We are shamed because our leader has no shame. We are disgraced because our emperor has no grace. America seen through the eyes of the world is diminished because George W. Bush would rather spend billions killing people than saving lives. And the paltry aid he's offering is in the form of a LOAN.
Apparently behaving compassionately is "hard work" for George Bush who couldn't be distracted from his vacation to take a leadership role in showing empathy and compassion in a time of catastrophe. His inaction speaks louder than words. He just doesn't care.
He is not a leader. He is a coward and an embarrassment to humanity.
Time Magazine should be ashamed to display his image on the cover of their "Person of Year" issue.
In January Bush will throw an ostentatious celebration of his power, while our soldiers and innocent Iraqis continue to die. The inauguration event will cost more than we're LOANING the victims of the recent tragedy.
Is this the compassion of a born-again Christian?
"You can easily judge the character of a man by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him." -Goethe
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Sensitive Creatures
Christian Barnard, MD, performed the first human heart transplant and before that he tested the procedure on animals. He said this about that experience:
"I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months before I used one as a [heart] donor. When we put him to sleep in his cage in preparation for the operation, he chattered and cried incessantly. We attached no significance to this, but it must have made a great impression on his companion, for when we removed the body to the operating room, the other chimp wept bitterly and was inconsolable for days. The incident made a deep impression on me. I vowed never again to experiment with such sensitive creatures."
"I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months before I used one as a [heart] donor. When we put him to sleep in his cage in preparation for the operation, he chattered and cried incessantly. We attached no significance to this, but it must have made a great impression on his companion, for when we removed the body to the operating room, the other chimp wept bitterly and was inconsolable for days. The incident made a deep impression on me. I vowed never again to experiment with such sensitive creatures."
Why I'm Joining the Green Party
I've been a life-long Democrat, but it's time to call it quits.
Nancy Pelosi, who I once admired, is backing Tim Roemer as chairman of the DNC. Apparantly she believes that the Democrats will be more successful as Republican clones than as progressives. I found the following facts about Roemer on DailyKOS.
Voted YES on banning human cloning, including medical research. (Jul 2001)
Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
Voted YES on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
Voted YES on Constitutional amendment prohibiting Flag Desecration. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
Voted NO on maintaining right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. (Mar 1996)
Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder. (Feb 1995)
Voted NO on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels. (Aug 2001)
Voted NO on banning soft money donations to national political parties. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on allowing suing HMOs, but under federal rules & limited award. (Aug 2001)
Voted NO on Prescription Drug Coverage under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on banning physician-assisted suicide. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on deploying SDI. (Mar 1999)
Member of Democratic Leadership Council. (Nov 2000)
In addition, the Democrats have chosen Harry Reid, a Mormon, as minority leader in the Senate. Reid is also opposed to abortion rights.
The party has left me, so I'm returning the favor.
Nancy Pelosi, who I once admired, is backing Tim Roemer as chairman of the DNC. Apparantly she believes that the Democrats will be more successful as Republican clones than as progressives. I found the following facts about Roemer on DailyKOS.
Voted YES on banning human cloning, including medical research. (Jul 2001)
Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
Voted YES on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
Voted YES on Constitutional amendment prohibiting Flag Desecration. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
Voted NO on maintaining right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. (Mar 1996)
Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder. (Feb 1995)
Voted NO on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels. (Aug 2001)
Voted NO on banning soft money donations to national political parties. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on allowing suing HMOs, but under federal rules & limited award. (Aug 2001)
Voted NO on Prescription Drug Coverage under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on banning physician-assisted suicide. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on deploying SDI. (Mar 1999)
Member of Democratic Leadership Council. (Nov 2000)
In addition, the Democrats have chosen Harry Reid, a Mormon, as minority leader in the Senate. Reid is also opposed to abortion rights.
The party has left me, so I'm returning the favor.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Wally World vs Hightower
Jim Hightower has pointed out that Wal-Mart, which touts itself as a model of "free-market" success, actually has built its market dominance in large part by milking the taxpayers, having squeezed more than a billion dollars in subsidies from state and local governments, giving it a competitive advantage to clobber local businesses (often little mom and pop stores).
Sarah Clark, director of corporate communications at Wal-Mart, resonded by firing off a press release that claimed that Hightower's criticism was "full of inaccuracies." But she didn't dispute the key figure of one billion dollars in taxpayer giveaways to Wal-Mart as inaccurate.
Instead, she said that the company is a generous corporate citizen. "In the past ten years," Ms. Clark says,"Wal-Mart has paid $4 billion in property taxes alone...." But wait—it owed those taxes! This was not a "contribution," but a debt. Other businesses pay property taxes, too, yet they don't get a billion bucks in special subsidies. Then Ms. Clark notes that her company "generated $52 billion in sales taxes." But wait again—that's not Wal-Mart's money. It's money that local consumers paid to finance public services. This money is also the result of sales that the monopolistic giant took from local businesses. Wal-Mart doesn't expand a community's buying power—it just redistributes purchases from other stores to itself.
Ms. Clark claims that "Wal-Mart has remitted $192 million" in wage taxes. Once more, however, this money is not a voluntary contribution from a goodhearted company—it's taken out of the employees' wages, as required by law.
To see how Wal-Mart does indeed milk taxpayers, go to www.goodjobsfirst.org where you can read about the study they undertook:
In this extensively researched study, we show that the giant retailer has received more than $1 billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments across the country. Taxpayers have helped finance not only Wal-Mart stores, but also the company’s huge network of distribution centers, more than 90% of which have gotten subsidies. The report also includes policy proposals, including a prohibition on subsidies to big-box retailers except in distressed areas that are underserved by retail outlets (and in those cases the recipient of the subsidy should be required to pay a living wage.)
Sarah Clark, director of corporate communications at Wal-Mart, resonded by firing off a press release that claimed that Hightower's criticism was "full of inaccuracies." But she didn't dispute the key figure of one billion dollars in taxpayer giveaways to Wal-Mart as inaccurate.
Instead, she said that the company is a generous corporate citizen. "In the past ten years," Ms. Clark says,"Wal-Mart has paid $4 billion in property taxes alone...." But wait—it owed those taxes! This was not a "contribution," but a debt. Other businesses pay property taxes, too, yet they don't get a billion bucks in special subsidies. Then Ms. Clark notes that her company "generated $52 billion in sales taxes." But wait again—that's not Wal-Mart's money. It's money that local consumers paid to finance public services. This money is also the result of sales that the monopolistic giant took from local businesses. Wal-Mart doesn't expand a community's buying power—it just redistributes purchases from other stores to itself.
Ms. Clark claims that "Wal-Mart has remitted $192 million" in wage taxes. Once more, however, this money is not a voluntary contribution from a goodhearted company—it's taken out of the employees' wages, as required by law.
To see how Wal-Mart does indeed milk taxpayers, go to www.goodjobsfirst.org where you can read about the study they undertook:
In this extensively researched study, we show that the giant retailer has received more than $1 billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments across the country. Taxpayers have helped finance not only Wal-Mart stores, but also the company’s huge network of distribution centers, more than 90% of which have gotten subsidies. The report also includes policy proposals, including a prohibition on subsidies to big-box retailers except in distressed areas that are underserved by retail outlets (and in those cases the recipient of the subsidy should be required to pay a living wage.)
