HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Will be gone until Monday. Hope you have a good Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much tofu.

Bruce

MY FAVORITE, MOSTLY ROCK BANDS. EVER.

I bought my first LP record at age ten. My collection, which ended up being about 2500 LP's, now resides with my son. I try to keep up with new stuff, but I am decidedly pro 60's and 70's. What can I say. I think I was there.
Anyway, here goes:

1. Picking a favorite band over a fifty year time period is no easy feat. After years of consideration, I have to go with LED ZEPPELIN. Jimmie Page is one of the three top guitar players, ever; John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards; John Bonham on drums; and Robert Plant, lead singer, one of the most talented and versatile performers to emerge over the years. Their songs were not cutesy little numbers like many today. Most were long and drawn-out, with plenty of guitar. My favorite among many of their great songs, "Black Dog." I got LED ZEPPELIN at number one.
2. I am a Beatles fan, although they did have a lot of little cutesy numbers. I remember their show on Ed Sullivan like it was yesterday. My favorite album of all time: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album contains my favorite song, "A Day In The Life," which was actually two songs in one, one written by McCartney, the other by Lennon. This was psychedelic music at its best. I'm absolutely convinced the world would be a worse place without The Beatles.
3. The Rolling Stones just keep on going, and going and going. They get third place if for no other reason than their staying power. (1962-present). One hit after another for 50 years. I had a friend who was an ardent Stones fan. I can still see him prancing around like Mick Jagger. Great memories. He died from cancer some years ago. He would have had the Stones at number one. I wouldn't argue much.
4. The Eagles were sort of an early superstar band, with Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Glenn Frey. They owned the 70's. "Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Desperado," "Best of My Love," "Hotel California." Their songs go on and on. We saw the Eagles in 1994 on their Hell Freezes Over tour. That's how long they said it would be before they ever played together again. Money talks. It was $100 a ticket, which was a lot at the time, but well worth it. Melissa Etheridge opened for them. She sang all Janis Joplin songs. She was called back to the stage twice, which I'm sure annoyed The Eagles. They come in at number four on my list.
5. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and occasionally, Young, were best known for their harmonies and songwriting. They started in 1968, and continue playing to this day. My favorite songs, "Lady of the Island," and "Wooden Ships." A sort of folk, rock super-group. They come in at number five.
6. Santana. The Carlos Santana Blues Band formed in 1967, in San Francisco. Santana's big break came at Woodstock, in 1969. He usually scores in the top 20 regarding his guitar playing. He is best known for his corroboration with singing artists, since he seldom sings. He came back to life with the release of Supernatural in 1999. I love listening to him play. Number six on my list.
7. The Dave Matthews Band was formed in 1991. Singer-songwriter Matthews was the founder, along with Leroi Moore, saxophonist, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, and shortly after starting, Boyd Tinsley on violin. I like the songs Matthews writes mainly because they are stories set to music. One hit after another since 1991. One of the most successful bands in existence. Moore died in 2008, from complications after an ATV accident. He was replaced by Jeff Coffin, from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He is one of the best saxophone players alive today. The band continues to play, record and tour.
8. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band started in 1972. Springsteen is another great writer and storyteller. Out of New Jersey, we writes and sings a lot about blue collar workers and their present day plight. His band also had a great saxophone player, Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011. My favorite Springsteen song is "If I Should Fall Behind," featuring Clemons on sax. (He also sings). Bruce (a good name) Springsteen, coming in at number eight on my list.
9. Never let it be said that Bob Dylan is a great singer, He ain't. But it would be hard to name another singer-songwriter who was more influential in the 60's and 70's. He was a product of the time, coming out of Minnesota and living in Greenwich Village in New York. He was successful in the hard genre of folk music, although his work with The Band moved him into rock music. I think his album, "Blonde On Blonde," was one of the best ever. I am a big Bob Dylan fan. He's in at number nine.
10. At ten I have a tie. I like Mumford & Sons. They are a unique blending of folk/bluegrass/country/rock. I'm not sure what you would call it, other than good. Again, most of their songs tell a story, and I like the blending of the instruments. They have a long way to go to be called one of the best, but I think they are on their way.

