I think Colin Powell is working harder than most republicans to save their party.
(from the link): Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that Republicans should not have tried to reduce voter turnout during their failed effort to win the White House, doubling down on his recent criticism of the GOP.
“Should we really have gone after reducing the turnout of voters in those places where we thought it would make a difference? The Republican Party should be a party that says, ‘We want everybody to vote,’ and make it easier to vote and give them a reason to vote for the party, [whereas] not to find ways to keep them from voting at all,” Powell said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“The country is moving more toward the center. There are social changes taking place in this country that are irreversible and there is demographic change … you can’t just say, ‘Well, we’ll fix our message,'” he said. “It’s not the message. You have to appeal with policies and programs to these people who are going to be the leaders of our country in a generation.”
Hillary Clinton testifies today about Benghazi. She wasn’t there, she’s read the same things everyone else read, been briefed by the same people everyone heard from. I’d lay odds the republicans won’t be satisfied with anything she says. After all they decide when people should wait for the facts to be in before forming judgments and they have already convinced themselves they aren’t hearing all the facts. They’ll go to their grave possessed of their very own facts no matter how many people testify or how many investigations ensue. They’re all ginned up by false theories FoUx “News” makes up and supports, in their never ending drive to move their party back to power. They’re the sorest sore losers I’ve ever encountered!
I’ve had several opportunities to hear republicans say slow down and let’s learn the facts before making judgments, and readily admit until the facts are in we’ll have confusion. It is never when they’ve decided in advance democrats are in the wrong. And, they must be punished! It’s a conspiracy! Off with their heads!
The republicans aren’t interested in making anything better or recommendations to avoid a repeat attack, they’re interested in finding dirt on Obama or at least someone close to him in his administration.
This article talks about a shift the author says is happening in the population of Evangelicals. A shift away from militarism, consumerism, being identified closely with politics (lest “Christians become ‘useful idiots’ for one political party or another.”), a shift toward environmental protections and caring for the poorest among us ( “If healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, and ministering to the poor was Jesus’ job description, then we believe it is ours as well.).
It’s an easy read, and gives me hope that Christians that do good outnumber the ones who are merely loud, mostly obnoxious and full of hate for anyone and everyone ‘different,’ and have allowed themselves to be useful tools for the ‘right.’ These are people I might be able to respect!
(from the link):“New evangelicals” also oppose anti-gay discrimination in housing, education, and non-religious employment. They note that while some consider homosexuality a sin, a matter between man and God, democracies do not punish people for sins, which after all vary across faiths. Moreover, the state does not rescind civil rights for the commission of other sins, such as heterosexual adultery—why should it then for homosexuality? They note also that judging the sins of others is unchristian. A joint evangelical-Catholic Washington Post OpEd protesting Uganda’s draconian anti-gay legislation declared, “any effort to persecute people for their sexual orientation or gender identity offends intrinsic human dignity and violates Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.… The entire Judeo-Christian worldview is built on this unshakable foundation.”
I’ve been in that Evangelical Movement – (left in mid 70’s) – and it was starting to go radical. I noticed alot of hate-filled rhetoric back then. And with the more instant communication technology we have today – that hate gets transmitted out to the public faster and more vile with each passing day – IMHO.
We’ve all heard several of these current Evangelical leaders say very stupid things.
But when I read Bryan Fischer of the American Family group said that God did not protect those kids in Newtown because Americans are not allowed to pray in schools – several thoughts went through my head:
1) God must be one hateful S.O.B. to punish 20 innocent children just to satisfy his need for revenge.
2) If God is love – as the Bible says – then where is the love?
3) If this is how God believes – then why would I want to spend eternity with Him and/or his followers?
When I left this Evangelical Movement – those were the days when Roe v Wade was the rallying cry for these folks to go on the warpath.
There was also this push to build these massive mega churches – and that required alot of money – so Evangelicals needed to have this mentality of US v THEM – so they could keep their sheeple coming back weekly out of fear – out of a feeling of moral superiority – or just plain ‘dog and pony’ shows.
But what really catapulted these Evangelicals on to the political scene was when Ronald Reagan invited Jerry Falwell into the inner circle of the GOP. That was where the power was – and Falwell and his fellow Evangies took full advantage of hijacking the GOP party.
Reagan was just using these Evangies to get the votes (because I never thought Reagan was a true Rabid Religious Right) – but Reagan should be blamed for unleashing this unholy beast of what we see today as Rabid Religious Right.