The Theft of Democracy
Commentary from Dada:
Aren't the stories about stranded Christmas travelers sad? At first, I was so empathetic. But then came the ugly responses of "inconvenienced" travelers like the woman who was worrying for her health's safety because her bags were lost and she'd packed her prescription drugs in them.
Duh? (Does she also pack her purse in her luggage too?)
More and more horror stories of angry people have since come across the media; of people who felt betrayed by a system that this wasn't supposed to let stuff like this happen to them. Some people were vowing they'd never fly again. For some it'd been a horrific four days caused by foul weather and perhaps fouler union members sabotaging their employer's airline by calling in sick. Four bad days.
But then I got to reflecting on the November election, obviously stolen in states like Florida and Ohio. Perhaps others as well like New Mexico. And I compared that theft to those who felt betrayed by the theft of their Christmas. Four days sleeping in a public air terminal and the public is outraged!
But what of the theft of their nation last month and the effects they'll suffer because of that the next four years?
Obviously, that's not critical. Not yet. Maybe if it gets personal? Like the lady who lost her prescription drugs or the people who had to sleep in public with strangers?
Aren't the stories about stranded Christmas travelers sad? At first, I was so empathetic. But then came the ugly responses of "inconvenienced" travelers like the woman who was worrying for her health's safety because her bags were lost and she'd packed her prescription drugs in them.
Duh? (Does she also pack her purse in her luggage too?)
More and more horror stories of angry people have since come across the media; of people who felt betrayed by a system that this wasn't supposed to let stuff like this happen to them. Some people were vowing they'd never fly again. For some it'd been a horrific four days caused by foul weather and perhaps fouler union members sabotaging their employer's airline by calling in sick. Four bad days.
But then I got to reflecting on the November election, obviously stolen in states like Florida and Ohio. Perhaps others as well like New Mexico. And I compared that theft to those who felt betrayed by the theft of their Christmas. Four days sleeping in a public air terminal and the public is outraged!
But what of the theft of their nation last month and the effects they'll suffer because of that the next four years?
Obviously, that's not critical. Not yet. Maybe if it gets personal? Like the lady who lost her prescription drugs or the people who had to sleep in public with strangers?
How the Election was Stolen: Let me Count the Ways
From the November issue of The Hightower Lowdown (subscription):
John Kerry lost, right? Well, he says he did—he conceded to Bush only hours after the polls closed. But not everyone agrees. Citing a plethora of voting glitches, discrepancies, and "oddities" in states like Ohio and Florida, many democracy activists are not giving up as easily as Kerry did.
Lest you think that these are people who wear tin-foil hats, they are not running around spouting conspiracy theories; they're citing official election results, like the suburban precinct outside Columbus, Ohio, that has 800 voters, but recorded 3,893 for Bush. In a town west of Cleveland, with about 13,000 voters, some 18,000 votes were cast. Also in suburban Cleveland, 29 precincts reported 93,000 more votes than they had voters. In Warren County, outside of Cincinnati, election officials locked down the building where the votes were counted, preventing reporters or other citizens from watching the count. They claim that the FBI and Homeland Security agents had warned them that they were under Code Red terrorist alert. The FBI says it never said that. In Florida, 29 rural counties with huge Democratic majorities reported lopsided victories for Bush. In these counties, optical scanners read paper ballots, then fed the tallies into Windows-based computers that tabulate statewide totals. Vote-fraud watchdog Bev Harris demonstrated on the Tina Brown TV show, before Nov. 2, how easy it is to get inside the software in those computers and change the tallies (go to www.blackbox voting. org)—and several analysts have shown that the percentage of registered Democrats who voted for Bush in those optical-scan counties is mysteriously higher than in comparable counties that used touch-screen machines. (Go to http://www.ustogether org/Florida_Election.htm)
A war is raging among statisticians over the cause and significance of this anomaly, but finding a machine in which the numbers were deliberately altered is going to be tough because the pro- Republican companies that make the software refuse to show it to anyone. Six prominent members of Congress and about a million web blogs have called for a nonpartisan investigation into these and other documentable voting glitches.
Kerry might or might not have been outvoted, but for the public to have faith in our voting system, we need to know!
Let's be blunt: The Republican Party made a determined effort by to keep people who tend to vote Democratic from voting at all. I don't just mean the notorious efforts in Florida by First Brother Jeb Bush to purge the voter rolls of thousands of eligible African Americans, but also tactics employed all across the country.
On election day itself, GOP officials who presided over the election in key states like Ohio simply shorted many Democratic precincts on the number of voting machines made available. The result was that voters faced interminable waits—lines snaked around city blocks, forcing people to stand for seven, nine, or more hours for their turn at the machines. Uncounted thousands of people who have jobs and families to deal with were driven away from the polls by this deliberate logjam.
John Kerry lost, right? Well, he says he did—he conceded to Bush only hours after the polls closed. But not everyone agrees. Citing a plethora of voting glitches, discrepancies, and "oddities" in states like Ohio and Florida, many democracy activists are not giving up as easily as Kerry did.
Lest you think that these are people who wear tin-foil hats, they are not running around spouting conspiracy theories; they're citing official election results, like the suburban precinct outside Columbus, Ohio, that has 800 voters, but recorded 3,893 for Bush. In a town west of Cleveland, with about 13,000 voters, some 18,000 votes were cast. Also in suburban Cleveland, 29 precincts reported 93,000 more votes than they had voters. In Warren County, outside of Cincinnati, election officials locked down the building where the votes were counted, preventing reporters or other citizens from watching the count. They claim that the FBI and Homeland Security agents had warned them that they were under Code Red terrorist alert. The FBI says it never said that. In Florida, 29 rural counties with huge Democratic majorities reported lopsided victories for Bush. In these counties, optical scanners read paper ballots, then fed the tallies into Windows-based computers that tabulate statewide totals. Vote-fraud watchdog Bev Harris demonstrated on the Tina Brown TV show, before Nov. 2, how easy it is to get inside the software in those computers and change the tallies (go to www.blackbox voting. org)—and several analysts have shown that the percentage of registered Democrats who voted for Bush in those optical-scan counties is mysteriously higher than in comparable counties that used touch-screen machines. (Go to http://www.ustogether org/Florida_Election.htm)
A war is raging among statisticians over the cause and significance of this anomaly, but finding a machine in which the numbers were deliberately altered is going to be tough because the pro- Republican companies that make the software refuse to show it to anyone. Six prominent members of Congress and about a million web blogs have called for a nonpartisan investigation into these and other documentable voting glitches.
Kerry might or might not have been outvoted, but for the public to have faith in our voting system, we need to know!
Let's be blunt: The Republican Party made a determined effort by to keep people who tend to vote Democratic from voting at all. I don't just mean the notorious efforts in Florida by First Brother Jeb Bush to purge the voter rolls of thousands of eligible African Americans, but also tactics employed all across the country.