          We saw Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros this summer in Memphis. The band is like a
           three ring circus. There's a lot going on. Must be around eleven musicians, playing an                          assortment of instruments. Alex Ebert is the lead singer, with Jade Castrino singing backup                and lead at times. Most the rest of the band backs-up with harmony. They are relatively new,              having started in Los Angeles in 2007, as a corroboration between Ebert and Castrino. Time  
          will tell how they will do. I'm guessing quite well. "Man On Fire" is a remarkable song.

So that's it. A lot of great bands. Many more that could have been included. Two new one's that are long-shots. Comment if you agree with some. Add your own. There are no right answers, only likes and dislikes, sort of like Facebook.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Wal-Mart is the epitome of where capitalism has taken us: The richest family in the world, selling the junkiest crap in the world, exploiting everyone along the way. God Bless America.

WHY IT IS A GOOD IDEA NOT TO GO AROUND SOME CHURCHES

Churches who put up crosses bemoaning why women have abortions are churches that deserve to be empty on Sunday morning. They are not preaching compassion and understanding, but are continuing to proclaim that men should be in control of women, which is nothing new for the church. "The woman, in all things, shall be subservient to the man." Happy marriage.

PICKIN ON COTTON

Tom Cotton, our federal representative, (lucky us), continues to call for the repeal of the Health-Care Act, as tens of thousands continue to sign up. I assume he will also give up his taxpayer paid for plan should he be successful. Yea. When hell freezes over. This guy is a joke and an embarrassment to anyone with a brain. Unfortunately, the jokes on us. Or rather represents us.

Full Show: Wendell Berry, Poet & Prophet | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

Full Show: Wendell Berry, Poet & Prophet | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

BENEDICTION

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Thomas Merton

Mumford & Sons - Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (Lyrics)

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: Walter Brueggemann on the primary marks of a Christian

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Mumford & Sons - Amazing Grace

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: WE ARE TAKERS

You are the giver of all good things.
All good things are sent from heaven above,
rain and sun,
day and night,
justice and righteousness,
bread to the eater and
seed to the sower,
peace to the old,
energy to the young,
joy to the babes.

We are takers, who take from you,
day by day, daily bread,
taking all we need as you supply,
taking in gratitude and wonder and joy.

And then taking more,
taking more than we need,
taking more than you give us,
taking from our sisters and brothers,
taking from the poor and the weak,
taking because we are frightened, and so greedy,
taking because we are anxious, and so fearful,
taking because we are driven, and so uncaring.

Give us peace beyond our fear, and so end our greed.
Give us well-being beyond our anxiety, and so end our fear.
Give us abundance beyond our drivenness,
and so end our uncaring.

Turn our taking into giving … since we are in your giving image:
Make us giving like you,
giving gladly and not taking,
giving in abundance, not taking,
giving in joy, not taking,
giving as he gave himself up for us all,
giving, never taking. Amen.

--Walter Brueggemann, from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“8:58 We go to McDonald's. The woman in front of me in line spends more than five seconds contemplating her order. This infuriates me, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?? MC-SEABASS?? IT'S THE GODDAMN MCDONALDS MENU, IT'S BEEN THE SAME FOR TEN YEARS! IT'S ALL MCSHIT! JUST ORDER!”
Tucker Max, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

Hightower Lowdown | A rebellion of restaurant workers is challenging the deplorable low-wage ethic of the fast-food behemoths

Hightower Lowdown | A rebellion of restaurant workers is challenging the deplorable low-wage ethic of the fast-food behemoths

Corporate Espionage and the Secret War Against Citizen Activism | Common Dreams

Corporate Espionage and the Secret War Against Citizen Activism | Common Dreams

Smile!

