So One Day...

So one day, a man passes away after a long peaceful life devoted to his religion.  He had by most accounts, those of his peers, it was a good life.  He helped at the church, he gave food to his churches food bank, gave money every week.  If someone took the Lord God's name in vein he would politely rebuke the person, and when he did the same, he would always make it a point to apologize to the Almighty in prayer, and attempt to make a mends for it in some way.

You know people should choose...

Ah, my old high school.  Full, as it were of racists, homophobes, xenophobes, and generally small minded ignorant people.  I was one of 8 "minorities" in that school one of them was gay for a time.  When I graduated I was the only one in my class as I recall, but I wasn't paying the most attention, I was just trying to get through the ceremony and out the door.  But in recent posts here I rebutted the GOP responses to the State of the Union.  And I was a little harsh on them.

My reaction to Rand Paul and Mike Lee

I was going to do each of these separately, but given the 10 minute blerp from Rand Paul, yeah I think I can sum up their two speeches that rebuttal Present Obama's State of the Union.

My Reaction to Ms. Rogers

Yeah so I listened to the Presidents State of the Union address, waited patiently for the rebuttal...  And was seriously disappointed in it.  I was waiting for the hell fire and brimstone to come falling from the sky, the accusations of lies, the 4 Horsemen to roam the land, you know the post apocalyptic stuff.  Maybe we would see some other bizarre behavior, nervous ticks, maybe a sentence and sip, a staggering politician leaning against a podium, or someone falling on the floor while trying to sit on a couch. Instead I got an old Toby Keith song.  I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I....

Seriously?!?

So, this year for the State of the Union, we will have a message, nothing strange there.  We will have a rebuttal of what the President says, we will have a second rebuttal of what the president says, we will have yet another rebuttal of what the president says, and we will have Rand Paul.  Oh and someone apparently released their post State of the Union speech last week.. 

Obama

So Barrack Obama finally grew a set.  Well sort of.  Tired of the crap coming out of both houses of Congress he is set to issue an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 an hour.  That is from the current $7.25 an hour.

10 Most significant people in history

So Wikipedia has released a top ten list (so says a rag magazine), well it was December of last year, but hey, it gave me a chuckle when I saw it.  So here is their list with my thoughts, and my list.

The Mind Games People Play

One thing that drives me up the closest wall is when people play mind games with me or others.  Look, if you have a problem with someone, just be honest about it.  There is no need to screw with peoples minds, if you have something to say, say it, just spill the beans.

Give me money....

Seems like we have a glut of people screaming give me money, give me money.   Last night, as I was sleeping I was awoke to the sound of a channel with its very own preacher telling people to give them $273 dollars, a seed of money.  Among the thing I heard was a man and woman (going to assume it was a husband and wife) were having financial difficulties, yet they gave the money, and within moments won $25,000.  That would be pretty amazing, except that is how odds and statistics work.

Food Survival Guide.

So in the last Survival Guide we spoke about how to set up your tent.  This guide will explain to you about how to acquire food.  This one will not be for the faint of heart.  We need food and water to survive.  Simple fact of life.  SO here are some does and dont's. 

The State of Education

As with many of my rants here, I find source material on Facebook.  So imagine my surprise when I see a video of a young man talking smack to a teacher. 

Fox News....

We don't report the news, we create it.  Fairly unbalanced.  So yesterday I noticed a original post on my news feed on Facebook about Glenn Beck.  You might remember him from his time on Fox News.  The man could cry at the drop of a hat, he towed the conservative line, polarized that segment of the population.  I never liked him much, I still do not like him.  It is not a reflection of the man, but his stance, where he worked, and what he said and did while there.

Terri Schiavo Part II; It continues

In 2005, the torturous life of Terri Schiavo finally came to an end.  After the state and federal governments attempted to stick their foot in that door, kick it open, and basically force people who are brain dead from being removed from life support.  By most accounts she had been brain dead since 1991, and for the majority of that time her family fought every attempt to allow her to pass with some dignity.  The State of Florida passed unconstitutional law to force her husband to keep her artificially alive, the US Senate attempted a round about way to keep her under witness protection.

The Crumbling of America

The Marker for the Silver Bridge Collapse (Pt. Pleasant WV).