I suspect Reagan was a NeoCon – and we’ve seen what happens when the NeoCons form their alliance with Rabid Religious Right – all HELL breaks loose.
Reagan did alot of damage to our country – IMHO. But the damage he did to his own GOP party is only now coming to light?
ALERT: Today the Kansas House Commerce and Economic Development Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 2023, which would restrict the constitutional right of teachers and public employees to engage in political speech. This bill does many things, but what you should know right now is that it prohibits professional associations from advocating for or against public questions. This means that if the Legislature pushes through a constitutional amendment to sidestep the recent court order to fund Kansas schools, it would appear on the April ballot and Kansas teachers would be silenced from campaigning against it. There are no such restrictions on business advocacy organizations, such as the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. I hope you will share this information. You can read the full bill here: http://bit.ly/VXRbWN.
When I read the title of this piece all I could think was, “No shit, Sherlock.” When has Paul Ryan not changed or attempted excuses for what he said previously? That’s what he’s all about: saying what he hopes this audience wants to hear, broad statements that he later attempts explanation such as, “This is what I meant.”
All that aside, this is a good read, full of evidence and support for its assertions —
MORE weapons! We need more weapons! Everyone grab a gun and start shooting!
Let’s not worry about any training in the use of weapons, let’s not worry about the proper storage to prevent they get in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use them either.
Shit! Let’s just keep the goal of Armageddon in mind. If we shoot each other won’t we reach our heavenly rewards sooner and take others with us!?.. Won’t gawd be proud of us? We came home and brought friends! We can do this! We’ll just take everyone out, helpful to gawd, huh?
There’s that picture of THE POPE riding around in his glass car with the caption, “If prayer prevents violence, why does THE POPE ride behind bullet-proof glass.” It got me to thinking. Why isn’t THE POPE hoping he gets his heavenly rewards sooner rather than later? Why in the world would he do anything to stop someone from helping him realize those rewards? He lives such a pitiful existence, he needs to go to heaven and relax amid splendor!
Good points all. And today’s header graphic is something I’ve thought about a lot. As a former hunter now hobbled by bad knees and bifocals, I’ve often wondered about those who say they like or need assault rifles for hunting.
Part of being able to eat what you kill is using the appropriate gun and ammo for the game. Ok, maybe if you are dropping an elephant you need an assault rifle, but WTF? Who should be killing elephants? Especially in America?
I know you need bigger firepower to drop an animal cleanly so it doesn’t run away wounded and suffer a slow painful death. But… there is never any discussion on exactly what is the appropriate caliber for each species of game. My buddies and I had endless discussions about why it was stupid to use a .357 mag to shoot a rabbit. It might make you feel big, but the rabbit will be, as we say, turned inside out and of no use for food or fur.
Hell, we even hunted pheasants with .410’s after a while because the 12 gauge was just no fun anymore. Not sport if you have good dogs and can walk up on the birds. Now, trying to hit a dove, doing the zig zag across the sky, with a .410 and 8 shot is not only sport, with the odds on the bird’s side, but it leaves plenty of meat to enjoy later. Using a full choke 12 gauge with 4 shot at close range, well, you get hamburger and more pellets than meat.
So, anyone who says they need assault rifles to hunt game, I wanna know what they are hunting. They need a special license to hunt something that big.
PP wrote: It might make you feel big,
__
I think you’ve nailed it…….these NRA gun nuts that want bigger and more powerful guns are basically trying to fill an insatiable need for themselves to ‘feel big’?
What is that old saying about the size of a man’s gun correlates to the size of his _______________
I work in the heatlh care business – and I can tell you from past experience – the more religious a person professes to be – the more chances that person will want everything from the science of medicine to be done for their advanced directives (code status).
When I was facing my cancer diagnosis – the first thing I did was to give power of attorney to my husband. I made my husband promise me that no tubes, no respirator, nothing artificially was going to keep me alive. I did not want that – I’ve watched one too many folks lie in their beds not knowing who they were, where they were but yet hearing that pumping sound that was keeping their body alive.
To my thinking – that is not life. That is a body being kept artifically alive.
That is my personal belief – and I respect others to make a different choice.
But I’ve always wondered – if the person is so religious and is always talking about how much they love God and are looking forward to going to Heaven – then why in the Hell do they want all the artificial scientific methods of keeping them alive?
Bottom line to me – everyone has the right to make their own decisions about their advanced directives – and their decision should be respected.
