Dick Cheney, One-Man Zombie Apocalypse | Common Dreams

Dick Cheney, One-Man Zombie Apocalypse | Common Dreams

This guy just won't go away. ZOMBIE.

Warren, Sanders Ready to Face Down Obama over Social Security, Medicare Cuts | Common Dreams

Warren, Sanders Ready to Face Down Obama over Social Security, Medicare Cuts | Common Dreams

As Farm Bill Talks Resume, Who Will Fight for the Nation's Hungry? | Common Dreams

As Farm Bill Talks Resume, Who Will Fight for the Nation's Hungry? | Common Dreams

Pitiful. Dump the right-wingers in congress. We need to throw them out or vote them out. Either way.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“No, that is the great fallacy: the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.”
― Ernest Hemingway,  A Farewell to Arms

PEEVER LAW #76

If you have to choose between golfing or fishing, you're having a good day.

DAYS OF HEALING

I’m thinking of buying the church down the street from me and opening a center for the recovery of right-wing Christians. I’m thinking of calling it Days of Healing. We’ll use a variation of AA’s 12 Steps:
1. Admitting you were wrong about the world and the way you viewed it.

2. Handing your life and recovery over to someone with an IQ over 50. This will require you to make new friends.

3. Come to an understanding that there are many paths to God’s door, not just Christianity.

4. Make a list of all the persons you have hurt regarding your right-wing ideology and ask for their forgiveness. This will be hard, particularly if you have children.

5. Admit that guns are not worthy of worship; that government should help the poor, not the wealthy; that a person should be elected who gets the most votes; that war should be a last resort, not a first priority.

6. Practice compassion, charity without conditions, kindness, tolerance, diversity, understanding, forgiveness, compromise, and negotiation. It’s best to confront things that you’re not good at.

7. Admit that women should have more control over their bodies than Congress.

8. Admit that all of us should have more control over our lives than Congress.

9. Humbly ask God to forgive you for misusing Christianity and the Bible.

10. Come to understand that religion and politics don’t mix.

11. Having seen the error of your ways, give away everything that you own to the poor as repentance for your misguided life.

12. Once you are over the right-wing nonsense that was instilled in you by your parents, it is your job to help your friends overcome this affliction. Live life to its fullest and be happy. You’ll be amazed at the results. You might just smile.

PEEVER LAW #92

A LITTLE BIT OF RICH CAN'T COVER UP A WHOLE LOT OF DUMB.

Obama, Congress Owe Snowden Thanks, and a Pardon | Common Dreams

Obama, Congress Owe Snowden Thanks, and a Pardon | Common Dreams

PEEVER LAW #40

SOMETIMES SAYING NO IS THE BEST THING TO DO.

Did Lying NSA Chief Alexander Just Accuse Obama of Lying? | Common Dreams

Did Lying NSA Chief Alexander Just Accuse Obama of Lying? | Common Dreams

Who's on first?

BENEDICTION

For your goodness and generosity
in giving us all we need,
help us to praise you O God.
In every circumstance of life,
in good times and bad,
help us to trust you, O God.
In love and faithfulness,
with all that we have and all that we are,
help us to serve you, O God.
As we speak or write or listen
to those nearby or far away,
help us to share your love, O God.
In our plans and work
for ourselves and for others,
help us to glorify you, O God.
In every thought and word and deed,
by the power of your Holy Spirit,
this week, may we live for you, O God.

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Mumford & Sons - Amazing Grace

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON

"The faithful believer becomes free to accept himself and at the same time to affirm the different life style of the other. He will laugh about small and politically puffed-up idols. They have no power over him."
The Gospel of Liberation, Jurgen Moltmann

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

               When I despair,
    I remember that all through history,
the ways of truth and love have always won.
    There have been tyrants, and murderers,
and for a time they can seem invincible,
       but in the end they always fall.

            Think of it-always.

Mahatma Gandhi

THE UNTHINKABLE

For Tom Cotton to beat Mark Pryor for Senator in 2014, it will take an act of mass stupidity, which is a definite possibility here in Arkansas.

U.S. Spying Worldwide May Come Under U.N. Scrutiny | Common Dreams

U.S. Spying Worldwide May Come Under U.N. Scrutiny | Common Dreams

No peeing behind trees anymore.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?" 
Linda Ellerbee

Dick Cheney’s Heartless Hypocrisy | Common Dreams

Dick Cheney’s Heartless Hypocrisy | Common Dreams

This guy should be in jail. He seems like he is evil personified.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Good sex is like good bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand.”
Mae West

Special Prosecutor To Probe Wisconsin's Non-Recall of Walker | Common Dreams

Special Prosecutor To Probe Wisconsin's Non-Recall of Walker | Common Dreams

Walker has more holes in his stories than Wisconsin Swiss cheese.

