Saturday, September 30, 2006
Vote Democrat: We suck less!
Pitiful slogan, I know. But until my party gets it s--t together, it's the best I can come up with to offer disaffected Repubs, moderates and everyday people who are paying attention to the decline and decay of the republic.
--ER
By Glenn Greenwald
Unclaimed Territory
(Seen in a comment
at Bitch, Ph.D.)
Now that the torture and detention bill will become law, it is necessary to focus on the political implications of what happened yesterday and, more broadly, what has been done to our country by the Bush administration and the blindly loyal Congress for the last five years. It goes without saying that the conduct of Democrats generally (meaning their collective behavior) was far, far short of anything noble, courageous or principled. And one could, if one were so inclined, spend every day from now until November 7 criticizing the strategic mistakes and lack of principle of Beltway Democrats and still not exhaust the list.
But that's all besides the point at the moment, because ...
Read all about it.
--ER
By Glenn Greenwald
Unclaimed Territory
(Seen in a comment
at Bitch, Ph.D.)
Now that the torture and detention bill will become law, it is necessary to focus on the political implications of what happened yesterday and, more broadly, what has been done to our country by the Bush administration and the blindly loyal Congress for the last five years. It goes without saying that the conduct of Democrats generally (meaning their collective behavior) was far, far short of anything noble, courageous or principled. And one could, if one were so inclined, spend every day from now until November 7 criticizing the strategic mistakes and lack of principle of Beltway Democrats and still not exhaust the list.
But that's all besides the point at the moment, because ...
Read all about it.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Junior the Bear
JTB has been added to my Blogroll, to the left.
Check him out. He is the coolest bear. See his story about the white buffalo, a post or two down from the top, for sure. Very Indiany story!
Junior the Bear.
--ER
Check him out. He is the coolest bear. See his story about the white buffalo, a post or two down from the top, for sure. Very Indiany story!
Junior the Bear.
--ER
Fried Day!!!!!
Your host, that'd be me, is busier'n a one-legged man in a butt kickin' contest today. So, OPEN THREAD, as the bloggin' pros say.
Whatever's on yer mind. Go for it. Try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum.
--ER
Whatever's on yer mind. Go for it. Try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum.
--ER
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Happy happy, joy joy!
A friend who regularly lurks here sent me this e-mail this morning:
I've gotta lay off your blog for awhile. It's not that I don’t find it interesting, 'cause I do. It's the comment section. Y'all have got to be one the most depressed group of folks in blogdom. God in heaven, y'all need to dwell on the positive of life for awhile. In the words of the old song: "Cheer-up my brother, walk in the sunshine."
My friend is right! There's plenty to be happy about -- in politics and government and everything else. Name it and claim it, y'all. Let's have some joyful comments! Red alert: No negativity today.
I'll start. I found out sort of by accident last night that a good friend of mine has been praying for me, for a specific need, and I didn't know it. I think he let it slip while we were talking about a related topic.
How. Cool. Is. That?
He asked me do him likewise for a specific need he has.
More. Coolness.
He and I are of different Christian denominations, and we disagree on politics and many other things. But we meet under the Cross -- and that's what it's all about.
Y'allses' turn. Happy thoughts, please. Any topic.
--ER
I've gotta lay off your blog for awhile. It's not that I don’t find it interesting, 'cause I do. It's the comment section. Y'all have got to be one the most depressed group of folks in blogdom. God in heaven, y'all need to dwell on the positive of life for awhile. In the words of the old song: "Cheer-up my brother, walk in the sunshine."
My friend is right! There's plenty to be happy about -- in politics and government and everything else. Name it and claim it, y'all. Let's have some joyful comments! Red alert: No negativity today.
I'll start. I found out sort of by accident last night that a good friend of mine has been praying for me, for a specific need, and I didn't know it. I think he let it slip while we were talking about a related topic.
How. Cool. Is. That?
He asked me do him likewise for a specific need he has.
More. Coolness.
He and I are of different Christian denominations, and we disagree on politics and many other things. But we meet under the Cross -- and that's what it's all about.
Y'allses' turn. Happy thoughts, please. Any topic.
--ER
Spirit of Truman
Hope springs eternal ...
--ER
By George F. Will
Newsweek
Oct. 2, 2006 issue - Republicans regret, or say they do, that there are no more "Truman Democrats" —- Democrats as hardheaded about national security as was the president who formulated the cold-war policy of containment.
That regret must amuse the gangly, soft-spoken 15-term congressman from Truman country —- western Missouri, where they pronounce it "Massouruh." If Democrats capture the House in November, Ike Skelton will become chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The Republicans might wish there were one fewer Truman Democrat.
Read all about it.
--ER
By George F. Will
Newsweek
Oct. 2, 2006 issue - Republicans regret, or say they do, that there are no more "Truman Democrats" —- Democrats as hardheaded about national security as was the president who formulated the cold-war policy of containment.
That regret must amuse the gangly, soft-spoken 15-term congressman from Truman country —- western Missouri, where they pronounce it "Massouruh." If Democrats capture the House in November, Ike Skelton will become chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The Republicans might wish there were one fewer Truman Democrat.
Read all about it.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
'Let Justice Roll'
Here's an idea:
Let's try actually legislating morality, instead of immorality, for a change!
It is immoral that people work full time, but have to choose between
paying the rent and paying for child care.
It is immoral to have wages so low that people working in the food
industry depend on food banks to help feed their families.
It is immoral that health care aides can't afford health insurance.
It is immoral that the children of child care and school support
workers can't afford college.
Pass minimum-wage legislation now.
Let Justice Roll.
--ER
Let's try actually legislating morality, instead of immorality, for a change!
It is immoral that people work full time, but have to choose between
paying the rent and paying for child care.
It is immoral to have wages so low that people working in the food
industry depend on food banks to help feed their families.
It is immoral that health care aides can't afford health insurance.
It is immoral that the children of child care and school support
workers can't afford college.
Pass minimum-wage legislation now.
Let Justice Roll.
--ER
Monday, September 25, 2006
Blogroll editing
I've knocked some blogs off of my blogroll, mostly because the bloggers quit blogging, or they quit being interesting to me, or, in the case of Trucker Philosophy, they just went plumb off the deep end.
It's not his wacky neocon, pseudo-Christian, pseudo-libertarian opinions that got me. Hey he's entitled. It's that he bought into -- hook, line and sinker -- pure political evil with the linked post. What a goober.
So, tell me some of the blogs you read all the time. Not just the ones on your blogroll. Which ones do you actually look at pretty regularly?
I don't care how "out there" they are witn their opinions, but I would hope they actually have at least a light grasp on reality.
--ER
It's not his wacky neocon, pseudo-Christian, pseudo-libertarian opinions that got me. Hey he's entitled. It's that he bought into -- hook, line and sinker -- pure political evil with the linked post. What a goober.
So, tell me some of the blogs you read all the time. Not just the ones on your blogroll. Which ones do you actually look at pretty regularly?
