Whatever

Text:

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:14-22

Context:

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:34-40

There is nothing more frustrating than having to deal with people who are lukewarm about things that matter. George Bush and his Republican Party are taking this country to Hell in a hand basket and too many Americans' only response is, "Whatever." Touch-screen voting is being implemented across the country even as we see in Sarasota that 18,000 votes can instantly "disappear" in order to help one candidate over another and the only response that we hear from too many Americans is a heart-felt, "Whatever." Our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunties are being slaughtered as grist for the Iraqi mill and all that too many Americans have to say is, "Whatever." This lukewarm Laodecean attitude is the reason why wicked men can hatch their plans to deprive the populace of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - the people will merely say, "Whatever."

This is even more true of those who call themselves Christians. There are too many Christians who are zealous for God but when it comes to their fellow man their response is essentially, "Whatever." Someone needs help with breaking the cycle of poverty? "Whatever." Someone needs food, clothing and shelter? "Whatever." Someone needs health care or to be comforted in prison? "Whatever." Many people who call themselves Christians are indeed zealous for God, but in too many instances - like a true Laodecean - their love is lacking for their fellow man.

Likewise, there are too many people who call themselves Christians who are zealous for their fellow man but whose response when it comes to God Himself is essentially, "Whatever." God requires the Christian to pursue His holiness? "Whatever." God refers to homosexuality as being uniquely abominable, using the Hebrew word חועבה "toebah" to refer to homosexuality and other practices which are abominable while using the Hebrew word שקץ "sheqets" to refer to all other practices that are simply to be avoided? "Whatever." Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life - no one comes to the Father except through Me" and the lackadaisical Laodecean replies, "Whatever."

There are too many Christians In Name Only, and much the same way that Republican In Name Only Lincoln Chaffe was spewed out of his seat in the Senate and Democrat In Name Only Zell Miller would have been spewed out of his Senate seat if he had sought another term, Christians In Name Only will be spewed out by Jesus when the eternal election day comes to pass. When we stand before God to give an account of all that we have done in this life there will be many conservatives standing before Jesus, saying, "Lord, Lord, did we not vote Republican in your name, and in your name drive out homosexuals and prevent many abortions?" just to hear Jesus tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" However, there will also be progressives standing before Jesus in judgment, saying, "'Lord, Lord, did we not feed the hungry, and clothe the naked and comfort the sick and imprisoned?" just to hear Jesus tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" Faith without works is truly dead, and works without faith is equally dead. Only a faith that works will lead to eternal life, and that faith must be placed in Jesus Christ - the only way to the Father is through the Son.

I know, whatever.

May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who wants you to love Him forever,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

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Saturday Comics

Thanksgiving
Eat Up
Doggie Style
Done Did It
Turkey Shoot
Just Desserts
The Butcher's Bill
Dead Center
WTF
Stay The Course
Problem Solved
McPresident
John & Bobby Kennedy
Diplomatic Concession
Three Phat Ho's
Circular Logic

And my favorite for today: Oedipus Wrecks


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Panda update

I decided to post a new thread with an update on Lun Lun's cub before turning in. Because baby pandas are cool, that's why.

Heh...I'd forgotten about this, but I just now remembered that Demetrius had a panda puppet back in college. Named "Buddy". Eventually Buddy acquired a wife and kid. But I digress...

Wednesday, November 22
78 days old!
She weighed 4.1 kg (9.1 lbs). Two teeth have erupted on her lower jaw and her ear canals are open.

And, for anyone who's interested, there's a Barbaro update here.

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Peace on Earth

I just read this post on Firedoglake: War? On Christmas? It has today's date on it, but there are a number of newer posts by now. Anyway, I thought it was worth highlighting here.

Here in my town, a popular FM station switched over to all Christmas music, all the time at least a week ago. I usually find the vocal gynmastics and contortions of the "artists" in rotation to be so kitschy as to be unlistenable, but my partner likes the station, so I hear it a bit.

The other day, I heard John Lennon's Christmas song and it put a lump in my throat, given all that's going on.

War? On Christmas?

Let's bring our sons and daughters home, and stop sacrificing them to George Bush's intransigent vanity. Let's do it now.

The post at FDL has a link to a YouTube of John Lennon's song.

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Gene Robinson on "Justice and the Common Good"

The following is from a talk by Gene Robinson to the Center for American Progress, on the topic of Working for Justice and the Common Good. It took place on the third anniversary of his becoming the bishop of New Hampshire. Initially, I was thinking I would just try to summarize it, but there is a lot of good stuff here, so I ended up largely transcribing about the first third of it. Will share more in a future post, and in the some of the parts toward the end of the talk/interview, I'll have more of my own thoughts to share.



Bishop Gene Robinson: Micah said "love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with your God". For the Episcopalians in the crowd, there is a typo in the prayer book--whoever did the typesetting transposed that into "love justice and do mercy." That's been in there since 1979. And I think that's the temptation that we have, which is to just *love* the notion of justice, and be perfectly willing to do those merciful acts of charity. But not do the hard work of justice.

And who is the common good for? This year (in the liturgical cycle) we are reading from the Gospel of Mark. It's the oldest, "lean and mean", "Cliff's Notes" version. Gene mentions being a proponent of studying the Gospels in terms of how they depict "what did Jesus know, and when did he know it" with regard to who he was and the nature of his mission. In the Gospel of John, which is believed to be the latest written, Jesus seems to know all.

In Mark, Jesus seems to be figuring it out as he goes along--which to Gene makes sense, because if God chose to live a completely human life, we don't know what's going to happen an hour from now. "And I think that's how Jesus lived his life, so, as you read Mark's Gospel, you can begin to see Jesus kind of putting all this together in his mind...I think Mark's Gospel gives us an idea of the development of Jesus' self-understanding.

Gene goes on to set the stage for telling a story that he sees as a turning point in Jesus' self understanding.

"Jesus is, of course, always in trouble, especially with the religious types. ... So Jesus was really fed up to here with all this, and he goes on vacation. Well, it doesn't actually say that. It says he went into a foreign country--into Tyre, which is in modern day Syria. It does say that he didn't want anybody to know he was there, he didn't want anybody to know his name (which I can perfectly understand these days!) He just wanted a little peace and quiet.

But a woman who's described as Syro-Phonecian finds him. But she finds out he's there, and she comes to him and says "My daughter's possessed of a demon, will you heal her?" Now, he's still feeling pretty cranky--he's up to here with all the crowds and demands and stuff. So he says something that's really quite amazing that it made it into scripture. Because, if you're going to whitewash the story, this is not something you would tell.