 

We have a serious problem in the United States.  It is crumbling beneath us.   It is literally falling apart.  The slow decay of time, use, and abuse, without modification, repairs, or outright rebuilding.  As of 2013, last year the United States had what is considered a failing grade.  If you are interested it was a D+.  

Sleaze that crosses the aisle

I'm watching the news. Of course most of the news was like yesterday and the day before..Chris Christie.
This blog post isn't about slamming on the Guido 
Also heard a lot about ultra-sound McDonnell and his indictments
This blog post isn't about slamming the GOP either though
Remember our good democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich who tried to sale Obama's senate seat?
Yeah sleaze crosses party lines

Here's my problem. I believe in a socialistic society. I'm not a commie and I enjoy my personal liberties as well but I do think we accomplish greater and more powerful things working as a collective rather than individuals separately. To do big grand things requires a big government and we see from my first paragraph that can be corrupt.

Here's my thought. I want to borrow some analogies from our conservative friends

Ya know how its not the gun that is problem but the crazy shooter. How we shouldn't blame the destruction of society on the firearm but the person behind the trigger. How a gun is just fine and serves a purpose in the hands of a responsible gun owner

I say government is not the problem but the immoral politicians. I say we shouldn't blame the destruction of society on government but the politicians cutting illegal deals. I think a government work fines and is beneficial in the hands of a responsible electorate 

Another analogy.

Regulation stifles growth and ties the hands of the market

We need to regulate politicians. Not government (we the people are the government,which is why we should never drown ourselves). Regulate, place stringent checks and balances on politicians, eliminate outside corporate money interest(VAPORIZE CITIZENS UNITED),crystal clear transparency a must. What will that accomplish?
It will stifle politicians and tie their hands forcing them to function and preform as we the people have elected them to do not for individual gain and profit 

BUZZWORD "GRIDLOCK"

SOLUTION "Independent Redistricting"

I am a dreamer. I believe humanity is greater than its mere numbers. I do not believe we are simply cogs in a machine but we are the very power source that fuels our society and world.

I think mankind can do great big things. I think it requires dreaming and planning on a great big scale. People will have to be placed in positions of power to accomplish the great big task...we the people must keep a great big hand on the throat of those people so they never make the mistake of thinking they are in control. If they resist "our control".....well resistance is futile

It aint easy being.... Poor?

When someone is poor, there are constant choices to be made.  What can I afford to eat, how much money will I need to get back and forth to work, I wonder if I can carpool, or if I can get that second or third part time gig somewhere.  Am I going to have enough for rent, the power bill, phone bill (or can I round up enough money for a prepaid burner phone).  It ain't easy or cheap to be poor, or homeless.  It is the simple things that you take for granted.

Tent Survival Guide

Northwest Territory Family Cabin 8 person tent

Today for your reading pleasure, I am going to draw on past experience and craft for you all a tent survival guide.  In the future I will be charging $25.99 for the book, with illustrations.  But for the time being, it is free here. 

The Meaning Behind "The Works"

A thought occurred to me as I was responding to a thread on a another social media account.  I feel that I should have, from day one explained why I chose the name "The Works" for this blog.  Its not overly religious.  Its not religious at all.  The Works, as it stands is meant as a call to arms for like minded people.  People who want to see an end to poverty, homelessness, bigotry.  It is a sounding board of sorts where people can share their ideas, and as a means of spreading the ideas of the contributors and commentators (those who leave contents).

This is an open letter to all Christians:

An open letter written by a supporter of the Richardson Family, and the charity which is attempting to help them.

This is an open letter to all Christians:

Jesus Junkies: In This Case The "Drug" Isn't The Problem, The Junkie Is The Problem

I use the phrase "Jesus Junkie" a lot. In my head I know exactly what I mean when I say it. A very specific face cross my mind. It will probably surprise you to know that face is not Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry or the rest of the plastic preacher politicians. Nope. Much more personal for me.

