~~

Ohio governor Jim Rhodes, who the day before state National Guardsmen cut down four protesting students, described them as “the worst type of people that we harbor in America.”

~~~

…and now, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has lied, destroyed, and twisted the legal system to accomplish what his political overlords want:

We should give thanks to all these little two-bit politicians. They’re the reason informed protest works. Every time.

Published in: on 16 November 2011 at 9:18  Comments (2)  
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Here’s where the Occupy movement needs to go

Occupy is running out of running room.

20111113-224352.jpgThere is an increasing amount of blow-back coming from the communities where the Occupy movement has manifested itself. The Portland, Atlanta, and (increasingly) Wall Street movements are meeting increasing resistance from the 1% and its paramilitary arm, the police. And particularly in the north, winter is oncoming; that will be a much deadlier foe than either rubber bullets or tear gas.

Here’s a good example of where Occupy must move if it is to remain a viable force for social change.

Tawanna Rorey and her husband, a Georgia police officer, are about to lose their house in a foreclosure. Occupy Atlanta came to their community and is camping out in their yard, determined to prevent the family’s eviction. This comes with the applause of the Roreys and many of their neighbors.

This is where Occupy needs to go.

The point of the physical occupations has been made. It is now time for highly focused, highly specific, tightly coordinated deeds. The power of the Internet is ideally suited for this approach (flash mobs have proven this), and working through electronic communication accomplishes two important goals:

  • It keeps participants out of the harm’s way that many Occupy-ers are beginning to face, from man and nature.
  • It keeps Occupy focused upon what is truly important about it — affecting social change through mass efforts.

 

Published in: on 13 November 2011 at 22:44  Comments (5)  
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