“NC passed law against global warming science, therefore it's not
happening. So I'm ignoring Twitter's 140-character limit, so it's not
happ”
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Monday, March 31, 2014
UN Report: Climate Change Already Decimating Life, Worst to Come | Common Dreams
UN Report: Climate Change Already Decimating Life, Worst to Come | Common Dreams
Here we go. People are still dumb enough to think this is not going to happen. Good night Irene.
Here we go. People are still dumb enough to think this is not going to happen. Good night Irene.
HIDING INSIDE A DREAM
- How would it be to not have to worry about health-care?
- No more war?
- We come to our senses about climate change?
- Elections are fair, and open, and on the weekend?
- We heat and cool with solar and wind power?
- No more hunger. That is our first priority?
- We have millions of vacant homes. Why not put the homeless in them?
- We get a President and a Congress who represent the poor, not the rich?
- Every day we read in the newspapers abut people who are making a positive difference in the world?
- Television is used to make us think, not to create and foster stupidity?
- We fund the arts like we fund math and science. We don't need any more engineers to work for the government?
- We grow food to feed people, not to feed cars?
- We stop building churches and start acting like Christians?
Sunday, March 30, 2014
BENEDICTION
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May you allow Him to mold you into what He wants you to be.
May you joyfully fill the role he has given to you and
feel peace in your soul. Amen
May you allow Him to mold you into what He wants you to be.
May you joyfully fill the role he has given to you and
feel peace in your soul. Amen
SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: The Face of Poverty: Homeless Jobless Single Mom With Lousy Options Arrested For Being Homeless Jobless Single Mom Who Chose One of Them | Common Dreams
The Face of Poverty: Homeless Jobless Single Mom With Lousy Options Arrested For Being Homeless Jobless Single Mom Who Chose One of Them | Common Dreams
GOD BLESS AMERICA. YOU COULD BE NEXT.
GOD BLESS AMERICA. YOU COULD BE NEXT.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Postscript: Jonathan Schell | Common Dreams
Postscript: Jonathan Schell | Common Dreams
He wrote stuff worth reading. Not a lot of kiss-ass nonsense.
He wrote stuff worth reading. Not a lot of kiss-ass nonsense.
Friday, March 28, 2014
I WAS THINKING
The older I get, the more distressed I get about our medial technology.
Seems we've lost the distinction between saving a life and prolonging a
death. Just another thing to think about.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A WAL-MART TRIBUTE
Jeff: You know, you don't have to do this.
Walter: Yeah, I could get a real job.
Jeff: What would you do?
Walter: I wanna be a greeter at Wal-Mart.
Walter: What the hell's so funny?
Jeff: At Wal-Mart, what would be your opening line?
Walter: Oh.
Walter: Welcome to Wal-Mart. Get your shit and get out!
Walter: Have a nice day!”
Walter: Yeah, I could get a real job.
Jeff: What would you do?
Walter: I wanna be a greeter at Wal-Mart.
Walter: What the hell's so funny?
Jeff: At Wal-Mart, what would be your opening line?
Walter: Oh.
Walter: Welcome to Wal-Mart. Get your shit and get out!
Walter: Have a nice day!”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We who have touched war have a duty to bring the truth about war
to those who have not had a direct experience of it. We are the light at
the tip of the candle. It is really hot, but it has the power of
shining and illuminating. If we practice mindfulness, we will know how
to look deeply into the nature of war and, with our insight, wake people
up so that together we can avoid repeating the same horrors again and
again.”
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it
everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.”
Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
I'M RUNNING OUT OF FAITH. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU TELL.
- I moved to Arkansas just in time to see it turn right-wing, tea-bagging, Republican. Lucky me. We got a state legislature brought back from the Dark Ages. In my district, Republicans elected a U.S. representative who represents no one but the rich, and can't seem to understand that 1910 is in the past. Twice he has suggesting starting a war. Now he wants to be a U.S. Senator. I can't see how he will win, but than, this is the new Arkansas. Next to last in education, where one in four children go to sleep hungry at night, and where most whites believe the civil war was not lost by the south. I'm running out of faith.