Now don't get me wrong, those zealots are very much Jesus Junkies its just that I was using that term years before I ever gave any of those fundamentalist a thought. You see I'm almost 50 and was born and raised in Texas (lots of unrighteous rednecks ya know). Its more personal than just my heavenly location however, you see I use to be an Evangelical Fundamentalist Jesus Junkie. I also spent close to 3 decades being a Chemical Junkie 

My first 20yrs I brought myself up in the church. My parents didn't attend. By the time I was 11 I was preaching at my home church and by 13 was preaching in small and large churches around Dallas. I condemned everyone but provided away out of the fires of hell if one would just submit to Gods will which happened to always be my will.

I condemned those that drank,smoked,danced,listen to the wrong kinda of music,dress the wrong kind of way,had sex with people,had sex with themselves....and God I hated fags. They are an abomination you know. I was strung out and bound up in doctrines of man and dogma's of devil. In all my preaching and condemnation I don't think I ever convinced a "non-believer" to believe..I think I drove most away.

As I got older a problem reared its head. You see, I'm Gay. Lord help.

Because of the teachings that I had been raised around I prayed a lot. I would lay prostrate on my bed and for hours crying out to God "Please Please Don't Let Me Be Gay". I was consumed with fear and self-loathing. Depression raged through my soul. Other things happening in my life at the time that compounded my sadness and suicide was becoming an option.

Drugs:
Something to make me numb, make me not feel. Something to skew my reality. A reality I did not like.
By the time I was 25 I had met that special someone and together we came out. WHAT A HIGH.
You cannot imagine the pure fear that raced through my heart the moments before I told my parents that I was gay. You'll never understand the tears that comes from the fear of rejection and abandonment even as an adult. You'll also never know what its like to speak the words for first time to someone you love trust and admire that you are gay. Its irrelevant on a personal level how you are received. The feeling of breathing a full deep breath of air for first time ever is nothing short of rapture. Its been said by other that they wished they could come "out" daily because of the rush of liberty,freedom and honesty that over takes you.

After I came out the drugs still continued and got worse. Decades past. For reasons I really can't explain I had a moment of clarity and said this is stupid. Its not fun anymore and I don't know if life still sucks or not because I've been away from reality and feelings for oh so many yrs. In my stubbornness I said "I'm done"
Now to be transparent I still occasionally have a glass of wine and I enjoy a little weed. I'm not blitzed on pills,coke or meth anymore and I see much clearer and realize life is dealt with more accurately and successfully when you are not "3ft thick"

Back to the Junkies

I believe the reason people get "strung out" on religion and drugs is exactly the same. Escape. An attempt to alter reality.Don't get me wrong I don't think faith is a "sickness" but I think religion is a drug.

“Emotional excitement reaches men through tea, tobacco, opium, whisky, and religion.” — George Bernard Shaw 

As surly as I can enjoy a drink or a toke without it being destructive to my life or those around me I can "believe" also without being self-destructive or a threat to family friends and society.
The harder the drug and the deeper one delves into it the greater chaos that is created.
The more "fundamental" the faith the more the world can only be viewed as black or white. That's a problem because life is full of gray

Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach sake. Christ turned the water into wine at the wedding feast
That same book also says not to be drunken unto wine with excess.
Hydrocodone can eliminate pain and can serve a compassionate purpose when taken as recommend by a doctor.

Its the excess
The moment the drug or the religion begins to alter you in negative ways... you have a problem.
There is a saying that goes "If everyone you know is telling you there is a problem, if everyone you come in contact with sees your view is skewed, then at least you should maybe reevaluated your position.

Its not the drugs...its the addicts
Its not Jesus...its the junkies

Congratulations....

So as I was looking at some news I noticed a disturbing trend.  Apparently 85 people now hold more wealth than the lower fifty percent.  Not of the United States, but the entire world.  This startling statistic comes from a report called "Working for the Few".  In this report it was also stated that there were 210 new billionaires in the world, from last year alone.  While the middle class is shrinking, the poor are becoming poorer, this money is rising to the top of the pyramid.  So if we take all the billionaires in the world today, they control more than sixty five times the wealth that the lower classes do. 

The problem...

Houston we have a problem. As I sit here, listening to the window blow, another burst of Arctic air getting ready to wind its way through the area, I am thinking about many things.  I did not watch the AFC or NFC Championship games, I am not interested as my team barely finished with a five hundred record.  Anyway, I did watch some recaps of the games and the thing I saw was passionate fans.  I have no issue with people being passionate about a team, sport, movie, or anything else they can find something to support.  The problem is, with all the things going on in the world, it seems a waste of good energy.  Sure one day a week is good to blow off steam, everyone needs that release.