He says to her, "Woman, the bread that I have to give doesn't belong to the dogs." Meaning *her*.

Now, she's got three strikes against her. She's a foreigner, she's a Gentile, and she's a woman, which counted for simply nothing in those days. And all three of which would have made him ritually unclean as a Jew.

And, she may not have been a Jew, but she sure had chutzpah. She kind of like puts her hand on her hip--you can almost see it--and says to him, "Well, you know, the dogs even get to clean up the crumbs after the meal!"

Now, Mark doesn't say this, but I would have put in a little thing that says "Gulp!" Because you can hear Jesus react like, "Whoa!" Here's this woman who has no business being with him,who has no claim on him, and yet she is laying claim to the good news that he's been preaching to the Jews.

And you can almost hear the wheels in his brain turning to say, "You know, maybe my mission isn't just to reform Judaism" (which is what I think he first had in mind). But maybe the mission, maybe this good news about the love of God, extends to *everyone*--to the whole world.

I think that's the kind of shift that we need, especially in this country, around who the common good is for. It's not just for me, it's not just for people like me, it's not just for people who think like me, but it's for all. And I think that this is a very difficult time to get that message across. I think it's a particularly American problem with our focus on individualism. Whether we say it or not, it's every man, woman, and child for themselves. It's at least *my family* for themselves.

People will tell you that Scripture says "God helps those who help themselves". It's not in there. What *is* in there is this mandate to care, not only just for everyone, but especially for the marginalized, for the poor, for those who have been pushed to the sides of society for whatever reason. We seem to be at no loss for finding yet more reasons to push someone to the side.
...
I think that the greatest enemy of the common good is anxiety. And probably every age has felt anxious, but boy, let me tell you, this one feels like it's right up there with the greatest times. And we have an administration right now that is using that anxiety, *promoting* anxiety, I think, to forward its own agenda.

Because, if I'm anxious enough, I'm willing to give up all kinds of things to make the anxiety go away--whether that's in the name of Homeland Security or--well the list goes on. Our anxiety is even color coded...you go to the airport and find out how anxious you should be that day.... We're told to *be* anxious--but we can't tell you what to be anxious about, we can't tell you *where* you should be anxious, or what to do about it, or how to avoid it, just be more anxious. And it's just in the air that we breathe these days.

And I think it's a great enemy to us, because when people are feeling anxious, they're thinking more about themselves and *not* about the common good. And I would say that one of the great instruments of promoting the common good right now is to acknowledge people's anxiety, and to look for value systems that speak to that anxiety.

Robinson goes on to tell about a book by Ron Heifetz called Leadership Without Easy Answers, in which the author says that leadership in today's culture is really about holding the hand of the organization, the people in the organization, and assuring them that we're going to live through this. That's the primary role of the leader is to lower the anxiety level of the institution enough so that they can get their work done. Because if they're highly anxious, if they're worried about survival, they're not going to be about their mission, because they're going to be all about survival.

...and I say this to clergy, with all the hubbub the Episcopal church is going through these days. We need to take the hands of those we are leading and say, 'You know what? This is going to be okay. God's in charge here.' We may not see the end of it in our lifetime, but, okay. That's okay. I mean, it's not *okay*, but we can live with it. And we can work with it. And in the end, God's will will be done. *Every* human being will be valued for who they are, so let's do our piece, and let's not beat ourselves up when we're not successful. And, by the way, let's find a little joy in it along the way!

And, my message would be, it is exactly where you find God. It is exactly where you find God--in the midst of that struggle.

More to come. You can listen to the streaming audio here.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all enjoy a happy, healthy holiday. I feel blessed to know you all.

I won't sully this page by posting Bush's picture, but click here for a picture of him "pardoning" a turkey for Thanksgiving. And here for a funny post about the turkeys refusing the ceremonial pardon.

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"Big Butter Jesus"

Right Angle Blog's response to Buckeye State Blog posting a link to "Big Butter Jesus":

Check out the stupid and offensive youtube video he posted here.

I love how socially acceptable it is to make fun of Christians. I guess its easy, because unlike some Muslims, Christians won't have violent riots and chop Russell's head off.

I listened to the whole song. It doesn't make fun of all Christians, but it does call out hypocrites. Sort of like that one guy did. Dang, why can't I think of his name? Wore sandals, hung out with a bunch of fishermen....

Yeah, that's the guy.

Here are some of the lyrics from toward the end of the song...

Don't make no graven images
That's one of the Ten Commandments
I hope the grading curve is kindly
You get to heaven with a 90

Making fun of this statue is not making fun of Christians.

Now, with regard to the comments about Muslims, Christians, and violence, I'll defer to Katharine Jefferts Schori. From her recent interview, published in the New York Times Magazine:

Have you met Pope Benedict?

I have not. I think it would be really interesting.

He became embroiled in controversy this fall after suggesting that Muslims have a history of violence.

So do Christians! They have a terrible history. Look at history in the Dark Ages. Charlemagne converted whole tribes by the sword. I think Muslims are poorly understood by the West, and it is easy to latch onto that which we do not understand and demonize it.

And one other thing--you're not likely to see six *Christian* religious leaders kicked off an airplane for *praying*.

I'm aware that right-leaning "Christians" have a lot invested in this "most persecuted religion" competition. But, sorry guys--it's not even close.

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Donna's Deaniac pre-Thanksgiving get-together

From Renee--just *had* to front-page this!

Hey guys. You'll never guess who surprised me at the salt mine today.

Give up? It was Thankful, Bob, and...puddle! At last we have met. They waited until I was finished and we four went out to dinner at the Celtic Knot, the place where Evanston/North Shore DFA has its linkups.

All three were tired from their travels, and of course worried about Thankful's brother Rene, but we had a great relaxing dinner. And I'm so glad that I finally met my dear friend face to face.

We are all planning to go to DemocracyFest.

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Please help Lee Kinchen, and help spread the word

I just saw this story on Booman Tribune. It is just heartwrenching...

The short version is that Lee has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, which is part of her disease, and that this tumor is pressing down on 8 of the 15 major nerve branches in her brain, as well as causing blockages and constriction of most of her major blood vessels in her brain. Since Lee has been f***ed out of SSI/SSDI, Medicare and Medicaid by the illiterate state-level bureaucrats who think that they know what a "disability" is, and her job at Fred's Super Discount Store isn't even enough for that child to pay RENT on, she needs your help.

She needs a LOT of help.

If she waits for the one remaining major hospital in the Louisiana state hospital (charity) system, she won't get a surgical date until March or April. Even though she is still working her skinny little ass off, she has already had her legs collapse out from under her, and has had the physical requirements of her job curtailed by her manager, Susan.