- I thought Obama would do a much better job than he has. I really thought we were poised to move forward. What we got is a health-care system no one can understand; 24 hour spying on, guess who, us; rigorous prosecution of anyone who dares to tell the truth about what the government is doing; a move from occupational war to remote war; backing completely way from any type of gun control; and doing nothing to change the tide from the rich getting richer and the poor just plain getting it. To say I lost my faith in Obama would be a dramatic understatement. I'm holding on to the belief that he is much better than Romney would have been, but after having met him three times, the fourth he wouldn't enjoy. I'd probably be arrested for kicking him in the ass.
- Where are all these right-wing Christians coming from? I can't believe their parents were so bad at potty training. These people are still dumping on everything and everyone. I didn't think so many people could be so dumb so much of the time. They elect people who are just going to crush them. Politics and religion equals a bunch of morons who believe they know about Christ and Christianity. Christ wouldn't put up with these people for 15 seconds. He, or she, would probably turn Buddhist. I'm losing my faith. I need to be careful who I tell. They'll think I'm a Muslim.
Monday, March 24, 2014
WHO SAID LIFE WAS FAIR?
WHITE MEN GET RICH FROM SELLING LEGAL POT, WHILE POOR PEOPLE REMAIN IN PRISON.
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.
Dissent as Murder: Egyptian Court Sentences 529 Men to Death in One Ruling | Common Dreams
Dissent as Murder: Egyptian Court Sentences 529 Men to Death in One Ruling | Common Dreams
The extent to which those in power will go to remain in power. MURDER.
The extent to which those in power will go to remain in power. MURDER.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
BENEDICTION
Stand tall now, knowing that by God’s mercy you have been healed
and made whole deep within your being. May the compassion of the
Father, the sensitive tenderness of the Holy Spirit, and the warm
guiding hand of Jesus be with you throughout this day. Amen.
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER-DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES
Last night as I lay sleeping,
I had a dream so fair...
I dreamed of the Holy City, well ordered and just.
I dreamed of a garden of paradise,
well-being all around and a good water supply.
I dreamed of disarmament and forgiveness,
and caring embrace for all those in need.
I dreamed of a coming time when death is no more.
Last night as I lay sleeping...
I had a nightmare of sins unforgiven.
I had a nightmare of land mines still exploding
and maimed children.
I had a nightmare of the poor left unloved,
of the homeless left unnoticed,
of the dead left ungrieved.
I had a nightmare of quarrels and rages
and wars great and small.
When I awoke, I found you still to be God,
presiding over the day and the night
with serene sovereignty,
for dark and light are both alike to you.
At the break of day we submit to you
our best dreams
and our worst nightmares,
asking that your healing mercy should override threats,
that your goodness will make our
nightmares less toxic
and our dreams more real.
Thank you for visiting us with newness
that overrides what is old and deathly among us.
Come among us this day; dream us toward
health and peace,
we pray in the real name of Jesus
who exposes our fantasies.
Walter Brueggemann
I had a dream so fair...
I dreamed of the Holy City, well ordered and just.
I dreamed of a garden of paradise,
well-being all around and a good water supply.
I dreamed of disarmament and forgiveness,
and caring embrace for all those in need.
I dreamed of a coming time when death is no more.
Last night as I lay sleeping...
I had a nightmare of sins unforgiven.
I had a nightmare of land mines still exploding
and maimed children.
I had a nightmare of the poor left unloved,
of the homeless left unnoticed,
of the dead left ungrieved.
I had a nightmare of quarrels and rages
and wars great and small.
When I awoke, I found you still to be God,
presiding over the day and the night
with serene sovereignty,
for dark and light are both alike to you.
At the break of day we submit to you
our best dreams
and our worst nightmares,
asking that your healing mercy should override threats,
that your goodness will make our
nightmares less toxic
and our dreams more real.
Thank you for visiting us with newness
that overrides what is old and deathly among us.
Come among us this day; dream us toward
health and peace,
we pray in the real name of Jesus
who exposes our fantasies.