GET IT AT WAL-MART

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?  YOU CAN START BY PAYING ME A LIVING WAGE.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
Edward Abbey, The Journey Home: Some Words in Defense of the American West

Krugman Goes 'Splat': On Endless Growth and Permanent Depression | Common Dreams

Krugman Goes 'Splat': On Endless Growth and Permanent Depression | Common Dreams

Capitalism relies on a growth economy. None of the big shots admit this. No one wants to talk against capitalism, as though it would be a sin against mankind. We'll go under crying that capitalism is the best match for democracy. It isn't.

Growing Movement: Expand Social Security or 'Pay a Price' | Common Dreams

Growing Movement: Expand Social Security or 'Pay a Price' | Common Dreams

Any messing around with social security and medicare, and we should see to it that Washington is emptied out. There are more of us than there are them.

A CONVERSATION WITH THE DARK SIDE

• Eve would have been better off with the snake.
• Hell is no further down the road than the first hungry child you meet,  or the homeless person you see on the street, or the lonely shut-win begging for a visitor.
• Dying is not near as hard as living.
• Which is worse: A prostitute, a drug dealer, or a fortune 500 CEO?
• Killing and destruction have always been popular activities among humans.
• There is no necessity that the human race survive. Time could care less.
• Which came first: Air, water, or management screwing labor?
• How did society come to believe that health-care is a privilege rather than a right?
• If you find yourself in a state of mental confusion, where things just don't add up, my advice to you would be to quit watching the news.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I once saw a snake having sex with a vulture, and I thought, It’s just business as usual in Washington DC.
”
Jarod Kintz, The Days of Yay are Here! Wake Me Up When They're Over.

Idiot Hawaii Lawmaker "Solves" Pesky Problem of Homeless People By Smashing Up Their Shopping Carts Because, Yup, Sure, That'll Help A Ton | Common Dreams

Idiot Hawaii Lawmaker "Solves" Pesky Problem of Homeless People By Smashing Up Their Shopping Carts Because, Yup, Sure, That'll Help A Ton | Common Dreams

He should be jailed. Removed from office. And everything taken away from him, so he can enjoy the great out-of-doors. Permanently.

On Social Security: “It’s Values, Not Math” | Common Dreams

On Social Security: “It’s Values, Not Math” | Common Dreams

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal", then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.”
John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Mark Twain

TEN THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU'RE DYING

1. Don't make a mess.
2. Don't bellyache about lost opportunities. It's too late.
3. Hopefully you remembered to renew your life insurance.
4. If you're lying there all peaceful and you suddenly see God or angels, don't necessarily take that as a good sign.
5. Wear something comfortable when dying. It may be warm where you're going.
6. Make sure you have a change of underwear.
7. Don't drive a car and die. You'll get a ticket and probably your license will be revoked.
8. Make sure all your personal things are in order. Who gets what, when? This will help avoid nasty confrontations amongst your family. You might want to give everything to me to help avoid this problem: Bruce Weik, Hot Springs Village, AR.
9. Don't forget to yell out right at the end: I'm sorry. This takes care of a lot of apologizing, and keeps them wondering.
10. In your last moments, try to keep it light. Maybe a joke or a little magic trick.

SUNDAY MORNING 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 God along the way.

AMEN

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Beth Hart - Chocolate Jesus

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: Continuing through the Disruptive Conjunction (+playlist)

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Neil Young - Harvest Moon

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: THANKSGIVING

Fill me, Lord, with gratitude.
Let my heart,
sometimes filled with so much else,
be filled with thanksgiving.
Give me the feelings of gratitude,
of a grateful heart.
AMEN

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
Gautama Buddha

Anti-Drone Movement Speaks: 'End the Secrecy, No to Kill List' | Common Dreams

Anti-Drone Movement Speaks: 'End the Secrecy, No to Kill List' | Common Dreams

BOMBS

They go off every now and then, those bombs in the mind. They shake you, get you to wondering, reminiscing. What's life all about? Have I made a difference? Am I accomplishing what I set out to do? These bombs have their own schedule. There's not much you can do. You need to respond. Maybe sleep a lot. Take medication. Older men look for younger women. Older women try to look young. Face lifts, hair transplants, tucks, suctions, sports cars, swim suits way too small, career changes, moves, diets, trips, new clothes and that last full-court basketball game. Running away, arriving. There are always options. Varying responses. Countless possibilities. Hopes, desires, dreams and needs. Some of our responses are frivolous by their very nature. We cannot put off the inevitable. Other responses are new beginnings, new paths, new adventures, paved with hope and energy and determination. Who ever knows? Bombs go off and we are moved.

