January 2009 archive

Discretion is the better part of valor

We built yellow into our traffic lights because if they went right from red to green with no warning it would be too late to stop in time. Strangely, in matters of personal behavior, people seem to treat yellow lights like they do when they’re driving, they hit the gas.

This is a blog. We sit behind our keyboards and “converse” (you could say banter, or joust, or bitch) with other people who are similarly distant and anonymous. And lately it’s fascinating how much the anger back and forth has become so perverted; the people who claim they are the level-headed intellectuals have found some malicious form of enjoyment in carrying on disagreements to the point they seem to hope the other party has either smashed the computer, shot themselves through the temple, or blown up the building to take as many others with them as possible.

More evidence of unabomber anger below.

This is a long diary. Don’t read it if you’re in a hurry.

According to the Gospel of Jesus

BREAKING:

AP, UPI: 27, January, 2009

Vatican Moles Break Silence on Hidden Gospels by Jesus of Nazareth.

An international group of theologians have been copying and removing long hidden documents from the Vatican and other undisclosed locations that the Catholic Church had repressed.

The Vatican has broadly condemned their actions, and refute the documents validity.

These false documents are too dangerous to ever see the light of day.

“There would be widespread societal breakdown, chaos, riots should these criminals ever publish these documents. There is no evidence these are authentic documents, and to quote from them would be possibly end society as we know it.

We condemn them.

Our sources say, these are gospels written by Jesus of Nazareth himself, who not only studied under the rabbis of his day, but traveled extensively during his “missing” years, and continued to do so into his 90’s.

They contend Jesus was a scholar, and left writings quite contrary to the Biblical Texts we have come to accept, in fact in most cases, contradict them entirely.

More importantly, they claim the largest volume of these writings, in ancient Aramaic, were written when Jesus himself was quite elderly, exposing that he continued to live and travel after 30 AD. His “Symbolic Death and Resurrection,” he claimed, was necessary to leave Israel and continue teaching elsewhere. Jesus’ claim that His Resurrection was symbolic has shaken the very foundation of Christianity.

His response to where his “Christian” followers were heading was not kind.

The volumes have been under study for years by this group of theologians, and the Vatican has threatened excommunication of anyone who reads the texts they have decided to publish. They have condemned these Gospels, and fear reprisals from people who may believe in them, and will be angered that they have been intentionally suppressed.

These are the words they consider most damning:

Let no man speak for God.

Let no man raise himself to a position to speak for God, nor intercede on your behalf.

Following priests, rabbis or holy men is as repulsive to God as idol worship.

Further reading exposes Jesus’ love of studying under other scholars, but only as a tool to find ones own truth, including accepting atheism as valid.

The controversy surrounding the publication of these Scriptures has Global implications.

The bottom line of a free market

There are many things to talk about, but, the economy has got to be at the front of any discussion.  The reason for this is clear; those in power who have money want even more money no matter how they get it.  That is the bottom line of the free market; make money.

It shouldn’t surprise people then, how they manage to make that bottom line…

Muse in the Morning

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Muse in the Morning

Loose Thread

Clarity

Peace

without Justice

is just another name

for War

War

is only defeated

when its offspring

are not born

The spread of Justice

is the nutrient

for Peace

and the abortifacient

for War

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–July 25, 2008

Wednesday Morning Science Supplement

From Yahoo News Science

1 Evolution war still rages 200 years after Darwin’s birth

By Robert S. Boyd, McClatchy Newspapers

Mon Jan 26, 11:55 am ET

WASHINGTON – Two centuries after Charles Darwin’s birth on Feb. 12, 1809 , people still argue passionately about his theory of evolution.

Was Darwin right? Should schoolchildren be exposed to contrary views in science class? These two controversies continue to rage, partly because both sides are evenly matched.

Most scientists and courts that have ruled on the matter say that overwhelming evidence backs Darwin’s explanation of the origin and evolution of species, including humans, by natural selection.

An Entry To My Diary

[meh – not going to continue the series, excising it from the world]

Late Night Karaoke

Music From Americas

Pacific Northwest  

Heart – Crazy On You  

Why Omitting Contraception Was Smart Politics

For the record I support the following:

1.  Universal health care coverage for all Americans.

2.  I prefer some form of Medicare for all.  Government guaranteed, privately run health care.

3.  Put the HMO bureaucrats out of business.

4.  Keep Health care separate from employment.

More after the flip.

The biggest swindle of all

Original article, subtitled Bernie Madoff’s $50 billion fraud had a lot in common with the everyday workings of capitalism, says Alan Maass, via socialistworker.org:

THEY LINED up to give him their money because he always delivered. Big European banks, assorted hedge funds, super-rich philanthropists, sports moguls–they all flocked to Bernie Madoff’s investment firm because he produced stellar returns, year in and year out.

Pony Party – Open Thread

This Pony Party is an Open Thread – Please do not rec the Open Thread.  Chat Away!

Who Caved?

Via TPM….

It may be time to coin the phrase “pulling a Specter,” because Sen. Arlen Specter (PA), the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, just did it again. After making a huge fuss questioning the independence of Eric Holder, Specter just caved and said he’ll support the attorney general nominee.

“I can say with some confidence that there won’t be a successful filibuster,” Specter told reporters at a press conference gathered to share his thoughts on Holder in advance of tomorrow’s Judiciary panel vote on the nominee.

Specter added that the strong recommendations Holder received from former FBI director Louis Freeh and former DoJ No. 2 James Comey were influential in swaying his vote.

“At no time did I challenge Mr. Holder’s integrity,” the Pennsylvania senator concluded. (But he sure came close, according to Holder himself.) “It was a question of judgment.”

Speaking of judgment, Holder also has resolved — to Specter’s satisfaction, at least — the GOP demand that he promise not to prosecute Bush administration intelligence officials who engaged in brutal interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.

“The gist of” Holder’s stance on the issue, Specter told me, “is that if you have an authoritative legal opinion, that’s a defense in terms of mens rea, of intent. That’s a broad generalization. I don’t think you can go any further than that until you examine the specific facts of a case.”

Let us HOPE it was Spectre…

Knocking Down Bush’s Legal Advice Torture Defense

If you wish to repost this essay you can download a .txt file of the html here  (right click and save). Permission granted. (Thanks Edger for coding!)

Bush thinks he can beat a torture prosecution because the law provides a defense of acting on legal counsel’s advice.  So, Bush can whip out those infamous legal memos, which opined that torture lite is not torture.

However, two little jabs can knock down this defense. One poke should educate the public (and potential jurors) that torture lite is torture under the law. Bush is banking on people limiting torture to gruesome, physical mutilations even though seemingly harmless acts cause similar pain, injuries and death. Jurors believing this false distinction are more likely to find Bush had reasonable grounds to rely on legal advice that supported his view.  The second poke ties in the reality that Bush ignored US findings that torture lite methods constitute torture, particularly when several techniques are combined together. This jab also includes the truth that prisoners killed by those innocuous stress positions renders it unreasonable for a President to claim good faith reliance on legal advice of his hired guns.

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