Walter Brueggemann
Saturday, March 22, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Stupidity isn't punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop.”
Laurell K. Hamilton, The Laughing Corpse
Laurell K. Hamilton, The Laughing Corpse
Friday, March 21, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“In a society in which nearly everybody is dominated by somebody
else's mind or by a disembodied mind, it becomes increasingly difficult
to learn the truth about the activities of governments and corporations,
about the quality or value of products, or about the health of one's
own place and economy.
In such a society, also, our private economies will depend less and less upon the private ownership of real, usable property, and more and more upon property that is institutional and abstract, beyond individual control, such as money, insurance policies, certificates of deposit, stocks, and shares. And as our private economies become more abstract, the mutual, free helps and pleasures of family and community life will be supplanted by a kind of displaced or placeless citizenship and by commerce with impersonal and self-interested suppliers...
Thus, although we are not slaves in name, and cannot be carried to market and sold as somebody else's legal chattels, we are free only within narrow limits. For all our talk about liberation and personal autonomy, there are few choices that we are free to make. What would be the point, for example, if a majority of our people decided to be self-employed?
The great enemy of freedom is the alignment of political power with wealth. This alignment destroys the commonwealth - that is, the natural wealth of localities and the local economies of household, neighborhood, and community - and so destroys democracy, of which the commonwealth is the foundation and practical means.”
Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays
In such a society, also, our private economies will depend less and less upon the private ownership of real, usable property, and more and more upon property that is institutional and abstract, beyond individual control, such as money, insurance policies, certificates of deposit, stocks, and shares. And as our private economies become more abstract, the mutual, free helps and pleasures of family and community life will be supplanted by a kind of displaced or placeless citizenship and by commerce with impersonal and self-interested suppliers...
Thus, although we are not slaves in name, and cannot be carried to market and sold as somebody else's legal chattels, we are free only within narrow limits. For all our talk about liberation and personal autonomy, there are few choices that we are free to make. What would be the point, for example, if a majority of our people decided to be self-employed?
The great enemy of freedom is the alignment of political power with wealth. This alignment destroys the commonwealth - that is, the natural wealth of localities and the local economies of household, neighborhood, and community - and so destroys democracy, of which the commonwealth is the foundation and practical means.”
Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays
Thursday, March 13, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“New Rule: If you're going to have a rally where hundreds of thousands of people show up, you may as well go ahead and make it about something. With all due respect to my friends Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, it seems that if you truly wanted to come down on the side of restoring sanity and reason, you'd side with the sane and the reasonable--and not try to pretend the insanity is equally distributed in both parties. Keith Olbermann is right when he says he's not the equivalent of Glenn Beck. One reports facts; the other one is very close to playing with his poop. And the big mistake of modern media has been this notion of balance for balance's sake, that the left is just as violent and cruel as the right, that unions are just as powerful as corporations, that reverse racism is just as damaging as racism. There's a difference between a mad man and a madman.
Now, getting more than two hundred thousand people to come to a liberal rally is a great achievement that gave me hope, and what I really loved about it was that it was twice the size of the Glenn Beck crowd on the Mall in August--although it weight the same. But the message of the rally as I heard it was that if the media would just top giving voice to the crazies on both sides, then maybe we could restore sanity. It was all nonpartisan, and urged cooperation with the moderates on the other side. Forgetting that Obama tried that, and found our there are no moderates on the other side.
When Jon announced his rally, he said that the national conversation is "dominated" by people on the right who believe Obama's a socialist, and by people on the left who believe 9/11 was an inside job. But I can't name any Democratic leaders who think 9/11 was an inside job. But Republican leaders who think Obama's socialist? All of them. McCain, Boehner, Cantor, Palin...all of them. It's now official Republican dogma, like "Tax cuts pay for themselves" and "Gay men just haven't met the right woman."
As another example of both sides using overheated rhetoric, Jon cited the right equating Obama with Hitler, and the left calling Bush a war criminal. Except thinking Obama is like Hitler is utterly unfounded--but thinking Bush is a war criminal? That's the opinion of Major General Anthony Taguba, who headed the Army's investigation into Abu Ghraib.
