Van Jones is back...

Van Jones to Glenn Beck: ‘I see you, and I love you, brother.’

Last year, one of Fox News host Glenn Beck’s top targets was Van Jones, former Obama administration special adviser for green jobs. Beck went on a vicious character assassination campaign against Jones, calling him “a communist-anarchist radical.” Despite all the attacks he endured, last night at the NAACP Image Awards, Jones refused to drop down to Beck’s level. At the end of his speech accepting the President’s Award for his work promoting a green economy, Jones instead had kind words for the Fox News host:

Last thing I want to say is this: To my fellow countryman, Mr. Glenn Beck. I see you, and I love you, brother. I love you, and you cannot do anything about it. I love you, and you cannot do anything about it. Let’s be one country! Let’s be one country! Let’s get the job done!

 As the New York Times notes, ironically, local Fox affiliate stations carried Jones’ speech live last night. This past week, the Center for American Progress announced that Jones will be rejoining the think tank as a Senior Fellow and leader of the new Green Opportunity Initiative, which will focus on “creating economic opportunity in distressed communities.” He will also be teaching environmental and economic policy as part of a one-year fellowship at Princeton University.



Fabulous! Who do you think has suffered the most from Becks chalkboard games and his hate-filled agenda?? Beck or Jones? Van Jones is a class act...... Beck IS an act, a classless actor...

self-righteousness abound

 Right- wing slams White House for meeting with atheist 'hate groups'

Officials from the Justice and Health and Human Services departments met Friday with representatives of the Secular Coalition for America, an umbrella group that includes American Atheists and the Council for Secular Humanism. The coalition called it "the first time in history a presidential administration has met for a policy briefing with the American nontheist community."
President Barack Obama was not scheduled to make an appearance at the meeting, nor were any policy changes to be announced, McClatchy news service reported.
But that didn't stop a number of religious conservative groups from attacking the meeting as a sign the president has an anti-religious agenda.

 In comments posted Friday, blogger "Kyle" at Right Wing Watch suggested that religious groups criticizing the Obama administration for welcoming "hate groups" are guilty of hypocrisy.

"President Bush would never have met with anyone who espoused 'hate-filled views' ... would he?" the blogger asked sarcastically, above a list of religious leaders, known for their anti-gay stances, who met with President George W. Bush in the White House during the former president's term.

For the period April 2001 through June 2006, Focus on the Family Founder and Chairman Emeritus James Dobson visited the White House 24 times; 10 of those visits were to President Bush.

Andrea Lafferty, Executive Director of the Traditional Values Coalition, made an astonishing 50 visits to the White House starting on February 1, 2001, and continuing through March 16, 2008. Six of those visits were to President Bush.

The late Jerry Falwell, of Jerry Falwell Ministries, made eight visits to the White House between May 2001 and September 2004. Three of those visits were to President Bush.

Since when are Athiests more hateful then..say.. the GOP??? If you are not "one of them" then you are hate-filled? To tell you the truth, I think people like Jerry Falwell (we think he's probably resting uncomfortably, somewhere very HOT) and James Dobson have hate in their self- righteous hearts. We like to refer to the White House as the peoples house, so the doors should be open for all to visit, black, white, Christian, Non-Christian, Right? You can read more here

clueless repubs

Alot of people are talking about the ICY exchange between President Obama and John McCain, but for me a much more interesting conversation took place between Obama and Bore Barrasso.  in case you missed it,  Barrasso had been talking about a few millionaire types who came to our country for medical care because we have the "best in the world." And as the conversation went on about health savings accounts and Congressmen that's when Obama said but you make 176,000 compared to say someone who makes 40,000, they don't have disposable cash laying around for health savings accounts. He shut Barrasso right up, and also proved the jerk hasn't a clue what the working poor go through with the struggles of paying for insurance. You could tell Obama was perturbed with the lame talking points speeches from the jerks. It was pathetic to say the least. The president gets it, he knows the struggles, he will not drop this "and start over" like they all said. I was impressed with Obama, Reid, and Pelosi today, they stood up to the republicans and took no shit.

GAGGLE OF PRICKS

GOP-GRAND OLD PARTY= GAGGLE OF PRICKS

Liars, Liars, Liars, Motherfuckin, fat, fuckfaced LIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WaaaaaaaaaaaaWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, those dems are gonna use the NUCLEAR OPTION! What the hell are these fucktards talking about??? LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES coming from the most hideous of an excuse for rational human beings I have ever heard!!!!!


These fuckin bastards don't give one flying fuck about ANY of you, so why are you defending them against your own people???? They don't care about you, your kids, your elderly parents, your siblings, they don't care of you die tomorrow or next year, they just want you to die a miserable death. They don't want you to have emergency room care, they don't want you to have MEDICARE either. Did you hear that?? 


What do they want you ask? They want insurance companies to make a profit........fuckin pricks...


sorry, it's been a bad week. Watch Rachel, she says it nicer.

 

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

Crocodile tears from the GOP

Reid: GOP Should 'Stop Crying About Reconciliation'

 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) began to make the case on Tuesday for using a majority-vote process to move the final piece of health care reform through the Senate and he slammed the procedure's GOP critics. Known as budget reconciliation, the maneuver requires 51 votes and can't be filibustered.
The GOP has been demanding that Democrats take reconciliation off the table in advance of a bipartisan health care summit on Thursday.
"I would recommend they go back and look at history. Since 1981, reconciliation has been used 21 times," Reid told reporters after the weekly lunch with his Democratic caucus.
He insisted that Democrats would go to the bipartisan summit with an open mind and attempt to win Republican support, but if that didn't happen, "nothing's off the table."
"Realistically, they should stop crying about reconciliation as if it's never been done before," Reid advised the GOP. It's been done in almost every Congress. And they're the ones who used it more than anyone else."
Reid then rattled off a list of Republican legislative achievements that were pushed through the Senate. "Most of the stuff in the Contract for America was done with reconciliation; tax cuts, done with reconciliation; Medicare [prescription drug benefits], done with reconciliation," said Reid.

Things are happening fast and furious. Don't get negative people, you need to sign everything that comes into your inbox from the progressive organizations, you need to call the White House and the Senators who have not signed the public option letter. My Senator Menendez signed it! Our voices ARE being heard FINALLY!

There are  290 pieces of legislation the House has passed that are  sitting in a drawer in the Senate chamber, When you say nothing is getting done it's because of the obstructionist Congress! After reconciliation is used for the HC bill I think it will be used for the other pieces of legislation too.

Here's a bit of news from Dennis Kucinich,
Congress could temporarily lower the age at which Americans can claim Social Security benefits as a jobs bill, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said Sunday.
Kucinich, a liberal Democrat from the Cleveland area, said a $15 billion proposal he's floating would create 1 million jobs for the U.S. economy.
read the rest here 

We all know Scott Brown voted yes on the jobs bill, I knew the conservatives would be furious. here's a bit from Huffington Post, 
That(the vote) was enough to earn Brown the Drudge banner, complete with the demon-red tint of betrayal! And, subsequently, Scott Brown's honeymoon came to an end like all political honeymoons: amid hotheaded recriminations on Twitter. Ken Layne at Wonkette documented the carnage.
Over at Scott Brown's Facebook page, the mood is much the same, probably because David Broder hasn't written a column yet telling America that the jobs in this jobs bill are so much more awesome than the jobs that came before them because they are "bipartisan." Some of Brown's fans are giving him some support, but the lion's share of comments read like "LYING LOW LIFE SCUM HYPOCRITE!" and "What a bummer dude. We didn't need another Olympia Snowe," and "BROWN, YOU JUST REMEMBER YOU DOUCHEBAG...WE ARE WATCHING YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! AND YOU FAILED AT THE FIRST CHANCE...YOU SCUM SUCKING ASS!!! GUESS MY 10-15 HOUR WORK DAYS WILL HELP PAY FOR THIS TOTAL BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!"