Her manager, as I discovered by following the link to the For Lee blog which has been set up to help her, has been an absolute angel for Lee. (That link also has a lot more information about the condition, and Lee's situation.) The For Lee blog has a PayPal button, but also lists a snail mail address for donations.

Snail-Mail: Fund For Leola Kinchen
(c/o) Susan Hammer
Bank Of St. Francisville
P.O. Drawer 818
St. Francisville, LA 70775 USA

Please do read this story, and about all the people who are trying to help this brave young woman who has been dealt such a bad hand. Even if you can't donate, just passing this story along to mailing lists, or crossposting it on other blogs, is bound to be a big help.

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NYT interview with Katharine Jefferts Schori

For anyone who missed this earlier...

Thankful's brother is in ICU in Chicago. It doesn't look good. We're leaving in a little to go there. Prayers, light, anything you can muster, please. Love from here to there.

Check back when we can.
puddle | 11.21.06 - 1:45 pm

Here's the virtual candle page for Thankful and her family.
--------------
The picture below is of Katharine Jefferts Schori and her husband, Richard Schori, and is from the web site of the Diocese of Nevada.



There's a nice interview piece in the New York Time Magazine from this past Sunday. Here are a couple of excerpts:

As a scientist with a Ph.D., what do you make of the Christian fundamentalists who say the earth was created in six days and dismiss evolution as a lot of bunk?

I think it’s a horrendous misunderstanding of both science and active faith tradition. I understand the great creation story in the scientific sense — big bang and evolutionary theory — as the best understanding of how we have come to be what we are: not the meaning behind it, but the process behind it. Genesis is about the meaning behind that.
...
I like the word “shalom.” I use it in my correspondence, I use it in my sermons, and that’s how I sign my e-mails — “shalom.” To me it is a concrete reminder of what it is we’re all supposed to be about.

Because it means peace in Hebrew?

It means far more than peace. I think it’s a vision of the human community. Those great visions of Isaiah — every person fed, no more strife, the ill are healed, prisoners are released.

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16 Hats

The online community at Howard Empowered People (HEP) will be sending winter outerwear to the Cangleska Battered Women’s Shelter at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation this holiday season.

The shelter has listed this as an “Urgent Need” at the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation website, explaining that many women come to the shelter with nothing, and winters are cold in South Dakota, with average temperatures well below freezing.

The shelter is asking for the following items in new, gently used, or handmade condition:

- Winter Coats, Jackets, Hats, Gloves, Ear Warmers, Scarves, etc

- Any size, childrens, womens, or mens. For the babies to teenage boys who arrive with their mothers, and the mothers themselves

With all the suffering in the world, it’s hard to feel like you can make a difference. That’s why I love this HEP Corp Project. I’m sending 16 baby hats, 16 hats that my children wore…and I know that those 16 hats will warm the little heads of 16 babies that need them now.

If you can send winter items to the women and children at the Cangleska Battered Women’s Shelter, please post the number of items in the comments here, or email the number of items to me at jjem1999@yahoo.com. We will keep a running tally of donations at HEP.

Items should be sent directly to:

Via UPS or FedEx: Cangleska, Inc., 1 Public Safety Road, Kyle, SD, 57752

Via US Mail: Cangleska, Inc., P.O. Box 638, Kyle, SD, 57752


Crossposted at Blog For America and DailyKos

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Don't address the problem, just rename it

More word games from the U.S. governnment. In a Washington Post article entitled Some Americans Lack Food, but USDA Won't Call Them Hungry, Elizabeth Williamson writes:

The U.S. government has vowed that Americans will never be hungry again. But they may experience "very low food security."

Every year, the Agriculture Department issues a report that measures Americans' access to food, and it has consistently used the word "hunger" to describe those who can least afford to put food on the table. But not this year.

Mark Nord, the lead author of the report, said "hungry" is "not a scientifically accurate term for the specific phenomenon being measured in the food security survey." Nord, a USDA sociologist, said, "We don't have a measure of that condition."

Now, I *do* understand the point of wanting a more accurate word for what is being measured. But, coming from *this* administration, which has been adept at choosing emotion-laden words for what they hope will be their "winning issues", I can't help but wince when they shift to a *less* emotional, more "clinical" word in this particular case.

Brings to mind this piece from Douglas Adams...

[W]hen the Editors of the Guide were sued by the families of those who died as a result of taking the entry on the planet Traal literally (it said 'Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts often make a very good meal for visiting tourists' instead of 'Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts often make a very good meal of visiting tourists'), they claimed that the first version of the sentence was the more aesthetically pleasing, summoned a qualified poet to testify under oath that beauty was truth, truth beauty and hoped thereby to prove that the guilty party in this case was Life itself for failing to be either beautiful or true. The judges concurred, and in a moving speech held that Life itself was in contempt of court, and duly confiscated it from all those there present ...

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DemocracyFest Discount - Last Chance!

The 4th Annual DemocracyFest will take place in Manchester NH, on June 9-10, 2007.

http://www.democracyfest.net/

Today is the last day to get your DemocracyFest Ticket at the discounted rate of $135. You'll also receive a free commemorative Nov. 7 t-shirt, while supplies last.

After today, tickets will cost $155, so don't miss this opportunity to save money!

Tickets include:

- 2 Breakfasts (including the One-and-Only Blogger's Breakfast),
- 2 Mid-day snacks,
- 2 Dinners,
- All speakers,
- All panels,
- All entertainment,
- Free parking, or transportation to/from airport
- Optional Friday night Meet and Greet

http://www.democracyfest.net/

This is THE event of the year for people inspired by Howard Dean to celebrate all we've accomplished and plan for the future, so don't miss it!

On-site lodging is also available for a discounted price of $87 per night, but must be purchased directly through the hotel. Please call the Wayfarer Inn at 603-622-3766 to purchase lodging. Make sure you mention you are with Democracyfest!

If you are unable to attend DemocracyFest this year but still want to support this great event, or if your organization or company would like to sponsor DemocracyFest, please check out our Sponsorship opportunities!

We look forward to seeing you in June!

Charlene, Jessica, Liane, Pam, and Quintus
DemocracyFest Incorporated

Contributions or gifts to DemocracyFest Incorporated are not tax deductible.

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Video clip of Howard Dean on Wyoming news

From the comments, floridagal writes...

I am trying again to post the video of Howard Dean in Wyoming before the news site takes it down. They sang Happy Birthday to him.

I watched the video myself, not knowing at the time that the people in Wyoming sang happy birthday to him, so it came as a pleasant surprise when I saw that part. I hope he ended up getting boatloads of cards.

