Anne Rice: I feel free

After a few days of following the recent "scandal" of Anne Rice's departure from the RCC, I feel like I can comment.

Her interview at CNN revealed a few things beyond what was on her facebook page. A nice article from Crosswalk gave some solid admonishments to react to her as something other than a turncoat.

Anne Rice, as is known to most people by now is frustrated by the anti-gay/feminist/democrat tendencies in Christianity. I think this is pretty common among a lot of Christians. The loudest voices in churches tend to be part of that group, but for every speaker that is vilifying homosexuals, feminists, and liberals that are a likely a dozen Christians who fall into at least one of those three categories. If not, I know that there are many more who are equally annoyed with our approach.

Christians who are thoroughly annoyed with the conservative Christian platform, usually find churches that do not endorse the conservative Christian platform.

Anne Rice sounded rather protestant when she was mentioning that she could not find in scripture a basis for the church's political platform. Now in fairness to her opposition, I do not think they ever claimed that it ever was. The RCC position on that matter uses scripture and is also guided by reasonable philosophy and tradition. Rice's detractors, as irritable as they might be, are right to criticize her on this point.

The impression I get from her interview is that Anne Rice is frustated/exhausted, and I can actually sympathize. She's angry because she is a celebrity Christian and probably getting more chaff than she ever wanted. I suspect that a huge motivating factor is a desire to be left alone and not feel the pressure anymore. I do not think she wants anyone getting in her face(book) when ever she posts an article that advocates for things that are close to her heart. Fame, I think, is a bit of killer when it comes to dissenting with Christian authorities.

As POD once angrily sang:

I can't do anything right!
You don't know me. Stay out of my life!
Kick me while I'm down, I don't want you to.
I can't be like you.
I don't want to be like you.

But do watch the video if you care. What is your reaction to Anne Rice?

Podcasting

I would like to venture out into the podcast sea...

Does anyone have any v basic advice in how I could record, & in a stress-free way record my sermons and make them available as audio downloads here?

Tomorrows big state- aid vote, Guess who's voting NO!!

Please pay attention to this boob Boehner. Do we want him as the next speaker of the House? Say what you will about Nancy Pelosi, but we have a smart, hardworking, dedicated House leader and shame on America if they vote Bonehead to replace her! It's unimaginable to think that bozo could be a leader this country would be proud of!  He can't even be truthful with David Gregory, how honest and hardworking do you think he has the balls to be??

Then you have Mike Pence, he pretty much says the same things Boehner says. These GOP have NO answers to get the economy moving except for one thing, TAX CUTS. Trickle down, voodoo economics. Has it been working for you middle class? The tax cuts are in place now....

So, tomorrow the House will be brought back into session to vote on the 26.1 billion dollar state aids bill. Even though this bill is paid for, and to me most significant, is the closing of loop holes that allowed tax breaks for corporations that shipped jobs overseas. This isn't mentioned much, I have Googled and Googled and get only a few sentences mentioning this. Is it because the bill does not go far enough? Here's what the Washington Post says...
  .

The Washington Post: The funding in the bill ""is only about half what Obama had sought for the two programs and is far less generous than desperate governors had hoped for. Anxiety in Congress about the mounting national debt forced Democratic leaders to devise a plan to cover the cost of the package, blunting its impact on the economy. To offset the new spending, the package would cut off in March 2014 an expansion of food stamp benefits enacted last year. It would also eliminate tax breaks for some multinational corporations based in the United States that have operations abroad -- a centerpiece of a House Democratic campaign to promote domestic manufacturing and discourage companies from shipping jobs overseas"

Whats wrong with that?  Governors are promised 16.1 billion to help meet Medicaid payments for next year, and 10 billion for state and local school boards to preserve teachers jobs. The bill is paid for, teachers will be working not standing in unemployment lines, and my favorite part, it stops rewarding some corporations for killing our "on Americas soil" jobs! Oh yea, I forgot to mention, the GOP plans on voting NO, saying it is not paid for, LIE, it will add to the deficit, LIE.... 

Teabaggers are getting in on the protesting too urging members in the House to vote against the state-aid package. Dumb, just plain dumb, but thats okay teabaggers, keep talking keep siding with those who side against the American people. 

 Pelosi and other Democrats say the funding will prevent layoffs, stem higher unemployment and contribute to a growing economy.

“Democrats will return next week to save or create hundreds of thousands of jobs for our teachers, nurses, firefighters and police officers — and close loopholes that allow corporations to ship American jobs overseas,” Pelosi said in a statement issued Friday.

“‪This is critical as over the last three months, state and local governments have cut more than 46,000 jobs in education.”

 Thank you Nancy Pelosi and Democrats for standing with the American people!