Isn't that a friggin shame? We have a tiny group of republicans voting on a bill to help the people get back to work and they get massacred! Can you imagine what will be said if any decide to vote yes on HC??  The right wants the status quo for the next 3 years I guess...

And The Wicked Shall Inherit Your Pets?

Most folks know that I am no fan of dispensational futurism, including its dogma of the rapture. Part of the reason I reject is the outright strange impasses it creates: such as what unworthy pagan will care for your pets once Jesus takes you away from earth? After all, good Christians care for their pets.

"Why not Us?" says a clever and enterprising atheist. Businesses Week reports that wicked pagan Bret Centre has started a foundation to care for your pets as the world inevitably goes to shit during the tribulation. Futurists are at an uncertain about this, but some are paying the fee.

Yeah, it's weird.

Personally, I can't help but have some respect for Bret Centre. I imagine he thought to himself something like this: "if members of their religion capitalize on the rapture, why shouldn't I?" (LaHaye and Jenkins, after all, aren't exactly living below the poverty line.) Since he never expects the rapture to come, he will never actually have to provide a service. This is, pretty much, free money. If he ever runs out of atheists to care for his pets, I'd like to volunteer myself, every other preterist, and Catholic and Orthodox Christians, who many dispensationalists believe will be left behind.

Perhaps my cynicism is getting the better of me.

In all seriousness, I wonder if this semi-overt exploitation of hysteria is going to warrant a little bit of self-reflection among those who read things like the rapture index. Futurists (like any group I suppose) can make themselves look very silly. More than once folks have racked up their credit cards or called their kids home from college because they expected the tribulation. There has been a small fortune made in selling things like rapture dog tags. Even groups like the SDA started with irrational growing popularity of an end-times prophet who kept failing in his predictions.

I have no idea how those who believe in the rapture will deal with this impasse regarding their pets. I do think, however, that Bret Centre will make a nice amount of free money.

Healthcare front and center, Once Again....

Republicans are STILL coming on camera every day claiming the American people DO NOT WANT the public option in healthcare reform! They must go behind closed doors afterwards and either laugh or cry out of frustration that they have to continue with the ridiculous talking points that are nothing but lies and fabrications. Now, it is being said today Obama has not added the public option to the bill he has posted online. To be fair I have not had a chance to read it so I will just say this.... Move-on, Bold Progressives.org, Democracy for America, Credo Action, Organizing for America, are some of the campaigns working very hard to get the President and Congress to add the public option to the final bill. They are listening to the people and I believe with their help our progressive voices will be heard.  Also go  here to learn more about the  1,000,000 Voices for Healthcare Virtual March on Washington.


 This was on The Plum Line, Greg Sargents Blog and also Huffington Post :
Polls: In Key States, Public Option Far More Popular Than Senate Plan

Okay, this should really give a boost to those arguing that Dems should pass the public option via reconciliation — for the specific reason that it will make the Senate health reform bill more popular.
A batch of state polls by the non-partisan Research 2000 shows that in multiple states represented by key Dem Senators who will have to decide whether to support reconciliation, the public option polls far better than the Senate bill does, often by lopsided margins.
Here’s a rundown, sent over by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which commissioned the polls:
* In Nevada, only 34% support the Senate bill, while 56% support the public option.
* In Illinois, only 37% support the Senate bill, while 68% support the public option.
* In Washington State, only 38% support the Senate bill, while 65% support the public option.
* In Missouri, only 33% support the Senate bill, while 57% support the public option.
* In Virginia, only 36% support the Senate bill, while 61% support the public option.
* In Iowa, only 35% support the Senate bill, while 62% support the public option.
*In Minnesota, only 35% support the Senate bill, while 62% support the public option.
* In Colorado, only 32% support the Senate bill, while 58% support the public option.
When the White House unveiled its new proposal to take to the summit, it did not include a public option, as expected. Obviously, including one would have made it easier for Republicans to argue that Dems aren’t making a good-faith effort to compromise, since the public option is the centerpiece of the dreaded “government takeover” that Republicans have warned against.
But if the summit yields no compromises, and Dems decide to forge ahead on their own and pass reform via reconciliation, including the public option at that point might make some political sense, if the above polls are to be believed.
************************************
Update: I should have noted that the polls were commissioned by not just PCCC, but also Democracy for America and Credo. And the groups are also out with a petition urging lawmakers to understand that signatories want a good bill rather than bipartisanship for its own sake.
Update II: The full poll on all the states, with partisan breakdowns and other questions, is online right here.


So far.... 22 Senators have signed the public option letter!

Does the Bible Authorize Blogging?

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. -2 TIM 4:1-2

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. - 1 COR 4:6

Based on these two verses, and the pattern of scripture, how do we justify blogging? 2 TIM 4:2 calls us to preach, the word not post it on the internet. Where is the New Testament authority for google reader, blogspot, html, comments, and facebook posts?

The New Poor

Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs

 New York Times:
Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits.
Read the whole story: New York Times

I always read the comments from great posts like this one, here are a few....

 This is exactly what Reaganomics was designed to do; destroy the middle class with all it's attendent messiness and demands for attention by shifting the tax burden downward, then reduce collective bargaining to the point where only 7% of the private workforce is unionized, then control and manipulate the media so people are convinced this is all a good thing.
And, get this, the American voter is dumb enough to be on the verge of handing power back to these people. AT THE SAME TIME Republicans are insisting we need less regulation and further cuts in something called entitlements. They are salivating over shredding social security, medicare and medicaid.
Can unemployment insurance, workers comp, and the 40 hour work week be far behind?

(of course I'm entitled to it; I've PAID for it all my life!!)
Hey, maybe it's a good thing we give control back to conservatives; and for 8 years.
Maybe the NEXT great recession will be deep enough to affect better off angry white men so they can see how the rest of us live.

Love the Reaganomics comment! Conservatives want to raise Reagan from the grave. WHY???????

Here's another good one, this person has the right idea. 

This is the top 2% wet dream come true; to have millions of Americans poor, without work, desperate, having college tuition too expensive to keep the masses uneducated, trying to shove xtian religion back into public schools, deny that our loss of a manufacturing base for their greed has hurt this country greatly, and basically try to keep the bottom 98% of American society firmly under their foot to do their bidding as they perversely enjoy to see fit.
Good politicians such as Alan Grayson, Dennis Kucinich and Al Franken can't possibly do the work all by themselves amidst the majority of bought and paid for congress by the 2% elite.
Americans need to get OFF the internet and take to the streets in protest. The 2% need to have a relatively healthy fear of the other 98% of us, to remember if they let their greed go too unchecked then the days of the French Bastille can and will come to pass again in one form or another in this nation.
But of course I'm probably wrong as sadly as long as the majority of Americans have the likes of 'American Idol' and 'Survivor' to watch on their o' so precious i-pods. How very sad to see the beginning of the slow death of America. It's only a matter of time before China calls in our debt and we go completely third world, and the only two jobs left will be at either Walmart or McDonald's.