IT ALWAYS MATTERS

Killing people with drones is not justified under any circumstances. It does matter how you conduct yourself in times of war.

Arming everyone with handguns is insane. You say it’s for safety. I say it’s for fear. It does matter.

You preach on and on about the hungry and how terrible it is that children go to bed at night hungry. Yet, have you every handed a hungry child a sandwich? It does matter.

So you are against abortion. After all, your minister thinks it’s sinful. Have you ever talked to a woman about to have an abortion? Have you asked her why? It does matter.

You believe that politician when he says climate change is a bunch of liberal garbage. Did you ask him where he got his information? Or did you ask to see his relevant Ph.D. It does matter.

You think white people are superior to all others.  Can you hear your father or mothers voice when you think that? It does matter.

You believe the rich should get all of the governments resources and that the poor are living high-off-the-hog on food stamps and welfare. How about I help you trade places with someone who is down and out. You too can lead the good life. It will matter.

You think the government interfering in our private lives and private talks is a matter of security and safety. Have you given any thought at all in terms of what it means to democracy? It does matter.

We seem to believe it is alright to torture the enemy in the name of freedom and democracy. If so, they can do the same when they catch us. You don’t think it matters, but it does. Endorsing evil always matters.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Lady Of The Island

The Beatles- A Day in the Life

HERE ARE SOME OF MY OLDER FAVORITE SONGS, MOST FROM THE 60'S AND EARLY 70'S

In no particular order:

1. "A Day in the Life,"  The Beatles
2. "Tale of Brave Ulysses,"  Cream
3. "White Rabbit,"  Jefferson Airplane  
4. "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights,"  Meatloaf
5. "Fat Man in the Bathtub," Little Feat
6. "Lady of the Island,"  Crosby, Stills, Nash
7. "Hotel California,"  Eagles
8. "Light My Fire,"  Doors
9. "Stairway to Heaven,"  Led Zeppelin
10. "Comfortably Numb,"   Pink Floyd

Defiant: Nobody Wants You To See A Massive Report Shredding the CIA and Its Torture Program | Common Dreams

Defiant: Nobody Wants You To See A Massive Report Shredding the CIA and Its Torture Program | Common Dreams

WHO NEEDS IT?

MORE LOVE, LESS CHURCH.

A MONDAY MORNING MOMENT OF TRUTH

BANNING ABORTION WILL NOT MAKE ITS PRACTICE LESS FREQUENT, ONLY MORE DANGEROUS.

CHURCH AND HATE

I see a Lutheran church on Desoto have gotten into the anti-choice business. I notice some of their crosses are on public land, which is apparently a failure to communicate. I DON'T WANT THEM THERE, AND I'M THE PUBLIC. To say you are pro-life is extremely misleading. I assume the minister is also telling the congregation that capital punishment is wrong; that the war's in Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong; that all our corn crops should be turned into food crops to feed the hungry in the world; that the church will immediately build a mission to house the homeless, provide health-care for those who can't afford it; that the church will adopt any child whose mother they talk out of having an abortion, pay all the medical bills, and raise that child to age 18. If any church meets those conditions, I'll help them put up those pro-life signs. Until such time, they are anti-choice, anti-female, pro-white male. All they are doing is spreading hateful nonsense and making women feel guilty for a horrible decision they may have to make. It's not unlike the church and white males to do this. Hiding behind a collar does not make it legitimate or moral or give it any level of religiosity. It only makes it crueler.

BENEDICTION

May you depart knowing the invitation of God, to move
- from comfort to insecurity
- from what we know to what we have yet to discover
- from where we have been to where we have yet to go
- from safety to a place of risk

Go in the example of the saints before you,

the Israelites in the wilderness,

Paul blind in Damascus waiting for Ananias.

Go in the name of Jesus, our Christ,

who said ‘follow me’ without saying where he was going,

just promising transformation and relationship

with the Triune God along the way. Amen.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

Breathe in all that is of God,
Love, joy peace, compassion.
Breathe out all that is not of God,
Fear, anxiety, worry, greed.
Breathe in all that is of God,
Mercy, justice, righteousness,humility,
Breathe out all that is not of God,
Selfishness, injustice, indifference, acquisitiveness.
Sit quietly before your God and breathe in life.

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Black Oak Arkansas / Ruby Starr - Lord Have Mercy on My Soul ( Halls of ...