Republicans keep staking out a position that is farther and farther right, and then demand Democrats meet them in the middle. Which now is not the middle anymore. That's the reason health-care reform is so watered down--it's Bob Dole's old plan from 1994. Same thing with cap and trade--it was the first President Bush's plan to deal with carbon emissions. Now the Republican plan for climate change is to claim it's a hoax.
But it's not--I know because I've lived in L.A. since '83, and there's been a change in the city: I can see it now. All of us who live out here have had that experience: "Oh, look, there's a mountain there." Governments, led my liberal Democrats, passed laws that changed the air I breathe. For the better. I'm for them, and not the party that is plotting to abolish the EPA. I don't need to pretend both sides have a point here, and I don't care what left or right commentators say about it, I can only what climate scientists say about it.
Two opposing sides don't necessarily have two compelling arguments. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on that mall in the capital, and he didn't say, "Remember, folks, those southern sheriffs with the fire hoses and the German shepherds, they have a point, too." No, he said, "I have a dream. They have a nightmare. This isn't Team Edward and Team Jacob."
Liberals, like the ones on that field, must stand up and be counted, and not pretend we're as mean or greedy or shortsighted or just plain batshit at them. And if that's too polarizing for you, and you still want to reach across the aisle and hold hands and sing with someone on the right, try church.”
Bill Maher
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If you want to teach your children that they are the tools of
God, you had better not teach them that they are God's rifles, or we
will have to stand firmly opposed to you: your doctrine has no glory, no
special rights, no intrinsic and inalienable merit. If you insist on
teaching your children false-hoods—that the Earth is flat, that "Man" is
not a product of evolution by natural selection—then you must expect,
at the very least, that those of us who have freedom of speech will feel
free to describe your teachings as the spreading of falsehoods, and
will attempt to demonstrate this to your children at our earliest
opportunity. Our future well-being—the well-being of all of us on the
planet—depends on the education of our descendants.”
Daniel C. Dennett, Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
Daniel C. Dennett, Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
Snowden SXSW Talk a 'Call to Arms' to Tech World | Common Dreams
Snowden SXSW Talk a 'Call to Arms' to Tech World | Common Dreams
FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS AT RISK. IT MAY ALREADY BE TOO LATE.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS AT RISK. IT MAY ALREADY BE TOO LATE.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
BENEDICTION
As you leave this place
may the Living Lord go with you;
May he go behind you, to encourage you,
beside you, to befriend you,
above you, to watch over you,
beneath you, to lift you from your sorrows,
within you, to give you the gifts of faith, hope, and love,
and always before you, to show you the way.
may the Living Lord go with you;
May he go behind you, to encourage you,
beside you, to befriend you,
above you, to watch over you,
beneath you, to lift you from your sorrows,
within you, to give you the gifts of faith, hope, and love,
and always before you, to show you the way.
SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: JUSTICE
"Justice
is the right subject for prayer, since the image is of courtroom and
judge. We do well, however, to linger over the term justice. It is so
much misunderstood in our disclosure, because we think it only means
giving people what they deserve by their actions, so punish bad people,
starve lazy people. That, however, is not what the word means in the
Bible. The Bible means by justice that everyone, because they live in
the community, because they are human creatures, are entitled to all
that is needed for dignity, peace, freedom, health, joy, and security.
Caring, nagging people do not come before God with frivolous, selfish
requests. But the subject of all serious prayer is to urge God to give
justice, which means:
"dignity for children
safety for families
homes for the homeless
schools for all learners
health care for the poor
food for the needy
respect for the abused . . . women and children
compassion for men wearied too long
access for the disabled
"The Bible imagines that God will finally not let the world linger in inequity and disability. The church gathers, sometimes to pray for itself and our needfulness. But sometimes, in our rather comfortable churches, we have no overriding, desperate needs, and we go to court on behalf of others, to lift their cause for justice. We do that often, even when we do not think the judge will listen. We do so because Jesus says, 'pray always' (v. 1), pray to the judge for justice. When God is tired of it, and exasperated by our insistence, God will answer.