What is rarely heard?

This will be a double header I suppose.  First, it seems that one of our friends here has run afoul of the christian community because of his views on reality.  Possibly because bigotry is alive and well in this segment of the population.  Anyway, he is still here, I would not have it any other way, and should one of those people who find it acceptable to whine about their freedom of speech, yet attempt to take his away, try it here, it will get you nowhere with me.  Somewhere there is a butt hurt complaint form, you might want to find it and submit it for me to use, for some random purpose. 

God on Facebook

For some months I have been trying to get this gentleman's attention, mostly to see if he can help me draw attention to one of the various charities I work with.  Due to the limitations of Facebook, how it limits who can see what when you post it, in an effort to make money, blogging here, and helping spread the charity The Richardson Charity, I just do not have the mojo to get it done by myself, I am forced to ask others to help spread the word, but it does get old, people have other things to do.  

Its not God Talking

I'm kinda of pissed (in general) so I'm gonna bitch. If lots of grammar and spelling is more incorrect than usual,sorry, but I don't give a fuck.
Been thinkin...(should've been drinkin). And yes in this rant I'm gonna paint religion with a very broad brush and I'm gonna defend my position with as much bias as I can muster...so now you know what's up.

Ruling came down from the Bureau of Labor in Oregon concerning a bakery "Sweet Cakes" that refused to sale a cake to a lesbian couple for a wedding in Washington State.
The owner says that she's not a bigot and says she has sold merchandise to them in the past knowing they were gay. She says she refused to make the cake because her religion stands against gay marriage and to prepare a cake would be participating

Well seems that after refusing to participate the owner was "requested" to bake a cake for a Dr who had got a grant to work on a stem cell cloning project. Another cake was requested for a "pagan solstice party" (the reporter requested a pentagram of icing on the cake) and a divorce party and a party for a woman who'd had multiple babies out of wedlock,..the owner agreed to make ALL those cakes

Seeing the fuckness yet?

If one wishes to be hateful bigoted and ignorant..well one has no need to invoke a god.
They( I specifically mean CHRISTIANS) are compelled to spew vile evil sick venom and claim they speak for God.
If I'm such a stench in his nostrils, an abomination worthy of eternal damnation sentenced to burn in everlasting fire...well let me tell you how I'm gonna "spin" the prophecy

See the good book says that in "last days"(and pumpkins they have been long ass days) the Harlot Whore..she IS called a Harlot and a Whore in the "word" I'm not being disrespectful  ...well lets back it up..I don't know how up on the good book my pumpkins are so I'll lay down some "foundation"..we in the Church call it "sound doctrine" (is there unsound doctrine you ask..you betcha..that's another rant)
The Church is the Bride..she is to remain without spot wrinkle or blemish..a pure chased virgin. (<*whispering*> I'll tell you a secret...she's a tramp)
Wanna know why she should wear the scarlet "A"? She's been sleeping in every devil,demon and imps bed in hell.
1500 yrs ago the leaders of the local churches decided they should "organize". They say it was to unify the faith..meh..so-so. They organized because there is power in numbers. Thats a truth. (Which is why the Capitalist hate Labor Unions..just sayin).
While consolidating their numbers they also consolidated their wealth. Wealth created more power which created more numbers which created more wealth which created more power.....got it

One problem though and its a bitch.

GREED

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."-1 Timothy 6:10

Greed is the ROOT of all that is EVIL.
Poverty exist because of GREED
Hunger exist because of GREED
Homelessness exist because of GREED
Much Suffering exist because of GREED
Most Oppression exist because of GREED

Money=Power=Money=Power=Money=Power

Pumpkins the Church, Catholics (my denomination referred to the RCs as the false church..the harlot whore) and the Protestants (the whores bastard children) are up to their frickin sanctimonious necks in GREED,POWER and are CORRUPT to the soul

What in the hell does rich bitch preachers..a 1500 yr old religious "trade union" and a homophobic "Sweet Cake" bakery got a flip fuck to do with each other

