Are Republicans hoping the stimulus will fail, so they can achieve their political fortunes?  I hope not.  After 9/11 a lot of conservative blow-hards were saying that the left hoped we'd fail in the war on terror.  Well George W. and his congressional buddies have seen to our failure in the war on terror.  We're bogged down in Iraq, while Pakistan turns into a powder keg with nukes.  Whatever Republican political fortunes are, I'm not sure they're apple-pie-American.371d36d75e05eda735858f8e467be99c

Pretty much all the critics of Obama's stiumulus plan voted to give Bush authority to invade Iraq.  We haven't even withdrawn from Iraq, and our bill there is around a trillion (especially considering the rehabilitation of vets).  Since there were no WMDs in Iraq and we've emboldened Iran, I don't really know what we've got to show for a trillion dollars.  And I've never heard Limbaugh or Senate Republicans lament this, ever. 

But, God forbid we spend money on our own infrastructure through this stimulus which has no earmarks.

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I am tired of Democrats and Republicans prostituting Judiasm and Christianity for votes.  Ben Franklin stated that no man can serve law and gospel; otherwise he betrays both. 

I am waiting for that candidate that says, "Look at what I'm proposing and then you can guess what my faith/metaphysical persuasion is."

For those that crave the moniker, U.S.A.: Judeo-Christian Nation... well then, one would have to associate historical actions of the masses, as well as the leadership, as the manifestation of Judeo-Christian philosophy.  So Judeo-Christian philosophy would have been manifest in slavery, segregation, union busting, robber-barrons, sweat shops, the Iraq war, Vietnam, etc.

Jesus wasn't about politics and just Jewish patriarchs, judges, and kings didn't take polls; receive bribes; or put their fingers to earthly winds.  Jesus didn't go lobby the Roman senate, nor did he claim to be an earthly king.

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I'm 35 years old.  I can apprehend artifacts like old movies and old publications.  Things that frightened me, I process now.  Things that inspired me, I seek renewal in these things.  Do artifacts help us remember or do they help us bridge?  Were these artifacts waiting for us on some kind of contiuum, like keys that unlock doors from the past to the present?  Are they keys that help make us whole?  Are they keys that break the locks of fear?  Should we look for artifacts?
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I'm nearly finished with Umberto Eco's post-modern mystery involving a medieval monastery.  There is a film version in which Sean Connery plays the detective, but I doubt it grasps all the subtlety and complexity of the novel.  If you wanna look at the medieval church, church politics, and philosophy from many vantage points...  well, this book's for you.  At times I think the author intentionally makes the reader's head spin, but it's to good purpose - a postmodern one.

Thinking on how corrupt mother church became, it's a real leap of faith to seek refuge in her.

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I just watched a good portion of Ted's confessional with Oprah.  It's sad, not just for past hypocritical behavior on Ted's part; but for present denial.  I think Ted's wife is a heck of a lady to stick by him, but they both seem to be in the dark about how deep his homosexual tendencies are to his core.  One may need to watch the interview for themselves to see what I'm getting at.

If Ted and his wife wanna stick it out, and he can have impulses without acting on them... well, more power to them.  In any case, I'd hope that Mr. Haggard learns some empathy for people that are born with impulses.  

It's probably gonna be a real leap for Mr. Haggard to accept that people with homosexual impulses can have healthy adult consensual relationships.  Homosexuality doesn't have to be considered a pathology.  The irony is that guilt can repress, and repression creates avenues for compulsive behavior.  It may take Mr. Haggard accepting his homosexual impulses to prevent compulsive behavior (i.e., to keep him from cheating on his wife). 

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What's up Beliefnet?  The first page that comes up for Journals looks a lot like the one yesterday afternoon.
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I'd love to read other folks' ideas on this.  Myself, I don't think our physical vehicle is the image of God.  I think our bodies our only mirrors which reflect the actual image in which God created us.  That image, although only communicated in abstract terms, is more immediate than anything in that it is at our core.  It is our core. 

Our physical form ages and changes; our physical senses have gaps; even our physiological mental faculties have gaps...  but, that image that we are is seamless.

And this image that God extends from within the divine depths is what gives God ultimate joy and bliss.

Maybe like some of you, I'm trying to open my third eye to catch glimpses of this image...  more than that, to hold a vision of that image.

Peace!

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It sounded like Obama told the truth today.  At least this is this humble layman's perspective.

After having a president that appointed an Arabian Horse association lawyer to head FEMA, I guess I'd say that the bar has been lowered pretty far.  But hey, Obama at least said the Iraq invasion was BS before we committed ourselves to it. 

And today, he said that if folks would un-clench their fists, we'd reach out.  What's the alternative?  I guess if we had a Sarah Palin type, we could spend another trillion invading a country that has tenious connections to our real nemesis.

I've been an activist for this decade... and yeah, I'm skeptical.  I'd figure half the crowds would turn out for a sock puppet, if it wasn't a Republican.

I go back to my belief that most people are good...  Heck, I even think most Republican peons would be more qualified to run things than the crap that rises to the top of their partisan toilet.  Most Republican peons actually work for a living, unlike Bush - who according to NPR took two years of his eight year tenure for vacation.

Obama told the truth today!  Let's hope that circumstances and his will permit more truth on day two, three, four, .... 

Obama was a community organizer, and despite what Rudy and Sarah Palin would have us believe - he worked with the least of these.  Let's hope he remembers all rungs of our society.

Today, I'm proud again!  HOPE!  HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! HOPE!....

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MLK is the man today!  His dream is my reality.  I'm a white guy, married into, an incredibly loving and accepting, black family.  I am very grateful for all the sacrifices of generations prior.  I believe, as the Good Book states:  To whom much has been given, much will be expected.  I will do my best!

Thank you, and God bless America, melting pot, and in many cases the envy of the world.

 

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