I don't care how "out there" they are witn their opinions, but I would hope they actually have at least a light grasp on reality.
--ER
eep
Changing. Computer system ... at work ... change = different = BAD. One day of training done. One to go. ... *real work* piling up. .. Off work mid-October. ... Need. To. Work. Ahead. Not. Get. Behind. ... Dr. ER traveling this week. ER working late-late hours. ... Ice-T lonesome. ... Bailey and Riker hungry ... Mayday, mayday!
--ER
--ER
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Iraq war spawned terrorism: Duh!
Writes Mark Mazzetti in Sunday's New York Times:
"A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks."
Read more at Capitol Hill Blue.
Here's an idea I heard today. Rather than impeach President Bush, can the United Methodist Church be persuaded to recall him as defective?
Here's the applicable section of the Methodists' Social Creed: "We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world."
Peace solely on the terms of barely fettered capitalism is no peace. The rule of justice and law among nations is all but unknown among the neocons. Freedom really *is* just another word for nothing left to lose, according to Bush & Co.'s neocon Gospel.
Recall Bush.
--ER
"A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks."
Read more at Capitol Hill Blue.
Here's an idea I heard today. Rather than impeach President Bush, can the United Methodist Church be persuaded to recall him as defective?
Here's the applicable section of the Methodists' Social Creed: "We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world."
Peace solely on the terms of barely fettered capitalism is no peace. The rule of justice and law among nations is all but unknown among the neocons. Freedom really *is* just another word for nothing left to lose, according to Bush & Co.'s neocon Gospel.
Recall Bush.
--ER
Suburban farm report
Let it be known that I, ER, prone to self-injury and arachnid attack, worked in the yard for eight solid hours yesterday and did NOT lose any limbs or minor appendages or otherwise injure myself despite using sundry blunt instruments and sharp-edged tools including a spade shovel, post-hole diggers, long-handled hand tiller, rake, hatchet, square shovel, long-handled lopping shears, hand trimmers, hand pruner, a crowbar, garden claw and a hoe.
In the main part of our front flowerbed, I tore out a bunch of bermudagrass, dug up two rose bushes, ripped up some ground cover whose time was long past, reset some of the stones around the border, hand-cultivated the whole thing, and planted two 4-gallon yellow mums, two 2-gallon orange mums, two 2-gallon red mums, one 2-gallon white mums and one purply 4-gallon crepe myrtle, then spread six bags of cocoa-colored hardwood mulch, which goes well with the native sandstoney house. Trimmed some other stuff, and thought long about cutting a low-hanging limb from the oak tree in the front yard, but decided to not.
Of course, I can barely move today. At least I am uniformly worn out. I hate it when just one set of muscles is sore.
As I was finishing up, it occurred to me why, despite wanting to all that for a couple of years but never seeming to get to it, I finally did:
I did very similar kinds of things the Saturday before at church. I think the wherewithal to get after it at my own house started there. You see inspiration when you look for it.
But what's the principle here? I thought it might have been a case of the bread coming back over the waters to me, a la Ecclesiastes 11:1, but that doesn't fit. Then I thought it might've been the "give and it'll come back to you idea," a la Luke 6:38, but that doesn't fit. Hmmm ...
--ER
In the main part of our front flowerbed, I tore out a bunch of bermudagrass, dug up two rose bushes, ripped up some ground cover whose time was long past, reset some of the stones around the border, hand-cultivated the whole thing, and planted two 4-gallon yellow mums, two 2-gallon orange mums, two 2-gallon red mums, one 2-gallon white mums and one purply 4-gallon crepe myrtle, then spread six bags of cocoa-colored hardwood mulch, which goes well with the native sandstoney house. Trimmed some other stuff, and thought long about cutting a low-hanging limb from the oak tree in the front yard, but decided to not.
Of course, I can barely move today. At least I am uniformly worn out. I hate it when just one set of muscles is sore.
As I was finishing up, it occurred to me why, despite wanting to all that for a couple of years but never seeming to get to it, I finally did:
I did very similar kinds of things the Saturday before at church. I think the wherewithal to get after it at my own house started there. You see inspiration when you look for it.
But what's the principle here? I thought it might have been a case of the bread coming back over the waters to me, a la Ecclesiastes 11:1, but that doesn't fit. Then I thought it might've been the "give and it'll come back to you idea," a la Luke 6:38, but that doesn't fit. Hmmm ...
--ER
Friday, September 22, 2006
'Together with homosexuals'
By The Erudite Redneck
These are some of the most honest, rational yet grace-filled comments on the tangled subject of homosexuality and the church that I've ever seen.
They come from Open Source Theology.
The thread is "Homosexuality and the Renewal of Creation."
"There are, of course, all sorts of ways in which we fall short of the creational ideal - the widespread breakdown of Christian marriages, from that point of view, is as much an affront to the original and originating goodness of God as homosexuality. Whatever the state of our sexual relationships, we participate in the church as broken people. Shouldn’t we confess that to one another, share it - homosexuals and heterosexuals alike? Isn’t that the proper ground for unity in Christ?"
And,
"To the extent that homosexuality is an inescapable part of this creation, whether biologically or culturally, the responsibility of the heterosexual church is now not to exclude but to struggle together with homosexuals to represent both the difficult process and the elusive end-product of creation renewal. The process calls for grace; the end-product calls for clarity of witness."
I am not necessarily "comfortable" around homosexuals. That is not the point, though. I'm not comfortable around brusque, loud-mouthed Yankee types, either. Or anybody who talks too fast for my Southern ears, for that matter.
Or, to be perfectly honest: when I'm the only white person in a crowd of (fill in the blank with *any* other ethnic group).
But, so what?
Neither Jew nor Greek, nor erudite nor redneck, nor male nor female, nor homosexual nor heterosexual IN CHRIST.
Homosexuals and transgendered people are the "others" of this era of the church (along with rank-and-file Muslims) -- the neighbors we're called to love.
A side thought:
I grew up hearing that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Talk about splitting hairs! If God is Love, and God *is* LOVE, then He grieves over sin -- ALL sin -- and loves the sinner, especially the sinner most tangled up in sin.
The other day in what passes for Oklahoma City's "alternative" paper, a homosexual man wrote in, in response to an article talking about a cetain church's openness to LGBTs, to declare that he was NOT a sinner and that he resented being mentioned in the same breath as "prostitutes, lepers and others," other historically marginalzed people that Jesus reached out to.
I don't blame him. We're clumsy sometimes when we talk about marginalized people and how Jesus's example shows us to accept them unconditionally and let God sort out the Big Questions. The church *has* marginalized people -- and many churches still do. But the whole point of the article apparently was to extend a welcome. I hope the gay guy *gets* that eventually. And I hope that he *gets* that we're all sinners.
--ER
These are some of the most honest, rational yet grace-filled comments on the tangled subject of homosexuality and the church that I've ever seen.
They come from Open Source Theology.
The thread is "Homosexuality and the Renewal of Creation."