The trolls always amazes me. They complain and whine about Obama as if the Regressives and Bush had done the best job in the world. Why do they think Obama won in a landslide? BECAUSE THE COUNTRY WAS TIRED OF THE REPUBLICANS AND THEIR SPENDING ON THE ILLEGAL WAR AND THEIR ETERNAL TAX CUTS TO THE WEALTHY. That's why.
And if any of them has a little dignity instead of blaming the state of the country on Obama, they should start lecturing their own on the virtues of not creating deficits at the expense of the country.
Physician heal thyself. 

One more, these are good!

EVOLVING FROM NEW DEAL AND GLASS-STEAGALL TO AYN RAND “GREED IS GOOD” OF REAGAN AND GREENSCAM!

The New Deal’s three R’s of 1936 to Overcome the Greed of the Financial Aristocracy that caused the Market Crash and the Great Depression:

1. Relief - for unemployed and poor - Social Security
2. Recovery - of economy
3. Reform - of financial system to prevent another great depression

Republicans viewed the New Deal as an enemy of business and growth!

Produced a rebirth of liberal ideas and in the 1960's President Johnson expanded them to include equal rights and Medicare.

After 1974, libertarian views grew in support, calling for deregulation of the economy and ending New Deal regulation of transportation, banking and communications! Reagan’s V00D00 Economics brought this OUT OF CONTROL Ayn Rand Concepts of “Greed is Good” into government and deregulated Health Care and virtually every industry.
Finally, virtually all regulations on Wall Street were ignored and/or deregulated and the GREAT BUSH REPUBLICAN FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008 Happened with THEFT an accepted JOB #1 on Wall Street!


Reaganomics is the core of our economic mess (I know there are other factors as well). By dramatically lowering the taxes on the wealthy, all the money got sucked up to the top. This left the consumer class with a lot less money and, thus, unable to pay its bills or consume. (middle class wages have been stagnant and the gap between the rich and the poor has increased).

The same phenomena happened right before the Great Depression, which Marriner Eccles (Chairman of the Federal Reserve, 1932-1948 (and also a very successful banker)) pointed out.

Think about it: When taxes were much higher on the wealthy (1932 - 1980), America became an economic and military powerhouse. Conversely, our two worst economic periods were preceded by comparatively lower taxes on the wealthy.

See a historic tax rate chart here: http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html. Also, check out former conservative-darling economist (and former policy advisor to Reagan) Bruce Bartlett's new book, "The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward."
 

conservative CHRISTIANS???

"Love mercy, show kindness, and walk humbly with your God"

"I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me... in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me"

"He has filled the starving poor with good things, and sent the rich away empty"

"The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year of favour [when the poor would be forgiven their debts] from the Lord"


Jesus didn't talk about torturing people, he talked about helping the poor. George Washington forbade the use of torture even in the darkest days of the American Revolution when the British were doing it to our troops. Jesus and Washington seem to be the two people conservatives claim as their greatest heroes. Can you explain this to us, guys? The answer to "What Would Jesus Do" is definitely not torture.

 Okay, you probably guessed it: the socialist tract of which I speak is what is otherwise known as the Christian Bible. I've looked all through it for passages about how you should torture people, and perpetuate cruelty, but I couldn't seem to find them.

This is from a Mike Lux column at Huffington Post, read it all here

EDITED; this post seems confusing because I took snippets from a post by Lux, you really need to read the whole thing to grasp what he was talking about with Jesus references. I added another paragraph, it's speaks more to torture then to charity. We got a little sidetracked.....

When I say UnPatriotic, and UnAmerican, that is speaking to torture. It is UnAmerican.....

The pro-torture crowd has taken over modern conservatism. People at the CPAC convention are firing themselves up with cries of "waterboard them" and cheering wildly as speakers advocated locking political prisoners away forever at Gitmo. Republicans are embracing a movement that trafficks in secessionism, birtherism, and making threats about armed revolt.

Those who attended CPAC and claim to be Christians, those who actually READ the Bible, those who applaud hateful, racist speeches, do you not see yourselves as we see you? UnPatriotic, UnAmerican, that's how we see you. Do you even care? 

Bits and Pieces.....

Dear Lord what is happening to our civilized country??? Don't watch this video without your barf bag near by. The Lizard looks tired and rather plainjane fugly tonight, no makeup, bags under the eyes. She must be skipping out on the beauty sleep, maybe too worried about Daddy War-bucks and what his future holds. I guess it's their little circle of friends who think Dickless is "Da Man", but the rest of us sane Americans find him to be a despicable slimeball. Last November a Washington Post survey of REPUBLICANS found just ONE out of 804 picked Cheney as a good representation of conservative values. And then we have the CPAC crowd, chanting Cheney, Cheney, Cheney!! Run Dick Run!! fuckin' morons....

Enough of that hideous family...

Here's an interesting young fella speaking today, Jason Mattera of Young America's Foundation. He said our notion of freedom doesn't consist of snorting cocaine, which distinguishes us from Barack Obama. What a fucktard! Oh but I bet his Mommy and Daddy were proud of his appearance at CPAC.

Oh look it's Mitt Romney, he's defending the Bush administration. He's a likely 2012 presidential candidate and he's praising Bush and Cheney! LOL! He says the Bush record wasn't all that bad compared to Obamas,
"History will judge President Bush far more kindly -- he pulled us from a deepening recession following the attack of 9-11, he overcame teachers unions to test school children and evaluate schools, he took down the Taliban, waged a war against the jihadists and was not afraid to call it what it is -- a war. And he kept us safe." Yup, that's what Romney said....

the crowd was quite pleased with the Bush defense and even more so when Romney praised former vice president Dick Cheney.
"I respect [Bush's] silence even in the face of the assaults on his record that come from this administration," said the Massachusetts Republican. "But at the same time, I also respect the loyalty and indefatigable defense of truth that comes from our 'I don't give a damn' Vice President Dick Cheney!"

WHAT THE FUCK???!! These people are clueless!


Here's a snippet from a Caroline Myss piece at Huffington Post, click here to read the whole post,

"If these people could only see through the real agenda of the Republicans, they would realize that they are merely being used as upstart noisemakers, no more than public distractions to create havoc for the Democrats. They actually believe that the Republicans are on their side, listening to their issues and protests when all the Republicans want them to do is make noise. Listening is not part of the Republican bargain. Don't they get that? Why don't these people remember the Bush/Cheney administration?

"No doubt President Obama has made several decisions in his first year that he would not make again now that he sees the consequences and now that he also realizes many in his own Congress want to see him go down. How tragic if not borderline treasonous is that? If his administration had chosen to investigate all the crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration in public view, perhaps that would have made these Republicans a bit more cooperative. But since that's just a pipe dream, maybe the Democrats should mirror some of the Republican strategy. When the Republicans say, "NO", the Democrats should yell back, "NO WAY". You are not getting the White House back and you are not turning this nation into a complete corporate state in which the Constitution is a thing of the past. The Republican creed of "less government" is in truth one of "corporate government". Their covert destructive policies need to be publicly exposed again and again until even their Brown Shirt Tea Party minions can understand that this party is fundamentally dangerous to the future of this nation."