EVENING CLASSES FOR OLDER ADULTS

-Whining your way to loneliness.
-Guilt without sex.
-Gifts for the senile.
-Learning to live with illness.
-The art of selling, or buying, body parts.
-How to buy life insurance after age 65.
-Learning to live alone with a spouse.
-Blaming everything on the young. 
-Driving when you can no longer see.
-It may seem funny, but I don't believe I'm coming.

Fears Confirmed: Offshore Fracking a Toxic Mess | Common Dreams

Fears Confirmed: Offshore Fracking a Toxic Mess | Common Dreams

FACE THE FACE

     * You cannot hide behind a lie, because a lie never stands still.

     * You screw up, you re-do. You don't re-do, you stay screwed up.

     * In seeking revenge, you'll never be satisfied, because revenge has no final resting place.

     * Talking the talk is not enough. Walk the walk. Do the work. Bust your ass. Pay the price. Draw the line.

     * In seeking The Call, follow your heart, not the sales pitch of a recruiter or the promises of a minister or the beckoning of your family.

     * I would just as soon feel pain as nothing at all. Pain reminds us we are alive, when sometimes we forget.

     * Fight the fight without ever raising a hand or making a fist. Give up the need to conquer and dominate.

     * There's nothing wrong with silence. Feeling the need to talk fills no human requirement, outside of showing others just how dumb you really are. Or perhaps by taking the talk, your trying to impress yourself.

     * When you look in a mirror, don't turn away and run, or ignore what you see.  Face the face.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF I SANG OUT OF TUNE?

-Capitalism is not the great invention it is made out to be. Placing the world in the hands of big business is dangerous.

-An industrialized country without universal health-care is a backward, regressive, uncompassionate wasteland of profiteers.

-Evangelists are capitalists turned religious.

-The choice of women to bear children cannot be regulated and/or legislated by overzealous men bent on controlling women. It has never worked in the past, and will not work now or in the future. To make abortion illegal will put coat hangers back in business. All the energy being wasted on the subject is a pitiful waste of time.

-You cannot put people to death in the hopes of showing them that killing is wrong. Violence begets violence. It always has, it always will.--

-Right-wing Christian conservatism is wrong. It is based on the assumption that Christ was a Republican, which He most certainly would not have been.

-The new welfare system is based on the assumption that business will do right by folks who want to work for a decent paycheck rather than just being given money. It is not working. Businesspersons will not treat the poor fair. They see them only as sources of cheap labor.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it's the government.”
Woody Allen

Sanders Goes on Offense Against Austerity with 'Progressive Budget Blueprint' | Common Dreams

Sanders Goes on Offense Against Austerity with 'Progressive Budget Blueprint' | Common Dreams

Senator Warren says 'Pick Up The Slingshot' Against Too Big To Fail Banks | Common Dreams

Senator Warren says 'Pick Up The Slingshot' Against Too Big To Fail Banks | Common Dreams

PEEVER LAW #77

IF YOU NEED A GUN TO EXERT YOUR POWER, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY. POWER IS A VERY GENTLE THING.

SOME THINGS ONE CAN EASILY LIVE WITHOUT

-mowing the lawn.
-listening to a minister talk about how much we sin.
-having diarrhea and throwing up at the same time.
-being beat at golf by a 13 year old.
-getting a letter from the IRS.
-tofu.
-going to the hospital, and the first person you see is the chaplain.
-the jury finds you guilty.
-listening to someone who claims to know "the truth."
-after your lab tests, the doctor wants to talk with you.