On that topic, thank you to everyone who helped break the Howard-Empowered bat on Howard Dean's birthday.

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The Gift: a Christmas card to the world

by Subway

Here I go again, thinking that just one person can make a difference.

But it's a true story and I'm the one who told it twelve years ago when no one was noticing. I read it aloud at Cordtlandt Street, at Rector Street and Wall Street for three Holidays and then I posted it on the web in June of 1998 and it was STILL a true story. Even after we invaded Iraq I knew the miracles were coming.

But the beauty of it is I can't sell it to you because it's already yours. The only way to buy it is to give it away. Then, in giving it away, you gently alter the course of Human Civilization. Not bad at 2 bucks a pop if you ask me.

So take it from the Deaniac's Court Jester for what it's worth, folks. You've changed the Country in the Election. Why not treat yourselves and change the world for the Holidays?

http://teocawki.blogspot.com

Subway Serenade

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Making a difference

Yesterday, in a post entitled Being "my sister's keeper", I raised the issue of women in Afghanistan who are subject to alarming rates of domestic violence and little hope of escape.

From the comments, Jessica wrote:

Abused women in *this* country feel like there's no way out. I don't know what the women over there could do even if they overcame the emotional entrapment...

And SusanD added:

And, actually, our women's shelters here in the US are woefully undersupplied. Many of the women and children have only the clothes they were wearing when they escaped. I donate blankets and stuff that the church pantry funnels to them.

Anyway, that is where the discussion turned to "what can we do to help women in tough circumstances *here*, and what prompted last night's post about the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation Donation Drive. This morning I added a button to the left sidebar, just above the UN Millennium Development Campaign button--another program I encourage people to learn more about.

Right now I need to take Daughter in Ohio to choir practice, and later in the day I need to play "catch up" with things I couldn't get done when I was sick. But I wanted to get this post up before I go. If you agree that this is a worthwhile cause, please crosspost. People are welcome to download the graphic button for use on their own blogs, or you could create your own.

Here are some posts from last winter about Friends of PRR:
Dean Corps
Howard Empowered Friends of Pine Ridge

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Personal Responsibility

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

Matthew 19:1-12

One thing that I find to be exceedingly humouros is how people will scream at the top of their lungs that there is no such thing as absolute truth, that it is wrong for someone to try to assert their opinion as God's truth, yet when it comes to a heart-felt belief of theirs they immediately pirouette and embark upon a crusade to make sure that their prefered principle is followed from Alabama to Africa to Afghanistan. This does not mean that their prefered principle is necessarily wrong - it may well be a universal truth - but if one is going to assert universal truths then it would be a good idea to affirm the existence of universal truths.

This is the kind of problem that the Pharisees faced in our text today. They tried to trap Jesus, making Him take sides in a debate among the Pharisees between the schools of Shammai and Hillel regarding the correct intterpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1. It was a classic case of missing the forest for the trees as the Shammai school believed that divorce was permissible for anything indecent - even something as trivial as burning dinner - while the Hillel school believed that divorce was permissible only for something indecent, specifically infidelity.

Jesus corrected both schools, faulting them for focusing on getting out of marriages instead of honoring God's intention for marriage - a man and a woman bonded together for life - saying, "Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Jesus didn't speak to the mechanism for bringing a couple together, be that dating or arranged marriages or eHarmony, but spoke to the life-long commitment between a man and a woman to become a "one flesh" union.

One problem that too many people experience is the divorce of power and responsibility, especially in the Western world. Too many people seek power and not enough people seek responsibility, because the Biblical motif is one of servant leadership, not the tyranical exercise of power. People are given "responsibility for" and not necessarily "power over" - this is what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 20:25-28 when He told His disciples, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

In marriage a husband is given responsibility for his wife, not necessarily power over his wife. He is responsibile for her well-being just as Jesus is responsible for the well-being of the Church (q.v. Ephesians 5:15-33). And just like Jesus does not coerce the Church into anything, a husband is to lovingly head his household - taking responsibility for all that goes on within the household. Now any effective leader will delegate responsibility to those who are better equipped to handle those areas, such that if a poet is married to an accountant then the poet would be wise to let the accountant handle the check book, but ultimately it is the husband's responsibility - he is accountable. In many ways this is akin to the Miller Lite Man Law commercial where they ordained the "You Poke It, You Own It" Man Law. Essentially, if you put you finger in a beer while carrying it back to the guys at the table then you own that beer. Likewise, if a man decides to have sex with a woman then he is responsible for her upkeep for the rest of her days. No exceptions.

People like the power, but they too often duck the responsibility.

Jesus' disciples understood exactly what He was saying and they weren't having any part of it, saying, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry." To their thinking the only way to get their wives to "act right" was to threaten them with divorce and starvation - divorce and starvaton were closely linked back then because women weren't strong enough to be employable as manual laborers and the economy wasn't one where you could just go get an office job or work at McDonalds. The disciples, as most men of their day (and ours), were interested in having their wives serve them, in having their wives in a place below them or behind them, but Jesus corrected them by taking them back to creation - a woman's place is beside the man, not behind or under or in front of the man. The man is responsible for the woman, but the woman is his equal in dignity and stature even while he is the head of the household.

This order can be seen within the Godhead. Jesus is fully divine, yet He submits to the Father. The Holy Spirit is fully divine, yet He submits to the Son. There is a functional subordination within the nature and character of God, so it should come as no surprise that within God's creation He has ordained functionally subordinate roles for the family.

Not everyone will accept this.

Naturally, there are those who will not accept any kind of subordination - functional or otherwise - as they view themselves as prime movers, the captains of their fate, the masters of their souls. It is a cute fantasy that is easily debunked by one well-placed hurricaine or tornado, but it is a fantasy that people are entitled to maintain if they so desire, free will and all that. This is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given" and "The one who can accept this should accept it." Much as it may gall some people, not everyone is called to salvation - some people are perfectly happy on their road to perdition and there is nothing that I or anyone else can do to deter or detour them - but those of us who are called by the name of Jesus Christ should accept the words of Jesus and live accordingly, fulfilling our responsibilities and exercising power from a loving perspective of servant leadership.

Man Law.

May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who wants you to know where your towel is,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

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Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation Donation Drive

Thank you to Jessica for posting this in the previous thread. If you go to the current projects page you can find other ways to help, such as donating wrapping paper, toys, books, etc.

Urgent Needs
Winter Coats for Mothers and Children

It's that time again so please help us get the word out to your friends and relatives that we need to get some winter gear out to Pine Ridge!