SUNDAY MORNING SCRIPTURE

Ho, every one who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy, and eat!
Why do you spend your money
    for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Hearken, diligently to me, and eat what is good,
     and delight yourselves in fatness.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
     hear, that your soul may live.
                                                     (Isa. 55:1-3)

The poet speaks of imperial bread that costs and does not satisfy. Submission to the empire causes us to labor for that which does not satisfy, that exhausts and leaves us with greater hunger.

Finally Comes The Poet,  Walter Brueggemann

YOU TALK ABOUT A REVOLUTION

A lot of talk about revolution nowadays. I'm not exactly clear what it means when people suggest that we could use one. It's best to only talk for myself. I clearly believe we could use one. My belief is that capitalism and democracy cannot work together as they have both developed. I'll spare you all the details except to tell you that I was schooled by a Marxist sociologist, who was both my adviser and mentor. (That was in the 60's). Between Hegel and Marx, I was reading how bureaucracy's work and minoring in political science. Combining all that, I believe the government today does not represent the average American, but represents the rich and corporate America. It seems government always comes down to representing one or the other. The balance is allusive. Today, lobbyists and greedy politicians, bought and paid for by corporate America, have swung the balance in favor of the rich.
The question for today's revolutionaries is: So now what?
How do we change a system bent on relegating us to "second class citizens?" During the days I was in college, this tension was being played out by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. One, Malcolm, suggesting the violent overthrow of the government, while the other, Martin, suggesting the overthrow of oppressors by nonviolence. That sums up their strategies a bit simplistically, but suffices for this discussion.
After college, I attended Bethany Theological Seminary, associated with The Church of the Brethren.  Dale Brown, a professor there, was probably one of the leading, if not the leading, authority on pacifism and nonviolence. He helped me to understand the theological significance of both, which I have attempted to follow since 1972. My first act of defiance was to give up my divinity deferment and report for a physical. I intentionally attempted to flunk it. I flunked the written test, which they made so anyone with a first grade education could pass, and the eye test. They sent me to see the psychiatrist. He asked if I was intentionally attempting to get out of induction. I asked if that would be considered crazy. He didn't answer. I stated I thought it would be insane if I didn't attempt to get out, that I had no quarrel with the Vietnamese and did not want to kill any of them. He told me to leave. Luckily, my draft board agreed to change my status to conscientious objector.
As my life developed, I became a family therapist. My focus became on changing people. It wasn't long that I began seeing that revolution included both changing society and changing oneself. Both have to occur simultaneously if you are to be successful,  Working to make your life better, and attempting to transform your family, neighborhood, community, state, and country for the better, have to go hand-in-hand.
Some days it seems futile, particularly when your have politicians in it for themselves and their rich friends, but still, it's the best I can do. The contradictions are many, and the successes few, but in the end, nonviolence, justice, and perseverance will prevail. Or at least, I sure hope so.

PEEVER LAW #82

Listening is a skill that few people possess.

Me, I Have to Live | Common Dreams

Me, I Have to Live | Common Dreams

Justice, one of life's finer purchases.

Lightning hopkins - mojo hand

Uncovering the Tea Party's Radical Roots | Common Dreams

Uncovering the Tea Party's Radical Roots | Common Dreams

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If the clicker became useless in grown men's hands, no games to watch, no highlights shown, ESPN left with only test patterns and re-runs of Rudy, wouldn't the indignation level be a whole lot higher? If sports, all sports, all levels, were shut down, wouldn't the big clock be ticking a lot louder? Wouldn't John Boehner be calling the President and vice versa? Wouldn't Ted Cruz have to shut up in a hurry?”
Leigh Montville

CONGRESS-0, LAUGHING STOCK OF THE WORLD-1

The Washington circus becomes the laughing stock of the world. Right-wing Republican congressmen will now undoubtedly toot their noses at the great job they did saving America from a default. And will continue to work hard to defund ObamaCare, which was voted into law and has already begun serving uninsured Americans. Now I wouldn't be so critical if these tea-sipping morons had a plan for America, but they don't. Their only plan is to derail Obama, which seemingly appears completely racial. Between that and claiming that he is a radical socialist, which in reality he is far from, they have put forth absolutely nothing that would help the average American. Their plan seems to be helping their rich friends get richer, and following along to lap up the leftovers. I can't wait for 2014. We'll see a Democratic House and Senate and President. Now that could be really scary.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Every Generation Needs a New Revolution”
Thomas Jefferson, Quotations of Thomas Jefferson

PEEVER LAW #98

IF YOU ARE HEARING VOICES, AND THEY'RE NOT MAKING MUCH SENSE, WELCOME TO CONGRESS.