"There are, of course, all sorts of ways in which we fall short of the creational ideal - the widespread breakdown of Christian marriages, from that point of view, is as much an affront to the original and originating goodness of God as homosexuality. Whatever the state of our sexual relationships, we participate in the church as broken people. Shouldn’t we confess that to one another, share it - homosexuals and heterosexuals alike? Isn’t that the proper ground for unity in Christ?"
And,
"To the extent that homosexuality is an inescapable part of this creation, whether biologically or culturally, the responsibility of the heterosexual church is now not to exclude but to struggle together with homosexuals to represent both the difficult process and the elusive end-product of creation renewal. The process calls for grace; the end-product calls for clarity of witness."
I am not necessarily "comfortable" around homosexuals. That is not the point, though. I'm not comfortable around brusque, loud-mouthed Yankee types, either. Or anybody who talks too fast for my Southern ears, for that matter.
Or, to be perfectly honest: when I'm the only white person in a crowd of (fill in the blank with *any* other ethnic group).
But, so what?
Neither Jew nor Greek, nor erudite nor redneck, nor male nor female, nor homosexual nor heterosexual IN CHRIST.
Homosexuals and transgendered people are the "others" of this era of the church (along with rank-and-file Muslims) -- the neighbors we're called to love.
A side thought:
I grew up hearing that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Talk about splitting hairs! If God is Love, and God *is* LOVE, then He grieves over sin -- ALL sin -- and loves the sinner, especially the sinner most tangled up in sin.
The other day in what passes for Oklahoma City's "alternative" paper, a homosexual man wrote in, in response to an article talking about a cetain church's openness to LGBTs, to declare that he was NOT a sinner and that he resented being mentioned in the same breath as "prostitutes, lepers and others," other historically marginalzed people that Jesus reached out to.
I don't blame him. We're clumsy sometimes when we talk about marginalized people and how Jesus's example shows us to accept them unconditionally and let God sort out the Big Questions. The church *has* marginalized people -- and many churches still do. But the whole point of the article apparently was to extend a welcome. I hope the gay guy *gets* that eventually. And I hope that he *gets* that we're all sinners.
--ER
Thursday, September 21, 2006
9th Circuit gets one right
No ranting or raving this time. I am trying to opine on the sayings and doings of the right-wing "parachurch organization" Focus on (hoo hoo) the Family without committing the same kinds of rhetorical sins I accuse them of!
Really. I am trying.
But, as FOTF reports today ...
An evangelical Christian church will not be allowed to meet at a California public library after all, according to two judges on the most overturned court in America.
Read the story.
Now, here's why the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals got this right -- and not only right under the Constitution but right for the sake of the church -- I mean the universal holy and catholic church in America -- as well.
The church *IS DIFFERENT* from other kinds of organizations! This decision protects it from itself, as well as protecting the government from itself, and it protects the church from the government and the government from the church!
I'll never understand how churches, church leaders and "parachurch organizations" can't see that.
But they want to be treated like every other community organization. It says so in the FOTF story!
God blesss the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and God bless these united states of America.
--ER
(How'd I do on the anger meter? I really *am* trying not to get so dog-kickin' mad about FOTF. I'm tryin' to repent of it, you might say.)
Really. I am trying.
But, as FOTF reports today ...
An evangelical Christian church will not be allowed to meet at a California public library after all, according to two judges on the most overturned court in America.
Read the story.
Now, here's why the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals got this right -- and not only right under the Constitution but right for the sake of the church -- I mean the universal holy and catholic church in America -- as well.
The church *IS DIFFERENT* from other kinds of organizations! This decision protects it from itself, as well as protecting the government from itself, and it protects the church from the government and the government from the church!
I'll never understand how churches, church leaders and "parachurch organizations" can't see that.
But they want to be treated like every other community organization. It says so in the FOTF story!
God blesss the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and God bless these united states of America.
--ER
(How'd I do on the anger meter? I really *am* trying not to get so dog-kickin' mad about FOTF. I'm tryin' to repent of it, you might say.)
Jesus, an Indian?
"I have come to the conclusion that this Jesus was an Indian. He was opposed to material acquirement and to great possessions. He was inclined to peace. He was as unpractical as any Indian and set no price upon his labor of love. These are not the principles upon which the white man has founded his civilization."
-- Dr. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa, a Santee Sioux), 1916, quoted in Jon Reyhner and Jeanne Eder, American Indian Education: A History (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004).
(ER editorial comment: Obviously, Eastman/Ohiyesa was thinking of the Plains tribes, or the eastern tribes before they encountered Europeans).
Discuss.
--ER
-- Dr. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa, a Santee Sioux), 1916, quoted in Jon Reyhner and Jeanne Eder, American Indian Education: A History (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004).
(ER editorial comment: Obviously, Eastman/Ohiyesa was thinking of the Plains tribes, or the eastern tribes before they encountered Europeans).
Discuss.
--ER
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Piki uba ish binili ma!
Piki uba ish binili ma! Chi hohchifo hut holitopashke. Ish apehlichika yut ulaske. Nana ish ai ahni ka yakni pakna ya a yohmi kut, uba yakni a yohmi mak o chiyuhmashke. Himak nitak ilhpak pim ai ulhpesa kako ish pi ipetashke. Mikmut nana il aheka pua ish pi kashofi kut, pishno ut nana pim aheka puta il i kashofi chatuk a ish chiyuhmichashke. Mikmut anukpulika yoka ik ia chik pim aihno hosh, amba nanopulo a ish pi a hlakofininchashke: Apehlichika, mikmut nan-isht-aiahli, micha isht aholitopa aiena kut chimmi a nilia yoke. Amen.
Matthew 6: 9-13.
:-)
A, Chahta iskitini anumpili li. (Yes, I can speak a little Choctaw.)
xxx
Not that I've learned this, only how to pronounce the words, more or less!
Last night, we opened by reciting the Lord's Prayer and with a hymn, with Chisus being the only word I knew: "Jesus."
I was reminded of something a grown nephew of mine told me about being in South Korea in the Air Force. He said he heard a familar refrain and followed the sound of the music until he recognized it as a hymn, and kept following it until he could hear the voices, and was startled to hear it being sung in Korean.
A minor epiphany ensued. And a major sharing of faith, despite the language barrier.
Being part of a mixed-heritage group of people singing about Chisus had a similar effect on me. Very cool.
--ER
Matthew 6: 9-13.
:-)
A, Chahta iskitini anumpili li. (Yes, I can speak a little Choctaw.)
xxx
Not that I've learned this, only how to pronounce the words, more or less!
Last night, we opened by reciting the Lord's Prayer and with a hymn, with Chisus being the only word I knew: "Jesus."
I was reminded of something a grown nephew of mine told me about being in South Korea in the Air Force. He said he heard a familar refrain and followed the sound of the music until he recognized it as a hymn, and kept following it until he could hear the voices, and was startled to hear it being sung in Korean.
A minor epiphany ensued. And a major sharing of faith, despite the language barrier.
Being part of a mixed-heritage group of people singing about Chisus had a similar effect on me. Very cool.