The Republican Party, soooooo wrong for the health of our nation.

The Crow: Are There Crimes That Cannot be Forgiven?

This blog is dedicated to my cousin, Christine Apa-Gonzaga

Pardon the short departure from plans in my last blog, but I now return to my reviews of The Crow. In my last blog, I talked about the character of the Crow himself, but now I’d like to deal with the major theme. The book asks whether there are crimes that can be forgiven. Implicit in that question is a certain view of justice that leaves a taste a disappointment. I will deal with both in this blog.

Two Contrasting Views of Justice

The Crow is a revenge tragedy. In a revenge tragedy, there is a view of justice that is best called retributive justice. In retributive justice, the emphasis is on the perpetrators. Those who commit crimes or injustice must be brought to account and be punished for their wickedness. This may also be done in order to prevent them from doing more crimes, but the main purpose is that they have committed some crime and they must now pay. The scales must be balanced. Typically, the perpetrators are brought to account by an avenger who acts on the victim’s behalf, but in the Crow the victim himself rises again to overpower his enemies.

Retributive justice, whether in comic books or not, contrasts with restorative justice. Restorative justice, as far as I understand it, is part Christian theology, as expounded by Jurgen Moltmann’s In the End-The Beginning: The Life of Hope. Restorative justice does not place an emphasis on the perpetrators, but rather on victims. Justice, in this case, is not concerned about balancing scales of wrongs, but rather restoring what was lost to evil. So if a person is terribly traumatized by having a loved one taken from them, restorative justice seeks to bring that loved one back or at least heal the trauma of the victim. If a relationship between two people is broken, restorative justice seeks to repair the relationship not punish who was the wrongdoer. Moltmann takes this even further as he believes that all people are victims, including those who perpetrate evil*. The wicked man who abuses his spouse was first abused as a child.

Reprobates and Tragedy in the Crow

Is there any room for forgiveness in the Crow? Not really. The Crow is merciless and wrathful, as I mentioned in an earlier blog. Already, it is clear that J. O’barr thinks that there are things that cannot be forgiven –and one can hardly fault him for his feelings. The character of Fun Boy embodies this theme.

None of the characters the Crow kills are repentant, but Fun Boy is nearly the antithesis of repentance. The ugly criminals the Crow kills all have rotten souls, but none of them have any since of self-examination to acknowledge it. Fun Boy is different. Fun boy is fully aware of his state. He is not sorry for the crimes he has done. He knows that he is monster deserving of death. Yet at no point does he ask for or presume mercy. When the Crow kills him his dying request is not “forgive me” but only “kill that bastard slow.” (He refers to T-bird, the next person the Crow intends to kill). Fun Boy’s dying request is not forgiveness, but only more hatred, of which he is fully aware of.

Not only is there no forgiveness in the Crow, but there is not even the preceding penitence either.

After the killing of Fun Boyd, the story quickly moves into its final movement of tragedy. The Crow spends one night in his loft. He burns all of his memoirs of Shelly and then shouts out the window, “Shelly I’m coming home.” He confronts his final murderer, T-bird. The Crow’s last fight scene is long, insane, and bloody. He kills not only T-bird, but everyone who works for T-bird. T-bird dies in a panic, and the final time we see him is when the Crow veers over with holding a hammer.

After the last killing, the Crow returns to grave. The final pages of the comic are still, serene, scenes of a snow covered graveyard. The Crow is dead. He rests again with Shelly. This is the tragedy of the Crow. The avenger completes his task, and then just dies.

Happy Vengence?

I can now only speak for myself, and not what the story attempts to communicate. Is there such a thing as happy vengeance? I am not sure. In the story of the Crow, every evil doer is killed. But the hero leaves the dark world to its darkness. With justice done, he returns to his grave. The ending is sad, as it leaves the reader wanting. It is not enough to know that all the murderers will no longer murder. We all want to see the happy couple alive again and the Crow free from his mourning. Anger and wrath sprinkled with kindness leave a disappointed taste in the mouth not matter how one serves up the revenge platter. This feeling of let-down seems to go beyond the novel itself: J. O’barr admitted that writing the Crow did not prove the emotional catharsis he hoped it would become.

No one can stand in judgment of the Crow or J. O’barr for the feelings they have, least of all me. Anyone who has lost someone they love has a right to feel angry and to want the murders brought to account. Yet I cannot help but think that the let-down feeling at the end of the Crow is part of the failure of retributive justice. The grief at losing a love one to murderers is to fold: the desire for that person to be back in your life, and for the death to be avenged. It seems to me, that the first is the stronger emotion. The desire to overcome our own grief is what turns into anger and wrath directed at those wicked people who hurt us. But vengeance does not remove sadness and grief from the heart of the victim. It only adds more dead bodies.

I cannot help but see the restorative justice of the Christian Gospel as the only hope for the victims of evil, both living and the dead. The Gospel tells us that God-the-Son became a victim of horrendous evil at the crucifixion. It tells us that God the Father is well acquainted with the feelings of grief and injustice. The answer is that of a Resurrection from the dead and overcoming of evil with restorative justice. Christians look forward to a glorious future in which every victim of murder, every dead prisoner from the gulags, every refugee who was gunned down by soldiers, and every martyr who was fed to lions will one die rise again in resurrected bodies and meet their savior who suffered as they dead. Death and injustice are not avenged. Death and injustice are reversed. The feelings of anger, wrath, and trauma will likewise be defeated in the all-encompassing victory of God. There will be no need for vengeance in the new heaven’s and new earth.

Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind. –Isaiah 65:17

In that place, the Crow dances joyously with his untarnished bride, and the atrocity of their deaths never comes to their minds.

Thanks for reading.



========================
*I can never forget that Moltmann was a German soldier in WWII and knew fully the kind of evil that infected his whole society.

Be afraid GOP{ and conservative bloggers!}

Did you see tonights Rachel Maddow show?  It's a must see,( like it always is) Bernie Sanders was the guest.  So far 11 Senators are on board with signatures for Harry Reid asking him to pass the HC bill with a public option through reconciliation. He also says there can be a big education bill in with the HC bill. Anyway, heres an article and tomorrow I'll post the video from Rachels show.

 WASHINGTON -- As of Wednesday early afternoon, nine senators had signed a letter urging passage of the public health insurance option through reconciliation.
Make it ten. (make it 16!)
Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) spokesman Michael Briggs confirmed to Raw Story that he will join Democratic Sens. Michael Bennett (CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), Sherrod Brown (OH), Al Franken (MN), Pat Leahy, John Kerry (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Roland Burris (IL) in a last-ditch push for the provision.
The first four co-sponsored the letter and released it Tuesday, and The Plum Line's Greg Sargent confirmed Wednesday morning that the latter four will sign, just before Burris joined the list.
"The American people have made it clear that they want the option to buy their insurance through a Medicare-type, government-run public insurance plan," Sanders explained in a statement e-mailed to Raw Story.
The signatories urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) to "bring for a vote before the full Senate a public health insurance option under budget reconciliation rules."
The public option, which has been the topic of explosive controversy throughout the health care deliberations, was passed in the House legislation but eliminated from the Senate version that was later approved.
The whole process hit a gridlock in January after the election of Republican Scott Brown to the senate, which gave the party the votes it needed to filibuster the final motion.
The letter continues, "There are four fundamental reasons why we support this approach – its potential for billions of dollars in cost savings; the growing need to increase competition and lower costs for the consumer; the history of using reconciliation for significant pieces of health care legislation; and the continued public support for a public option."
With Republicans poised to block another senate motion, Democrats have discussed using reconciliation -- which would require a simple majority of 51 senators -- to amend the bill before the House holds a final vote. A December poll found that six in ten Americans support the provision.