As the weather is getting colder on the reservation the mothers and children that come through the Cangleska, Inc. battered women's shelter (and there were 418 moms and kids served by the shelter Jan. through June of this year alone) are in dire need of new and/or gently used warm winter coats, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves, etc. and the shelter doesn't have the means to purchase them. They need kids coats up to size 12 (and there are lots of babies and toddlers there) and coats for women and teen girls of all sizes. They can also use some coats in men's sizes for the older teen boys. Any coat that gets donated will find a good home.

Click here for more ways to help.

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Being "my sister's keeper"

It's tough, sometimes. I have a reflexive tendency to avoid even looking at news stories of the "Isn't that awful?" variety. And if I do look, I often resist posting the link. I mean, we all know (at some level of our consciousness) that awful things are happening all over the world. But we can't fix *everything*, right? And it just seems wrong to post something that is going to make everyone feel bad, if I can't also add, "And here's what we can do about it."

Anyway, I'm purposely resisting that tendency today. This article is hard to read, but I felt I had to share it. Don't know what to do, beyond sharing it, but hopefully it can spur some discussion. Maybe there are some do-able action items out there as well--I just don't know what they are at the moment.

Afghan women commit suicide by fire

Desperate to escape domestic violence, forced marriage and hardship, scores of women across Afghanistan each year are committing suicide by fire. While some gains have been made since the fall of the Taliban five years ago, life remains bleak for many Afghan women in the conservative and violence-plagued country, and suicide is a common escape.

You can read the rest of the article here. The article mentions a UK-based group called Womankind. Are there any similar U.S.-based groups out there?

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Saturday Comics

Truth & Consequences
Faith-Based Recreation
Common Ground
Mission Accomplished
Starting Point
Bull Run
Return Of The Living Dead
A Leopard's Spots
Way Down South
Garbage Service
Change In Scenery
Loyal Opposition
Gridlock
Bi-Partisan BS
Lipstick On A Pig
Tis The Season
Freudian Fallacy
Hammer Down
Rudi 2008
Fuzzy Math
Leaving For Condi
Grownups...
...Disciplining The Impudent
Grounded
Terminal Condition

And my favorite for today: Reclaiming America



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Hail To The Victor

From Renee: I added the link to Gerald Levert, as I had no idear who he was before reading Oscar's post. And a curious side-note...today was "spirit day" at Son in Ohio's school, and they were able to come dressed in OSU or Michigan swag. Guess which he chose? Marches to his own drummer, that boy does. Happy to report that he didn't get beaten up or anything. ;)

Bo Schembechler
April 1, 1929 - November 17, 2006

I was prepared to come home from work and post a scathing (if sanctimonious) screed about how everyone in Black America was catching the vapors about the passing of Gerald Levert, even while nobody seemed too terribly moved by Ed Bradley's passing last week and next to nobody noticed Ralph Wiley's passing a couple years ago. Bradley and Wiley were two Black men that I looked up to, Black men that I admired, Black men who pursued the truth and exposed it to the light of day. Ralph Wiley's medium was the written word while Ed Bradley's realm was the world of television, but both of them inspired me to be more than I am, and it really galled me that people would be so moved by the passing of an entertainer, albeit a good one and from what I hear an all-around great guy.

My mindset changed as I was shutting down my system at work and preparing to leave the building when someone mentioned to me that Coach Schembechler had passed. I thought that they were joking, here on the eve of the biggest Michigan-Ohio State game in my lifetime, but they pulled up the article for me on their PC. After the initial shock I found myself even more shocked at just how much that upset me - here I am getting caught up about a football coach that I have never met.

Mr. Kettle, meet Mr. Pot.

The truth of the matter is that I can't rationalize it as losing a great personal motivator - I've never heard a Schembechler speech. I can't rationalize it as mourning the loss of a personal inspiration - I never thought that deeply about Coach Schembechler. I can't even rationalize it as a loss for the University of Michigan - Coach has been off of the sidelines for more than a decade now. The truth is that the greatest coach of the team that I love - the University of Michigan Wolverines - has passed and I am moved by his loss.

Just like millions of Black folk are moved by the sudden loss of Gerald Lavert.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to prune the forest that I have just discovered growing in my eye...

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More birthday celebration

The Kos diary wishing Howard Dean a happy birthday has gotten kind of long, and it's not on the recommended list any more. So I wanted to highlight this comment so that people will see it and have a better sense of what was extraordinary about Howard Dean's campaign and its legacy...

I sometimes think that perhaps you have no idear how much you have changed people's lives, or how many people's lives you have changed, and to what degree.

So I thank you for my life, and I thank you for Edwin's life, and I thank you for our life together (had you not run, had you not had a blog, had you shut down your blog like the rest did, we would never have even met).

I'm sorry he didn't live to see the results of this election, which he and I both believed was engineered by you, but I know he was a true believer. This is the story of the day he met you

Click here for puddleriver's story.

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Open Thread

'Cause even though it's Howard's birthday, we might want to talk about other stuff too. Here are a couple of links....

How Full Is Your Quiver?
In a new movement, Christians 'open their wombs to God.'

CNN's Beck to first-ever Muslim congressman: "[W]hat I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies' "

BECK: Thank you. I will tell you, may I -- may we have five minutes here where we're just politically incorrect and I play the cards face up on the table?

ELLISON: Go there.

For future reference, next time someone asks that question, how about answering something like, "Well, I can't stop you, but I wish you wouldn't. America deserves better than that."

Better responses? You can see how deep Beck ended up digging his hole here.

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Happy Birthday, Howard Dean!

Crossposted at Daily Kos and My Left Wing

The happiest of happy birthdays to the Chair of the DNC. Thank you for all of your hard work and persistence in implementing the 50-state, strategy, and for always remembering to thank the rest of us for all we do.

And thank you for setting an example of graciousness and maintaining an "eyes on the prize" mentality, in refusing to be sidetracked by the "inside the beltway silliness" of folks like James Carville.

Have some cake. :)

Update: Here's a donation link, if you'd like to donate to the DNC in Howard Dean's honor.

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Impeachment

The current post at Blog for America, titled in all caps, is IMPEACHMENT IS OFF THE TABLE. I disagree, but after a long day of teaching can't articulate why at the moment. I'll leave that to others.

But I hereby register my disagreement with the following Photoshop image. It reflects my feelings about impeachment and its proximity to "the table".



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Case dismissed!

Good news about Charlie!

"A judge on Thursday granted a motion to dismiss a felony wiretapping charge against Charlie Grapski, who was charged with taping Alachua City Manager Clovis Watson Jr. against his will in May."

More here.