I second this statement……There are more good men than bad men – IMHO.
Problem is – the good men are so busy doing what they should to take care of their families that they don’t have time to strut around like a cocky rooster trying to convince everyone else how ‘manly’ they are…
No relationship to anything here, but I’m thinking this morning it is a good thing I live 20 miles from the nearest town and 10 miles from the nearest paved road. I have such a powerful hankering for a glazed donut that if I lived any closer, I’d be warming up the truck and heading for town. I guess I’ll have to settle for toast made of low carb bread and a poached egg. Somehow, it’s just not the same….
PP – I feel for you, girl. But – you know – those glazed donuts would only go to your thighs (or at least that is where those things go when I give in to the same hankering)..
I just found this on my internet wanderings. Thought you’d like to know about a Kansas boy who made good. Jerry is from Ellis, twenty miles west of me, and went to Ft. Hays his freshman year before transferring to and graduating from KU. He went on to the NYT and WSJ among other pubs, and was once briefly held hostage in the Middle East. Thankfully, he was unharmed.
I remember drinking red beer with Jerry and his cousin Gene at the Red Coat Inn, the local off campus beer joint frequented by us greeks. Gene was an AKL while I was a DZ, but Jerry was having none of that frivolous greek stuff. He was generally regarded as brilliant, and he went on to prove that people who said it were correct. He is brilliant.
Glad to see life has treated him well. He’s the same age I am. And I have to say, “do I look that old?” WTF? Time waits for no man or woman….
Well, he certainly adds a voice of sanity to what has become less and less a place I go to read! I’ll bet those conversations you had back in the days were so fun, so interesting, with plans that would have improved our world. I would have liked to be the fly on the wall listening to that group of intelligent people! I know you say he was / is brilliant, so I’ll trust you because I know you are brilliant. I’d still take your ideas on solving the world’s problems over most any others!
Awwww shucks, Fnord. Thank you. But, as I always say, if I’m so damn smart, how come I’m not rich?
Yeah, we did have a lot of ideas and hope and energy. He seems to still have all those things. Me? Not so much. Maybe it’s because when he got out of Kansas, he stayed out. I was dumb enough to come back and think I could make a difference.
You see how well that worked out!
I come here to PPP to talk intelligently with other intelligent people. We don’t have anyone here who doesn’t qualify under that criteria. All of our ideas here constitute, in varying degrees, a fairly progressive agenda. If all of our PPP ideas were considered and then implemented, I think America would be a better place on all fronts.
Did anyone else wonder what Iggy would have had to say on Monday? I bet he would have been really happy.
I suspect Iggy is proud everyday to know that this blog is still up and running. Why, somedays I suspect he is rolling on the clouds laughing at some of the things we say….
I tuned in to Secretary Clinton testifying to the Senate Committee.
I’m here to tell you that is one fantastic lady the entire world is lucky to have on their side!
Secondly, McCain is an asshole, ditto Marco Rubio. But even more of an asshole, beyond words to describe is Rand Paul.
Rand Paul is turning out to be a much bigger nut-job than his old man. If Sen. RP keeps going politically the way he is now he’ll have to adopt the letter ‘I’ as a middle initial. He is rude, arrogant, disrespectful, childish, … I’m unable to find adequate words…
Later she testifies to a House panel. Since the level of civility goes down several degrees and the IQ of House members is many digits lower even than the worst of the Senators, I’m glad it’s a person of Secretary Clinton’s exemplary courage and excellence who will be responding. She is in control. Her measured intelligence allows them to show their ugly butts while she maintains the utmost dignity.
I’ve been watching Hillary brilliantly maneuver between those GOP-planted bombs on that committee. Yeah – Johnnie and Rand – I’m talking about you..
Someone needs to tell Johnnie -again – that Obama beat him badly in 2008. Now Johnnie is just looking like a bitter old man and that is not a pretty sight.
As for Rand Paul – I suspect he has a Napoleon complex……??
Oh, I forgot to mention Marco. Well – when one is contining to kiss up to the Tea Party four years in advance of the next presidential election – what can one say about Marco?
OMG, the only thing funnier, or maybe sadder, than the thought of those guys winning a national election is Pastor Sam clinging to the idea that someday the country will turn to him.
Hell, hiring Arthur Laffer to validate his economic policies means he’s still living in the 80’s. If I were living in his Reagan time frame, I’d still be wearing big hair, shoulder pads, and a little silk bowtie with my power suits.
