Open Thread–7/8/2012

Posted by TomCat at 9:28 am Monthly Report, Open Thread, Politics, Religion

Jul 082012

Yesterday I did manage to get a little sleep. It only reached 86° outside, but the temperature in the enclosed breezeway outside my only windows reached 132°, and at my desk, 99°. My walls are still radiating heat, but my little 250W AC had dropped it to 91° today at sunrise. I’m current with replies. Tomorrow is uncertain, because today is forecast to be even hotter.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:08 (average 5:01). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: George McGovern Nails What Patriotism Is All About In One Sentence

Sen. George McGovern

The blind acceptance (with inferred obedience) of which McGovern speaks is NOT patriotism. It is nationalism. The Republican lie that such nationalism is patriotism is an obstacle to authentic patriotism.

From NY Times: The United States declared Afghanistan a major, non-NATO ally on Saturday, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton personally delivering the news of Afghanistan’s entry into a club that includes Israel, Japan, Pakistan and other close Asian and Middle Eastern allies.

While the intent of so doing is to ease troop withdrawal is well intended, I consider this a mistake by the Obama administration, because it is wasted on the corrupt puppet, Hamid Karzai, whom GW Bush installed there only because he was already in thrall to Big Gas and Oil, as a Unocal employee.

From Right Wing Watch: Fischer: Mandate That Everyone Attend Church And Tax Those Who Don’t

This is want Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians mean by &ampquotfreedom of religion".</font></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p></body></html>

This is want Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians mean by "freedom of religion".

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Open Thread–7/7/2012

Posted by TomCat at 9:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jul 072012

Yesterday the heat was severe, and it set off my COPD. I could not sleep at all last night. Therefore, this is today’s only article, so I can go to bed. I am not current with replies, but will catch up ASAP. Today is supposed to be even hotter, so tomorrow is uncertain.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:16 (average 5:19). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Dear Climate Deniers, You’re Ridiculous. Warmly, Bill Maher & Neil Degrasse Tyson, Esq.

I knew animals were brighter than Republicans, but he made an excellent case that plants are too.

From Reuters: Oregon will soon qualify as the third U.S. state to ask voters in November to legalize marijuana for recreational use in a move that could put the state on a collision course with the federal government, proponents said on Friday.

Backers of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act said they have collected 165,000 signatures on petitions seeking to put the measure on the ballot, nearly double the 87,000 they were required to submit by Friday’s deadline to qualify.

While I have not used the drug in over 30 years, I support its legalization. It is hypocritical that it should be more restricted than alcohol, a far more harmful drug. Law enforcement and correctional resources can be better used elsewhere.

From Livingston Parrish News: Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.

“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.

“I liked the idea of giving parents the option of sending their children to a public school or a Christian school,” Hodges said.

Hodges mistakenly assumed that “religious” meant “Christian.”

HB976, now signed into law as Act 2, proposed, among other things, a voucher program allowing state educational funds to be used to send students to schools run by religious groups.

Of course, this throws public schools under the bus. Not surprisingly, Republicans think freedom of religion means freedom for THEIR religion ONLY!

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Romney at Hate and Bondage Conference

Posted by TomCat at 11:36 am Politics, Religion

Jun 162012

The official name of the event Switch Hit Mitt will be attending is the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, but faith cannot be expressed as hatred and there is no freedom in the lock-step forced dogma of pseudo-Christian legalism. Please do not think that I am disrespecting Christians. I am not. Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians do not follow the teaching or example of Christ and have nothing in common with authentic Christianity.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee, those who waged a hard-fought primary against him and those hoping to be tapped as his running mate will grace the same stage at Washington’s Renaissance Hotel this week for the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s conference and strategy briefing. (Pseudo-Christians delinked)

The social conservative group, headed by former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed, kicks off its annual summit Thursday afternoon with luncheon speeches by two potential Mitt Romney running mates, Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

The gathering is one of two major social conservative conferences considered campaign-trail “must-stops” for GOP White House contenders; the other is the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit (Pseudo-Christians delinked), which takes place in Washington in the fall.

Friday and Saturday bring speeches by several of Romney’s former opponents, including former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), businessman Herman Cain and former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).

Romney himself addresses the gathering on Saturday morning…

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Martin Bashir and Frank Schaeffer take on this pseudo-Christian hypocrisy.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I guess the bottom line is that pseudo-Christians hatred of Obama, outweighs their hatred of Mormons.

GOP Pastor: Kill the Gays!

Posted by TomCat at 10:05 am Politics, Religion

Jun 062012

The love and tolerance of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians never ceases to boggle my mind, not only do to the level of hatred that they spew so regularly, but also the manner in which they insist that some Old Testament piety codes be followed to the letter, while completely ignoring others in the same Biblical context.

The pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kansas says President Barack Obama has gone too far in supporting same sex marriage and it’s time for the U.S. government to begin killing gay men and lesbians.

“Terrorists are dangerous, the economy is a real and present danger,” Pastor Curtis Knapp told his congregation on Sunday. “But there is simply nothing other than the holocaust of the unborn which imperils the safety of our country or places our people in jeopardy as does the leader of the Western world publicly raising his fist at the heavens and declaring that the bedrock institution of society, ordained of God and meant to be protected by the state, is little more than a convention of convenience with the children of Sodom to transform the meaning of something, which is precious to Jesus Christ, and a living picture of his love for the church into a legally protected justification for perversion and a vehicle of hatred aimed directly at that love.”

Knapp went on to read from Leviticus 20: “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death.”