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Fox News Memo

No time to write up a proper post, but this is big enough news to front page. Via Crooks and Liars

The FOX NEWS Memo explored

Olbermann did an segment on John Moody's "The Fox memo" that the Huffington Post revealed. Robert Greenwald explains…

Crooks and Liars has video.

Charlie's trial is in our thoughts today. You can light a candle here, if you wish.

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Open Thread

This seemed like a good time to put up an open thread--given that it's officially "tomorrow" and all. Since I will be teaching all day, I won't have time to blog, so can people pretty please carry on with telling people about Howard's virtual birthday card in my absence?

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Howard gets a laugh out of James Carville

Thanks to Crooks and Liars for linking the video and providing the relevant part of the transcript. I got this screen cap of Howard laughing--which is at the point where the interviewer says "you can see where I'm headed with this".

Q. The election results were barely in when a top democratic strategist, James Carville — you can see where I'm headed with this — a former advisor to Bill Clinton, started going after you. Let's take a look at what he had to say. (Clip: The RNC did a better job than the DNC, that's the republican national committee and the democratic national committee, this year. He says, the house and senate campaign committees made up for your shortcomings and that Congressman Harold Ford should replace you as chairman of the DNC. First of all, what do you make of his criticism and do you have any intention of stepping down?

DEAN: I have to say I get a laugh out of that one. Here we have — let's leave the federal races aside. The DCCC and the DSCC did do a wonderful job. The truth is we got six governors. We got nine additional legislative chambers. New Hampshire now has a democratic House and senate for the first time in a century. We did great. I think the time really has come now, now that we're in power, at least in the Congress, to pull together, to be unified. We've got a lot to do in two years. We have a elect a democratic president.

Q. Do you have any intention of stepping down?

DEAN: No, I talked to Harold last night. He doesn't want the job. This is some kind inside the beltway silliness.

Howard is a class act. Watching the way he handled this interview is almost enough to make me forget about doing some "Photoshop therapy" at Carville's expense.

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Charlie Grapski's wiretap trial is tomorrow

Update: I just saw this comment from Subway over at the other place:

I'm a little nervous today. I'll be returning to Rector Street for the first time since my ordeal. Gonna try for 2 hours...

I just set up a candle page for Charlie, Subway, and any other of our intentions, whether spoken aloud, typed on a screen, or held in the silence of our hearts.

From the comments...

JURY WAS SELECTED MONDAY,
GRAPSKI FELONY WIRETAP TRIAL SET FOR 8AM THURSDAY!

Listen to Charlie's "illegal" recording and get the latest information on his case at the grapskidefense website. Spread the word and help us expose corruption in Alachua.

Click here for Charlie's post at Blog for America.

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Dated Kerry, Married Dean

UPDATE: Please recommend and forward this Kos diary by Grapski Defense Committee.

Here's a nice "Howard Dean was right" piece from Hotline On Call.

Dated Kerry, Married Dean

As the result of Dean's own 50 state funding initiatives, when states like Indiana and Wyoming and Nebraska suddenly featured competitive races, the DNC had trained field staffers on the ground. But even Dean’s admirers admit that there’s no concrete way to know whether the 50 State Project gave these races a bigger boost than the DSCC and DCCC efforts.

But give Dean credit for setting the tone and style of Democratic politics. Successful, Democratic politics, that is, in an environment that Dean first detected three years ago.

Click here for the rest. (And don't forget to send Howard a birthday card.)

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DemocracyFest 2007 Tickets Available! Get Your Discount Now!

The 4th Annual DemocracyFest will take place in Manchester, NH on June 9th-10th, 2007.

Tickets are limited this year (yes, really), so get your tickets now and Spread the Word!

www.DemocracyFest.net

Buy Your Tickets Today!

Tickets include:
* All trainings and workshops on Saturday 6/9 and Sunday 6/10
* All Entertainment on Saturday 6/9 and Sunday 6/10
* All speakers on Saturday 6/9 and Sunday 6/10
* Optional Pre-Event Meet and Greet on the evening of Friday 6/8
* Breakfast, Mid-Day Snack, and Dinner on Saturday 6/9
* Bloggers Breakfast, Mid-Day Snack, and Dinner on Sunday 6/10
* Free parking or transportation to and from Manchester Airport
* Access to hotel business center, swimming pool and game room.
* Priceless interaction with activists from across the nation.

For the next 7 days, tickets will be available for $135 each (a $20 discount off the regular price) and you will receive a free commemorative November 7th t- shirt to celebrate the day Democrats took back Congress.

Starting 11/20, tickets will cost $155 each.

Order Your Tickets at:

www.DemocracyFest.net

All DemocracyFest event activities and meals will take place at the Wayfarer Inn and Conference Center.

Lodging: If you need a place to stay for the event, the Wayfarer Inn is offering a special DemocracyFest rate of only $87 per night! To get the reduced rate, call the Wayfarer at 603-622- 3766, and say you are with DemocracyFest. Space is limited, so reserve early!

Buy Your Tickets Today!

Don’t wait, or you'll miss out on this limited time discount!

www.DemocracyFest.net
The DemocracyFest Incorporated Team
Charlene, Jessica, Liane, Pam, and Quintus
email: democracyfest@yahoo.com
web: http://www.DemocracyFest.net

Contributions or gifts to DemocracyFest Inc are not tax deductible.

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The Howard Dean birthday card project

I've already linked this diary in the comments, but I'm frontpaging it as well, so that as many people as possible can get their cards in the mail on time.

To recap, the goal of this particular project is to heap mounds of thanks on Dr. Dean and the DNC in the form of birthday cards and contributions by Friday, November 17 (Dean's birthday). Although if they get there by Saturday, that's kewl. We want his desk covered with cards! Just like in the original "Miracle on 34th Street" (accept no remakes) when the postal workers dumped bags and bags of letters to Santa on the judge's bench. I don't actually expect us to do that well, but you get the idea. Birthday donations to Dean was first suggested by Cherisse. If you can send a contribution, make it for any amount you like, and tack 50 cents on, to show our appreciation for the 50-State Strategy, which despite being a long-term project, already showed signs of success in the 2006 elections.

Click here for the rest.
By the way, I've changed the link for the Birthday Flat Howard image in the left sidebar. It now links to a fresh thread which we can use as a virtual birthday card.

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Paging Dr. Freud

Via Buckeye State Blog, Deborah Pryce is giving the classic, predictable Republican response to Mary Jo Kilroy's demand that all legal votes be counted.

"Democrats are simply running their Florida playbook again and trying to steal the election," said George Rasley, spokesman for the Pryce campaign.

Funny coincidence here--I just finished covering defense mechanisms in the Introduction to Psychology classes I teach...

Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking our own unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people. For example, if you have a strong dislike for someone, you might instead believe that he or she does not like you. Projection functions to allow the expression of the desire or impulse, but in a way that the ego cannot recognize, therefore reducing anxiety.

Or, and here's just a totally random, off-the-top-of-my-head example--if you yourself are trying to steal an election, you might instead accuse the other person of trying to steal the election.

Zees ees veeery interesting Ms. Pryce. Tell me about your mother....

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Count Every Vote in Ohio's 15th District

From Mary Jo Kilroy's web site, November 9: "An overflowing and widely enthusiastic crowd rallied at Ohio State University in support of Mary Jo's "Every Vote Counts, Count Every Vote" effort..."

And click here for Lucie's writeup of that rally, posted at Buckeye State Blog.

Here's a link to Mary Jo's interview with Eric Vessels on Plunderbund's podcast back in June.

See also Kilroy Advertising to Provisional Voters at Pho's Akron Pages. (That's the ad I mentioned hearing while in the grocery store.)

And here's the New York Times article about the undecided nature of this race.

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Charlie's trial is tomorrow

Update: Donna in Evanston and Catreona both have diaries at Kos about Charlie.

Note from Renee...I need to leave in a few minutes for my EFM class. Don't really feel like going out tonight, but I already missed last week's class. Checking comments I saw something from Charlie, so I am logging in as "guest blogger" to front page it. This is all I have the time or energy to do at the moment, so I hope that people will take it from here and post links to Charlie's post on other blogs.

Message from Charlie
Submitted by Charlie Grapski on Sat, 11/11/2006 - 11:16am.

The one question that people ask me, whether we are talking to people locally or across the nation, is how can this trial be happening. There is a great deal of disbelief that the Courts and the State Attorney would allow this case to move forward as it has if there wasn't something else that wasn't being told. Why would they allow a case to be dragged out six months and then go to trial (and this only because I forced the trial by asserting my right to a speedy trial) if there was not some wrongdoing on my part?

And they are correct. There is something missing from the picture as it is publicly viewed. And it does have to deal with an element of wrongdoing. But wrongdoing on whose part?

Last Tuesday I met with the prosecuting attorney who has been pursuing this case, Geoffrey Fleck. Everything he said to me can be confirmed, not by a recording, but by a witness - Michael Canney - who was with me at the meeting.

To understand how and why the State Attorney can continue to prosecute this case (and how a judge can allow them to do so) one only has to listen to what Fleck said at that meeting.

"The system will close in to protect itself."

This is the motivation behind the actions of the public officials involved in this matter from Clovis Watson and the City of Alachua, to Bill Cervone and the State Attorney's office, to Judge Sieg.

"The system" - one of them - has gotten itself into trouble. They stole an election and then tried to silence those who attempted to expose that fact. But rather than law enforcement and the courts seeking to right that wrong in the name of justice and the public good; we find the individuals in that system - the nexus of the political, law enforcement, and legal communities (all public officials) - acting to protect one another rather than the public.

It was on this basis that Geoffrey Fleck viewed his offer to grant me a Deferred Prosecution rather than try the case. It had nothing to do with who was right or who was wrong. It had everything to do with who had power and who did not (in their eyes).

I might be innocent of the crime alleged but the State could muster its forces sufficiently to place me into a position of vulnerability - simply because they had the power to do so. Is that the legitimate authority of their position of public trust? No. But it is a real power, Fleck wanted to stress, because no player in that system - including the Judge - would side with the player outside of that system (the citizen).

Fleck's honesty in that meeting reveals less about his character than his belief that the powers of the State when wielded sufficiently will force any citizen (actually from this viewpoint we are more accurately mere subjects) into submission. And normally, each and every day, their view is reinforced by the realities of that power differential. The normal, average individual will not stand their ground against the forces of the State - especially when they close ranks to protect one of their own.

And this is understandable. To fight "the law" is nearly impossible unless you are willing to endure substantial hardships and sacrifices. "The law," here meaning the power of authority, which is not necessarily the legitimate use of that authority and the power thereby derived. It is not the law as justice - the law that we, as citizens, enact for ourselves (through our elected representatives), to ensure that our government aims at justice and the public good. It is brute, naked power - force - clothed in the legitimacy afforded by our laws that the State is wielding in this case. But it is not legitimate power.

Fleck's stated position was accurate - the system will close ranks to protect itself and thus to protect one of its own. The reality that this system extends beyond the City limits of Alachua and into those in charge of law enforcement and the law throughout the Eighth Judicial Circuit should be a wakeup call to all Floridians not just those residing in Alachua. The legal and political system is supposed to protect the rights, the liberties, and the well-being of the public. It is not supposed to weild its power to protect itself from public accountability.

This is the law perverted, politics corrupted, and justice and the public good denied. I will continue to stand up in defense of not merely my rights but the rights of all of us, as citizens, against the abuses of power. I will not yield in this struggle regardless of the personal cost and without regard to how many, or how powerful, are the actors willing to abuse their positions of authority to protect one of their own or themselves.

The message, however, that I want to convey as widely as possible is not about my personal struggle in all of this. It is about our struggle. It is about our rights. It is about our Constitution. It is about our government.

We are being denied that form of democratic government which this nation was founded upon and people have sacrificed all to defend. When we, as citizens, allow those we entrust with positions of public authority to abuse that trust, to misuse that authority, to wield that power for their own interests - they are denying us that to which we all have a fundamental right: equal justice under the law, liberty and freedom, justice and the public good.

These are the actors who are destroying our nation. We don't have to look far - to Washington D.C. or Tallahassee - to see the roots of our national crisis. It is right here in our own back yard.

If we cannot expect the premises of democratic government and justice in our local government - where we, as citizens, potentially wield the greatest power; then we have no chance, regardless of which major party holds the majority, to realize the dreams of generations of Americans at the national level.

I am calling upon you, whoever you are, wherever you live, to begin standing up for your rights and your dignity. Expect to be treated as a citizen, and not a subject, by those you entrust with public authority. Do not allow their system to destroy our government.

There is more to this story than my particular struggle. This is a struggle for all of us to unite in - the struggle to re-establish the citizen as the highest office in our democracy.

Charlie Grapski

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2008

Via Booman Tribune (and also the Orange Place and MyDD), from Russ Feingold:

I know there may well already be diaries here and elsewhere discussing my decision to continue my important work in the Senate and not run for President in 2008, but I wanted everyone in the online community to hear from me directly.

Click here for the rest.

Use this thread to share your thoughts on 2008--or anything else. I'm going to have some more tea.

