March 31, 2013

The Sheep and the Goats (Jesus, Fundamentalists and Universal Health Care)

yes, the third graphic comes from a rw site - I found it googling images. but look at these three maps and read Jesus' parable below.








34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:34-40&version=KJV

Fundamentalists believe the Bible is the inerrant, literal Word of God. they had better pray they are wrong/

March 28, 2013

how the doma ruling is likely to go, imho

Although Kennedy’s record on gay rights has given advocates plenty of hope, he appeared reluctant to impose marriage equality on all states, calling that “uncharted waters.” But he was also openly skeptical that DOMA is constitutional, and modestly doubtful about the legal merits of banning gay marriage. He hinted at a federalism framework that says only states may define marriage and the federal government must accept their definition.
Notably, in both cases, Kennedy steered clear of the equal protection framework, advanced by gay rights advocates, that marriage equality bans are inherently unconstitutional.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/03/anthony-kennedy-gay-marriage-middle-path.php?ref=fpb

this will not result in marriage equality nationwide, but will make the federal government recognize gay marriages from states that allow it.

March 28, 2013

has anyone here ever invested in stamps?

I don't mean collector stamps but buying the forever stamps as a safe investment to keep ahead of inflation.

March 27, 2013

ted olsen - wow

"We don't prescribe law for the future," Scalia said. "We decide what the law is. I'm curious, when did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage? 1791? 1868? When the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted?"

Olson countered that with a question of his own, bringing up two past high-profile cases involving discrimination.

"When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages? When did it become unconstitutional to assign children to separate schools?" Olson asked.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/scalia-gay-marriage-prop-8-case-supreme-court-2013-3#ixzz2OhNdRquX

Olsen is doing well in this case. It is weird, he is quite the right winger, but gives it all for his client.

March 25, 2013

does this song promote date rape?

Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off

She said I’m going out with my girlfriends
Margaritas at the Holiday Inn
Lord have mercy, my only thought
Was Tequila makes her clothes fall off

I told her put an extra layer on
I know what happens when she drinks Patrone
Her closet’s missing half the things she’s bought
Ya Tequila makes her clothes fall off

(Chorus)
She’ll start with kickin’ out of her shoes
Loose an earring in her drink
Leave her jacket in the bathroom stall
Drop a contact down the sink

Them pantyhose aint gonna last too long
If the DJ puts Bon Jovi on
She might come home in a table cloth
Ya tequila makes her clothes fall off

Break

She can handle any champagne brunch
A bridal shower with Bacardi punch
Jello shooters full of Smirnoff
But Tequila makes her clothes fall off

Chorus

She don’t mean nothing - she’s just havin fun
Tomorrow she’ll say oh what have I done
Her friends will joke about the stuff she lost
ya tequila makes her clothes fall off
oh Tequila makes her clothes fall off (x2)

March 25, 2013

This Palm Sunday I would Like to share with DU the Words of a Fellow Christian

One who apparently read the Bible the way I do. I post this for the atheists and agnostics, not to try to convert you or condemn you, for I am no better than you, but to help you understand me. But I especially post this for my fellow Christians who have bought into a false gospel of greed and hate:

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he's a victim of the times
I wear the black for those who've never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said About the road to happiness through love and charity
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me
Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there ought to be a Man In Black
I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men
And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin' that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died
Believin' that we all were on their side
Well, there's things that never will be right I know
And things need changin' everywhere you go
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right
You'll never see me wear a suit of white
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day
And tell the world that everything's okay
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black

March 23, 2013

armed dobbs vs armed syrians

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/23/lou-dobbs-and-panelists-argue-for-assault-weapons-to-defend-themselves-against-syrians/

i'd pay to see that.

if I were a betting man, my money, goes on the Syrians.

March 23, 2013

my favorite song with a feminist message

March 21, 2013

Rap Culture

One can trace the commercial history of rap back to 1979 when the Sugar Hill Gang produced the enormously successful song entitled, Rapper's Delight. The raw beginnings of contemporary rap music can be traced to the Bronx in the mid 1970s.9 Rap music was a way that urban black youth expressed themselves in a rhythmic form. Rap music, along with graffiti and breakdancing was the poetry of the street.

According to Patricia Rose, rap music continued to blossom after the release of Rapper's Delight. It was “discovered” by the music industry, the film industry, and the print media. Artists such as Run DMC, Whoodini and the Fat Boys helped what seemed like a fleeting phenomenon persist in changing popular culture.10 Krush Groove, a highly successful movie depicting the life of rap music, further elevated rap music into the mainstream. This movie earned Warner Brothers $17 million worldwide, a gold soundtrack, and most importantly, highlighted the potential of this art form.11
...
Unlike any other subculture in American history, the hip hop culture has transcended ethnic boundaries. Because of its eclectic audience, it has the greatest opportunity to build ethnic bridges and mend ethnic relations. Hip hop has taken hold and permeated significant regions of the world. The clothing, music, mannerisms, and lexicon, are unmistakably the same in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Zurich, Milan, and Tokyo. Indeed, this culture has the potential to make it cool not to commit hate crimes, not to discriminate or be homophobic or mysogynistic, and not to be racist.

http://www.csupomona.edu/~rrreese/HIPHOP.HTML

wow, back when PhDs wrote papers about it, and suburban parents were afraid.

I can remember owing the Sugar Hill Gang Rappers Delight long play 78 when I was in 8th grade. I listened to rap up through the 90s and the like of Ice Cube, NWA, etc. This article reminds me of how much attention, negative and positive, hip hop received - especially once white kids started getting into it and scaring their parents. I wonder if it will ever be that big again.

What do you think?

March 20, 2013

wikipedia - iraq war

Seems pretty straightforward and correct. I stopped after three paragraphs for copyright reasons.

The Iraq War

The Iraq War[nb 1] was an armed conflict in Iraq.[42] It is usually dated to begin with the invasion of Ba'athist Iraq starting on 20 March 2003 by an invasion force led by the United States, although clashes between the Iraqi military and U.S./U.K. air forces had been ongoing since December 1998. [43][44][45] It was followed by a longer phase of fighting, in which an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the newly formed Iraqi government.[42] The U.S. completed its withdrawal of military personnel in December 2011.[46][47] However, the Iraqi insurgency continues and has caused thousands of fatalities in 2012.

Prior to the war, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom claimed that Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed a threat to their security and that of their coalition/regional allies.[48][49][50] In 2002, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1441 which called for Iraq to completely cooperate with UN weapon inspectors to verify that Iraq was not in possession of WMD and cruise missiles. Prior to the attack, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) found no evidence of WMD, but could not yet verify the accuracy of Iraq's declarations regarding what weapons it possessed. [51] After investigation following the invasion, the U.S.‑led Iraq Survey Group concluded that Iraq had ended its nuclear, chemical and biological programs in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion, but that they intended to resume production if the Iraq sanctions were lifted.[52] Although some degraded remnants of misplaced or abandoned chemical weapons from before 1991 were found, they were not the weapons which had been one of the main arguments for the invasion.[53]

Some U.S. officials also accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of harboring and supporting al-Qaeda,[54] but no evidence of a meaningful connection was ever found.[55][56] Other proclaimed reasons for the invasion included Iraq's financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers,[57] Iraqi government human rights abuses,[58] and an effort to spread democracy to the country.[59][60]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_war