This is it guys, I am beginning to see the backbones of our Senators and they look mighty FINE!!

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Unfished Thoughts on Lent

12 "Even now," declares the LORD,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."

13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.

16 Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.

17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD,
weep between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
'Where is their God?' -Joel 2:1-17

Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.
I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor.
I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you.
In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have.
I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor.
I am a sinner; you are upright.
With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness.
Therefore I will will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give.
Amen. -Martin Luther

Stand STRONG Mr. President!!

This is one of the best clips I have seen in months. It really does say so much about the country and how we feel about Congress, why they aren't getting the work done, and what we want from our president. Joe says how important it is for us to see a STRONG president and he is exactly right. If Congress would get their act together and pass the HC bill with a public option, the dems in Congress and the president will see their numbers soar! It is the only way voters will believe democrats and our ability to govern. The only reason they are turning from the left and voting for those do-nothing rethugs is because they want to send a message to Congressional Democrats to get off their friggin pussy asses and get something accomplished this year! Surely you don't believe the voters want MORE do-nothing republicans in Congress! Damn, I hope our country has more brains then that!

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

Hello......Mr. President are you listening???? YOU HAVE TO!!!!

Today marks the one year anniversary of the stimulus bill passage, below are some facts and if you go here you can find out county by county how the money is being spent.

Facts about the stimulus:
A year later and halfway through the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Americans are weighing the plan's impact. Here are some facts:
More than $8 billion from the plan has been spent on increased food stamps, as the assistance program for the hungry recently reached a record enrollment of 38 million people.

So far, $179 billion in the plan has been spent and $93 billion in tax cuts have been issued. Another $154 billion is in the process of being sent out, and $247 billion is left to spend. The remainder comes in tax cuts yet to be granted.

Nearly $280 billion of the spending will be directed through state governments, including a $48 billion stabilization fund to help states balance their budgets.

By the end of December, the Department of Transportation approved 10,000 highway projects. Of the $34.1 billion the department has made available to states, it has only paid out $8.63 billion.

And now for the lovely Republican criticism:

House Minority Leader John Boehner released a statement calling the package a "trillion dollar 'stimulus'" and slammed the administration and Democrats in Congress for failing to hold down the unemployment rate and for adding to the deficit.

"The majority promised that under their 'stimulus' unemployment would not exceed eight percent and job creation would begin 'almost immediately," Boehner's statement read. "But since President Obama signed it into law, more than three million Americans have lost their jobs, unemployment is near 10 percent, and the deficit is set to hit a record $1.6 trillion."

What don't the GOP'ers get about a recession so deep, so broad like none we have seen in decades? Do they think a recession starts the month a new dem president is sworn in and should be fixed by that new dem president after his first few months in office? Bonehead sounds like a friggin whiny 3 year old, what a disgrace he is. What in Gods name has he done to spur job growth? Fucktard....


From the Washington Post:
News Alert: Housing construction up 2.8 percent in January
08:35 AM EST Wednesday, February 17, 2010
--------------------
Housing construction posted a better-than-expected increase in January which pushed activity to the highest level in six months. The solid gain raised hopes that the construction industry is beginning to mount a sustained rebound from its worst slump in decades.
For more information, visit washingtonpost.com:
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/IKR2QE/ZUL6F/HS1D1U/3WKAKC/8KWDO/W1/t

Ash Wednesday and a dieu...

What follows is my sermon for tonight, Ash Wednesday. It will be the last thing I preach pretty much for 3 months as I take Sabbatical leave. It you want to keep up with me you can follow my Sabbatical blog here.

Anyway...

It is going to be a very strange Lent for me. As many of you give up alcohol, chocolate or crisps for the holy season of Lent, I am giving up church. Well to be more precise, I am giving up being part of the parish of Leverstock Green and the Team Benefice of Langelei as I take Sabbatical leave for 3 months. It is time set aside for reassessment, refocussing and renewal for me.

As the time stretches out in front of me I feel a sense of bereavement setting in - not being part of a regular worshipping community, not partaking in the Lentern pilgrimage of prayer and worship, not preaching, not presiding at the Eucharist. My identity is blurring, fading, ashen, ashing...

I was reminded this morning that whilst Lent has associations with austerity and looking inwards, the word Lent actually means spring. Spring of course being a time when look for signs of new life, new growth, fresh starts and a looking outwards and forwards to where this all leads.

Throughout the ages, throughout the pages of the scriptures we read an agonizing love story. God saying to people again and again - I love you, I long to be with you, will you be with me? We hear some of that story in tonight’s readings. All too often His love is unrequited and it must break his heart to see that which is most precious to Him turn our backs on him, metaphorically slap his cheek, speak ill of him and walk away.

Lent then is a gift of love from God to us His people. It is a time to do a spiritual spring clean, to have a long hard look at the part of us where our motives and drives reside, our hearts. The traditional Lenten tasks of fasting, praying and almsgiving are not a pennance, but a a means to slow down, make time to have a long hard look at our inner worlds and to declutter our hearts and lives. In so doing to make room for a God who loves us, who does move heaven and earth for us in Jesus Christ, to allow our lives become fertile soil for Resurrection life to grow in us at Easter. Lent is a God-given gift, a chance to spend some quality time with one who loves us. It’s about re-aligning ourselves with Him and his purposes in our world; about reminding ourselves that all we have is a gift from God in any case.

So just three quick things that are interesting to notice about the traditional Lent fast.

The first is that it was uniform – everyone gave up the same things, rather than choosing something appropriate to themselves; something idiosyncratic – like quail’s eggs or beluga caviar. And it reminds us again that Lent is NOT about self-improvement, giving up things that are bad for you, punishing yourself for sin, trying to make yourself more holy, or trying to be better than the next person. Lent is first of all about remembering our humanity – our connection with others – and our dependence on God.

In a moment we will share Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes – having the ash of last year’s Palm Crosses pressed onto our foreheads. This Ashing is a symbol of the fact that we are dust. We cannot make ourselves like God. We’re human, fallible, weak.  The words that accompany the ashing are reminiscent of a funeral:  “Remember that you are but dust. From dust you came, and to dust you shall return. Turn from sin, and follow Christ.”  We are “at the end of the day” flesh and blood, fragile, broken creatures. So the season of Lent earths us – gets our feet firmly on the ground. 

The second thing that’s important about the traditional Lent disciplines is that it is about giving up essentials – staple things - NOT luxuries or vices. The traditional Lent fast was about everyday necessities: staples; essentials, not vices. Giving up something that significantly affects everyday life focuses us on the fact that we are dependent upon God for life and breath. Everything we are and everything we have is a gift from God. So giving up something that is an everyday necessity is a daily reminder of our dependence upon God, and that all the good things we have, even life itself, are God’s gift to us. On his fast in the wilderness Jesus said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Our daily subsistence isn’t separated from our spiritual journey; we are whole beings. The mystery and wonder of the incarnation is that we have an embodied faith - Christianity is a holistic religion - mind, heart, soul AND BODY are all involved here.