On election day itself, GOP officials who presided over the election in key states like Ohio simply shorted many Democratic precincts on the number of voting machines made available. The result was that voters faced interminable waits—lines snaked around city blocks, forcing people to stand for seven, nine, or more hours for their turn at the machines. Uncounted thousands of people who have jobs and families to deal with were driven away from the polls by this deliberate logjam.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Nobody Ever Wins
Amalia Gonzalez, whose eldest son Victor was killed in Iraq in October, is headed to the Middle East next week to help Iraqi refugees who have suffered just as much as she has, if not more.
She’ll fly to Amman, Jordan, as part of a delegation of mothers whose sons have died in the war and now want to help Iraqis by buying and sending them medical supplies from the country next door.
Hopefully, she said, her mission will send a message to the U.S. government.
"Everybody loses in war," said Gonzalez, 44. "And it’s not just the Americans. I want to show the Iraqi people that all Americans aren’t bad. That we’ve got a heart. That we’re just as much against the war as they are. That nobody ever wins. How could you?"
Gonzalez will meet the rest of the 12-member delegation in New York City on Dec. 26, following a week of heavy fighting in Iraq that’s included the most deadly attack on U.S. soldiers since the war began.
Code Pink, a national women’s peace organization, is organizing the trip. Although the group is helping pay at least a portion of the journey for some of the mothers, Gonzalez was a last-minute addition and paid for the $2,000 trip on her own, said Jodie Evans, co-founder of the group.
Gonzalez, whose 19-year-old son was killed in an ambush on Oct. 13, said she’s doing just what her son would have expected.
"He would have wanted me to help anybody who needs it, whether American or Iraqi. That’s what he was all about: helping the civilians. That’s why he wanted to be a police officer," she said from inside her Pajaro home.
Evans said the delegation, when it lands in Jordan, will spend a few days buying roughly $500,000 in medical supplies, which they will then hand over to doctors who will deliver the medicine to Iraqi refugees in Baghdad.
The money was raised by a campaign that was announced on the Internet, Evans said, adding she hopes the mothers will make future trips to the region as a way of bringing attention to their cause.
Since the U.S.-led attacks on Fallujah in November, thousands of Iraqi citizens have been left homeless and don’t have adequate supplies, Evans said.
"We’re not a humanitarian organization," she said. "But we couldn’t sit by and let thousands of these people go without food, water, shelter or supplies."
Gonzalez, who is still getting letters of condolences from people she’s never met, said, "If this is the closest I can get to where my son was killed, then so be it. I’m going to be there, and I’m going to be helping out. I’d go to Baghdad if I could, but I can’t."
Article by Tom Ragan of the Santa Cruz Sentinel Newspaper
You can easily judge the character of a man by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him. -Goethe
She’ll fly to Amman, Jordan, as part of a delegation of mothers whose sons have died in the war and now want to help Iraqis by buying and sending them medical supplies from the country next door.
Hopefully, she said, her mission will send a message to the U.S. government.
"Everybody loses in war," said Gonzalez, 44. "And it’s not just the Americans. I want to show the Iraqi people that all Americans aren’t bad. That we’ve got a heart. That we’re just as much against the war as they are. That nobody ever wins. How could you?"
Gonzalez will meet the rest of the 12-member delegation in New York City on Dec. 26, following a week of heavy fighting in Iraq that’s included the most deadly attack on U.S. soldiers since the war began.
Code Pink, a national women’s peace organization, is organizing the trip. Although the group is helping pay at least a portion of the journey for some of the mothers, Gonzalez was a last-minute addition and paid for the $2,000 trip on her own, said Jodie Evans, co-founder of the group.
Gonzalez, whose 19-year-old son was killed in an ambush on Oct. 13, said she’s doing just what her son would have expected.
"He would have wanted me to help anybody who needs it, whether American or Iraqi. That’s what he was all about: helping the civilians. That’s why he wanted to be a police officer," she said from inside her Pajaro home.
Evans said the delegation, when it lands in Jordan, will spend a few days buying roughly $500,000 in medical supplies, which they will then hand over to doctors who will deliver the medicine to Iraqi refugees in Baghdad.
The money was raised by a campaign that was announced on the Internet, Evans said, adding she hopes the mothers will make future trips to the region as a way of bringing attention to their cause.
Since the U.S.-led attacks on Fallujah in November, thousands of Iraqi citizens have been left homeless and don’t have adequate supplies, Evans said.
"We’re not a humanitarian organization," she said. "But we couldn’t sit by and let thousands of these people go without food, water, shelter or supplies."
Gonzalez, who is still getting letters of condolences from people she’s never met, said, "If this is the closest I can get to where my son was killed, then so be it. I’m going to be there, and I’m going to be helping out. I’d go to Baghdad if I could, but I can’t."
Article by Tom Ragan of the Santa Cruz Sentinel Newspaper
You can easily judge the character of a man by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him. -Goethe
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Healthcare in America
I loved Bush's explanation of healthcare costs using the example of a single mother who cut her $900++/mo. health premiums by getting a high deductible (ahm, catastrophic loss) health policy which cut her premium to $300 plus/mo. along with an HSA she contributes $250 or so per month. So, she's cut her health care costs by 40% percent and (so long as she or one of her kids doesn't get too sick) is now living the vida loca.
Our monthly premium (via retirement plan) dropped about $100/mo. in Sept. That's a savings of a little over $1200/yr., so long as we don't get sick because they raised our deductible from $3200 ($1600 ea.) to $8000 ($4000 ea.). So, we too are now enjoying the vida loca! I just love compassionate conservatism. Thank goodness I'm not much good in math. - from Bob via email
Our monthly premium (via retirement plan) dropped about $100/mo. in Sept. That's a savings of a little over $1200/yr., so long as we don't get sick because they raised our deductible from $3200 ($1600 ea.) to $8000 ($4000 ea.). So, we too are now enjoying the vida loca! I just love compassionate conservatism. Thank goodness I'm not much good in math. - from Bob via email
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Why Democrats Predominate on Campus
Jonathan Chait wrote about two recent studies that show that Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans on college campuses. He points out that wingnuts say this proves that academia is a bastion of liberal bias, but he wonders why the fact that the nation's best-educated people overwhelmingly reject the GOP is "seen as an indictment of academia, rather than as an indictment of the Republican party."
It's not as if this bias only holds among Marxist sociologists: The democratic tendency is just as marked in the hard sciences. Are we really to believe that this is the result of an ideological conspiracy that "physics departments everywhere suppress conservative quantum theorists?"
Of course not. The truth is that, Republicans don't want to be professors. "To go into academia, you have to believe that the life of the mind is more important than making a Wall Street salary."
You also have to believe that thinking, reason, and science have merit. In recent years, the GOP has deliberately "cultivated anti-intellectualism" scorning experts in every field, from global warming to stem cell research. Even on such matters as the war in Iraq and the federal deficit, Bush follows his gut and ignores the advice of the experts. Academics -- who are trained to think through complexities, not brush them aside -- are rightly appalled by this. Their bias isn't against Republicans. It's against people who embrace their ignorance and call it a philosophy.
Bush's gut will be working to reform (coughcoughdestroycough) social security. He certainly won't be using his intellect which is in a larger deficit than the national debt. If unchecked by spinless Democrats, I feel certain that our economy and the social security system are doomed to a fate similar to that experienced by our soldiers in Iraq. Apparently Bush's gut isn't smart enough to learn from its mistakes and his brain (Karl Rove) only runs political campaigns.