The True Patriots in Congress Trying to End NSA Tyranny | Common Dreams

The True Patriots in Congress Trying to End NSA Tyranny | Common Dreams

Jim Hightower | Too few people control too much of America's money and power

Jim Hightower | Too few people control too much of America's money and power

MORE ARKANSAS STUPIDITY

Arkansas in the news again. A school district is arming the teachers and other staff with guns. Only morons can possibly think that this is going to help. They'll end up shooting themselves, one another, and unfortunately, innocent people. Now you don't have to carry a gun into that school. You already know they are there. The legislature has embarrassed the entire state.  And the school district was dumb enough to go right along with them. Another strike against humankind. Soon we will once again need to crawl out of the primordial ooze, although most Arkansas citizens don't believe in evolution. They'll probably stay in it. The ooze, that is.

PEEVER LAW #95

The more businessmen who show up for a meeting, the more likely it's a Republican National Convention.

The Truth is Hard for Republicans to Swallow

I'm betting the big boys make more money when Democrats are President. Of course, that's discounting the welfare checks they get when Republicans are in office.

SUNDAY MORNING BENEDICTION

Holy God – in this precious hour, we pause and gather to hear your word– to do so, we break from our work responsibilities and from our play fantasies; we move from our fears that overwhelm and from our ambitions that are too strong, Free us in these moments from every distraction, that we may focus to listen, that we may hear, that we may change. Amen

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: TERROR

I have wondered who exactly the terrorists are we are fighting. I got out my trusty Webster's to help me focus in on what it is a terrorist is:
Terrorist: A radical who employs terror as a political weapon.
Terror: An overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
Fear: To be afraid or frightened of.
Anxiety: A vague, unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of something dreadful happening.

So, to sum up, we are to be afraid of someone chasing us, who lives somewhere, who for political (and maybe religious) reasons, is attempting to frighten us and make us fearful about the future.

Wow. Whoever, wherever, whatever these people are, they're good. Everybody I talk to is fearful and anxious. Everyone is buying guns. I heard one guy say he bought a whole pallet of ammunition. Some 10,000 rounds. He's really fearful and anxious. Congress is now made up of a body of males who seem to have a handle on terror. They want us to be afraid of the bad guy out there, while they take us to the cleaners. Anti-choice for females; the threat of taking away medicare and social security from the elderly; sending immigrants home; spying on us on every street corner; sending drones around to keep an eye on us; denying imprisoned people a trial; putting religion back in schools; no help for the poor; you get the news we and our corporate friends want you to have. The whole thing makes me nervous as a whore in church.

I listened to Rush Limbaugh the other day. It was by mistake, but I thought a would listen a minute to make sure I wasn't writing or saying anything that might resemble what he is saying. Listening to his right-wing brand of nonsense makes me anxious and fearful. He doesn't seem any different from bin Laden or Saddam. I get that same feeling of dread that I got listening to them. I think it could be terror.

This guy comes up to my door last week. I figure he's selling something. He had on a white, long sleeved shirt, which, if you know me, is in and of itself enough to make me anxious. He could have been a politician, but I figured preacher. Either way, I'm anxious. One's after my money, the other, my soul. Terror right at my front door. Scared the ever-living hell out of me.

Health-care really makes me anxious. All the right-wingers want ObamaCare repealed, and not a one of them can explain what it is or what it means to any of us. Humans who don't want other human to have even the minimal amount of health-care offered in the Obama plan, which is pitifully inadequate. That "take care of me and don't help anyone else" attitude makes me real nervous. That's sheer terror.

There's terror everywhere. I think my dog recently terrorized the propane man delivering tanks. AIDS is a terrible terror. Alzheimer's. Alcoholism. The weather. The evening news is make up of 85% terror. Shootings in places I've never heard of, as though I need to know that. Terror in the morning paper. I turn around and someone yells Boo. It all scares me.

Terror. Terror. Terror. Everywhere you turn there's terror. It's horrible. It grabs hold of your heart and makes you anxious and fearful. I wouldn't waste much money bombing Afghanistan. It's much closer than that. It's right around the corner. Right outside the gate. In Little Rock and Washington, and Mississippi, and South Dakota.

