We just need some colour here.
Besides, it's Daughter's birthday and this bush is at her house.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posted by
listener
at
1:00:00 AM
Powered by Blogger. DownRight Blogger Theme v1.4 created by (© 2007) Thur Broeders
Hong Kong is First!
ReplyDeleteHong Kong elections: Pro-democracy groups makes big gains
Hong Kong elections: Pro-democracy groups makes big gains
Two late comments on previous thread.
ReplyDeleteJust as we have failed our nation in the teaching of civics and the Constitution, we have lost basic religious comprehension.
ReplyDeleteA primer:
GNOSTICISM: Gnosticism is a collection of ancient religious ideas and systems which originated in the first century AD among some early Christian and Jewish sects. These various groups, labeled "gnostics" by their opponents, emphasised personal spiritual knowledge over orthodox teachings, traditions, and ecclesiastical authority. [Basically, "We know better than you or anyone ordained or skilled."]
HERESY: Any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of such claims or beliefs.
So, please, when you hear the news soundbites today, don't tar and feather the people of faith who are not Trumpian Gnostics and Heretics. It's not our fault.
The Messiah Complex is getting out of hand.
Rick Perry calls DT "God's Chosen One."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rick-perry-donald-trump-the-chosen-one_n_5ddbbb9ee4b0913e6f6fc1a8
“For centuries, most scholarly knowledge of Gnosticism was limited to the anti-heretical writings of orthodox Christian figures…” [That would imply some, perhaps marked, lack of objectivity, AKA bad press.]
Delete“The term ‘Gnosticism’ does not appear in ancient sources, and was first coined in the 17th century…”
“In a religious context, gnosis is mystical or esoteric [which one?] knowledge based on direct participation with the divine.” [It is not at all clear to me how this differs from the experience of the Holy Spirit by Methodists, Pentecostals, etc.]
It is my understanding that conventional Christianity is an exoteric religion—meaning it maintains that the truth can be fully communicated in words either written or spoken. Not everyone agrees with that.
I think that Thomas Jefferson had it about right when he said that if a good man is religious, he must have a good religion. I don't think we need to denigrate people who don't agree with us or who cannot speak for themselves (on account of being dead, for instance). I would argue against calling DT a rat or a snake, for instance--it isn't fair to the eponymous creatures. As for his followers who pretend to religion, let us not forget that the Devil can cite scripture for his own purpose (Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice).
I suggest that the main difference between gnosticism and mysticism is that mysticism is the individual having a unitive experience which results in them being more loving and more self giving, while gnosticism results in a more self-focused, somewhat divisive experience.
DeleteWell said, Alan.
DeleteHowsabout rather than associating them with religious traditions that have had a lot of bad press, we refer to them as:
DeleteThe Devil's spawn?
While I know some very intelligent and gifted people (including psychiatrist Jerry May) who believe(d) that "the Devil" is an actual entity, my take on it has long been that "the Devil" is: Anything (internal or external) that turns you away from God, away from Unconditional Love.
DeleteIt's truly tragic how far some people in our nation have been drawn away from that which is holy, sacred, moral, and good. I wouldn't say that DT or Putin or any other entity is "the Devil." But I would say that there is a lot of neglect in this nation (neglect of education and moral upbringing, as well as erosion of the societal accountability that actually help people, as a group, remain moral) which has lead to the ease in which too many people have come to believe conspiracy theories and be duped into revering greedy bullies.
The Illinois primary season officially begins today, as candidates for state and country offices, as well as US Senate and House, file their nominating petitions. For reasons I don't understand, presidential candidates and their convention delegates file Jan. 2.
ReplyDeleteI'm not linking to the Tribune stories because they're mostly human interest with little real information except about how time of filing affects ballot position.
bThat's an interesting way of determining ballot position, Bill. I hope it doesn't result in altercations.
DeleteI think it may have occasionally in the days when the top spot automatically went to the first in line. That could be why they went to having a lottery among all those in line when the office opens regardless of their position in line.
DeleteOh, OK--that's better. But the old way might have been more entertaining at times!