It's not as if this bias only holds among Marxist sociologists: The democratic tendency is just as marked in the hard sciences. Are we really to believe that this is the result of an ideological conspiracy that "physics departments everywhere suppress conservative quantum theorists?"
Of course not. The truth is that, Republicans don't want to be professors. "To go into academia, you have to believe that the life of the mind is more important than making a Wall Street salary."
You also have to believe that thinking, reason, and science have merit. In recent years, the GOP has deliberately "cultivated anti-intellectualism" scorning experts in every field, from global warming to stem cell research. Even on such matters as the war in Iraq and the federal deficit, Bush follows his gut and ignores the advice of the experts. Academics -- who are trained to think through complexities, not brush them aside -- are rightly appalled by this. Their bias isn't against Republicans. It's against people who embrace their ignorance and call it a philosophy.
Bush's gut will be working to reform (coughcoughdestroycough) social security. He certainly won't be using his intellect which is in a larger deficit than the national debt. If unchecked by spinless Democrats, I feel certain that our economy and the social security system are doomed to a fate similar to that experienced by our soldiers in Iraq. Apparently Bush's gut isn't smart enough to learn from its mistakes and his brain (Karl Rove) only runs political campaigns.
Who is Santa Claus?
I was surprised to discover that he originated in the Middle East. The original Santa Claus was St. Nicholas, an early Christian bishop who was born in 270, in what is now Turkey. His parents died when he was young, leaving him a fortune. After he became bishop of Myra, he gave away his riches, freely but anonymously. In perhaps his best-known act of kindness, he secretly tossed bags of gold through a poor family’s window, to provide dowries so the household’s three daughters could find husbands instead of being sold into slavery. At least one of the bags landed in a stocking hung up to dry by the fireplace, which is why children still hang up stockings on Christmas Eve to be filled with gifts.
Despite his efforts at anonymity, Nicholas soon became famous for his kindness and generosity—especially toward the young. When he died, on Dec. 6, 343, he was declared a saint by popular demand. Early admirers, mainly children, celebrated the anniversary of his passing by leaving out gifts for his white horse before they went to bed on Dec. 5. When they woke up, they were rewarded with sweets that the kindly saint had left behind.
Sailors carried stories about St. Nicholas over the Mediterranean Sea to distant lands. In 1087, an expedition set out from Italy to find the saint’s bones and bring them back to be enshrined in a church in a town called Bari, where they rest to this day. Two centuries later, crusaders on their way back from the Holy Land visited Bari. They returned to homes all over Europe telling tales of the life and miracles of St. Nicholas.
Initially, Nicholas had nothing to do with Christmas. For centuries, his life was celebrated on Dec. 6, the anniversary of his death and his official Roman Catholic feast day. But after the Reformation, the Protestants said that Christmas celebrations, which included pagan traditions of exchanging gifts and raucous merrymaking, exhibited “an extraeme forgetfulnesse of Christ, giving liberty to carnall and sensual delights.” The English Parliament banned Christmas observances in 1644, and the Puritans in Massachusetts did the same. Christmas devotees kept the holiday alive by celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas instead, and over time, the two celebrations merged.
St. Nick became Santa in America. Early Dutch settlers of New York called him Sint Herr Nikolaas, later shortened to Sinterklaas. The name morphed into Santa Claus over the 17th and 18th centuries. He was often depicted as a gaunt old-timer, like the English Father Christmas, who is believed to have been modeled after a pagan spirit who wore holly sprigs in his white hair. The American Santa wore traditional bishop’s garb—a pointed hat, or miter, and a staff hooked at the top like a shepherd’s crook (hence the shape of the peppermint candy canes that we have at Christmas).
After the Puritans tried to do away with St. Nick he made a come back in the early 19th century. A small number of influential New Yorkers declared Nicholas the patron saint of their city. In 1809, Washington Irving wrote a history of New York in which he introduced “Sinter Klaas” to America as a kindly saint who arrived at people’s homes on horseback on the eve of his feast day.
The image of St. Nick as “a jolly old elf” towed around by flying reindeer really began taking shape in 1822, with the poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas”—also known by its opening line, “’Twas the night before Christmas.” It was written by Clement Moore (a biblical studies professor) for his children. Forty years later, political cartoonist Thomas Nast refined Santa’s image with a series of drawings in Harper’s Weekly. Nast’s Santa dropped the bishop’s garb, and wore instead a brown coat trimmed with white fur. He also got a new address: Nast depicted St. Nick sitting on a box marked “Christmas box 1882, St. Nicholas, North Pole.”
Kriss Kringle is another foreign Christmas character whose name was adjusted by Americans. German immigrants taught their children that it wasn’t St. Nicholas who brought them gifts, but the Christ child, or Christkindl. The child was often accompanied by an elfin helper, known in some places as Pelznickel, or “Nicholas with fur.” Adults in the German communities of Pennsylvania, where the tradition was strong, dressed up as Pelznickel by donning furry disguises and false beards. This memorable character visited before bedtime, whereas Christkindl only arrived to leave gifts while the children were sleeping. Since the recipients never saw their real benefactor, Kriss Kringle (as the name came to be pronounced) became confused with his whiskery assistant—and eventually with the gift-bearing Santa Claus.
More here.
Despite his efforts at anonymity, Nicholas soon became famous for his kindness and generosity—especially toward the young. When he died, on Dec. 6, 343, he was declared a saint by popular demand. Early admirers, mainly children, celebrated the anniversary of his passing by leaving out gifts for his white horse before they went to bed on Dec. 5. When they woke up, they were rewarded with sweets that the kindly saint had left behind.
Sailors carried stories about St. Nicholas over the Mediterranean Sea to distant lands. In 1087, an expedition set out from Italy to find the saint’s bones and bring them back to be enshrined in a church in a town called Bari, where they rest to this day. Two centuries later, crusaders on their way back from the Holy Land visited Bari. They returned to homes all over Europe telling tales of the life and miracles of St. Nicholas.
Initially, Nicholas had nothing to do with Christmas. For centuries, his life was celebrated on Dec. 6, the anniversary of his death and his official Roman Catholic feast day. But after the Reformation, the Protestants said that Christmas celebrations, which included pagan traditions of exchanging gifts and raucous merrymaking, exhibited “an extraeme forgetfulnesse of Christ, giving liberty to carnall and sensual delights.” The English Parliament banned Christmas observances in 1644, and the Puritans in Massachusetts did the same. Christmas devotees kept the holiday alive by celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas instead, and over time, the two celebrations merged.
St. Nick became Santa in America. Early Dutch settlers of New York called him Sint Herr Nikolaas, later shortened to Sinterklaas. The name morphed into Santa Claus over the 17th and 18th centuries. He was often depicted as a gaunt old-timer, like the English Father Christmas, who is believed to have been modeled after a pagan spirit who wore holly sprigs in his white hair. The American Santa wore traditional bishop’s garb—a pointed hat, or miter, and a staff hooked at the top like a shepherd’s crook (hence the shape of the peppermint candy canes that we have at Christmas).