Jesus wept. I can’t believe I ever wore that stuff. I’m less ashamed of my 70’s attire…..
Like I was saying before ….there are good men in our society. Maybe after we hear more and more stories like this – our society will wake up to what is really important in this life – the people and that means EVERYONE.
This story touched my heart because I had a cousin that was considered special needs. He did not have Downs Syndrome but he had mild retardation. Back in those days – the special needs education was just starting. So, my cousin was in the regular classroom and he kept up and graduated.
One thing I can honestly say about my cousin – he was the only person I knew that had saw the good in everyone. He had no hate, no envy, no resentment and not one mean bone in his body. He loved life and he loved people. And, for the most part, everyone loved him back. Even back then – ignorant people existed.
Our society values the most beautiful looking, the strongest, the smartest as the picture of perfection. Maybe we have that backwards?
Wouldn’t the true picture of perfection be exactly how I described my cousin?
Sad to say – my cousin was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 20. It was a tumor between hiw heart and lungs. They did surgery to remove the tumor but some cancer cells managed to stay behind and began to spread throughout his entire body. My cousin spent his last few months in a hospital bed, in the living room with hospice and alot of family and friends coming by to see him.
Even then – I never heard my cousin once complain. While everyone else was asking ‘Why Brad?’ – it seems Brad was focusing on what was important – being a part of life with his family and friends. Brad passed away shortly after his 21st birthday.
I often say – life is not fair – and damn…..it is not fair ..!!
When you listen to congress critters speak it’s easy to understand how difficult it is to reach compromise. It also makes me very proud to be a liberal and to be represented by people who are capable of civility, kindness and possess critical thinking skills.
btw, I think Rand Paul deserves to have his time in the questioning of Secretary Clinton replayed overandover so every American can see how he conducts himself when doing the people’s business.
I’m a woman. I know few women agree with republicans. I know these republicans did absolutely nothing to improve their image among women. Republicans don’t yet believe in woman power. Oh well, women are capable of giving additional lessons in the future.
Here’s the runner up to Rand Paul for the biggest bully of the day. This is Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC). Is this the conduct voters in the South see as an admirable quality in those they elect to represent them? I’ll keep looking for a complete video of what he said today, but for now, this will give you an idea of how he conducted himself doing the people’s business —
I had a long conversation with a friend last night about how people in the South are still fighting the civil war and would be perfectly happy overturning the civil rights acts and voting rights acts of the 1960’s. Not everyone in the South, of course, but a great many still harbor prejudice of every kind. They dislike brown skin, women, gays, Jews, and just about everyone who isnt a WASPY male. We can’t stereotype everyone who lives in Dixie, but even a helluva lot of northerners feel the same way.
My friend, who has never lived or traveled in the South, really didn’t believe me about how things are down there still. She’s not a political junkie like I am, but still, she’s mighty naive if she thinks prejudice is not alive and well and headquartered in the Old South.
If we wouldn’t have to pick up the pieces and the cost after the tantrum was over, I’d tell them to get TF out of here and leave the union. Since most of them are “taker” states and not “maker states” or donor states, they’d soon be whining and wanting back in.
Sometimes, seriously, I think we may be headed for another civil war. But it won’t be north vs. south. It will be wingnut vs progressive. And with no geographic lines of demarcation, it will be harder to fight. But I think we’re already in it. If the Democratic parties in the states don’t get a grip and get some of these state governments under control if not back, the repukes are still going to ratfuck things like the House districts and the Electoral College.
We’re in a fight for the very existence of America, and the war’s already started!
I’ve shared this before….I graduated from that Fundy Baptist College in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1975.
I’ve shared before the many Deep Southern kids that went to school with me. I dated a few from Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina.
The one thing these Deep Southern boys all had in common – was their expressed desire to re-fight the Civil War. They were all taught from an early age to distrust Yankees.
I found them all to be so digusting – and that was at the time in my life when I was not as blunt as as I today with expressing my beliefs.
Boy, would I sure love to see these men today……..just to point at them and laugh..
And God knows – I would like to ram a pretty hairbow up all their tight lily-white butts…….and then see how that turns them on.
Wow – now I am just getting mean in my old age…..LMAO
When talking about the South and the Civil War – I am reminded of the history professor I had at that Fundy Baptist College. IIRC – he was not from the South – he was a transplant form the Yankee Land up north. (What the hell was he doing there?)