DeleteHow Small Donors Are Making Credit Card Companies Rich [Click] “Low-dollar, repeat contributions are a great talking point for campaigns. They’ve also resulted in a massive financial windfall for credit card processors.” I think I will take that into consideration.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to walk my cash donation into a campaign office, whenever possible.
DeleteSounds like a good idea if you can do it. Not practical here.
DeleteIt's not just political campaigns but, perhaps even more, charitable organizations that encourage low monthly donations. They probably do overall end up taking in more money that way despite the credit card charges.
DeleteThanks, Alan, I never thought of that. It's something else to consider when making donations.
DeleteOne can also mail in a check!
Deletehttps://morningconsult.com/2019/11/25/warrens-september-surge-has-evaporated/?fbclid=IwAR2HP8GdLMZHeqpSWaqhkOlVzEAzc2fnywF6wan3FTA-XK3P-_g1K1PT_LA
ReplyDelete"The decline in her polling numbers has been driven by statistically significant drops in support among almost every demographic group surveyed — and, most notably, among the highest-educated voters, the oldest voters and voters who identify as liberal and very liberal — compared to her vote share in an Oct. 7-13 poll conducted before last month’s debate. Warren lost her lead with liberal voters and now trails Sanders by 4 points, 16 percent to 20 percent."
Interesting if true. I don't see any speculation about the reason(s). I also don't find any clear explanation of the poll's methodology. But I will bear it in mind.
DeleteEmerson Poll:
DeleteBiden 27, Sanders 27, Warren 20, Buttigieg 7, Harris 3, Yang 4, Bloomberg 1, Gabbard 2, Klobuchar 1, Steyer 2, Booker 1, Castro 1, Bennet 0
Aha! Thanks, Susan!
DeleteI like that Emerson poll~!!
DeleteOK, I shifted most of my recurring Warren donation to Bernie.
ReplyDeleteI removed my recurring Warren donation and boosted that to Bernie.
DeleteRock on!
DeleteRe brokered conventions and such: I don't understand this nonsense about everything having to be wrapped up and tied with ribbons months before the convention. I'm old enough to remember nominating processes that took more than one ballot, and horsetrading, and compromise, and all sorts of currently unfashionable stuff like that. Last time, the Clintonistas were furious that Bernie's name was so much as put into nomination, much less that any delegates had the gall to vote for him.Quite apart from the inherent undemocratic-ness of that, where's the fun?
ReplyDeleteWhere's the fun, indeed! Have I mentioned the 1952 Republican convention and the Virgin Islands delegation?
DeleteThen there was the Mississippi Freedom Democratic delegation, the Yippies, the Democratic Convention of 1924 (103, yes, one hundred three! ballots), and the 1920 Republican Convention!
DeleteToday was windy all day long because of the approaching storm that is supposed to bring us rain from Tuesday through Thursday. The wind blew a lot of dust into the air. The widespread change from flood irrigation to drip irrigation means more bare dirt in the fields, orchards and vineyards, so potentially more dust.
ReplyDeleteComment added to listener's 8:17 post.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's another horse race poll:
No Clear Leader In New Hampshire
November 25, 2019 By Taegan Goddard
A new Boston Globe/Suffolk poll in New Hampshire finds Bernie Sanders leading the Democratic presidential field with 16%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 14%, Pete Buttigieg at 13%, and Joe Biden at 12%.
All other candidates, including former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who jumped in the race this month, were in single digits.
Key takeaway: “The poll suggested little about this race is set in stone. Twenty-one percent of likely voters were undecided. When those who chose a candidate were pressed, more than half said they might change their minds before the primary, while only 43% said their minds were made up.”
VERY interesting! And at least Bernie is still out in front!!
DeleteSpeaking of bad press… [Click] here is a custom that I gather is not at all atypical of the society in which it occurs.
ReplyDeleteNote at the bottom of the last thread.
ReplyDeleteFederal judge says former White House counsel Don McGahn must speak to House: 'Presidents are not kings'
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2019/11/25/politics/don-mcgahn-house-subpoena-impeachment/index.html
Indeed they are not!
DeleteKarma in Rochester [Click]
ReplyDeleteYeah, I saw that news. She was amazing.
Delete