A CALL TO ACTION

If the right-wing members of Congress allow this country to default, it should be considered a crime against the citizens, punishable be removing them from office, perhaps by an election, but not necessarily. It is time to straighten up this mess. They would have long ago been removed in any other country. Jefferson said, "A little rebellion is a good thing." Following that logic, a lot of rebellion has to be better.

Note to Pinkwashers: Leave Your Bra On, Thanks | Common Dreams

Note to Pinkwashers: Leave Your Bra On, Thanks | Common Dreams

Republicans Are Delusional About US Spending and Deficits | Common Dreams

Republicans Are Delusional About US Spending and Deficits | Common Dreams

They are delusional about a whole lot more than spending and deficits. How about everything?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s. ”
George Carlin

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR MEMORY IS GETTING BAD

• You can't remember who you last were.
• You keep forgetting where you hid the bottle.
• You look in a mirror and wonder who is looking back.
• When you get up to go to the bathroom, you keep getting lost.
• You wonder who those people are in your billfold.
• You would gladly send birthday cards to your children, if you could only remember who they are.
• Just because you can't remember something does not necessarily mean you have Alzheimer's. Keep telling yourself that while they're signing you into the nursing home.

Shameless: Tea Party Tries To Hijack Protesting Vets, Who Are Now Some Pissed | Common Dreams

Shameless: Tea Party Tries To Hijack Protesting Vets, Who Are Now Some Pissed | Common Dreams

Typical right-wing behavior. Wacky. 

SUNDAY MORNING BENEDICTION

And like the fish, swimming in the vast sea and resting in its deeps, and like the bird, boldly mounting high in the sky, so the soul feels its spirit freely moving through the vastness and depth and the unutterable richness of love.
Amen

Beatrice of Nazareth

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Tom Waits - Proem / Make it Rain / Rain Dogs (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, ...

SUNDAY MORNING SCRIPTURE

"I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU,
WHEN YOU ARE LONELY OR IN DARKNESS,
THE ASTONISHING LIGHT
OF YOUR OWN BEING!

Hafiz

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN #2: Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa- Sinner's Prayer LIVE!!!

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

ONE OF THE REMARKABLE THINGS
      ABOUT LOVE IS THAT,
DESPITE VERY IRRITATING PEOPLE
      WRITING POEMS AND SONGS
      ABOUT HOW PLEASANT IT IS,
      IT REALLY IS QUITE PLEASANT.

Horseradish, Lemony Snicket

THE JOKES ON HIM-THE JOKE IS HIM

Two guys meet up on a golf course in Hot Springs Village. One says to the other, "Obamacare is awful. Why do we have to keep paying for things that the poor are unwilling to get for themselves?" The other guy nods and says, "Yea. And why is it that a black man can tell white people what to do regarding anything? Isn't this America?"
The question is, Which one is Tom Cotton?

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST

IN 2014, THE HOUSE AND SENATE WILL BOTH BE DEMOCRATIC, THANKS TO THE DIM WAD RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS. WE THANK YOU. AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

NEWS ALERT!

RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST. WHAT A SIGHT! BETTER THAN THE 4TH OF JULY.

Jim Hightower | Slapping the poor just for the hell of it

Jim Hightower | Slapping the poor just for the hell of it

Republican approval rating at 11%. One poll has it at 5%. What a show.

Coming to D.C: Truckers For the Constitution, Arrest of Congress, Iwo Jima, Three Percent Type Revolution and Honkin' Big Ole Traffic Jams | Common Dreams

Coming to D.C: Truckers For the Constitution, Arrest of Congress, Iwo Jima, Three Percent Type Revolution and Honkin' Big Ole Traffic Jams | Common Dreams

D.C. nut cases include more than congress.

Committee to Protect Journalists Issues Scathing Report on Obama Administration | Common Dreams

Committee to Protect Journalists Issues Scathing Report on Obama Administration | Common Dreams

Capitalism Works For Me! (True/False/Explain) | Common Dreams

Capitalism Works For Me! (True/False/Explain) | Common Dreams

NO. Never has, never will. 

Dear WWII Vets, Forget About the Monument, They Are Gunning for Your Social Security | Common Dreams

Dear WWII Vets, Forget About the Monument, They Are Gunning for Your Social Security | Common Dreams

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body.”  