Absolutely Everything 

“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.”-Seneca

"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise." -James Madison letter to Wm. Bradford, April 1, 1774

There was a very brilliantly evil union made in hell when roastin Ronnie gave an unholy kiss to the "Moral Majority" ..which would become The Religious Right (Reich)

The child spawn when politics met evangelical fundamentalism has ignited new flames of bigotry racism misogyny and homophobia an attempt to justify their sick words and twisted deeds

Men with more money than God whisper in the ear of powerful "prophets" and "politicians" telling them to spread discourse and division among the people(the brethren) because they are aware that for their coffers to continue to fill we must be distracted..with each other

God Is Not Speaking

The Root Of All Evil Is

(I'm just getting started I'll post more later)

A truly sad thing...

One day Life and Death were having a discussion, and finally Life found the nerve to ask Death a question.  He asked Death "Why are we so different, I mean, why do people love me, yet the despise and fear you?"  Death pondered for a moment and then answered, "Because my old friend, you are a beautify lie, I am the horrible truth."

Remember No Shoes, No Shirt No Problem?

Remember the day when you walked into a store and you noticed a sign reading "No shoes, No Shirt, No service"?  That time and place where so long as you had on a shirt of some kind, and shoes you got service.  A nicer time when you weren't carded every other time we went into a store to by beer and smokes.  Ah remember the days?

Check Cashing Part two

Well, in doing a bit of digging on this Certegy Check Services, I found some interesting stuff.  Well, lets get this show on the road shall we, because the rabbit hole is deep, and the bullshit will soon fly.  Pack your umbrella kids, we're gonna need it for this.

Check Cashing

I never gave it much thought, I would get a check from my university, my employer, or someone would give me one to pay back money I was owed, so I just went to the bank(or mailed it) and deposited it.  When I could I had my money sent to me via Automatic deposit.  I always had ID, I always had a bank account, if I wanted to use it.  Then a few years ago, I moved to the state I live in, found out the bank I dealt with didn't have any local branches, so when I started mailing in my paycheck for deposit I found out that it was held for several days (bank in a different state).  Well, becoming wise to this,

Just some things to remember

 Blair Mountain, West Virginia

While West Virginia is the but of many jokes, I just wanted to take a few moments of your time to point some things out about the people here.  I mean the history of this state, and why it is so pathetic to see it in this state of being, along with the people who live here.  This might offend, but I am going to share the good, bad, and ugly of it.

Time to let the water Rise?

Is it time for people like me to let the water rise, and wash the poor dead beaten horse away?  Nope, I am going to keep beating that poor dead animal until people start listening to me.  It is not just me, its people who share my political, and economic views.  But here we are, beating the dead horse of regulation once again. 

Net Neutrality and how this will affect you.

How many of us are old enough to remember dial up internet.  The seconds of waiting for the old modem to kick in, the sound of a cat fighting a fax machine, the minutes it sometimes took for that modem to connect to a server, and then the blissful joy of waiting for websites to load.  I remember waiting five minutes or more sometimes for my old dial up modem to connect to my college so I could submit a paper, and then waiting several more minutes for a ten to fifteen page paper to upload.  I remember professors becoming agitated with me because assignments would come in several minutes late.

America... The Nation of Extremes

Over the past several decades (at least three), the American political and social landscape has become more radicalized in its nature.  Right down to the simple things are causing people to take radical stances.  I mean right down to a simple, stupid statement.  If one of the last two Presidents of the United States pointed at a barn, Bush said it was red, liberals would be screaming that the barn was not actually red, but some shade of it, like Vermilion.  If Obama said the barn was Scarlett, conservatives would scream it was red.  Pretty simple stuff right there.  The damn barn is red, we don't need to fight over it for three weeks, develop some twisted conspiracies about how the barn was actually white, but someone painted it after the President said it was red.

He Said What? (redress)

Last night after I posted this entry to my blog, He Said What?, I thought about it, and I wanted to go full satire on the thing.  I support the privilege of those responsible enough to keep and bear arms.  I do feel that there needs to be changes made in the system to catch people who own and use firearms when they have no legal right to and those people who are to foolish from having guns.  I know a man that has shot himself several times, once with just a bullet and a lighter, he in no way needs access to anything more than a piece of paper. 