Update: Alan in CA has provided us with a link to Joe Trippi's predictions.

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Prophet Motive

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. The king of Israel had said to his officials, "Don't you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?"

So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD."

So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?"
"Go," they answered, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand."

But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?"

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say that," Jehoshaphat replied.

So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once."

Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'"

All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. "Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious," they said, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand."

The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably."

But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me."

When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand."

The king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD ?" Then Micaiah answered, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, 'These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.' "

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?"

Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD : I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'
"One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'

" 'By what means?' the LORD asked.
" 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said.
" 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'

"So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you."

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go when he went from me to speak to you?" he asked.

Micaiah replied, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room."

The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son and say, 'This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.' "

Micaiah declared, "If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Mark my words, all you people!"

1 Kings 22:1-28

Micaiah was a true prophet of the LORD. He was fully committed to the will of God. Look at verse 14 of I Kings 22. “But Micaiah said, ‘as the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.’” Micaiah was not interested in what would advance his career in ministry, or what would ingratiate himself with the king. He was interested in and committed to doing the will of God who called him and spoke through him. Micaiah had God as his top priority, just like we are supposed to.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” David, king of all Israel and Judah, understood that he was to seek God first. In II Samuel 7, David sought to do a work for God. David was living in a beautiful palace, but the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence, was outside in the cold under a tent. David thought this was wrong and wanted to build a temple for God in which to place the ark. But God told David, paraphrasing verses 5-17, “Thanks, but it isn’t that crucial. However, since you’re your heart is set on me I’m going to bless you.” God blessed David because David sought God first, because God was his first priority. God chose to bless David based on David’s relationship with God. Nothing was more important to David that the will of God.

The first desire of David’s son Solomon was to do the will of God. In I Kings 3, God tells Solomon to ask for anything that he wanted. Solomon praised God and asked God to give him wisdom to govern God’s people effectively to the glory of God. Since he requested something that would help him serve God and not something to fulfill the lusts of his flesh, the lusts of his eyes, or the pride of life, God blessed him with the wisdom he requested and all of the material riches and social honors that one could imagine, simply because Solomon’s first priority was the will of God. Solomon was fully committed to the will of God.

There was a young aspiring preacher who was visited by an angel. The angel said to the young preacher, “Your ministry will grow and be prosperous if you do according to all of the words I am about to speak: Never mention the word sin – ever. Never mention the word repentance or even refer to it. Offer them salvation in terms of deliverance from their problems. Motivate your people to be moral and upright human beings and your ministry will flourish. The bigger the building you build, the more people that will fill it. And everyone who commits themselves to this salvation will join me in eternity…” How many pastors have compromised their ministries in this fashion? How many preachers will only preach what the people are willing to hear? How many are committed to say that which God has told them to say only as long as it will be well received? Micaiah was fully committed to the will of God. Are we fully committed to the will of God, to seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Is there a prophet of the LORD here?

Micaiah was also courageous in the face of perverse authority. Ahab was the most wicked king that Israel had ever seen. The name of his wife, Jezebel, is still synonymous with wickedness to this day. A king has power over the life and death of his subjects, even the prophets. With a word he could have had Micaiah killed. Despite that, Micaiah still spoke what the LORD told him to speak – a word of rebuke and judgement – which he knew would upset the king. Look at verse 18 in I Kings 22. “Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?’”

You see, people usually know when they’re wrong, but they often want to kill the messenger for telling them that which they already know. Most messengers know this and become afraid to deliver the message, desiring to avoid the retaliation of the recipient. Parents stop spanking their children, teachers stop failing students, preachers stop mentioning sin. All from fear of what might happen to them if they take a stand for that which is right.

But you know, there were three Hebrew boys who were not afraid to take a stand for what was right. They stood up to the most powerful man on the planet, Nebuchadnezzar, and told him to his face, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” They took a stand. They were fully committed to the will of God and they were courageous in the face of perverse authority. They understood that it’s all good – for believers. The Word of God says “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” It’s all good.

God knows what we need, and if we seek him first to do His will, he will provide for all of those needs. No weapon forged against us will prevail, right? So what’s the matter with our standing power? Why can’t we take a stand? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego took a stand for the LORD. Micaiah, a prophet of the LORD, took a stand for the LORD. Is there a prophet of the LORD here?

You see Micaiah was also convinced of God’s truth. He wasn’t just running off at the lip with what he thought or what he believed or what was the logical conclusion from the scientific or statistical data. He was convinced, no, he KNEW that the word of the LORD was true. In verse 28 we find the last words recorded from Micaiah. “And Micaiah said, ‘If you indeed return safely the LORD has not spoken by me.’ And he said, ‘(Mark my words) NIV, all you people.’” He knew the truth of the Word of God, that it was without error, that it is God-breathed and useful for instruction and correction. Ahab had him sent to prison where Micaiah was to stay until Ahab returned safely from battle. Micaiah told him up front that he would be spending the rest of his days in prison because Ahab would never return from battle alive. Micaiah was convinced of God’s truth and courageous in the face of perverse authority because he was fully committed to the LORD. He was a prophet of the LORD.

Moses was committed to the LORD when he faced pharaoh and commanded him to “Let my people Go!” and the captives were set free.

Joshua was committed to the LORD when he marched around Jericho for seven days and the walls came tumbling down.

David was committed to the LORD when he confronted Goliath and God granted the victory.

Nathan was committed to the LORD when he rebuked King David and the king repented.

Elijah was committed to the LORD when he faced the 450 prophets of Baal and fire fell from heaven.

Jesus was committed to doing the will of his Father who sent him and now salvation’s free to you and me.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good.

Ezekiel got a taste and it was sweet as honey.

John got a taste on the Island of Patmos and it was like honey to his lips but he couldn’t stomach the testimony.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

You see there is no one righteous, not even one, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

It is written that the wages of our sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.

And God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But in order to have salvation we must accept it, and we do that by confessing with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord of my life,” and believing in our heart that God raised him from the dead.

We must commit our life to serving Jesus Christ – our whole heart, all of our mind, our entire body and our very soul. Now, no man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will love the one and hate the other.

• You cannot serve both God and Money.
• You cannot serve both God and Lexus.
• You cannot serve both God and prosperity.
• You cannot serve both God and America.

You must choose this day whom you will serve. Whether the ancestral gods of your forefathers beyond the Atlantic or the self-centered, humanistic and materialistic gods of the Americans in whose land you live, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

And if you will be fully committed to do the will of God, I implore you to be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey the Word of God; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let the Word of God depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything according to it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Haven’t I already told you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Is there a prophet of the LORD here?

May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who wants you to to be true to Him,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

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