{"id":13912,"date":"2014-10-17T00:01:25","date_gmt":"2014-10-17T07:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=13912"},"modified":"2014-10-17T00:01:25","modified_gmt":"2014-10-17T07:01:25","slug":"open-thread10172014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/10\/17\/open-thread10172014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–10\/17\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow, day 179.  I\u2019m still feeling quite tired from Tuesday\u2019s volunteer work.  Next week will be very hectic with a Urologist appointment on Monday (routine semi-annual) and a volunteer day in prison on Thursday.  I have to prepare a presentation to give to over 100 prisoners and a dozen crime victims, so I\u2019ll have lots to do between now and then, so I may be intermittent.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 3:14 (average 4:59).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From sojo.net<\/a> (Hat-Tip Joanne Dixon): <\/font>Thousands of people from around the country came to Ferguson, Mo., for a \u201cweekend of resistance.\u201d But for faith leaders it was a weekend of repentance. Twenty of us were arrested in Ferguson yesterday for an act of repentance.<\/p>\n

I went to Ferguson as a faith leader but, in particular, as a white faith leader. Because the great disparity between how differently young black lives are treated in our criminal justice system than young white lives is a fundamental injustice that must not only be left to black faith leaders to raise up. Repentance must begin in the white Christian community for tolerating this offense to our black brothers and sisters and, ultimately, this offense to God. Let me be as honest as I can be. If white Christians in America were more Christian than white, black parents could feel safer about their children. It\u2019s time for us white Christians to repent \u2014 turn around and go in a new direction.<\/p>\n

Repentance is a powerful theme throughout the Bible. But its meaning is often not well understood. Repentance is not about being sorry or just feeling guilty. It is about turning in a new direction. The biblical word for repentance in the original Greek is metanoia<\/em>, which means you are going in the wrong direction, and it\u2019s time to turn right around.<\/p>\n

Most frequently, the only thing we see from the white faith community is the false gospel of division, hate and greed from Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians (the opposite of authentic Christians).  An expression of authentic repentance is a breath of fresh air.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>Georgia Republican David Perdue’s pride in his outsourcing career<\/a> was screaming out for a campaign ad, and Democratic opponent Michelle Nunn has obliged. The ad is composed almost entirely of news coverage laying out the situation\u2014and it’s damning enough on its own.<\/p>\n