He said What?

In a recent press release, President Obama promised the citizens of the United States that the previously mentioned, and feared by some, gun grab by the government forces has been put off until shortly after the 2016 presidential election.  He was quoted as saying, “We just have so many problems right now, with the Chemical Spill in West Virginia and two wars that I am forced to fight, that we just do not have the manpower to take all the guns that belong to all the citizens of the US.  We also want to focus more on the problems that lead to gun violence.”

Regulations

I wanted to get an entry together about the ACLU, who they help, why they help them, but I am not up for it today.  I do not think I will ever be up for it, because they help people based on race (more specifically skin color), and people who have their free speech trampled. 

Anyway, on to the subject at hand, I keep hearing free market principles, regulations kill businesses and jobs.  Then we have incidents like those that happened here, in the state where I reside.  Countless dead miners, because of a lack of regulations, Earth and water contaminated because of a lack of people to enforce said regulations.  When we talk about regulations, we are talking about the safety of people.  It regulates how many hours a large truck driver can be on the road, how many pollutants can be placed in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the ground we get our good from.

If Jesus...

If Jesus existed today, where would he stand on an economic chart.  Would he be a capitalist?  Maybe a socialist?  It might be that the man, who I do not believe existed, might have been an outright communist.  But lets back off that question for a moment, where you Jesus fall in the political spectrum.  Was the man liberal, conservative, libertarian or moderate?  To answer these questions, we need to have a basic understanding of what is what.  What is a liberalism, conservatism, libertarian, socialism, communism, moderate, and capitalist.

20 Things the Poor Really Do Every Day (plus my take)

This comes from Bill Irwin via the Huffington Post 20 Things Poor People Really Do

While Mr. Irwin speaks from a third party view, he speaks as someone that has witnessed homelessness, and living in poverty, I am speaking from a first person perspective.

The Obituary of Compassion

We are mourning the loss of a beloved old friend and philanthropist who recently passed away. Her name was Compassion. Compassion originally born in the cradle of civilization, lived a long life but died in the United States from a vicious contagious disease known only as Affluenza.

The Chruch What!?!

As some of you know I am assisting a charity that deals with an elderly couple who were fleeced over by the Church of God.  You will often here me tell people that this "religious organization" has threatened the family repeatedly, going as far as to play a role in getting their one safety net (their youngest son) fired from his job.  Long story short some member of that organization threatened one of his co-workers and it went sideways, and I am sure you can all figure out where it went.

Prayer. The Ultimate... Cop-out?

I know many Christians, to be honest most of the people I know personally, and through social media are either Christian or Atheist.  I wish I had more Buddhist friends in person and online.  But among the things I often see when someone says they have a problem is "I'll pray for you."  While I am a Rabbi, and I do pray, I do not pray for others.  I do not pray over the dead that they might find peace.  I pray that I find the strength to comfort those who remain.  If someone is in need of help, I pray that I find the strength to help them, to do what needs to be done.  I pray that I have the strength to stand against what I feel to be ill with the world.  I do not pray that the Almighty will help them, or that the Almighty will bless them with funds to solve their problems.  I do not pray for safety or the safety of others, I might hope if I feel that what I have done to assist them is not enough, but when your time is finished in this world, it is finished, all you can do is hope it works out, prayer does nothing. 

Stand your Ground... Affluenza... Really?

In the past decade several laws and defenses have come into existence.  The first is the now called Stand Your Ground laws.  While this is not the case in all states, where it is in use, there have been some problems.  So everyone is on the same page, Stand Your Ground laws remove the duty of an individual to flee a situation, they have the right to use whatever force is required to end the threat.  The problem is, Stand Your Ground does not include using deadly force after you have left or have a good chance to leave the situation.  If someone were to break into my home, and I were to shoot them, I could attempt to invoke stand your ground, but if I ran past the front door to grab a gun, I cannot attempt to invoke stand your ground.  While the concept has been around since the late 1870's, it has recently become something of a trend.  Basically when it was initially recreated in the Indiana Court system, it was more or less a belief that a duty to retreat from a threat to self or property was inherently wrong (thanks Manifest Destiny).  This decision was reaffirmed in 1921 after a few notable cases.  Its not really a new trend, but its not something that we have seen a great deal of until recently.  The problem is people seem to forget that this law is pretty specific, if you cannot retreat you can use deadly force, if you forgo an opportunity to retreat, you are sunk trying to use it. 