After the Puritans tried to do away with St. Nick he made a come back in the early 19th century. A small number of influential New Yorkers declared Nicholas the patron saint of their city. In 1809, Washington Irving wrote a history of New York in which he introduced “Sinter Klaas” to America as a kindly saint who arrived at people’s homes on horseback on the eve of his feast day.
The image of St. Nick as “a jolly old elf” towed around by flying reindeer really began taking shape in 1822, with the poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas”—also known by its opening line, “’Twas the night before Christmas.” It was written by Clement Moore (a biblical studies professor) for his children. Forty years later, political cartoonist Thomas Nast refined Santa’s image with a series of drawings in Harper’s Weekly. Nast’s Santa dropped the bishop’s garb, and wore instead a brown coat trimmed with white fur. He also got a new address: Nast depicted St. Nick sitting on a box marked “Christmas box 1882, St. Nicholas, North Pole.”
Kriss Kringle is another foreign Christmas character whose name was adjusted by Americans. German immigrants taught their children that it wasn’t St. Nicholas who brought them gifts, but the Christ child, or Christkindl. The child was often accompanied by an elfin helper, known in some places as Pelznickel, or “Nicholas with fur.” Adults in the German communities of Pennsylvania, where the tradition was strong, dressed up as Pelznickel by donning furry disguises and false beards. This memorable character visited before bedtime, whereas Christkindl only arrived to leave gifts while the children were sleeping. Since the recipients never saw their real benefactor, Kriss Kringle (as the name came to be pronounced) became confused with his whiskery assistant—and eventually with the gift-bearing Santa Claus.
More here.
It's Just Sad
"It's always sad when we lose a loss of life," George W. Bush, Chimp-in-Chief. Sad for us that our president can't string together enough words to make a coherent sentence.
Cannabis Medicine Approved
Canada plans to approve a cannabis drug developed in the U.K. Canada and the U.K. are part of the civilized world, of course. We can be sure that Chimpy and his minions will continue to try to keep cannabis from Americans who need it. The compassion in conservativism in not evident here.
My sister who has MS will continue to be an outlaw because she uses an illegal medicine, even though her doctor recommended it.
CNN has the rest of the story:
British biotech firm GW Pharmaceuticals' cannabis-based medicine has been tipped for approval for the first time, with Canadian regulators giving the go-ahead for its multiple sclerosis drug....
The medicine, administered by means of a spray into the mouth, will be exclusively marketed in Canada by Germany's Bayer, the firm said.
GW grows thousands of marijuana plants at a secret location in the English countryside, having been granted a dispensation by the government to use the plant for medical research."
My sister who has MS will continue to be an outlaw because she uses an illegal medicine, even though her doctor recommended it.
CNN has the rest of the story:
British biotech firm GW Pharmaceuticals' cannabis-based medicine has been tipped for approval for the first time, with Canadian regulators giving the go-ahead for its multiple sclerosis drug....
The medicine, administered by means of a spray into the mouth, will be exclusively marketed in Canada by Germany's Bayer, the firm said.
GW grows thousands of marijuana plants at a secret location in the English countryside, having been granted a dispensation by the government to use the plant for medical research."
Friday, December 17, 2004
Snooty Rich People
You are probably aware that two red-tail hawks, Pale Male and Lola were evicted from their nest on a swanky Upper East Side building near Central Park in New York City. The husband of Paula Zahn of CNN was offended because the hawks dropped litter onto the doorstep of the building below. The solution was to remove the birds' the nest and the metal spikes that held it up.
Pale Male has been circling the building since, trying to rebuild his nest but without the metal spikes the straw slides off.
Here's an idea, if Paula Zahn and hubby don't like hawks, why don't THEY move away?
Pale Male has been circling the building since, trying to rebuild his nest but without the metal spikes the straw slides off.
Here's an idea, if Paula Zahn and hubby don't like hawks, why don't THEY move away?
Civilized Canada
Our neighbors to the north are on the verge of legalizing marriages between gay people. I can see Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and their ilk, wearing holes in the knees of their pants beseeching God to smite Canada to show disapproval, but when was the last time Canada was smitten?
Candi sent me an excellent article about Canada titled Canada Goes To Hell Legal pot? Legal gay marriage? Universal health care? What's next, free porn and candy?by Mark Morford. Excerpts below but go read the whole article.
Canada's high court just ruled that the government can, if it so desires, redefine marriage to include gay couples, which it has declared it will do almost immediately, thus solidifying Canada's place as the chilly yet mellow and gay friendly and hockey-riffic epicenter of all known hell.
It's true. It's rather amazing. Gay marriage will be completely legal in Canada very soon. It's been oddly ignored in much of the U.S. media and hasn't really been much discussed among those in the terrified red states except when, deep in the night, from their respective lumpy twin beds, they whisper to each other across the room as they pop their Ambien and stroke their portfolios and curse their very genitals: oh my God what's wrong with those freakin' Canadians?
....I knew we should've been paying more attention to that border! Didn't I say so, honey? Didn't I say we should keep an eye on those northern weirdos after they dissed the Iraq war and legalized medical pot and sort of went about their happy and calm Canadian business whilst we here in panicky red-blooded America chewed our own karmic legs off in a paranoid and jingoistic rage? Hippies and perverts, I said! Save a few bombs for Ontario, George, I say!
....It's getting more confusing by the minute, isn't it? I mean, Canada now has legal medical pot and legal gay marriage and universal health care and no known terrorist enemies and a relatively successful multiparty political system. They also have, according to U.N.'s Human Development Index, one of the highest qualities of life in the world. All coupled with a dramatically reduced rate of gun violence and far better gun-control legislation than the U.S., despite having the exact same per capita rate of gun ownership and gun-sport enthusiasm.
....After all, unlike the U.S., Canada backed the Kyoto Treaty (along with 165 other heathen nations). They also spend more per capita on education and less on health-care overhead than the U.S. They have a $10 billion federal surplus, a new record. They are not, as of yet, abusing the hell out of their vast natural resources (freshwater, huge forests, oil and natural gas, mineral deposits, etc.) and embarrassing themselves on a global scale every single day and making a mockery of their constitution or their citizens' civil liberties. What the hell is wrong with them?
....We hate gays and love guns and think pot is evil but hand out Prozac and Zoloft like Chiclets. Meanwhile (as "Bowling for Columbine" so beautifully illuminated), Canadians leave their doors unlocked and don't feature violence and death on every newscast and still value community and diversity and discussion over solipsism and protectionism and a general hatred of foreigners and the French. See? We rule! Oh wait.
Doesn't this just make you burst with pride to be a red-blooded American?
Candi sent me an excellent article about Canada titled Canada Goes To Hell Legal pot? Legal gay marriage? Universal health care? What's next, free porn and candy?by Mark Morford. Excerpts below but go read the whole article.
Canada's high court just ruled that the government can, if it so desires, redefine marriage to include gay couples, which it has declared it will do almost immediately, thus solidifying Canada's place as the chilly yet mellow and gay friendly and hockey-riffic epicenter of all known hell.
It's true. It's rather amazing. Gay marriage will be completely legal in Canada very soon. It's been oddly ignored in much of the U.S. media and hasn't really been much discussed among those in the terrified red states except when, deep in the night, from their respective lumpy twin beds, they whisper to each other across the room as they pop their Ambien and stroke their portfolios and curse their very genitals: oh my God what's wrong with those freakin' Canadians?