Margaret Sanger

CHURCH AND HATE

I see a Lutheran church on Desoto have gotten into the anti-choice business. I notice some of their crosses are on public land, which is apparently a failure to communicate. I DON'T WANT THEM THERE, AND I'M THE PUBLIC. To say you are pro-life is extremely misleading. I assume the minister is also telling the congregation that capital punishment is wrong; that the war's in Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong; that all our corn crops should be turned into food crops to feed the hungry in the world; that the church will immediately build a mission to house the homeless, provide health-care for those who can't afford it; that the church will adopt any child whose mother they talk out of having an abortion, pay all the medical bills, and raise that child to age 18. If any church meets those conditions, I'll help them put up those pro-life signs. Until such time, they are anti-choice, anti-female, pro-white male. All they are doing is spreading hateful nonsense and making women feel guilty for a horrible decision they may have to make. It's not unlike the church and white males to do this. Hiding behind a collar does not make it legitimate or moral or give it any level of religiosity. It only makes it crueler.

PEEVER LAW #105

MAKING WAR HERO'S IS A SORRY OCCUPATION.

On the Sabotage of Democracy | Common Dreams

On the Sabotage of Democracy | Common Dreams

With Rise of American Fascism, Shutdown Politics 'Predictable' | Common Dreams

With Rise of American Fascism, Shutdown Politics 'Predictable' | Common Dreams

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: THEIR SECRET WAS

A married couple used to come see me once in
a while. Among the many I knew who were wed,
they appeared the most happy.

One day I said to them, "What marital advice
could you offer to others that might help them
achieve the grace you found?"

And the young woman blushed and so did her
husband; so I did not press them to answer.
But I knew.

Their secret was this: That once every day, for
an hour, they treated each other as if they were
gods and would, with all their heart, do anything,
anything, their beloved desired.

Sometimes that just meant holding hands and
walking in a forest that renewed their soul.

Rumi, rendering by Daniel Ladinsky

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Ben Harper and Blind Boys - Well Well Well

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

Dear Lord, hear our prayers. If you could only help us to get congress to shut down and leave Washington, our prayers would be answered. We beseech you to take away their pensions, health-care, and exorbitant expense accounts. Help them to live like the rest of us do. Help them to find a real job, like working at Wal-Mart or McDonald's. I  realize this is asking a lot of you, but it would be better that you do this rather than us. Please hurry, cause we are getting impatient. Amen

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“According to the most common interpretation of biblical prophecy, Jesus will return only after things have gone horribly awry. Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency.”
Sam Harris

Shutting Down the Government Over Health Care | Common Dreams

Shutting Down the Government Over Health Care | Common Dreams

Republicans on the brink of destroying themselves. Have some more tea.

I HAVE A DREAM FOR AMERICA

I HAVE A DREAM OF DEPARTURE,
I HAVE A DREAM BEYOND BRICK QUOTAS,
I HAVE A DREAM BEYOND THE REGIME OF EXPLOITATION
AND FEAR.
I HAVE A DREAM OUTSIDE THE ZONE OF STRATEGICALLY DESIGNED SUFFERING.

MOSES

The GOP’s Shutdown Tab: One Billion Dollars and Counting | Common Dreams

The GOP’s Shutdown Tab: One Billion Dollars and Counting | Common Dreams

MORONS!

MISUSE OF CLOSED MEETINGS

The Village POA uses closed meetings for reasons other than they are designed for. They are able to do this because basically, in terms of forms of government, we are nothing. They don't follow municipal rules because we are not a municipality. We are a private community hidden behind closed gates. Therefore, they can do anything they desire in regard to governing us. This is wrong and needs to be changed. It is not to the advantage of the residents. We need to adopt municipal rules that govern the use of closed meetings.

The Work of a Generation | Common Dreams

The Work of a Generation | Common Dreams

PEEVER LAW #57

WHERE DOES IT SAY THAT WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH GROSS STUPIDITY AND INCOMPETENCE FROM CONGRESS?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”
Edward R. Murrow

DON'T PLAY WITH US

Two days of the government being shut-down and the world hasn't ended. Nothing. Stock market up. The sun came out. And I played a good round of golf. I did think I got a little less liver at the local restaurant, but it was no big deal cause I don't like liver that much anyway. I wonder if congress is going to get paid during the shut-down? Crazy me. Of course they will. They'll keep living high off the hog while a lot of people suffer. They are disgusting. I wouldn't mind seeing the government shut-down forever. It would serve them right. They would no longer be needed. And we would be better off.

FREE AT LAST

HALLELUJAH. THE GOVERNMENT IS SHUTTING DOWN. I WOULDN'T STAY DOWN TOO LONG, WE MAY DECIDE WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT THEM.