Morals, who has them, who does not.

Lets get to something else that burns me.  When someone comes along and claims someone else has no morals.  What are morals, well lets see what the dictionary says about the matter?

There is something Rotten...

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" Marcellus says to Horatio, as I recall it.  Except some of us are not in Denmark, we are in the United States.  So, to take the phrase from Marcellus, "There is something rotten in the State of America."  Unlike Horatio, I will not calmly say that the Almighty will guide out nation back to health and prosperity.  There is something amiss, and everyone has a finger to point, but always remember this, when I point my finger at you, there are at least two pointing back towards myself.  What is rotting in America today, why that is the American Dream, that is our rights, it is our collective spirit, and our lives that are rotting.

Just a Day

Been busy today, deep freeze prepping.  Apparently Global Climate change is real, and we now have polar vortexes gripping the nation.  You know what I see a lot of today, as I look at my facebook wall?  I see a lot of pictures of animals covered in snow, frozen.  It is sad when people have such disregard for an animal.  They feel, the bleed just as we do.  What is even worse than an animal weathering a storm outside...  Yeah, that is cold, sadly we felt it best to remove the location, due to some threats made against the individuals (guess some of my rants have incurred some wrathful thoughts).

Homelessness

Photo by Deb Holman (Duluth, 12/13)

As we sit here in the midst of a deep freeze, last night it was around -10, tonight it will be around 0, and tomorrow it will again be around -10, all before the wind chill is taken into account, I want to talk about something that really bugs me.  That is homelessness.  This is about as good of time as any to sit down and discuss it. 

The War on.... WTF?!?!?!

(Thank you to Sharon Navarrette for the picture of a tent city in Hawaii)

Middle Class Blues - (hed) PE 

In my last entry I spoke about the War of Christianity.  A contrived war by Christians on those who are of a different religion, race, or sexual orientation.  But lets take a deeper look at this war, this time from a political perspective.  There is a war on the middle class, the poor, women, minorities, immigrants, gays (trying to be PC on that one Larry), different religions, Atheists, the Homeless, the working poor, the unemployed, the elderly, drugs, and anyone they do not see as being worthy of holding the same rights and privileges they hold. 

Pointing out sins isn't hate…” "Love the sinner hate the sin"..A self-serving statement

That form of intellectual dishonesty and disingenuous platitudes, is exactly why more and more SMART and DECENT people can see them as very false people, if not false Christian.
Those of us who are HONEST and who have eyes and ears can see just how selectively they single out gay people for social, political and civil denial of equal protections that they wouldn't DARE try with heterosexuals that would meet their definitions of sins. Gay people are easier to do this too because of the long legacy of discrimination already in place.

Kubrick

I always enjoy sitting down to a Kubrick Film.  I know the guy died in 99, he didn’t have a ton of movies, well not even 20, more like 16, but the man made you think he forced you to pay attention.  He slipped little thing into his movies.  I just recently watched Dr. Strangelove; or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, which was a very interesting movie, as most of Kubrick’s are.  It did not really feel like I was watching a Kubrick film to be honest, but it was good.  Most of us are more familiar with 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, or his version of The Shining.  Now I am not one for doing movie reviews, or telling the life story of another.  Kubrick’s work does not need that outside of the gentle suggesting that you watch his works.  The man played tricks on us, every detail of every movie was planned out, every detail was shot and reshot until it was exactly the way he wanted it, a place for everything and everything in its place.  He dropped subtle hints, or outright brow beat us.  Changing typewriters and a crushed VW Bug (Read King’s The Shining and then watch Kubrick’s telling). 

The War on Christianity

I constantly hear about the war on Christianity.  However, this is a part of the Christian mindset.  It seems that Christians see persecution everywhere.  Forced to give out the morning after pill, it is an assault on their morals.  Forced to give a marriage certificate to a newly married gay couple, it is an assault on their religious morals.  Say Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas, you are now starting a war on the "birth date" of their lord and savior.