“They should be put to death,” Knapp declared. “‘Oh, so you’re saying we should go out and start killing them, no?’ — I’m saying the government should. They won’t, but they should.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Raw Story>

Please note that this is not intended to criticize Christians in any way. Authentic Christians are the opposite of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians, in that authentic Christians are Christian.

Leviticus also imposes the death penalty for eating shellfish (11:10) and cutting the hair from the temples (19:27). Exodus demands the death penalty for working on Saturday (35:2). Has Pastor Knapp done any of those, and if so, when will he be presenting himself for execution?

On the plus sides, Leviticus 25:44 permits owning slaves from neighboring countries, and I still want to own a Canadian!

Obama’s So-called Plot to Murder Christians

Posted by TomCat at 10:56 am Politics, Religion

Jun 022012

If one obviously Republican supporting newspaper in central Louisiana can be believed [NOT!], there is a heinous conspiracy afoot. The perpetrators are, of course, the evil anti-American, Muslim, communist, nazi, socialist, Kenyan, Barack HUSSEIN Obama and the Democrat Party. The plot is to shoot Catholics and Christians.

The Daily Advertiser [RWNJ delinked], a Gannett-owned paper serving central Louisiana, is standing by its decision to run an advertisement today in which a far-right extremist group suggests that President Obama and Democrats are conspiring to murder Catholics and Christians.

The ad shows a photograph of a Catholic priest who was shot and killed in Mexico in the 1920s, and suggests that President Obama and Democrats would do the same. It was posted by a user on Reddit this morning.

The ad copy is no better:

“AMERICA is under siege by the same evil (obama and democrats) as history shows over and over…We must learn from it or we are doomed to repeat it. We must be triumphant over terror.”

As with most newspapers, The Daily Advertiser says it does screen advertisements to ensure that blatantly false, overly offensive or otherwise inappropriate content is kept out of the paper. But the paper’s president and publisher Karen J. Lincoln told ThinkProgress that the newspaper stood by its decision to run the ad… [emphasis original]

Inserted from <Think Progress>

If that is screened to ensure that blatantly false, overly offensive or otherwise inappropriate content is kept out of the paper, then I’m a beauty queen.

They forgot the 11th Commandment:

Thou shalt not commit Teabuggery!

Racism for Supply-side Jesus

Posted by TomCat at 11:19 am Politics, Religion

May 292012

To be clear, Supply-side Jesus is not the real Jesus. The real Jesus taught love, inclusiveness, and care for the poor. Supply-side Jesus is the invention of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians to justify their false gospel of hate, bigotry, and care for the rich (greed). Here’s an example of what I mean from Republican stalwart, Brian Fischer.

Over the last few weeks, Bryan Fischer has been growing increasingly vocal about his views that President Obama hates both the Constitution and the United States of America because he thinks it is "one big, giant Ku Klux Klan meeting" and is therefore intentionally trying to destroy the country.

And he made the case again on his radio program yesterday, this time adding in Attorney General Eric Holder, claiming that Holder will never "prosecute someone if the victim is white"…

Inserted from <Right Wing Watch>

Now those are some pretty extreme charges against Fischer, but don’t believe me. Believe your own eyes and ears.

Needless to say, there is absolutely nothing true from one end of Fischer’s blasphemy to the other. I call it blasphemy, because it is Antichristian.

Open Thread–5/19/2012

Posted by TomCat at 12:36 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

May 192012

As I write the temperature outside is 40°, and it’s 65° at my desk. What a contrast from earlier this week! I’m completely comfortable. The COPD and bursitis are still acting up, but not enough to sideline me. I’m current with replies. Tomorrow I have errands to run.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:45 (average 4:32). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: What Kind Of Men Do Women Really Want?

In other words, not men from the Republican base.

From MSNBC: A billionaire explains who job creators are.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Republicans are right that we need to protect the job creators. They are just lying about who the job creators are. You and I are the job creators, not the 1%.

From Chicago Tribune: China allowed a blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday and board a plane bound for the United States, a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries.

Chen’s escape from house arrest in northeastern China last month and subsequent stay in the U.S. embassy caused huge embarrassment for China and led to a diplomatic rift while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing for talks to improve ties between the world’s two biggest economies.

This is the activist that Republicans claimed had been abandoned to the Chinese by Obama. I wonder why they are silent now

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Open Thread–3/23/2012

Posted by TomCat at 11:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Mar 232012

Yesterday I left for the prison shortly after getting the blog up. It was the first of two annual “banquets” that the group of men, for whom I volunteer, hold for family members, volunteers, and themselves. The group has become so large that the prison visiting room is not large enough to accommodate all at once, so there are two banquets for half the men each. The second will be next month for the other half of the guys. They pay for the food themselves out of the $1 – $3 per day they receive for their prison jobs. I particularly enjoy an opportunity to talk to family members about how hard their husbands, sons and brothers are working to learn the skills they need to be pro-social, law abiding citizens. The down side is that I returned home sore and exhausted. My COPD limited my sleep, so I am too tired and foggy for a normal day of research and writing. This is today’s only article. I am not current with replies, but will be tomorrow. Tomorrow is a catch-up day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:28 (average 4:50). To do it, click here. How did you so?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged on Friday with 17 counts of murder and various other charges, including attempted murder, in connection with the March 11 attack on Afghan civilians, a senior United States official said on Thursday.

Because the acts, however horrific, seem so out of character for this man, I hope this trial focuses more on the war.

From MoveOn: The Most Eye-Opening Fact About Inequality That We’ve Seen All Week

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That certainly paints a true picture.

From MSNBC: Authentic Christianity

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This is what happens when authentic Christians act on their belief. It is the polar opposite of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity.

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