Here's a cheap antidote, simple but somewhat effective. A prayer evoking divine protection. Chant it over and over, but try not to let the neighbor hear, you'll strike terror into their heart, thinking your a Muslim. Try it out, carefully:
I know who I am.
I know where I come from.
I will not allow anyone to make me feel fearful and anxious.
I am not afraid. 

SUNDAY MORING PRAYER

Prayer for Peace
Mother Teresa
Lead me from death to life
from lies to truth
Lead me from despair to hope
from fear to trust
Lead me from hatred to love
from war to peace
Let peace fill our heart,
our world, our universe…
peace, peace, peace.

The Costs of War, Up Close and Personal | Common Dreams

The Costs of War, Up Close and Personal | Common Dreams

Amy Goodman: Election 2013: A Grass-Roots Resurgence - Truthdig

Amy Goodman: Election 2013: A Grass-Roots Resurgence - Truthdig

Here we come.

Amid Food Stamp Slash, Fat Cats Plunder Farm Subsidies | Common Dreams

Amid Food Stamp Slash, Fat Cats Plunder Farm Subsidies | Common Dreams

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Mahatma Gandhi

TEN WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

1.Do something for someone other than yourself
2.Read and watch something positive, which eliminates most newspapers and most TV programs. Try writing, painting, quilting, underwater basket weaving.
3.Don't stay out after midnight. Nothing good happens after midnight.
4.Increase and/or improve your relationships. Life is much better when not lived alone. But don't confuse alone for lonely.
5.Find something to believe in other than money and possessions.
6.Never mistake being alive for living.
7.Try to give up any notions of revenge. Revenge steals from your soul until you are left with nothing but anger and sorrow.
8.Don't work for just money. Work at something you like.
9.Never play chicken with a semi.
10.Let people be. As hard as it may be for you to believe, your way is not the only way.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing.”
Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

Republicans Make the Poor Pay to Balance the Budget | Common Dreams

Republicans Make the Poor Pay to Balance the Budget | Common Dreams

 Makes you wonder what their plan is?

BENEDICTION

Here it comes God: I talk more than I act; I got way too much and give way too little; I eat fancy food and drink bottled water while others go hungry and thirsty; I gamble away money I could give to the poor; I bitch and complain when I have no right to; I live in a nice house while others live in card-board boxes. My weaknesses are many and my strengths few. But I've still got time to change all that. With your help.  Amen

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON

A roughed up sermon from the street:

• I'm hungry. I don't need your words, I need food.
• It's raining. There goes my card-board house.
• I good pair of shoes is as good as it gets.
• I'd be glad to work if you'd be decent enough to pay me a fair wage. What would you work for? Are you that much better than me?
• Some days the street isn't that bad. Some days it comes close to making sense. But mostly it's hell.
• The rich boys say I deserve what I get. I say, some day we'll see.

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: [HD] Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "Life Is Hard" 7/24/2013 David...

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road although I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton

SUNDAY MORNING BULLETIN BOARD

WARNING: EXPOSURE TO THE SON MAY PREVENT BURNING.

The Top Secret Trade Deal You Need to Know About | Common Dreams

The Top Secret Trade Deal You Need to Know About | Common Dreams

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Evil is a point of view. We are immortal. And what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we; indiscriminately He takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we; for no creatures under God are as we are, none so like Him as ourselves, dark angels not confined to the stinking limits of hell but wandering His earth and all its kingdoms.”
― Anne Rice, Interview With The Vampire

PEEVER LAW #51

Killing someone because you don't like them, or because they don't agree with you, or because they are a different color, or a different religion, or because they don't like capitalism, or they sing a different song, or wave a different flag, is murder, any way you look at it.

The Rising Resistance to Obama’s Drone Wars | Common Dreams

The Rising Resistance to Obama’s Drone Wars | Common Dreams

Indiscriminate killing is murder, any way you look at it.