Giving up essentials is also a reminder that we worship in the everyday, not merely out of excess: if our fast focuses on luxury items - perhaps we’re misleading ourselves to think that worship is in the realm of leisure, or luxury? God calls us to worship him in the everyday, the ordinary patterns and rhythms, and not just when we have a bit of time to spare; not just when things are going well The worship that Jesus calls us to is the recognition that we depend upon God for every breath we take; and that our whole life needs to be grounded, earthed in the knowledge and love of God.

And then the third aspect of the traditional Lent discipline is its association with social justice and the redistribution of wealth. For as well as abstaining from certain foods, people were also traditionally encouraged to fast altogether for certain periods of time – like only eating one meal a day, for instance. And the money saved was not to be used for oneself, but was to be given to the poor. Following Jesus, Lent starts with a withdrawal into the desert God is inviting us to say “Yes” to him during this Lent Yes to his plans and purposes for the world, where we’re brought back into a relationship with God – forgiven, restored and made whole.
Yes to the promises made in our baptisms about following him as his disciples and living accordingly. And more importantly God invites us to say ‘yes’ to the coming of his kingdom in our daily lives, where we fret about doing it our way and getting what we want; where saying Yes to God is so hard.

So much in my life, if I’m honest (looking back), has been about seeking influence, power, success - and popularity. But this baptismal way of Jesus is the way of “hiddenness”, powerlessness and littleness. It doesn’t seem a very appealing way in today’s celebrity culture, does it? Yet when we enter into true, deep communion with Jesus we find that it is this small way that leads to real peace and joy – as we allow his Spirit to make his home in us. My prayer is that this Lent is a time when we hear God speaking to us personally – and try and hear this intimate promise taken from Isaiah 43 for yourself – put your own name in where you read Jacob or Israel:
“This is what the Lord says – he who created you Jacob; he who formed you Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour…Because you are precious in my sight and honoured and I love you I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life...’

So, he wants to say good bye? Good bye

Bayh's additional gift to the GOP
Posted: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 11:57 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Congress, Democrats, Republicans

From NBC's Luke Russert
The GOP message machine is aggressively sending around this quote from outgoing Sen. Evan Bayh (D) from an interview he did on CBS this morning:

[I]f I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months.

Tomorrow just happens to be the one-year anniversary of the stimulus being signed into law, so expect the GOP to play up this quote.






Not His Fathers Son
Steve Kornacki ,Salon
Funny that he mentioned jobs. After all, it was Bayh and fellow moderate Senate Democrats who insisted last year that President Obama's first major initiative as president -- the stimulus bill -- be pared by about $100 billion, depriving the economy of hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Not that it mattered much to Bayh, who showed far more concern last year in the GOP's new pet issue: government spending and the federal deficit.
This has always been Bayh's way -- to position himself as every Republican's favorite Democrat.


John Nichols, The Nation:
In The Nations "2010ElectionPrimer",

As an example of the sort of senator that progressives ought not worry about losing, I cited Bayh, a longtime leader of the pro-corporate Democratic Leadership Council, which has for the better part of a quarter century worked to turn the Democratic Party into a kinder, gentler version of the GOP.
"Don't fret too much about the fate of Southern and border-state compromisers (Arkansas's Blanche Lincoln, Indiana's Evan Bayh)," the primer suggested. "Worry about re-electing progressives like California's Barbara Boxer and Wisconsin's Russ Feingold. Think about helping progressive, or at least mainstream, Democrats win seats vacated by GOP incumbents in Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio. The point is not merely to elect Democrats but to forge a caucus that is less tied to the old ways of doing things and more inclined to scrap antidemocratic Senate rules and start governing."

Buh Bye Bayh

I had a post started about" republican masquerading as a democrat" Evan Bayh and his decision "not seek reelection". But it's all so depressing, these bluedogs and their hideous desire to break Obama and his agenda. Bayh says the peoples business is not getting done. DUH you fuckwad! Seems to me alot of the problems with nothing getting done in Congress could be the fault of bluedogs!! This group says they have no agenda, but you can see from this list this groups efforts to hurt progressive policy proposals is REAL and in full force. Some of their agenda.......
– Shrinking Economic Recovery: The group’s first significant “success” was “paring down the more than $900 billion economic stimulus bill to $787 billion,” reducing the government’s ability to spur economic recovery quickly. [Roll Call, 3/12/2009]
– Preserving The Bush Tax Cuts: Regarding Obama’s plan to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire, Bayh said, “I do think that before we raise revenue, we first should look to see if there are ways we can cut back on spending.” [Politico, 3/3/2009]
 – Delaying Cap-and-Trade: Bayh coaltion member, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), explained that the group might “push for a more lenient phase-in period for a cap-and-trade system and revenue-raising offsets to pay for expensive mandates.” [CQ Politics, 3/9/2009]
 – Weakening Bankruptcy Protection: Centrist Democrats “forced changes to a House bill that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages, ensuring that the legislation better reflected the concerns of the financial-services industry.” [WSJ, 3/25/09]

Don't fret, bluedogs retiring is a GOOD THING, they are just holding up Obamas agenda, I say good riddance asshole!
 So, anyway the purpose of this post is a piece from Paul Hodes, Democratic US Senate candidate from New Hampshire. Some positive words to help us through the down times.

 Over the last six months, we've all seen the stories about how Democrats have suffered some electoral and legislative setbacks. And to add insult to injury, many in our party and the pundit class have predicted that all is lost for Democrats in 2010. They say we don't have a chance to win in November, and in the meantime, we won't accomplish anything the American people desperately need: good jobs, a new energy strategy, quality health care, and a safer world.
There are lessons to be learned from the last year, but wimping out isn't one of them. Losing a special election in Massachusetts and seeing Democrats retiring in the Senate does not mean that we should back down from what we believe in. It doesn't mean we should give up on quality, affordable health care for every American. It doesn't mean we should give up on working for a new energy strategy for the 21st Century. And it certainly does not mean we should give up on fighting for the middle class families that put us in office.
I have one message for Democrats around the country: Get over it. It's time to pick ourselves up and work together to get done what we set out to do and win in November.
We know our ideas are better than what Washington Republicans have to offer. We truly care about the middle class while the Republicans are in the tank for insurance executives, oil companies, Wall Street bankers and the special interests in Washington. Our agenda would help rebuild the middle class in America. Their agenda would keep the status quo, or worse still, take us backwards.
On health care, the status quo is simply unacceptable. We know that without quality, affordable health care, small business can't start growing again. They can't create new jobs under the crushing costs of health insurance premiums that enrich a few insurance executives but leave middle class families and small businesses holding the bag. The Republican plan for health care covers fewer Americans, plain and simple. Their plan would take away protections you already have, and it would allow insurance executives to pick and choose what illness of yours they cover.
And, it's not just health care where the Republicans' ideas are wrong for America. The Republican agenda would ignore global warming, gamble your social security in the stock market and offer tax giveaways to the wealthiest Americans and big corporations.
The Washington Republican Party and their tea-party allies would take us back to the Bush years that were disastrous for our country. Now is not the time for Democrats to shy away from a fight, to back down or run away from who we are. There is too much at stake.
This election is a simple choice: we either move forward with an agenda to rebuild the middle class, or we continue to make the same mistakes we have for the last eight years.
And with 59 seats in the Senate, a 70-plus majority in the House and control of the White House, Democrats must step up to the plate. We have to stop the hand-wringing, worrying and whining. Let's get to work. We can start by creating rules of the road on Wall Street, getting our deficit under control and most importantly, solving the health care crisis that is worsening under our watch.
If we respond to recent adversity by giving up or walking away from who we are, we don't deserve to have the honor of serving the American people. This Democrat won't be backing down one bit, and you shouldn't either. 
This Democrat is not backing down!