"So nagging prayers for justice are indeed acts of hope. The naggers are filled with hope that justice can be done, that God will listen, that the world will be changed, that the widow will be honored. And then Jesus ends this lesson on prayer with the haunting, unanswered question: 'When the Son of Man comes [the final great accounting of God], will he find faith on earth?' (v. 8). At the bottom of hope and justice and nagging is faith. Faith that this is God's world, and God will listen, faith that the world will be changed. You see, in our secularized world, we do fall out of faith. We end in despair, believing that might makes right, that the problems are insoluble, that the world is so skewed that nothing finally can be changed. These widespread attitudes are in fact ways in which we give up on the fidelity and reality of God.
"Prayer is not an occasion just for pious little children on their way to bed. Prayer is not simply for neurotic people who are excessively and sadly too religious. It is rather the core gesture by which we stay in faith, by which we hope for the world, by which we keep justice as the issue before God and ourselves. To 'pray always' means to hope always for justice, to nag always the judge, to trust always in the power of God.
"There really is no middle ground. Either, like the widow, we believe and hope and nag for justice. Or, says Jesus, we 'lose heart' (v. 1). And when we lose heart, we quit nagging and quit caring. We quit hoping and we quit trusting. And we settle in docility, for a world that will not and cannot change, and the problems of homelessness and poverty and all the rest are then accepted as permanent, intransigent realities.
"The good news is that we baptized people are believers, hopers, and naggers for justice. We will not let God off the hook. God can be nagged to a good verdict. At bottom we are not prepared, we baptized people, to be resigned about ourselves, or our neighbor, or about injustice in the world. It is promised that if we do not lose heart, if we care endlessly, relentlessly, and passionately, God finally must care too. Pray always!!!"
"dignity for children
safety for families
homes for the homeless
schools for all learners
health care for the poor
food for the needy
respect for the abused . . . women and children
compassion for men wearied too long
access for the disabled
"The Bible imagines that God will finally not let the world linger in inequity and disability. The church gathers, sometimes to pray for itself and our needfulness. But sometimes, in our rather comfortable churches, we have no overriding, desperate needs, and we go to court on behalf of others, to lift their cause for justice. We do that often, even when we do not think the judge will listen. We do so because Jesus says, 'pray always' (v. 1), pray to the judge for justice. When God is tired of it, and exasperated by our insistence, God will answer.
"So nagging prayers for justice are indeed acts of hope. The naggers are filled with hope that justice can be done, that God will listen, that the world will be changed, that the widow will be honored. And then Jesus ends this lesson on prayer with the haunting, unanswered question: 'When the Son of Man comes [the final great accounting of God], will he find faith on earth?' (v. 8). At the bottom of hope and justice and nagging is faith. Faith that this is God's world, and God will listen, faith that the world will be changed. You see, in our secularized world, we do fall out of faith. We end in despair, believing that might makes right, that the problems are insoluble, that the world is so skewed that nothing finally can be changed. These widespread attitudes are in fact ways in which we give up on the fidelity and reality of God.
"Prayer is not an occasion just for pious little children on their way to bed. Prayer is not simply for neurotic people who are excessively and sadly too religious. It is rather the core gesture by which we stay in faith, by which we hope for the world, by which we keep justice as the issue before God and ourselves. To 'pray always' means to hope always for justice, to nag always the judge, to trust always in the power of God.
"There really is no middle ground. Either, like the widow, we believe and hope and nag for justice. Or, says Jesus, we 'lose heart' (v. 1). And when we lose heart, we quit nagging and quit caring. We quit hoping and we quit trusting. And we settle in docility, for a world that will not and cannot change, and the problems of homelessness and poverty and all the rest are then accepted as permanent, intransigent realities.
"The good news is that we baptized people are believers, hopers, and naggers for justice. We will not let God off the hook. God can be nagged to a good verdict. At bottom we are not prepared, we baptized people, to be resigned about ourselves, or our neighbor, or about injustice in the world. It is promised that if we do not lose heart, if we care endlessly, relentlessly, and passionately, God finally must care too. Pray always!!!"
