IT DOES MATTER

IT DOES MATTER

                                                                        

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 ever 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 isn’t about life. If so, that minister would be telling you capital punishment is wrong. And war. All that minister wants is to control you. A female. It does matter.

You believe politicians when they say climate change is a bunch of liberal garbage. Did you ask him or her where they got their information? Or did you ask to see their relevant Ph.D. We all should know what hot air looks like. 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 think the rich should get all of the governments resources and that the poor are living high-off-the-hog on food stamps and welfare.  I can 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 think we are right about a lot of things. But we aren’t. We are the laughing stock of the world. Our arrogance will prove to be our undoing. And it will matter.

An 'Outrageous' Move by 'Chickensh*t' GOP as Grassley Schedules Kavanaugh Vote Less Than 24 Hours After Ford Hearing

An 'Outrageous' Move by 'Chickensh*t' GOP as Grassley Schedules Kavanaugh Vote Less Than 24 Hours After Ford Hearing

Pigs All the Way Down

Pigs All the Way Down

OUR NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM.

THE CLOWN

TRUMP GETS LAUGHED OUT OF THE UNITED NATIONS. I'M SURE HE WILL COME OUT OF IT WANTING TO DISSOLVE THE U.N. THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BECOME: OUR PRESIDENT BEING LAUGHED AT AROUND THE WORLD. CONGRATULATIONS, ALL YOU TRUMP FANS.

DRAIN THE SWAMP

MANAFORT. FLYNN. PRUITT. PORTER. TOOKE. GATES. PAPADOPOULOS. SHULKIN. PRICE. FITZGERALD.
STILL TO GO: CARSON. MNUCHIN. ZINKE. DEVOS. SESSIONS. POMPEO. AZAR. PERRY. ROSS. PERDUE. PRUITT. HALEY. AND THE BIG SWAMP RAT HIMSELF: TRUMP. STILL A LOT OF DRAINING TO DO.

FALL

HAPPY AUTUMN EQUINOX. DON'T BOTHER ME, I'M BUSY DANCING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I DON'T THINK YOU WANT TO HEAR THIS IS A WICAN AND PAGAN TRADITION.

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON

"YOU ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR OWN OPINION, BUT YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO YOUR OWN FACTS."

Daniel Moynihan

THE END IS NEAR. Trump Protest Music Video

YOUTHFUL INDISCRETIONS

HERE IN HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, WHERE TRUMP OVERWHELMING BEAT CLINTON, THE PROMINENT THEME IS WHY WOULD A WOMAN ACCUSE KAVANAUGH OF SEXUAL ABUSE, WHEN IT OCCURRED SO MANY YEARS AGO. THE ANSWER IS THAT HE IS ABOUT TO BECOME A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE. NEXT QUESTION.

RICH MAN'S CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

ANYONE MAKING RACIST REMARKS THAT IS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE SHOULD BE RELIEVED OF THEIR DUTIES. IMMEDIATELY. NO RETIREMENT.

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO AMERICA?

JUST THE OTHER DAY, THINGS WERE SO GOOD. NOT REALLY. ALWAYS PROBLEMS. PEOPLE GET GOOFY. EVERYONE HAS AN AGENDA. WITH 322,000,000 OF US, THAT'S A LOT OF GOOFY.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear and loathe.”  
Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

PERPLEXING

RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS. RIGHT-WING BILLIONAIRES. KKK MEMBERS. GUN LOVERS. PRO-BIRTH MALES. ANTI-CHOICE FEMALES. POLITICIANS GIVING ANY TYPE OF ADVICE. KILLING PEOPLE FOR PEACE. ELECTING A TOTAL IDIOT AS PRESIDENT. THINKING TWO PLUS TWO MAKES FOUR.

'Millions of Us Have Your Back': #DearProfessorFord Goes Viral as Women Nationwide Take Stand for Kavanaugh Accuser

'Millions of Us Have Your Back': #DearProfessorFord Goes Viral as Women Nationwide Take Stand for Kavanaugh Accuser



BOTH SHOULD TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE. ONE WILL BE LYING. I'M GUESSING IT WILL BE HIM.

AMONG OTHER FOOLISH THINGS

TRUMP. CRUZ. PENCE. MEGA-CHURCHES. MILLION DOLLAR SALARIES FOR NON-PROFIT CEO'S. ANYONE CLAIMING TO KNOW "THE TRUTH." WARRING YOUR WAY TO PEACE. TAKING CHILDREN AWAY FROM PARENTS. "TRUST ME." "NEVER AGAIN."

PEEVER LAW #111

SEEMS AS THOUGH WE HAVE A ONE-PARTY SYSTEM: RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS AND MODERATE REPUBLICANS, WHO RUN AS DEMOCRATS. IT'S TIME WE GET A SECOND PARTY GOING.

THE BREAKDOWN OF COMMUNITY

     The breakdown of community: Our leadership has let us down. The board and CEO have wondered away from democratic rule, toward corporate rule, which is a far cry from democratic.