The war was NOT worth it.

From Think Progress:
Vice President Biden, appearing on Larry King earlier this week, stated, “I am very optimistic about Iraq. I think it’s going to be one of the great achievements of this administration.” This statement has been widely distorted, with claims from conservatives that the Obama administration is trying to take credit for the surge.
Biden’s comments do no such thing; instead they note that the withdrawal of American troops — something that conservatives for years have said would be a disaster — has gone very well. In February, President Obama announced a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq — an issue that he campaigned on and was vigorously opposed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who advocated keeping U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely. Biden was pointing out that conservatives were wrong that withdrawal would, as Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol argued, “likely lead to carnage on a scale that would dwarf what is now occurring in Iraq.”
On ABC’s This Week today, former Vice President Cheney further distorted Biden’s comments and took credit for a withdrawal plan he opposed, saying that Biden should be “thanking George Bush.” Biden, however, pushed back against Cheney’s distortions on Meet the Press and Face the Nation, maintaining that the Iraq war “wasn’t worth it.” Biden argued that the Obama administration has managed the drawdown “very very well,” noting that the administration has acted as a “catalyst” for political reconciliation, which was the source of violence and the primary obstacle to a successful withdrawal. He also pointed out that in January 2009, the Bush administration had no political plan for Iraq.

Cheney’s attempt to take credit for the withdrawal represents a total turnaround. Just last summer, Cheney worried that Iraq withdrawal will “waste all the tremendous sacrifice” of US troops. Cheney has long fear-mongered on the implication of U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. During the 2008 campaign, he even called the demands from Democrats in Congress for a timetable for withdrawal an act of “betrayal.”

When the troops start returning home and Iraq is able to stand on her own, what then will the conservatives say? They won't tell you they didn't want the troops to come home, or that they like playing army and treating our troops like little plastic GI Joes. Its all a game, a pathetic game of war and NO peace, ever. Cheney says how unfair for Obama to take credit for this war coming to an end. How pathetic. He does not praise this president and his efforts to end this war of CheneyChoice, he's a scumbag....

A Tiny Blog... What Books to Read?

This blog begins with the following Maxims: Writing down goals and making them measurable is the best way to get them accomplished. Millionaires read one non-fiction book a month. I like reading a lot. I can't wait till I'm out of graduate school.

I have several goals. Perhaps to many. However, one of my goals is to read five books this summer. That's already a lot. However, I know I can do it. I am busy, picking them right now.

What I need are suggestions from other smart people of what books out there are worth reading -especially in the second and third categories.

Here's the list of books by categories:

1. Theology and Pastoral work. (So that I can be better lay minister).
I will without a doubt read Surprised by Hope. My brother got it for me for Christmas. It will be the last "middle-weight" theological reading I do for a long time. I also really want to read From Wild Man to Wise Man by Father Rohr. I like the whole masculine Christianity stuff. I like it better when it is thoughtful, serious, and not cheesy. This book came with the recommendation of a retired Methodist minister -my cousin-in-law's father. I am trying to keep my theological reading down to a mininum this summer. I imagine I'll read both of those, and no more in this category.

2. Creativity and Humor (For my writing talent and future re-imagining of the Uber Bean webcomic.)
I am right-brained, technique oriented writer. I need therefore, to read some stuff that is decidedly left-brained book like Writing Down the Bones. Dr. Kern, from APU, said I should read it. I will. Also, there are other books on writing and story telling like Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters. I don't know much about this book, but I know I want to learn how to tell better stories.

3. "People Skills" and other things that make you money. (So that I can learn how to be kinder, gentler, leader)
This is probably going to be the most important category. I need to get some of these skills growing again whether I become a teacher, a sales rep, a manager or whatever I do for employment. There is one book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion which I am interested in, but I have no idea if it is good or not. There are others that are aimed specifically at large groups (students maybe?) such as Win the Crowd. Finally, there are even sexier books aimed at using the verbal medium only.

Of course, there are books like If Aristotle Ran General Motors that sit on my shelf unfinished.

That's the end of this strange little blog. I am not sure what to read next.

But five books this summer for sure. That's nearly two a month.

Michael Savage is CORRECT on one point

The best thing that could happen to us is a Palin for president campaign. Savage is petrified, how yummy is that!!?? LOL.  BTW, you are wrong Savage, your picks for presidential candidates are not electable.  Shelby, Inhofe, Cornyn, Sessions, I don't agree with you!  Yea we really need a military guy, that's all you righties think about is where is the next war gonna be. Get ready conservatives, Obama will have a second term.

machine gun social, complete with barbecue!

Tim D'Annunzio, House GOP candidate for North Carolina's 8th Congressional district, held an unusual fundraiser on Thursday night.

A contribution of $25 came complete with a full North Carolina barbecue dinner, sweet tea, a semi-automatic machine gun magazine for use at Jim's Guns Indoor Shooting Range in Fayetteville, NC, the site of the fundraiser, and a raffle ticket for a chance to win an AR-15 assault rifle.

52-year old D'Annuzio is one of at least five Republicans hoping to win the nomination for North Carolina's 8th District. He is a staunch advocate of 2nd Amendment rights, a point that he seems to have gotten across with Thursday night's "machine gun social."

Democrat Larry Kissell and Libertarian Thomas Hill are also set to challenge the eventual winner of the Republican nomination.

D'Annunzio is also a professional skydiver and sponsors Paraclete XP skydiving team.

Looks like a bunch of gun-lovin' rednecks to me! I thought assault rifles were banned....

The Crow: Hatred Sprinkled With Kindness

I have recovered a bit of teenage goth past; I purchased a copy of The Crow by J. O’barr. I only recently read through this graphic novel, but have enjoyed the movie since I was about fifteen. Originally, I intended to write a one blog review of this book, but I realize now that I might as well do two. For those of you who don’t know, The Crow is about an anti-hero who comes back from the dead to kill all the people who killed him and his fiancée. It has many of the qualities of film noir and reminds me a bit of Frank Miller.


What made me really want to read though this was the trauma that inspired the book. J. O’barr grew up in the shit-hole ghetto of Chicago as an orphan. When he was barely out of high school, his fiancée was killed by a drunk driver. He joined the marines to deal attempt to cope. The Crow was a further attempt at a catharsis to deal with the tragedy.

Knowing this made me read the novel differently. It certainly has a very angry and raw feel to it. One does not get the impression that this comic was drawn with a clear, beautifully planned, story arc in mind. Neither do you get deeply insightful characters. You do not even get deep into the protagonist’s past and history. The comic is simply pages of anger and pain drawn in the form of an ugly hero in an ugly world doing ugly things to ugly people.