Walter Brueggemann
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: OLD STORIES BECOME NEW SONGS
We love to tell the old, old story.
We love to sing the old, old song
of your saving deeds of mercy and
freedom and
healing and
newness.
We know about Exodus freedom
and dancing tambourines.
We know about land and huge clusters of grapes.
We know about rivers of water and
rivers of oil.
We know about the strangeness that
the blind see,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the dead are raised,
the poor rejoice.
We know. Give us courage to
trust what we know and to
obey what we hope.
We know that the old, old story---in our telling---becomes
a new, dangerous, transforming song. And so we sing!
We love to sing the old, old song
of your saving deeds of mercy and
freedom and
healing and
newness.
We know about Exodus freedom
and dancing tambourines.
We know about land and huge clusters of grapes.
We know about rivers of water and
rivers of oil.
We know about the strangeness that
the blind see,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the dead are raised,
the poor rejoice.
We know. Give us courage to
trust what we know and to
obey what we hope.
We know that the old, old story---in our telling---becomes
a new, dangerous, transforming song. And so we sing!
Saturday, March 8, 2014
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 run into, or the first homeless person you see, or the lonely shut-in without a visitor.
* So you're hiding behind closed gates? Fears got a hold of you. And you think you can beat terror with bombs?
* Dying is not near as hard as living.
* Killing and destruction have always been popular with humans.
* There is no necessity that the human race should survive. Time could care less.
* You think you know what the truth is? How is it that you think you are so smart?
* If you find yourself in a state of mental confusion, where things just don't seem to add up, welcome to the dark side.
* Hell is no further down the road than the first hungry child you run into, or the first homeless person you see, or the lonely shut-in without a visitor.
* So you're hiding behind closed gates? Fears got a hold of you. And you think you can beat terror with bombs?
* Dying is not near as hard as living.
* Killing and destruction have always been popular with humans.
* There is no necessity that the human race should survive. Time could care less.
* You think you know what the truth is? How is it that you think you are so smart?
* If you find yourself in a state of mental confusion, where things just don't seem to add up, welcome to the dark side.
Moyers: Is This Really What's Driving the Tea Party? | Common Dreams
Moyers: Is This Really What's Driving the Tea Party? | Common Dreams
It's time for a tea-dumping party.
It's time for a tea-dumping party.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
God, Guns and Good Ole Boys: Churches Give Out Guns To Point People To Christ, Who Loves Us and Wants Us To Be Well-Armed | Common Dreams
God, Guns and Good Ole Boys: Churches Give Out Guns To Point People To Christ, Who Loves Us and Wants Us To Be Well-Armed | Common Dreams
No one ever said Christians were smart. Nor do they apparently believe in Christ.
No one ever said Christians were smart. Nor do they apparently believe in Christ.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
US Hawks Take Flight over Ukraine | Common Dreams
US Hawks Take Flight over Ukraine | Common Dreams
Mr. McCain, always eager to get our young men killed.
Mr. McCain, always eager to get our young men killed.
WAR MONGERING COTTON
Our U.S. representative, and candidate for the U.S. Senate, Tom Cotton, from Arkansas, is eager to go to war with Russia over the Ukraine. That wouldn't be a good idea. We would once again lose. This is the second time in as many months this yo-yo has suggested we go to war. This guy is a war-mongering, right-wing Republican idiot. GET COTTON OUT OF ARKANSAS. LET'S SEND HIM TO TEXAS.
Monday, March 3, 2014
THE 12 SUNDAYS OF HEALING
I'm thinking of buying an empty church down the way from me and
opening a center for the recovery of right-wing Christians. I got a
catchy little name, "The 12 Sundays of Healing." Sort of a variation on
AA's 12 Step program.
Sunday 1: Admitting you are wrong about the world and the way you view it.
Sunday 2: Handing your life and recovery over to someone with an IQ above 50. This will require you to find new friends.
Sunday 3: Come to an understanding that there are many paths to God's door, none of which you are traveling.