--ER
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
El Necko Rojo con Erudicion
Or something like that.
I took Spanish for three years of high school. I remember some, but not much -- although I'll bet I could brush up on it pretty quick.
Tonight, I'm going to the first meeting of a Choctaw language class. Dr. ER, whose pee aytch dee is in brains and how they work, more or less, says that the ability to learn language is strongest in the young. I'm a middle-aged fart. We'll see.
My limited Spanish will help me some as the country becomes more and more Mexicanized. Also, if I were to go on for my own pee aytch dee, most programs in my discipline require one or two languages.
Leaning Choctaw will aid in my research of bilingual Choctaw-English newspapers, and would help toward a pee aytch dee, too.
What languages do you speak beside Ingles? How do, or have, you used them?
--ER
I took Spanish for three years of high school. I remember some, but not much -- although I'll bet I could brush up on it pretty quick.
Tonight, I'm going to the first meeting of a Choctaw language class. Dr. ER, whose pee aytch dee is in brains and how they work, more or less, says that the ability to learn language is strongest in the young. I'm a middle-aged fart. We'll see.
My limited Spanish will help me some as the country becomes more and more Mexicanized. Also, if I were to go on for my own pee aytch dee, most programs in my discipline require one or two languages.
Leaning Choctaw will aid in my research of bilingual Choctaw-English newspapers, and would help toward a pee aytch dee, too.
What languages do you speak beside Ingles? How do, or have, you used them?
--ER
Monday, September 18, 2006
OU's biggest whiny titty baby
I just can't believe this.
David Boren, president of the university of Oklahoma, is a former United States senator, for cryin' out loud. Pardon the expression, but he "Stoops" pretty low with this whining.
Read what the whiny titty baby is saying.
He did every shy of yelling "Do overs! Do overs!"
Boomer loser! Boomer loser!
BTW, you sooners just keep your tongue about the string of cupcakes my alma mater Oklahoma State has picked off this year. I've been embarrassed all season at the K-8 teams OSU lined up. I might start paying attention with the OSU-Houston game this Saturday.
I never imagined that something the *other* university in this state could do would make me more embarrassed. But there it is. Once again, ou has lived up to my lowest expectations.
The sooners got shafted by bad calls. No doubt. Tape doesn't lie. But what whiners!
And the university president hisself is the Biggest Whiner of 'em All.
They all need to Cowboy up.
--ER
David Boren, president of the university of Oklahoma, is a former United States senator, for cryin' out loud. Pardon the expression, but he "Stoops" pretty low with this whining.
Read what the whiny titty baby is saying.
He did every shy of yelling "Do overs! Do overs!"
Boomer loser! Boomer loser!
BTW, you sooners just keep your tongue about the string of cupcakes my alma mater Oklahoma State has picked off this year. I've been embarrassed all season at the K-8 teams OSU lined up. I might start paying attention with the OSU-Houston game this Saturday.
I never imagined that something the *other* university in this state could do would make me more embarrassed. But there it is. Once again, ou has lived up to my lowest expectations.
The sooners got shafted by bad calls. No doubt. Tape doesn't lie. But what whiners!
And the university president hisself is the Biggest Whiner of 'em All.
They all need to Cowboy up.
--ER
God is ... ?
Authoritarian?
Benevolent?
Critical?
Distant?
Read Rubel Shelly's article about the Baylor study.
I tend to see Him as distantly benevolent, myself.
What say y'all?
--ER
Benevolent?
Critical?
Distant?
Read Rubel Shelly's article about the Baylor study.
I tend to see Him as distantly benevolent, myself.
What say y'all?
--ER
Sunday, September 17, 2006
'Who Would Jesus bomb?' indeed
By Janet Pearson
Tulsa World Editorial Writer
How does America spell God? Not G-O-P -- at least, not if the growing ranks of the "Faithful Democrats" have their way.
Read all about it.
--ER
Tulsa World Editorial Writer
How does America spell God? Not G-O-P -- at least, not if the growing ranks of the "Faithful Democrats" have their way.
Read all about it.
--ER
Sleep aid: Philippians 4:17
CORRECTED. -- ER
The other night I awoke, as I sometimes do, in physical pain (my shoulders and back) and emotionally distraught (semi-regular spiritual distress).
Who amongst us doesn't? (If you don't, be glad!)
The thought that gripped me as I wrestled to go back to sleep:
"We're all so desperate.
It's hard to explain, but for those few moments, I felt my part in the continuum of humanity, and that was the underlying sentiment-emotion-feeling:
Desperate. We all are just so desperate!
And around that dark thought, my tossing and turning ceased, and down came what can only be called a peace that passes all understanding, and I relaxed and slept.
We're desperate, God knows. God knows we're desperate.
We're desperate. God knows.
That's why the Prayer of Confession today at this church resonated with me:
God of hope and joy, we long for you in ways we do not even understand. We seek your face when we do not even realize it. We need your presence in our lives. Let us find you by calling for you with all of your names. Help us to expand our limited sight, to stretch our prejudiced ears and to break out of our finite experience so that we may experience your infiniteness. In Christ's name we PRAY, Amen.
--ER
The other night I awoke, as I sometimes do, in physical pain (my shoulders and back) and emotionally distraught (semi-regular spiritual distress).
Who amongst us doesn't? (If you don't, be glad!)
The thought that gripped me as I wrestled to go back to sleep:
"We're all so desperate.
It's hard to explain, but for those few moments, I felt my part in the continuum of humanity, and that was the underlying sentiment-emotion-feeling:
Desperate. We all are just so desperate!
And around that dark thought, my tossing and turning ceased, and down came what can only be called a peace that passes all understanding, and I relaxed and slept.
We're desperate, God knows. God knows we're desperate.
We're desperate. God knows.
That's why the Prayer of Confession today at this church resonated with me:
God of hope and joy, we long for you in ways we do not even understand. We seek your face when we do not even realize it. We need your presence in our lives. Let us find you by calling for you with all of your names. Help us to expand our limited sight, to stretch our prejudiced ears and to break out of our finite experience so that we may experience your infiniteness. In Christ's name we PRAY, Amen.
--ER
Friday, September 15, 2006
Tromping greens
The spinach story is giving me flashbacks to my youth.
I narrowly avoided having to tromp greens to make spending money -- and thereby, y'all, I have entered the phrases "tromping greens" and "tromp greens" into the ether of the Internet. Google knew not of such just a few minutes ago.
Tromping greens is what boys did to make money before and around the time I was gettin' big enough to work, growing up in rural eastern Oklahoma. Two or three boys in the back of a big truck would tromp down greens -- turnip, mustard, collard, or spinach -- to pack them, as they was harvested and thrown in on and amongst 'em by a machine.
My big brother did this, he says, until he got a snake thrown in on him.
Snakes on a truck!
Myself, I didn't have opportunity to tromp greens for some reason, even though my uncles grew greens. I hauled hay instead -- only once or twice with my own pickup, more often for another boy who used *his* truck.