Yet all this is what makes the character, the Crow, so interesting. On one hand, he is abjectly and unashamedly hateful. This first comes out vividly when he kills his first mark, Tin-tin. The Crow gives him a few aphorisms on the rottenness of his soul (and it surely is) and then stands over the body and says, “may God grant you the mercy that I cannot.” His second kill is a fellow by the name of Top Dollar. Top Dollar is in a meeting with other unsavory cronies. The Crow mocks them by coming in the window and declaring himself Santa Claus and they’ve all been very bad. The killing of the entire group of criminals could only be described as a bloody wrathful mess. Top Dollar attempts to barter for his life, but the Crow ignores him. He shoots top through the eye first and finishes him with another shot.

This is not the killing-style of a shrewd, professional, assassin. It is plain vigilante rage that is almost animal. It is human only that it is fueled by emotions that only humans have.

On the other side, the Crow shows politeness and even compassion. Right after killing Top Dollar, the Crow walks casually down a hall, turns back and winks and an old lady and politely says “Good evening ma’am.” The compassion comes out even stronger when he meets the victimized little girl named Sherri. Sherri’s mother is busy having sex for drugs. Sherri, who looks about twelve, is neglected and without a childhood. The Crow takes compassion on her and gives her a necklace that belonged to his dead fiancée and it is the first gift this little girl has ever received.

His compassion for Sherri is exemplified when he meets her mother, who is bed with the morphine addict Fun Boy. Sherri’s mother is panicked and scared, but the Crow touches her gently on the head and says, “Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of every child. Your daughter is waiting for you on the streets.” When the Crow kills Tin-tin, Top Dollar, and Tom-tom, he is unconcerned about collateral damage, but for Sherri’s account he slows down just little bit and waits for the mother to leave.

Right before the Crow goes to kill his final mark, and prepares himself for his own funeral, he visits Sherri one last time. Without spoiling the moment for those who have not read the book, I can only say that the Crow shows gentleness one last time and eliminates one other “problem” in her life. He even finds a way to ensure that someone else will look out for her in the dark, shit-hole, of a world that the comic takes place in.

That is the first part of my thoughts on The Crow. In my next blog, I will talk about its overall questions: “are there crimes that can never be forgiven?” and “Is there such a thing as happy vengeance?”

Thanks for reading.

Move over Jon, time for some Rachel!

If you aren't watching Rachel Maddow you aren't getting the truth! Those hypocrite GOP are liars beyond comprehension!

Today is Comedy Central on Mr. President!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
AmeriGasm
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

We're in the middle of blizzard number 2, I'm bored and what better way to fix that then a little Jon Stewart. I heart the priceless comedy of this genius! Annette is right, we need to put this kinda stuff up instead of the angry rants. What better way to get out our message that these morons of the rightwingnutfucks are going nowhere but DOWN!!!

Hannity giggles like a girl...

Last night I was channel surfing and put on Hannity for just long enough to hear him say Andrea Mitchell isn't a real journalist! Yup, it's true, he blushed and giggled while talking to his 2 bimbo guest pundits about Palins hand scribble debacle, (he always gets all girly and downright giddy whenever Palins name is mentioned.) So, they put up a video of Andrea on Scarborough's morning show where she was making light of Palins hand, she(Andrea) wrote something on her hand and they all laughed and joked around. BUT, NO, not Hannity, he didn't think Andreas joke was a bit funny and said well she isn't a real journalist. One of the bimbo guests came to Mitchells defense but right after that I had to turn it off. So for Hannity and anyone else interested, here are Andrea Mitchells qualifications, I would say she is a damn good journalist. What do you call yourself, Sean? Fox entertainment....??

Andrea Mitchell, the veteran NBC Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, is also the host of MSNBC'S "Andrea Mitchell Reports," an hour of political news and interviews with top newsmakers that airs each day at 1pm ET on MSNBC. Mitchell covered the entire 2008 presidential campaign, from the kickoff in February 2007, broadcasting live from every major primary and caucus state and all the candidate debates for NBC News and MSNBC programs, including “Today,” “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Hardball,” “Morning Joe” and “Meet the Press.” She also covered Barack Obama's trip to Iraq, the Middle East and Europe during the presidential campaign. Mitchell currently covers foreign policy, intelligence and national security issues, including the diplomacy of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for all NBC News properties.

As a featured political correspondent in 2004, Mitchell was a regular panelist on MSNBC’s “Hardball” and was the first reporter to break the story that Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry had chosen Sen. John Edwards as his vice presidential running mate.

In September 2005, Mitchell authored “Talking Back,” a memoir about her experiences as one of the first women to cover five presidents, congress and foreign policy. That year, Mitchell also received the prestigious Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2004, the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) honored Mitchell with the Leonard Zeidenberg Award for her contribution to the protection of First Amendment Freedoms.

Mitchell’s extensive and varied reports include a series of exclusive interviews over the years with Cuban President Fidel Castro. Her unprecedented access resulted in a one-hour documentary on Cuba in December 2003. Throughout 2002 and 2003, Mitchell covered the United Nations debate leading up to the Iraq war and provided detailed reports on the questions surrounding pre-war intelligence and weapons of mass destruction. As a longtime analyst of the intelligence community, Mitchell's past assignments for NBC have included exclusive reports from North Korea, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Bosnia, Kosovo, Pakistan and Haiti.

During the 2000 campaign, Mitchell hosted MSNBC’s “The Mitchell Report,” NBC News’ election year broadcast of record. In addition, she was the lead NBC News correspondent covering Hillary Rodham Clinton’s race for the Senate in 2000.

Among her many past assignments, Mitchell was NBC News’ Chief White House Correspondent, a position she assumed after covering Bill Clinton from the New Hampshire primary through the entire 1992 presidential campaign.

From 1988-1992, Mitchell served as Chief Congressional Correspondent. During that time, she played a major role in reporting on the budget, the savings and loan bailout, the Clarence Thomas hearings and other legislative issues. She also served as a regular political analyst on “Today” and was a panelist in the second Bush-Dukakis presidential debate.

Mitchell first covered the White House for NBC News during both of Ronald Reagan’s terms as President. She reported on a variety of noteworthy stories, including arms control, the budget, tax reform and the Iran-contra scandal, and traveled extensively with President Reagan to summits with Mikhail Gorbachev and other world leaders.

Over the years, Mitchell has appeared on “Meet the Press” as a panelist and substitute host. An acclaimed political reporter, during the 1988 Republican National Convention, she beat both the competition and presidential candidate George Bush with the announcement that Bush had chosen Dan Quayle to be his running mate. She was also a panelist in the final Bush-Dukakis presidential debate.

Mitchell joined NBC News in 1978 as a general correspondent based in Washington, D.C. In 1979, she was named NBC's Energy correspondent. In that capacity, she reported on the energy crisis and the Three Mile Island nuclear incident. Before joining NBC, she was a correspondent for WDVM-TV (then WTOP), the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C. From 1967-1976, she was a broadcast journalist for KYW Radio and KYW-TV in Philadelphia.

A native of New York, Mitchell received a B.A. degree in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania where she currently serves as a Trustee, a member of the Executive Committee and Chairman of the Annenberg School Advisory Board. She also serves on the board of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and is a member of the Gridiron Club.

Mitchell is married to former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and resides in Washington, D.C.