     They continue to make decisions about our future behind closed doors, encouraged by the board president. They took numerous votes in closed session to get our CEO a $30,000 bonus. The board verbalizes transparency, but does otherwise. Eight reasons to go into closed session, the eighth stating for any reason they want. This cannot be called illegal, since we are not a municipality. Unfortunately. Not yet.  As a private club, we can do whatever, which definitely needs to change.

Short of becoming officially a municipality, we need a board that will adopt municipal rules to govern us. All the bylaws and proposed articles and declarations we have are designed to run Hot Springs Village as a corporation. I, for one, and I know there are many others, stand firmly against this. We need to vote for 3 candidates opposed to this direction. And a fourth person on the board to join them, which seems unlikely. We were once again duped the last election. All followers.

     Voting “NO” on the proposed articles and declaration will send a clear message to the board and CEO that we are having nothing of their proposed corporate rule. Corporations have their place, but not in running a community.

     And as for an orientation session, I would skip it if I were a candidate. It appears to be more of an indoctrination session. Completely undemocratic and an attempt to intimidate and control the candidates even before they are elected.

     As for a recruitment committee, I would assume they are looking for the finest followers. Any candidate that comes out of this committee, beware.

DEMOCRACY VS CORPORATION

     What we need in a director: With an upcoming election, it is important to review some of the things a good director should resemble.

      1. Director’s need to be aware it is they who are in charge, not the manager or other employees. This is not a corporation, or military base. This is a community. Directors hire the manager. The manager reports to them. They can accept, or reject, any information that they receive. They should not be nodding their heads YES all the time. Department heads report to the manager. If the manager wants a department head to give information to the director’s, it is just that: information, not policy. Everything is done by the director’s. That is who we elect. 2. Any elected director needs to question the documents being used to govern the Village. In many instances, they clearly are not democratic. We operate like a corporation. With military leadership. We need to operate like a municipality. With elected officials as our leadership. We need to revoke country club rules and adopt municipal rules. As an example, we should have no more than 2 reasons to go into closed-executive session. We presently have 8. Doing business behind closed doors is not democratic. It is nationalistic-militaristic. If this does not change, we will end up becoming a municipality out of necessity. 3. The comprehensive master plan has been adopted. It was way too expensive. The director’s need to look for something useful and direct the manager to implement what seems reasonable. Not the other way around. I doubt there is any mention of revamping the leadership style. Unfortunately. 4. We need to take care of “what is,” not what we guess “will be.” 5. Read about the military-industrial (corporate) complex.

WHAT A FIFTH GRADE EDUACTION BUYS YOU

THERE AREN'T MANY MODERATE REPUBLICANS LEFT. SHORT OF A NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS WHO WOULD QUALIFY, MOST HAVE CONVERTED TO RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANISM, WHICH TRANSLATES INTO A PLATFORM OF MAKING THE RICH RICHER AND THE MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASSES EXTINCT. THEY DON'T VERBALIZE ANY OTHER AGENDA. "DESTROY EVERYTHING IN THE NAME OF PROFIT". IT IS A SORRY SITUATION BROUGHT ON BY AN ABUNDANCE OF IGNORANCE, MOST OF WHOM SEEM TO BE GETTING ELECTED. POOR PEOPLE SEEM TO VOTE FOR THESE CREATURES, PROVING THE OLD ADAGE: YOU CAN FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A funny thing happened to the First Amendment on its way to the public forum. According to the Supreme Court, money is now speech and corporations are now people. But when real people without money assemble to express their dissatisfaction with the political consequences of this, they’re treated as public nuisances and evicted.”  

Robert Reich

Evidence of Kavanaugh Perjury Mounts After Durbin Releases More "Confidential" Documents

Evidence of Kavanaugh Perjury Mounts After Durbin Releases More "Confidential" Documents



GOOD GUY IMAGE IS FADING. NOT SUPREME COURT MATERIAL. ANYONE VOTING FOR HIS CONFIRMATION SHOULD BE GONE. I'M THINKING MARS.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
 
Isaac Asimov

With Most Benefits Going to Rich, 'Reckless and Stupid' GOP Tax Scam 2.0 Could Cost $3 Trillion Over Ten Years

With Most Benefits Going to Rich, 'Reckless and Stupid' GOP Tax Scam 2.0 Could Cost $3 Trillion Over Ten Years



THERE WILL BE A LOT OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR THEIR $2500 REFUND NEXT YEAR. AND WAITING. AND WAITING. AND.....

PEEVER LAW #82

LISTENING IS A SKILL FEW PEOPLE POSSESS.

THE BLACK PAPER: WHY A CORORATION SHOULD NOT RUN A CITY

The Black Paper: Why a corporation should not run a city.

1. Corporations are notoriously dictatorial. The CEO is in charge. The CEO basically appoints the directors. This is happening here. We now have a recruitment committee, picking out only the finest followers.  Last election we had a pre-election indoctrination. Management clearly pointed out that anyone elected is expected to tow-the-line. Welcome to Hot Springs Village, the corporation.