As I recall, he hauled for 25 cents a bale -- the little square bales, I mean -- and paid two boys, me and someone else, a nickel a bale to take turns tossing them on the truck and stacking them, then to toss them off the truck and stack them in a barn. This was about 1980-1981.
Amd I hoed watermelons one spring, and then hauled them that summer. Did lots of brush-hogging on the home place. No tromping greens.
Tromping greens sounded fun, snakes and all. I've always been a little jealous of Brother ER 'cause he go to!
What did y'all do for spending money when you were 15 or 16 or so??
--ER
I narrowly avoided having to tromp greens to make spending money -- and thereby, y'all, I have entered the phrases "tromping greens" and "tromp greens" into the ether of the Internet. Google knew not of such just a few minutes ago.
Tromping greens is what boys did to make money before and around the time I was gettin' big enough to work, growing up in rural eastern Oklahoma. Two or three boys in the back of a big truck would tromp down greens -- turnip, mustard, collard, or spinach -- to pack them, as they was harvested and thrown in on and amongst 'em by a machine.
My big brother did this, he says, until he got a snake thrown in on him.
Snakes on a truck!
Myself, I didn't have opportunity to tromp greens for some reason, even though my uncles grew greens. I hauled hay instead -- only once or twice with my own pickup, more often for another boy who used *his* truck.
As I recall, he hauled for 25 cents a bale -- the little square bales, I mean -- and paid two boys, me and someone else, a nickel a bale to take turns tossing them on the truck and stacking them, then to toss them off the truck and stack them in a barn. This was about 1980-1981.
Amd I hoed watermelons one spring, and then hauled them that summer. Did lots of brush-hogging on the home place. No tromping greens.
Tromping greens sounded fun, snakes and all. I've always been a little jealous of Brother ER 'cause he go to!
What did y'all do for spending money when you were 15 or 16 or so??
--ER
Big 12 babes bare all
I am SO proud.
Oklahoma State Cowgirls -- bareback! (Just a story from the college paper; no nudity exposed!)
Big 12? Shouldn't it be "Big 24"?
Hoo, hoo -- hooter!
Hey, I'm no prude. Far from it.
I asked Bird to get me an autographed copy. She demurred. (Actually, she laughed.)
HAPPY FRIDAY, Y'ALL & ALL!
--ER
Oklahoma State Cowgirls -- bareback! (Just a story from the college paper; no nudity exposed!)
Big 12? Shouldn't it be "Big 24"?
Hoo, hoo -- hooter!
Hey, I'm no prude. Far from it.
I asked Bird to get me an autographed copy. She demurred. (Actually, she laughed.)
HAPPY FRIDAY, Y'ALL & ALL!
--ER
Thursday, September 14, 2006
'Grace' under fire; 'Rosie's riveting truth
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Stop, look and listen! Warner, McCain and Graham!
Webster, Clay and Calhoun, they ain't -- but thank God for these six balls! May Congress grow more!
Bush faces Senate rebellion on tribunals.
--ER
Bush faces Senate rebellion on tribunals.
--ER
Bush make's bin Laden's case
Dangerous, dangerous stuff for people, especially the president, to boil this nation's enemies down to "islamofascism, as if it our enemies were unified.
To lump them together makes it easier for them to actually work together, despite their natural antagonisms toward one another.
We have enemies, people, not "an enemy." But wait, that takes determined thought and determined action, not just emotional, knee-jerk reaction, like this.
Fareed Zakaria says it better than I can.
We have enemies, not "an enemy." Once we let the simple-minded idea of "an enemy" set, we will blind oursleves to those who don't fit that preconceived notion.
Unfortunately, the president himself, unwittingly working with Osama, is the creator in chief of this false notion.
--ER
P.S. Oh. I don't reckon anybody's readin' these reruns, but here anyway.
9/14/01+5
To lump them together makes it easier for them to actually work together, despite their natural antagonisms toward one another.
We have enemies, people, not "an enemy." But wait, that takes determined thought and determined action, not just emotional, knee-jerk reaction, like this.
Fareed Zakaria says it better than I can.
We have enemies, not "an enemy." Once we let the simple-minded idea of "an enemy" set, we will blind oursleves to those who don't fit that preconceived notion.
Unfortunately, the president himself, unwittingly working with Osama, is the creator in chief of this false notion.
--ER
P.S. Oh. I don't reckon anybody's readin' these reruns, but here anyway.
9/14/01+5
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
'The Steel Magnolia of Texas'
(CLARIFICATION -- CORRECTION -- CLARIFICATION -- CORRECTIONMy comment below makes it appearsd is if Ann was referring to George W. Bush when she made her infamous "silver foot" remark. Fact is, I misremembered it.
I misremembered that she said it during the gubernatorial election agin' Dubya in Texas. She said it during her keynote address to the 1988 Democratic National Convention, about the wealthy, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.
--ER)
Ann Richards, 73, has died.
The news is so new, I can't find anything on Google News -- but somehow Wikipedia knows! Ann sized up "poor George" Bush way before anybody else had his number.
"Poor George. He cain't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth!"
My brush with greatness:
As a reporter, I had cause to ask her a question when she was in a situation surrounded by adoring fans -- of which I was one.
I don't remember the question, but I do remember that it was the kind of hard question often perceived as "unfriendly." She handled it with grace and aplomb -- and, as I recall, she actually answered it. Imagine.
Her adoring fans were not amused, however. If looks could kill ...
Godspeed, Ann.
(OK. Her obit is up now.)
--ER
Catherine of Sienna
If I were to convert to Catholicism, or Orthodoxy -- not likely -- would I get to pick my own saint?If so, it'd be Catherine of Sienna. I think she is cool for many, many reasons.
Mystic? Check.
Strong-willed woman? Check.
Thought of the poor first? Check?
Probably a redhead.
So, really. Any Catholics in the house? Do y'all get to pick your own personal saints? I ask with all due respect. What about Orthodox? Hmm?
Who else in Christendom takes saints seriously? Scoffing at such notions is one of the things I abandoned when I abandoned fundamentalism.
Read about St. Catherine here.
And here.
And here.
--ER
9/13/01+5
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Chicks & Music Row DEMOCRATS
Dixie Chicks Frontwoman Blasts Bush. Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the The Dixie Chicks, has not changed her tune.
Read all about it.
xxxxx
God save America, and God Bless Natalie Maines, from Virtual Lubbock.
xxxxx
The Republicans have spent the last 30 years and hundreds of millions of dollars trying to convince us that they are the party of everyday, hard-working Amricans. It's time to tell the truth.
Music Row Democrats.
--ER
Read all about it.
xxxxx
God save America, and God Bless Natalie Maines, from Virtual Lubbock.
xxxxx
The Republicans have spent the last 30 years and hundreds of millions of dollars trying to convince us that they are the party of everyday, hard-working Amricans. It's time to tell the truth.
Music Row Democrats.
--ER
I need some of these fish
Who can tell me why?
--ER
'This hole in the ground'
9/12/01 + 5
Monday, September 11, 2006
National field demotion, 'stinging rebuke'
I would consider impeachment of George Bush as sort of a national field demotion of the commander in chief of the armed forces, for dereliction of duty.