Sunday 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.
Sunday 5: Admit that guns are not worthy of worship; that government should help the poor, not the rich; that war should be a last resort, not a first priority; and most importantly, get off the "holier that thou" crap. It's stinking up the environment.
Sunday 6: Practice compassion, charity without conditions, kindness, tolerance, diversity, understanding, forgiveness, compromise, and negotiation. It's good to confront things you know nothing about.
Sunday 7: Admit that women should have more control over their bodies than males with little dicks.
Sunday 8: Admit that all of us should have more control over our lives than right-wing Congressmen.
Sunday 9: Humbly ask God to forgive you for misusing Christianity and the Bible.
Sunday 10: Come to understand that religion and politics don't mix.
Sunday 11: Having seen the errors of your way, give away everything that you own to the poor. Do this in remembrance of Christ.
Sunday 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 even laugh and smile out loud.
Sunday 1: Admitting you are wrong about the world and the way you view it.
Sunday 2: Handing your life and recovery over to someone with an IQ above 50. This will require you to find new friends.
Sunday 3: Come to an understanding that there are many paths to God's door, none of which you are traveling.
Sunday 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.
Sunday 5: Admit that guns are not worthy of worship; that government should help the poor, not the rich; that war should be a last resort, not a first priority; and most importantly, get off the "holier that thou" crap. It's stinking up the environment.
Sunday 6: Practice compassion, charity without conditions, kindness, tolerance, diversity, understanding, forgiveness, compromise, and negotiation. It's good to confront things you know nothing about.
Sunday 7: Admit that women should have more control over their bodies than males with little dicks.
Sunday 8: Admit that all of us should have more control over our lives than right-wing Congressmen.
Sunday 9: Humbly ask God to forgive you for misusing Christianity and the Bible.
Sunday 10: Come to understand that religion and politics don't mix.
Sunday 11: Having seen the errors of your way, give away everything that you own to the poor. Do this in remembrance of Christ.
Sunday 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 even laugh and smile out loud.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“New Rule: Democrats must get in touch with their inner asshole. I
refer to the case of Van Jones, the man the Obama administration hired
to find jobs for Americans in the new green industries. Seems like a
smart thing to do in a recession, but Van Jones got fired because he got
caught on tape saying Republicans are assholes. And they call it news!
Now, I know I'm supposed to be all reinjected with yes-we-can-fever after the big health-care speech, and it was a great speech--when Black Elvis gets jiggy with his teleprompter, there is none better. But here's the thing: Muhammad Ali also had a way with words, but it helped enormously that he could also punch guys in the face.
It bothers me that Obama didn't say a word in defense of Jones and basically fired him when Glenn Beck told him to. Just like dropped "end-of-life counseling" from health-care reform because Sarah Palin said it meant "death panels" on her Facebook page. Crazy morons make up things for Obama to do, and he does it.
Same thing with the speech to schools this week, where the president attempted merely to tell children to work hard and wash their hands, and Cracker Nation reacted as if he was trying to hire the Black Panthers to hand out grenades in homeroom. Of course, the White House immediately capitulated. "No students will be forced to view the speech" a White House spokesperson assured a panicked nation. Isn't that like admitting that the president might be doing something unseemly? What a bunch of cowards. If the White House had any balls, they'd say, "He's giving a speech on the importance of staying in school, and if you jackasses don't show it to every damn kid, we're cutting off your federal education funding tomorrow."
The Democrats just never learn: Americans don't really care which side of an issue you're on as long as you don't act like pussies When Van Jones called the Republicans assholes, he was paying them a compliment. He was talking about how they can get things done even when they're in the minority, as opposed to the Democrats , who can't seem to get anything done even when they control both houses of Congress, the presidency, and Bruce Springsteen.
I love Obama's civility, his desire to work with his enemies; it's positively Christlike. In college, he was probably the guy at the dorm parties who made sure the stoners shared their pot with the jocks. But we don't need that guy now. We need an asshole.
Mr. President, there are some people who are never going to like you. That's why they voted for the old guy and Carrie's mom. You're not going to win them over. Stand up for the seventy percent of Americans who aren't crazy.