2. Corporations for the most part are not required to follow the Freedom of Information Act. The information you get from a CEO is the information they want you to have. It is not like a municipality, where the citizens are entitled to information. After all, we do pay for it.  From salaries that we pay staff, to what we pay Troon for whatever, to what money we are wasting on the gates, to a greatly overstated marketing plan, we are entitled to know the amounts. Secrets have no place in democratic governance.

3. The finishing touches are being put on the HSV corporation by most of the proposed changes to the articles and declarations, scheduled for a vote in November. Like any good corporation, most of the changes have to do with clearing the way for someone to make money on our CMP.   At any rate, a good portion of it, if not all, should be voted “No.” This is not a company for a CEO to run. This is a community for an elected council to lead.

I am becoming more and more convinced that we will need to vote on becoming a municipality, to help insure a democratic form of governance. There doesn’t seem to be any other way to stop this fright train. It starts with a group of committed citizens and a petition.

With Hundreds of Children Still Detained, Sessions Instructs Judges to Show Less 'Sympathy' for Immigrants

With Hundreds of Children Still Detained, Sessions Instructs Judges to Show Less 'Sympathy' for Immigrants



JACKASS ALERT!

BENEDICTION

ANOTHER MORNING,
    FILLED WITH HOPE,
    ANXIETY OVER WHAT IS,
    FEAR OVER WHAT MIGHT BE.

GIVE ME THE STRENGTH GOD
        TO OVERCOME MY APATHY,
        MY ANXIETY,
        MY FEAR.

HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND
        NO ONE ELSE WILL EASE MY TENSION,
        MY INTREPIDATION,
        MY DOUBT.

BUT ME.


   

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: REMEMBERING

Most of us call ourselves Christian, yet I get the distinct impression we give little thought to what that means. We take from the Bible what fits our ideology, and leave the rest. The Jewish people fled Egypt, freeing themselves from the corruption of the Pharaoh and his system of scarcity. (Little food, little family time, 18 hour work days, little justice). The Jewish people fled to Sinai, the Promised Land, and received rules to be guided by. (The Ten Commandments). They were to pay homage to God, be good neighbors, and take a little time off from those 18 hour days. It was no longer necessary for you to struggle to feed yourself and your family, God would provide, which didn’t mean you were to sit by and pray for the best, but to give thanks for the bounty that was possible through your hard work, devotion, and commitment to community building. As it happened, Christ entered the picture and challenged the hierarchy of the Jewish leaders, who he believed had strayed away from the promise. Challenging those in power is never a good thing, as we are finding out today. Anyway, Christ emphasized the common good, being a good neighbor, and devotion to God, not man. As Christians, we were moved from a place of bondage, scarcity, submission, and blind obedience, to a place of abundance, hope, freedom, the common good, and the promise of community and neighborhood. All we need to do is remember.

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Amos Lee "A Change Is Gonna Come"

ELECTION PRAYER

YOU CREATOR GOD
              WHO HAS ORDERED US
                    IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES,
                    IN CLANS AND TRIBES,
                    IN STATES AND NATIONS.

YOU CREATOR GOD
              WHO ENACT YOUR GOVERNANCE
                     IN WAYS OVERT AND
                     IN WAYS HIDDEN.
               YOU EXERCISE YOUR WILL FOR
                     PEACE AND FOR JUSTICE AND FOR FREEDOM.

WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR THE PEACEABLE ORDER OF
    OUR NATION AND FOR THE CHANCE OF CHOOSING---
          ALL THE MANIPULATIVE MONEY NOTWITHSTANDING.

WE PRAY NOW FOR NEW GOVERNANCE
    THAT YOUR WILL AND PURPOSE MAY PREVAIL,
    THAT OUR LEADERS MAY HAVE A SENSE
          OF JUSTICE AND GOODNESS,
    THAT WE AS CITIZENS MAY CARE ABOUT THE
          PUBLIC FACE OF YOUR PURPOSE.

WE PRAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS WHO WAS EXECUTED
     BY THE AUTHORITIES.

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

REMEMBERING

Most of us call ourselves Christian, yet I get the distinct impression we give little thought to what that means. We take from the Bible what fits our ideology, and leave the rest. The Jewish people fled Egypt, freeing themselves from the corruption of the Pharaoh and his system of scarcity. (Little food, little family time, 18 hour work days, little justice). The Jewish people fled to Sinai, the Promised Land, and received rules to be guided by. (The Ten Commandments). They were to pay homage to God, be good neighbors, and take a little time off from those 18 hour days. It was no longer necessary for you to struggle to feed yourself and your family, God would provide, which didn’t mean you were to sit by and pray for the best, but to give thanks for the bounty that was possible through your hard work, devotion, and commitment to community building. As it happened, Christ entered the picture and challenged the hierarchy of the Jewish leaders, who he believed had strayed away from the promise. Challenging those in power is never a good thing, as we are finding out today. Anyway, Christ emphasized the common good, being a good neighbor, and devotion to God, not man. As Christians, we were moved from a place of bondage, scarcity, submission, and blind obedience, to a place of abundance, hope, freedom, the common good, and the promise of community and neighborhood. All we need to do is remember.