What Bush has gone and done is just what J.E.B. Stuart did to Robert E. Lee Lee at Gettysburg: He went off on a damn tangent, in Iraq, just when he was needed most.
Summary from Wikipedia (Stuart is Bush; "the lead element" is Al Quaida; Lee is the nation; the "stinging rebuke," with any luck, is impeachment!):
As Lee and Union General George G. Meade marched toward each other at Gettysburg, Lee ordered Stuart to screen the Confederate army as it moved down the Shenandoah Valley and to maintain contact with the lead element, Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps, as it advanced in the direction of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Stuart somehow interpreted these orders to once again attempt to circle the Union army and he found himself well to the east of Ewell, out of contact with the Union army and out of communications with Lee. Lee was left in serious difficulty, in enemy territory without detailed knowledge of the terrain, roads, or his opponent's strength and positions. And this lack of knowledge was the primary reason that the Battle of Gettysburg started almost by accident on July 1, 1863, before Lee could concentrate his army as he had planned. Stuart arrived late on the second day of the battle, bringing a caravan of captured Union supply wagons with him, and receiving a stinging rebuke from Lee.
--ER
What Bush has gone and done is just what J.E.B. Stuart did to Robert E. Lee Lee at Gettysburg: He went off on a damn tangent, in Iraq, just when he was needed most.
Summary from Wikipedia (Stuart is Bush; "the lead element" is Al Quaida; Lee is the nation; the "stinging rebuke," with any luck, is impeachment!):
As Lee and Union General George G. Meade marched toward each other at Gettysburg, Lee ordered Stuart to screen the Confederate army as it moved down the Shenandoah Valley and to maintain contact with the lead element, Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps, as it advanced in the direction of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Stuart somehow interpreted these orders to once again attempt to circle the Union army and he found himself well to the east of Ewell, out of contact with the Union army and out of communications with Lee. Lee was left in serious difficulty, in enemy territory without detailed knowledge of the terrain, roads, or his opponent's strength and positions. And this lack of knowledge was the primary reason that the Battle of Gettysburg started almost by accident on July 1, 1863, before Lee could concentrate his army as he had planned. Stuart arrived late on the second day of the battle, bringing a caravan of captured Union supply wagons with him, and receiving a stinging rebuke from Lee.
--ER
To keep from crying ...
Democrats have erupted in outrage over the latest footage to be leaked from ABC’s upcoming TV miniseries “The Path to 9/11,” which shows former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton flying the planes that destroyed the World Trade Center.
Read all about it.
--ER
Read all about it.
--ER
9/11/01+5
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Fear, loathing and ABC
Friend of mine sent this to the local ABC affiliate. I concur. Someone else will have to compile a list of advertisers to boycott. I won't be watching it. Not just because of what it might get wrong, but because I think the very idea of "dramatizing" 9/11 for profit is sick. Makes me sick just to think about it.
Those of us who haven't sold our souls to the Father of Lies, who haven't traded our American birthright of freedom for a mess of faux patriotic porridge, who still believe that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, and who will give up the Constitution when enemies domestic pry it from our cold dead fingers, find our souls aching right now.
--ER
Greetings from a fellow Oklahoman,
As a matter of principle I am dead set against
censorship, especially the kind that comes because of
hyped-up comments before the fact. In the case of "The
Path to 9/11" the ABC mini-series set to air on
Channel 5 Sunday and Monday, I might make an
exception.
I have read the comments from the conservative
bloggers posted last week that indicated that they
believed that this would vindicate their views that
Clinton was responsible for 9/11. These people
claimed to have seen the first half of the production.
Since that time the firestorm against the series has
erupted. Stangely, many of those conservative blog
posting from last week have been taken down.
Although I abhor censorship, I abhor even more lies,
fraud, and irresponsibility. I do hope ABC has allowed
your station to pre-screen this series. I think you
should run the series if you see fit. I also think
you should take the responsibility for doing so if
indeed it is what the conservative bloggers said it
would be.
Against my better judgment, I will watch this program.
I will also make a list of everyone who advertises on
the program. If I find that content of the program is
fraudulent and non-factual I will contact every
advertiser that appears during the movie, especially
the local ones. I will give the specific things that
I saw wrong with the movie as well as some of the more
egregious comments I have documented from the
conservative right on the web.
I hope that none of this will actually be necessary.
I will inform these advertisers that I personally will
boycott their products, whatever they may be, for one
year or until I see a public apology for their support
for this series. By the way, I am a retired old dude
and I have the time and inclination to follow through
on this.
I do not expect that this will change anything. It
will however make me feel like I didn't stand quietly
by as fascism crept even closer to the core values of
my nation.
Thank you for your time and consideration, if I got
any of either.
END
Those of us who haven't sold our souls to the Father of Lies, who haven't traded our American birthright of freedom for a mess of faux patriotic porridge, who still believe that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, and who will give up the Constitution when enemies domestic pry it from our cold dead fingers, find our souls aching right now.
--ER
Greetings from a fellow Oklahoman,
As a matter of principle I am dead set against
censorship, especially the kind that comes because of
hyped-up comments before the fact. In the case of "The
Path to 9/11" the ABC mini-series set to air on
Channel 5 Sunday and Monday, I might make an
exception.
I have read the comments from the conservative
bloggers posted last week that indicated that they
believed that this would vindicate their views that
Clinton was responsible for 9/11. These people
claimed to have seen the first half of the production.
Since that time the firestorm against the series has
erupted. Stangely, many of those conservative blog
posting from last week have been taken down.
Although I abhor censorship, I abhor even more lies,
fraud, and irresponsibility. I do hope ABC has allowed
your station to pre-screen this series. I think you
should run the series if you see fit. I also think
you should take the responsibility for doing so if
indeed it is what the conservative bloggers said it
would be.
Against my better judgment, I will watch this program.
I will also make a list of everyone who advertises on
the program. If I find that content of the program is
fraudulent and non-factual I will contact every
advertiser that appears during the movie, especially
the local ones. I will give the specific things that
I saw wrong with the movie as well as some of the more
egregious comments I have documented from the
conservative right on the web.
I hope that none of this will actually be necessary.
I will inform these advertisers that I personally will
boycott their products, whatever they may be, for one
year or until I see a public apology for their support
for this series. By the way, I am a retired old dude
and I have the time and inclination to follow through
on this.
I do not expect that this will change anything. It
will however make me feel like I didn't stand quietly
by as fascism crept even closer to the core values of
my nation.
Thank you for your time and consideration, if I got
any of either.
END
9/10/01+5
Five years ago about now, I was with a group on our way to Famous Luigi's, 1132 19th St. NW, in Washington, D.C. We sat upstairs at the front of the restaurant. I sat against the wall, by the little round window, which was propped open to let in air. It was hot.
Earlier that day ...
I am beset with mild blues today. I hope it doesn't portend full-onset melancholy tomorrow. Too much to do at work ...