And speaking of that seventy percent, when are we going to actually show up in all this? Tomorrow Glenn Beck's army of zombie retirees descending on Washington. It's the Million Moron March, although they won't get a million, of course, because many will be confused and drive to Washington state--but they will make news. Because people who take to the streets always do. They're at the town hall screaming at the congressman; we're on the couch screaming at the TV. Especially in this age of Twitters and blogs and Snuggies, it's a statement to just leave the house. But leave the house we must, because this is our last best shot for a long time to get the sort of serious health-care reform that would make the United States the envy of several African nations.”
― Bill Maher, The New New Rules: A Funny Look At How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass
Now, I know I'm supposed to be all reinjected with yes-we-can-fever after the big health-care speech, and it was a great speech--when Black Elvis gets jiggy with his teleprompter, there is none better. But here's the thing: Muhammad Ali also had a way with words, but it helped enormously that he could also punch guys in the face.
It bothers me that Obama didn't say a word in defense of Jones and basically fired him when Glenn Beck told him to. Just like dropped "end-of-life counseling" from health-care reform because Sarah Palin said it meant "death panels" on her Facebook page. Crazy morons make up things for Obama to do, and he does it.
Same thing with the speech to schools this week, where the president attempted merely to tell children to work hard and wash their hands, and Cracker Nation reacted as if he was trying to hire the Black Panthers to hand out grenades in homeroom. Of course, the White House immediately capitulated. "No students will be forced to view the speech" a White House spokesperson assured a panicked nation. Isn't that like admitting that the president might be doing something unseemly? What a bunch of cowards. If the White House had any balls, they'd say, "He's giving a speech on the importance of staying in school, and if you jackasses don't show it to every damn kid, we're cutting off your federal education funding tomorrow."
The Democrats just never learn: Americans don't really care which side of an issue you're on as long as you don't act like pussies When Van Jones called the Republicans assholes, he was paying them a compliment. He was talking about how they can get things done even when they're in the minority, as opposed to the Democrats , who can't seem to get anything done even when they control both houses of Congress, the presidency, and Bruce Springsteen.
I love Obama's civility, his desire to work with his enemies; it's positively Christlike. In college, he was probably the guy at the dorm parties who made sure the stoners shared their pot with the jocks. But we don't need that guy now. We need an asshole.
Mr. President, there are some people who are never going to like you. That's why they voted for the old guy and Carrie's mom. You're not going to win them over. Stand up for the seventy percent of Americans who aren't crazy.
And speaking of that seventy percent, when are we going to actually show up in all this? Tomorrow Glenn Beck's army of zombie retirees descending on Washington. It's the Million Moron March, although they won't get a million, of course, because many will be confused and drive to Washington state--but they will make news. Because people who take to the streets always do. They're at the town hall screaming at the congressman; we're on the couch screaming at the TV. Especially in this age of Twitters and blogs and Snuggies, it's a statement to just leave the house. But leave the house we must, because this is our last best shot for a long time to get the sort of serious health-care reform that would make the United States the envy of several African nations.”
― Bill Maher, The New New Rules: A Funny Look At How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass
Seven Numbers that Add Up to a Death Tax for Retirement | Common Dreams
Seven Numbers that Add Up to a Death Tax for Retirement | Common Dreams
THE GOOD LIFE AIN'T SO GOOD FOR MOST RETIREES.
THE GOOD LIFE AIN'T SO GOOD FOR MOST RETIREES.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
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.
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 PRAYER
MARKED BY ASHES
Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the Day...
This day--a gift from you.
This day--like none other you have ever given,
or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day,
for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes---
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
of more war casualties, more violence, more cynicism;
we ourselves are ashes to ashes,
dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around
on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste
of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you---
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pay as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the Day...
This day--a gift from you.
This day--like none other you have ever given,
or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day,
for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes---
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
of more war casualties, more violence, more cynicism;
we ourselves are ashes to ashes,
dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around
on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste
of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you---
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pay as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
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