....I knew we should've been paying more attention to that border! Didn't I say so, honey? Didn't I say we should keep an eye on those northern weirdos after they dissed the Iraq war and legalized medical pot and sort of went about their happy and calm Canadian business whilst we here in panicky red-blooded America chewed our own karmic legs off in a paranoid and jingoistic rage? Hippies and perverts, I said! Save a few bombs for Ontario, George, I say!
....It's getting more confusing by the minute, isn't it? I mean, Canada now has legal medical pot and legal gay marriage and universal health care and no known terrorist enemies and a relatively successful multiparty political system. They also have, according to U.N.'s Human Development Index, one of the highest qualities of life in the world. All coupled with a dramatically reduced rate of gun violence and far better gun-control legislation than the U.S., despite having the exact same per capita rate of gun ownership and gun-sport enthusiasm.
....After all, unlike the U.S., Canada backed the Kyoto Treaty (along with 165 other heathen nations). They also spend more per capita on education and less on health-care overhead than the U.S. They have a $10 billion federal surplus, a new record. They are not, as of yet, abusing the hell out of their vast natural resources (freshwater, huge forests, oil and natural gas, mineral deposits, etc.) and embarrassing themselves on a global scale every single day and making a mockery of their constitution or their citizens' civil liberties. What the hell is wrong with them?
....We hate gays and love guns and think pot is evil but hand out Prozac and Zoloft like Chiclets. Meanwhile (as "Bowling for Columbine" so beautifully illuminated), Canadians leave their doors unlocked and don't feature violence and death on every newscast and still value community and diversity and discussion over solipsism and protectionism and a general hatred of foreigners and the French. See? We rule! Oh wait.
Doesn't this just make you burst with pride to be a red-blooded American?
Buggering Bulgarian Pig
An irate Bulgarian farmer is demanding compensation from a dealer who sold him a gay breeding pig. Galen Dobrev says the 220 pound boar's preferences were clear the moment he got him home. 'All he was interested in was other male pigs.'"
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
T-Rex Joins the Fish Wars
Ring of Fire's newest car emblem, T-Rex eating a Christian fish (Ichthus) has arrived to assist the Darwin fish in proving that Bible literalists don't have a leg to stand on in the fish wars. Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs lived more than 65 million years ago and existing fossils provide the proof. Bible literalists and creationists believe that the Earth is merely thousands of years old. The joke's on them. "
Monday, December 13, 2004
Evolution News
A new series on the Science Channel highlights the most important scientific breakthroughs in history. The debut episode chose 10 milestones related to evolution, including the identification of the first dinosaur fossils, the early 19th century; the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, in 1858; and the 2002 discovery of the oldest hominid fossil yet found. More here about this interesting series.
They failed to note the emergence of Ring of Fire's Darwin fish and its spawn in the 1990s.
A new study suggests that the human body evolved to run long distances, and this ability helped us survive and thrive. Around 2 million years ago, early species of the Homo genus developed long, slender legs for greater strides, along with shorter arms, a narrow pelvis, and strong buttocks. Our ancestors also developed a ligament at the base of the skull, to hold the head steady while running, and springy tendons, including the Achilles, that aren't needed for walking, but store and release energy during running. These features allowed humans to run long distances, helping them hunt and scavenge for food over vast areas, researchers from Harvard University and the University reported in Nature.
Apparently evolution passed over Preznit Chimpy who falls off his bicycle, falls off a Segway Scooter, falls off the wagon, and faints when attacked by a pretzel (coughalcoholiccoughcough)
They failed to note the emergence of Ring of Fire's Darwin fish and its spawn in the 1990s.
A new study suggests that the human body evolved to run long distances, and this ability helped us survive and thrive. Around 2 million years ago, early species of the Homo genus developed long, slender legs for greater strides, along with shorter arms, a narrow pelvis, and strong buttocks. Our ancestors also developed a ligament at the base of the skull, to hold the head steady while running, and springy tendons, including the Achilles, that aren't needed for walking, but store and release energy during running. These features allowed humans to run long distances, helping them hunt and scavenge for food over vast areas, researchers from Harvard University and the University reported in Nature.
Apparently evolution passed over Preznit Chimpy who falls off his bicycle, falls off a Segway Scooter, falls off the wagon, and faints when attacked by a pretzel (coughalcoholiccoughcough)
Pretzels for the Prez
Chimpy will be inaugurated in January and I'm sure you'll all want to send him a gift with a message, so let's make it a good one. Click here and send him a bag of pretzels.
Let's also send a message to his biggest contributors by boycotting Walmart and Dell Computers. Buy blue.
Walmart's support of the Chimpy presnitcy, is only one reason to boycott their stores and web site. Other reasons are:
They don't pay their employees a decent wage.
Most of their workers don't have health care.
Many of their goods are from China and so few are made in the US.
Women and minorities don't get promotions.
They wreck small towns and small businesses.
They have entire divisions of their legal department dedicated to keeping unions out of their stores.
They decided to shut down butcher shops in a group of stores and truck in pre-packaged meat from a couple of states away, because the butchers in those stores unionized.
They are excessively moralist and have banned books like Jon Stewart's America.
P.S. In case you didn't know, Sam's Club is owned by Walmart.
Costco, on the other hand, is a big-box store that contributes to Democrats and they treat their employees well. Let's reward good behavior and punish bad.
Let's also send a message to his biggest contributors by boycotting Walmart and Dell Computers. Buy blue.
Walmart's support of the Chimpy presnitcy, is only one reason to boycott their stores and web site. Other reasons are:
They don't pay their employees a decent wage.
Most of their workers don't have health care.
Many of their goods are from China and so few are made in the US.
Women and minorities don't get promotions.
They wreck small towns and small businesses.
They have entire divisions of their legal department dedicated to keeping unions out of their stores.
They decided to shut down butcher shops in a group of stores and truck in pre-packaged meat from a couple of states away, because the butchers in those stores unionized.
They are excessively moralist and have banned books like Jon Stewart's America.
P.S. In case you didn't know, Sam's Club is owned by Walmart.
Costco, on the other hand, is a big-box store that contributes to Democrats and they treat their employees well. Let's reward good behavior and punish bad.
Feelin' Feline
Cat worship began in Egypt, where they first domesticated cats. Plutarch said the cat was carved on Isis' holy sistrum and represented the moon. Cats were so sacred in Egypt that the penalty for killing one was death. Diodorus, a first-century Greek historian, tells of a Roman who killed a cat in Egypt and was killed by an enraged mob.
Bast was the benevolent aspect of Hathor, the Lioness. Her dark side was Hathor as the leonine Sphinx, Sekhmet.
Medieval Christians associated cats with witchcraft (Wicca) and sometimes tortured cats along with accused witches. At certain festivals, such as Midsummer, Easter, and Shrove Tuesday, it was customary to burn cats in wicker cages.
During this period, literally hundreds of thousands of cats were tortured, hung, burned at the stake, roasted alive, or killed outright on sight. So great was this persecution that the population of European cats dwindled to less than ten per cent of its pre- inquisitional number, in spite of the cats doing all they could to make more cats (something cats are very good at).