--ER
Earlier that day ...
I am beset with mild blues today. I hope it doesn't portend full-onset melancholy tomorrow. Too much to do at work ...
--ER
Saturday, September 09, 2006
9/09/01+5 (and 9/08/01+5)
Another Confederate flag
Woo hoo, y'all! Good friend of mine got me a full-size version of this here flag, flown by the Rebel Cherokees in my part of Oklahoma, which then was near where the borders of Arkansas, the Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation met, back during the War of Northern Aggression.It is a right fine addition to my home office decor, which already has the Rebel battle flag (actually the Navy jack), and the Stars and Bars, which actually is the First National Confederate Flag (seven-star).
I am a Southern flagophile!
See various Confederate flags here.
Read about Stand Watie, the only American Indian Confederate general, here.
Hoo boy, do I have lots to do today.
Kitchen is a wreck, laundry is way behind, office needs a touch up, I have GOT to get started preparin' to give a talk on an 1880s-era Indian newspaper I've researched, plus my Oklahoma State Cowboys will dismiss Arkansas State tonight on radio, while the NASCAR's Richmond night race is on the TV in the front room!
And now that it's less than a hunnert outside, my grilling muscle is twitching. Maybe chicken. :-) Better get at it.
--ER
Friday, September 08, 2006
Civilized people?
"I'm not aware of any situation in the world where there is a system of jurisprudence that is recognized by civilized people, where an individual can be tried and convicted without seeing the evidence against him. And I don't think that the United States needs to become the first in that scenario."
-- Brig. Gen. James Walker, U.S. Marine Corps staff judge advocate, in testimony before Congress yesterday
Read all about it.
Read a reasoned call for Congress to grow some balls and rein the president in, from Jurist.
Here, here!
The president and vice president are NOT protecting and defending the Constitution.
Impeach Bush and Cheney Now.
Or tomorrow.
Or the next day.
But soon, for the sake of the country.
--ER
-- Brig. Gen. James Walker, U.S. Marine Corps staff judge advocate, in testimony before Congress yesterday
Read all about it.
Read a reasoned call for Congress to grow some balls and rein the president in, from Jurist.
Here, here!
The president and vice president are NOT protecting and defending the Constitution.
Impeach Bush and Cheney Now.
Or tomorrow.
Or the next day.
But soon, for the sake of the country.
--ER
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Well, isn't this just swill?
'Why did God do this to me?'
James Polehinke, the only survivor of a plane crash that killed 49 people near Lexington, Ky., last week, said to family members from his hospital bed, "Why did God do this to me?"
How would you answer him?
Then, since it could very well be different, what do you tell yourself?
--ER
How would you answer him?
Then, since it could very well be different, what do you tell yourself?
--ER
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Imaginary 'Path to 9/11'
From the Democratic National Committee:
The ABC television network -- a cog in the Walt Disney empire -- unleashed a promotional blitz in the last week for a new "docudrama" called "The Path to 9/11."
ABC bills the two-night production as a public service that is "based on the 9/11 Commission Report." That is false -- it is actually a bald-faced attempt to slander Democrats.
"The Path to 9/11" is a conservative attempt to rewrite the history of September 11th to blame Democrats. The Walt Disney Corporation could have given Americans an honest look at September 11. Instead, the company abandoned its duty to the truth -- and embraced the fiction known as "The Path to 9/11."
Read all about it.
Is anyone surprised? Note it wasn't ABC News that produced this. Whoever is the ABC evening news anchor (sorry, I am blinded by the lovely Ms. Couric) now should walk off the damn set in protest.
As Drlobojo, who pointed me to this, says, paraphrasing the country's current leadership: "It's not Fascism if we do it."
--ER
The ABC television network -- a cog in the Walt Disney empire -- unleashed a promotional blitz in the last week for a new "docudrama" called "The Path to 9/11."
ABC bills the two-night production as a public service that is "based on the 9/11 Commission Report." That is false -- it is actually a bald-faced attempt to slander Democrats.
"The Path to 9/11" is a conservative attempt to rewrite the history of September 11th to blame Democrats. The Walt Disney Corporation could have given Americans an honest look at September 11. Instead, the company abandoned its duty to the truth -- and embraced the fiction known as "The Path to 9/11."
Read all about it.
Is anyone surprised? Note it wasn't ABC News that produced this. Whoever is the ABC evening news anchor (sorry, I am blinded by the lovely Ms. Couric) now should walk off the damn set in protest.
As Drlobojo, who pointed me to this, says, paraphrasing the country's current leadership: "It's not Fascism if we do it."
--ER
Whatever -- I, I, I, I believe 2
Well, I've slid, for sure. Whether I've backslid or frontslid, I leave for others to discern. My theological worldview on June 16, 2005. The current state of my soul, vis-a-vis my mind, follows.
--ER
--ER
 | You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.
What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com |
It's 2006, not 1938
First, if the Bush administration doesn't have the sense to just flat-out ignore Iran's Ahmadinejad, can it at least hire somebody with some wit to craft a suitable response?
For example, the "invitation" to debate Bush? Why not send the brightest ninth-grader from Middle America High School, Anywhere, USA? Or at least suggest it - to keep things fair, you know.
Ahmadinejad is a joke. Why not treat him as such?
By Fareed Zakaria
It's 1938, says liberal columnist Richard Cohen, evoking images of Hitler's armies massing in the face of an appeasing West. No, no, says Newt Gingrich, the Third World War has already begun. Neoconservatives, who can be counted on to escalate, argue that we're actually in the thick of the Fourth World War. Historian Bernard Lewis warned a few weeks ago that Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, could be planning to annihilate Israel (and perhaps even the United States) on Aug. 22 because it was a significant day for Muslims.
Can everyone please take a deep breath?
Read the rest of Zakaria's thoughtful column about Iran.
--ER
For example, the "invitation" to debate Bush? Why not send the brightest ninth-grader from Middle America High School, Anywhere, USA? Or at least suggest it - to keep things fair, you know.
Ahmadinejad is a joke. Why not treat him as such?
By Fareed Zakaria
It's 1938, says liberal columnist Richard Cohen, evoking images of Hitler's armies massing in the face of an appeasing West. No, no, says Newt Gingrich, the Third World War has already begun. Neoconservatives, who can be counted on to escalate, argue that we're actually in the thick of the Fourth World War. Historian Bernard Lewis warned a few weeks ago that Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, could be planning to annihilate Israel (and perhaps even the United States) on Aug. 22 because it was a significant day for Muslims.
Can everyone please take a deep breath?
Read the rest of Zakaria's thoughtful column about Iran.
--ER
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Fundamentalist American president
WASHINGTON — Hardline U.S. President James Dobson called Tuesday for a purge of liberal and secular professors from the country’s universities, urging students to return to 1660s-style conservatism.
"Today, students should shout at the president and ask why liberal and secular university lecturers are present in the universities," the official Christian America News Agency quoted Dobson as saying during a meeting with a group of students.