There are still many who don't respect cats, such as serial killers and Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, who posed as an animal lover, obtained homeless kitties from a shelter and then cut them up:
Mr. Frist is talking about his experiments at Harvard Medical School, and how he'd run out of available lab animals at the Harvard lab and, racing to complete his thesis, he went around to animal shelters, adopted cats, took them home and then cut them up in a lab.
He seemed to enjoy dissecting animals as described in his own words:
"It can even be beautiful and thrilling work, as I discovered that day in the lab when I first saw the wonderful workings of a dog's heart .... I spent days and nights on end in the lab, taking the hearts out of cats, dissecting each heart, suspending a strip of tiny muscle that attaches the mitral valve to the inner wall of the cat heart and recording the effects of various medicines I added to the bath surrounding the muscle."
He seemed to become addicted to the thrill of experimenting on these helpless animals:
"I lost my supply of cats. I only had six weeks to complete my project before I resumed my clinical rotations. Desperate, obsessed with my work, I visited the various animal shelters in the Boston suburbs, collecting cats .... "
Recent studies have shown that many serial killers and other psychopaths showed their first signs of derangement by killing pets and small animals.
The karma of those medieval (midi-evil) Christians arrived in the form of the Black Plaque arriving in infected fleas on rats - rats that could have been contained by predatory cats. I wonder what Bill Frist's karma has in store for him?
Bast was the benevolent aspect of Hathor, the Lioness. Her dark side was Hathor as the leonine Sphinx, Sekhmet.
Medieval Christians associated cats with witchcraft (Wicca) and sometimes tortured cats along with accused witches. At certain festivals, such as Midsummer, Easter, and Shrove Tuesday, it was customary to burn cats in wicker cages.
During this period, literally hundreds of thousands of cats were tortured, hung, burned at the stake, roasted alive, or killed outright on sight. So great was this persecution that the population of European cats dwindled to less than ten per cent of its pre- inquisitional number, in spite of the cats doing all they could to make more cats (something cats are very good at).
There are still many who don't respect cats, such as serial killers and Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, who posed as an animal lover, obtained homeless kitties from a shelter and then cut them up:
Mr. Frist is talking about his experiments at Harvard Medical School, and how he'd run out of available lab animals at the Harvard lab and, racing to complete his thesis, he went around to animal shelters, adopted cats, took them home and then cut them up in a lab.
He seemed to enjoy dissecting animals as described in his own words:
"It can even be beautiful and thrilling work, as I discovered that day in the lab when I first saw the wonderful workings of a dog's heart .... I spent days and nights on end in the lab, taking the hearts out of cats, dissecting each heart, suspending a strip of tiny muscle that attaches the mitral valve to the inner wall of the cat heart and recording the effects of various medicines I added to the bath surrounding the muscle."
He seemed to become addicted to the thrill of experimenting on these helpless animals:
"I lost my supply of cats. I only had six weeks to complete my project before I resumed my clinical rotations. Desperate, obsessed with my work, I visited the various animal shelters in the Boston suburbs, collecting cats .... "
Recent studies have shown that many serial killers and other psychopaths showed their first signs of derangement by killing pets and small animals.
The karma of those medieval (midi-evil) Christians arrived in the form of the Black Plaque arriving in infected fleas on rats - rats that could have been contained by predatory cats. I wonder what Bill Frist's karma has in store for him?
Friday, December 10, 2004
Evolution News
A new series on the Science Channel highlights the most important scientific breakthroughs in history. The debut episode chose 10 milestones related to evolution, including the identification of the first dinosaur fossils, the early 19th century; the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, in 1858; and the 2002 discovery of the oldest hominid fossil yet found. More here about this interesting series.
They failed to note the emergence of Ring of Fire's Darwin fish and its spawn in the 1990s.
A new study suggests that the human body evolved to run long distances, and this ability helped us survive and thrive. Around 2 million years ago, early species of the Homo genus developed long, slender legs for greater strides, along with shorter arms, a narrow pelvis, and strong buttocks. Our ancestors also developed a ligament at the base of the skull, to hold the head steady while running, and springy tendons, including the Achilles, that aren't needed for walking, but store and release energy during running. These features allowed humans to run long distances, helping them hunt and scavenge for food over vast areas, researchers from Harvard University and the University reported in Nature.
Apparently evolution passed over Preznit Chimpy who falls off his bicycle, falls off a Segway Scooter, falls off the wagon, and faints when attacked by a pretzel (coughalcoholiccoughcough)
They failed to note the emergence of Ring of Fire's Darwin fish and its spawn in the 1990s.
A new study suggests that the human body evolved to run long distances, and this ability helped us survive and thrive. Around 2 million years ago, early species of the Homo genus developed long, slender legs for greater strides, along with shorter arms, a narrow pelvis, and strong buttocks. Our ancestors also developed a ligament at the base of the skull, to hold the head steady while running, and springy tendons, including the Achilles, that aren't needed for walking, but store and release energy during running. These features allowed humans to run long distances, helping them hunt and scavenge for food over vast areas, researchers from Harvard University and the University reported in Nature.
Apparently evolution passed over Preznit Chimpy who falls off his bicycle, falls off a Segway Scooter, falls off the wagon, and faints when attacked by a pretzel (coughalcoholiccoughcough)
Saturday, December 04, 2004
The Rude Pundit
The Rude Pundit: "Let's be clear here: 'Christ' is shorthand for the fucked-up, backward ass, violent, hate-filled beliefs of Christian fundamentalism. It is not the Biblical 'Christ' and his words of, you know, love, peace, and fellowship. The Biblical Christ never says, 'Thou shalt exhort thine enemies to 'Bring it on.'' The Rude Pundit has said before that the Christ in the Bible is a liberal who invites us all to party on in a socialist heaven. That is a dude the Rude Pundit would like to break bread and fish with while suckin' down wine-from-water. That, however, is not the Christ who has been shoved in our faces by the evangelical right. They want Rambo Jesus, kickin' ass, a warring motherfucker who shows fags and secularists they better love the Lord or they're gettin' drop kicked into the fiery bowels of hell. Or voted out of office."
Something Fishy
"Have you noticed the silly archaic phrases, Bible-literalists like to use? They refer to Jesus as a Lord, language modeled after a monarchy not a democracy. This language reflects the thinking at the time the Bible was written and, again, when it was translated. This might explain the fundies' desire to interfere with our modern human and civil rights - they're stuck in the ancient past and are having difficulty adjusting to a modern reality.
Today we received an email from a detractor who was attempting to insult Ring of Fire's Darwin fish by claiming that adding feet to the icthus, transformed it into a serpent. While the term 'serpent' is less than archaic, it isn't a word used much except by fundies. In essence a serpent is a snake and I haven't seen any snakes with feet - but then I'm not a faith-based person. I don't hallucinate or talk to invisible persons on a daily basis.
Our detractor seems to believe that the icthus originated as a 'Christian symbol representing the faith of fisherman' and apparently is unaware that the icthus symbol, like many Christian ideas, originated in Paganism.
In Pagan times, this glyph was associated with the Goddess Venus, and represented female genitalia. How it came to be associated with Christianity isn't entirely clear, but early depictions of Christ depict him as an infant within the vesica (usually called a mandorla, meaning 'almond shaped.'), which represented the womb of Mary. As such, it is also a doorway or portal between worlds, and symbolizes the intersection between the heaven and the material plane. The shape of arches in gothic architecture is based on this shape. - About.com
The fish symbol has been used for millennia worldwide as a religious symbol associated with the Pagan Great Mother Goddess. It is the outline of her vulva. The fish symbol was often drawn by overlapping two very thin crescent moons. One represented the crescent shortly before the new moon; the other shortly after, when the moon is just visible. The Moon is the heavenly body that has long been associated with the Goddess, just as the sun is a symbol of the God.
The symbol itself, the eating of fish on Friday and the association of the symbol with deity were all taken over by the early Church from Pagan sources. Only the sexual component was deleted. - Religious Tolerance.com
The patriarchal church was determined to control women and sexuality and it certainly wasn't comfortable with sensuality and it certianly isn't difficult to find gender discrimination in the Bible.
The fish, as a pair of fishes, is part of the Chaldean (Babylonian) zodiac, as one of the signs of astral worship with the Sun at the center of the zodiac. It therefore formed part of, and was a sign of Sun-worship.
The son of the Syrian goddess Atargatis was known as Ichthus... Another Fish-deity was the Babylonian Ea, who became known amongst the Greeks as Oannes, similar to the Fish-deity of the Philistines, Dagon, half man and half fish.
The Fish is also associated with the sun...the god of the sun...as a fish," also being an Egyptian phallic emblem, as well as a sign of fecundity, or the female generative organ, or of female goddesses. - The Words of Eternal Life
Today we received an email from a detractor who was attempting to insult Ring of Fire's Darwin fish by claiming that adding feet to the icthus, transformed it into a serpent. While the term 'serpent' is less than archaic, it isn't a word used much except by fundies. In essence a serpent is a snake and I haven't seen any snakes with feet - but then I'm not a faith-based person. I don't hallucinate or talk to invisible persons on a daily basis.
Our detractor seems to believe that the icthus originated as a 'Christian symbol representing the faith of fisherman' and apparently is unaware that the icthus symbol, like many Christian ideas, originated in Paganism.
In Pagan times, this glyph was associated with the Goddess Venus, and represented female genitalia. How it came to be associated with Christianity isn't entirely clear, but early depictions of Christ depict him as an infant within the vesica (usually called a mandorla, meaning 'almond shaped.'), which represented the womb of Mary. As such, it is also a doorway or portal between worlds, and symbolizes the intersection between the heaven and the material plane. The shape of arches in gothic architecture is based on this shape. - About.com
The fish symbol has been used for millennia worldwide as a religious symbol associated with the Pagan Great Mother Goddess. It is the outline of her vulva. The fish symbol was often drawn by overlapping two very thin crescent moons. One represented the crescent shortly before the new moon; the other shortly after, when the moon is just visible. The Moon is the heavenly body that has long been associated with the Goddess, just as the sun is a symbol of the God.
The symbol itself, the eating of fish on Friday and the association of the symbol with deity were all taken over by the early Church from Pagan sources. Only the sexual component was deleted. - Religious Tolerance.com
The patriarchal church was determined to control women and sexuality and it certainly wasn't comfortable with sensuality and it certianly isn't difficult to find gender discrimination in the Bible.
The fish, as a pair of fishes, is part of the Chaldean (Babylonian) zodiac, as one of the signs of astral worship with the Sun at the center of the zodiac. It therefore formed part of, and was a sign of Sun-worship.
The son of the Syrian goddess Atargatis was known as Ichthus... Another Fish-deity was the Babylonian Ea, who became known amongst the Greeks as Oannes, similar to the Fish-deity of the Philistines, Dagon, half man and half fish.
The Fish is also associated with the sun...the god of the sun...as a fish," also being an Egyptian phallic emblem, as well as a sign of fecundity, or the female generative organ, or of female goddesses. - The Words of Eternal Life
Evolution
Just 13% of Americans believe humans evolved without divine help. 55% believe God created human beings exactly as they are today, and 27% think that humans evolved but that God guided the process. - CBS poll
In school districts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and elsewhere, creationists are campaigning against teaching evolution and they've acquired a new, sneakier tecnique. Now without mentioned God or the Bible, they're arguing that schools should teach 'intelligent design'. This theory argues that the universe is so complex that only a 'supernatural, omnipresent designer' could have designed it but this is still faith masquerading as science. There are no scientific models to test the the belief of a divine architect. Faith should be taught at home or in the church, not in schools. "
In school districts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and elsewhere, creationists are campaigning against teaching evolution and they've acquired a new, sneakier tecnique. Now without mentioned God or the Bible, they're arguing that schools should teach 'intelligent design'. This theory argues that the universe is so complex that only a 'supernatural, omnipresent designer' could have designed it but this is still faith masquerading as science. There are no scientific models to test the the belief of a divine architect. Faith should be taught at home or in the church, not in schools. "
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Banning Books
Alabama State Representative Gerald Allen is on record as wanting to ban novels with gay characters from libraries. He also wants to remove textbooks that suggest homosexuality is okay from state schools.
To prove that he isn't a Nazi, he wants to bury the books in a hole instead of burning them.
Burying them in a hole, will give entrepreneurs an opportunity to dig them up and sell them. Lynn Cheney's lesbian thriller, Sisters, which is out of print is currently going for $500 on Amazon.
I wonder what the Taliban did with books they wanted to squelch? "
To prove that he isn't a Nazi, he wants to bury the books in a hole instead of burning them.
Burying them in a hole, will give entrepreneurs an opportunity to dig them up and sell them. Lynn Cheney's lesbian thriller, Sisters, which is out of print is currently going for $500 on Amazon.
I wonder what the Taliban did with books they wanted to squelch? "
To Secede or Not to Secede
Jeff Morrissette writes (via email):
"MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell says he believes that secession will be a serious topic of discussion for the next 20 years. In the past week I have been interviewed by several college newspapers, radio stations and other news organizations."
Visit Jeff's web site Move On California where he says:
"Similar secession movements are brewing in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont and New York. Some have declared that the passage in California of the stem cell research initiative is tantamount to 'scientific secessionism.'"
The benefits of secession would include the following:
My sister who has MS could continue using marijuana to alleviate her suffering without fear of being hauled off to prison by federal thugs. Morphine makes her nauseous.
Grandma Milly wouldn't get ripped off again by Enron and other friends of Preznit Gee Dubya.
Schwarzenegger could be presinator (well okay, it isn't a perfect plan).
"MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell says he believes that secession will be a serious topic of discussion for the next 20 years. In the past week I have been interviewed by several college newspapers, radio stations and other news organizations."
Visit Jeff's web site Move On California where he says:
"Similar secession movements are brewing in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont and New York. Some have declared that the passage in California of the stem cell research initiative is tantamount to 'scientific secessionism.'"
The benefits of secession would include the following:
My sister who has MS could continue using marijuana to alleviate her suffering without fear of being hauled off to prison by federal thugs. Morphine makes her nauseous.
Grandma Milly wouldn't get ripped off again by Enron and other friends of Preznit Gee Dubya.
Schwarzenegger could be presinator (well okay, it isn't a perfect plan).
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