Dobson complained that reforms in the country's universities were difficult to accomplish and that the educational system had been affected by secularism for the last 350 years. But, he added: "Such a change has begun."
The president, in his role as head of the country's Council of Christian Fundamentalism -- an agency created by the 28th Amendment, which repealed the First Amendment -- does have the authority to make such changes. But his comments Tuesday seemed designed more to encourage hard-line Christian Fundamentalist students to begin a pressure campaign on their own, thus forcing universities to oust the teachers.
Dobson “retired” dozens of liberal university professors and teachers earlier this year. And last November, the Dobson administration named Donald Wildmon to head the country's most revered bastion of liberalism, the University of California at Berkeley, raising howls of protests from students and alumni.
Dobson is widely believed to need to jockey between various conservative and fundamentalist Christian groups at a time when hard-liners increasingly control more of the top rungs of government but still encounter resistance from parts of the public at large. Moderates also still remain in the government.
But Tuesday's comments seemed to follow a campaign promise by Dobson to develop a more Fundamentalist Christian-oriented country. Since taking office, he has also replaced pragmatic veterans in the government with former “culture war” commanders and inexperienced religious hard-liners.
Yikes. Read the real news story here. Ahmadinejad is a son-of-the-devil. This reminds me of when the Taliban started knocking down ancient Buddhist statues in early 2001, and most people in this country shrugged, if they even noticed.
Fundamentalists suck -- all of them.
--ER
"Today, students should shout at the president and ask why liberal and secular university lecturers are present in the universities," the official Christian America News Agency quoted Dobson as saying during a meeting with a group of students.
Dobson complained that reforms in the country's universities were difficult to accomplish and that the educational system had been affected by secularism for the last 350 years. But, he added: "Such a change has begun."
The president, in his role as head of the country's Council of Christian Fundamentalism -- an agency created by the 28th Amendment, which repealed the First Amendment -- does have the authority to make such changes. But his comments Tuesday seemed designed more to encourage hard-line Christian Fundamentalist students to begin a pressure campaign on their own, thus forcing universities to oust the teachers.
Dobson “retired” dozens of liberal university professors and teachers earlier this year. And last November, the Dobson administration named Donald Wildmon to head the country's most revered bastion of liberalism, the University of California at Berkeley, raising howls of protests from students and alumni.
Dobson is widely believed to need to jockey between various conservative and fundamentalist Christian groups at a time when hard-liners increasingly control more of the top rungs of government but still encounter resistance from parts of the public at large. Moderates also still remain in the government.
But Tuesday's comments seemed to follow a campaign promise by Dobson to develop a more Fundamentalist Christian-oriented country. Since taking office, he has also replaced pragmatic veterans in the government with former “culture war” commanders and inexperienced religious hard-liners.
Yikes. Read the real news story here. Ahmadinejad is a son-of-the-devil. This reminds me of when the Taliban started knocking down ancient Buddhist statues in early 2001, and most people in this country shrugged, if they even noticed.
Fundamentalists suck -- all of them.
--ER
Bloggity blog blog blog -- and football
Awwww, shucks, y'all. Somebody done went and nominated this joint for Best Overall Blog in the Okie Blog Awards.
Makes sense for a blog with "redneck" in the name to get put up for a prize with "overall" in it, don't it now?
Much obliged, gracias, and we thank ye for yer support! ;-)
NOW, on to something really important:
How did y'alles' football teams do over the weekend?
My own old high school in eastern Oklahoma lost to some boys in the next county over, in 2A action.
Bird's old high school got whupped by one of its two cross-town rivals in suburban OKC 6A action.
My master's alma mater, Central Oklahoma, lost last Thursday night after double overtime!
So, only one of my teams, my undergrad alama mater, Oklahoma State, won, but I don't care as long as they're playing creampuffs. Honestly. You win such a game, so what? Doedn't mean much. And scheduling them in the first place is a set-up for humiliation.
Finally, in related news, my team of the week, University of Alabama-Birmingham, gave ou a good scare . Just a little gravy there.
--ER
Makes sense for a blog with "redneck" in the name to get put up for a prize with "overall" in it, don't it now?
Much obliged, gracias, and we thank ye for yer support! ;-)
NOW, on to something really important:
How did y'alles' football teams do over the weekend?
My own old high school in eastern Oklahoma lost to some boys in the next county over, in 2A action.
Bird's old high school got whupped by one of its two cross-town rivals in suburban OKC 6A action.
My master's alma mater, Central Oklahoma, lost last Thursday night after double overtime!
So, only one of my teams, my undergrad alama mater, Oklahoma State, won, but I don't care as long as they're playing creampuffs. Honestly. You win such a game, so what? Doedn't mean much. And scheduling them in the first place is a set-up for humiliation.
Finally, in related news, my team of the week, University of Alabama-Birmingham, gave ou a good scare . Just a little gravy there.
--ER
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Crappity crap crap crap!
Great word, "crap." Onomatopoetic in certain instances.
Ice-T is a crap machine! I suppose all cats are. Bein' as how Ice-T is the first cat ever to live under any roof of mine, I continue to be impressed with the offerings he leaves in his little house. (It's a house, too, with walls and a roof and a door.)
So, awhile ago, I was leanin' over it, scoopin' away, thinking: How low have I fallen?
As a little sprout, I used a shovel longer than I was tall to shovel cow manure from the concrete floor of a former milk parlor-turned-feedin' room, into a wheelbarrow that seemed as big as a car, and wheeled it to spread on the vegetable rows. There's honor in that duty.
This mornin' I just slung cat crap out of a box into a trashcan and walked it out to the Dumpster. There is no honor in that dooty!
Off to see Mama ER and Bro ER. It's rib day at Charlie's Chicken. Hot diggity.
Y'all have a good 'un.
--ER
Ice-T is a crap machine! I suppose all cats are. Bein' as how Ice-T is the first cat ever to live under any roof of mine, I continue to be impressed with the offerings he leaves in his little house. (It's a house, too, with walls and a roof and a door.)
So, awhile ago, I was leanin' over it, scoopin' away, thinking: How low have I fallen?
As a little sprout, I used a shovel longer than I was tall to shovel cow manure from the concrete floor of a former milk parlor-turned-feedin' room, into a wheelbarrow that seemed as big as a car, and wheeled it to spread on the vegetable rows. There's honor in that duty.
This mornin' I just slung cat crap out of a box into a trashcan and walked it out to the Dumpster. There is no honor in that dooty!
Off to see Mama ER and Bro ER. It's rib day at Charlie's Chicken. Hot diggity.
Y'all have a good 'un.
--ER
Friday, September 01, 2006
New candidate question
Next time, can we get the press to just come out and ask presidential candidates:
1. Are you smart enough for this job?
2. What the hell makes you think so?
Then ask their mamas and wives -- or husbands -- the same questions.
See what happens. Can't do mich fricking worse.
--ER
1. Are you smart enough for this job?
2. What the hell makes you think so?
Then ask their mamas and wives -- or husbands -- the same questions.
See what happens. Can't do mich fricking worse.
--ER
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