Anyway – There were several battlefields around Chattanooga – and we took a field trip out to visit them one day. I remember this professor chuckling as he pointed out to us that the Southerners’ cannons were on top of the mountain ridge which might look very important and intimidating.
But, as this professor pointed out, the Northerners (Damn Yankees) would run up the mountainside and simply sidestep the cannon balls as they were rolling down the hill after being shot out of those ever-impressing cannons.
I guess the Southern boys did not think about how gravity brings everything down to the ground – huh?
That history professor concluded the class that day with this one thought – if the Southerners had only used their brains – they might have had a better chance at winning the war.
Aw……I see some things just never change …..do they? It’s no wonder the GOP is so heavilly dependent on their Deep Southern Strategy.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
I think Colin Powell is working harder than most republicans to save their party.
(from the link): Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that Republicans should not have tried to reduce voter turnout during their failed effort to win the White House, doubling down on his recent criticism of the GOP.
“Should we really have gone after reducing the turnout of voters in those places where we thought it would make a difference? The Republican Party should be a party that says, ‘We want everybody to vote,’ and make it easier to vote and give them a reason to vote for the party, [whereas] not to find ways to keep them from voting at all,” Powell said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“The country is moving more toward the center. There are social changes taking place in this country that are irreversible and there is demographic change … you can’t just say, ‘Well, we’ll fix our message,'” he said. “It’s not the message. You have to appeal with policies and programs to these people who are going to be the leaders of our country in a generation.”
Colin Powell Questions GOP Voter ID Efforts
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/319-67/15651-colin-powell-questions-gop-voter-id-efforts
Hillary Clinton testifies today about Benghazi. She wasn’t there, she’s read the same things everyone else read, been briefed by the same people everyone heard from. I’d lay odds the republicans won’t be satisfied with anything she says. After all they decide when people should wait for the facts to be in before forming judgments and they have already convinced themselves they aren’t hearing all the facts. They’ll go to their grave possessed of their very own facts no matter how many people testify or how many investigations ensue. They’re all ginned up by false theories FoUx “News” makes up and supports, in their never ending drive to move their party back to power. They’re the sorest sore losers I’ve ever encountered!
I’ve had several opportunities to hear republicans say slow down and let’s learn the facts before making judgments, and readily admit until the facts are in we’ll have confusion. It is never when they’ve decided in advance democrats are in the wrong. And, they must be punished! It’s a conspiracy! Off with their heads!
The republicans aren’t interested in making anything better or recommendations to avoid a repeat attack, they’re interested in finding dirt on Obama or at least someone close to him in his administration.
This article talks about a shift the author says is happening in the population of Evangelicals. A shift away from militarism, consumerism, being identified closely with politics (lest “Christians become ‘useful idiots’ for one political party or another.”), a shift toward environmental protections and caring for the poorest among us ( “If healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, and ministering to the poor was Jesus’ job description, then we believe it is ours as well.).
It’s an easy read, and gives me hope that Christians that do good outnumber the ones who are merely loud, mostly obnoxious and full of hate for anyone and everyone ‘different,’ and have allowed themselves to be useful tools for the ‘right.’ These are people I might be able to respect!
(from the link):“New evangelicals” also oppose anti-gay discrimination in housing, education, and non-religious employment. They note that while some consider homosexuality a sin, a matter between man and God, democracies do not punish people for sins, which after all vary across faiths. Moreover, the state does not rescind civil rights for the commission of other sins, such as heterosexual adultery—why should it then for homosexuality? They note also that judging the sins of others is unchristian. A joint evangelical-Catholic Washington Post OpEd protesting Uganda’s draconian anti-gay legislation declared, “any effort to persecute people for their sexual orientation or gender identity offends intrinsic human dignity and violates Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.… The entire Judeo-Christian worldview is built on this unshakable foundation.”
The new evangelicals:
Evangelicals who have left the right
http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2013/01/15/evangelicals-who-have-left-the-right/
This is certainly hopeful and good news…..Amen…
I’ve been in that Evangelical Movement – (left in mid 70’s) – and it was starting to go radical. I noticed alot of hate-filled rhetoric back then. And with the more instant communication technology we have today – that hate gets transmitted out to the public faster and more vile with each passing day – IMHO.
We’ve all heard several of these current Evangelical leaders say very stupid things.
But when I read Bryan Fischer of the American Family group said that God did not protect those kids in Newtown because Americans are not allowed to pray in schools – several thoughts went through my head:
1) God must be one hateful S.O.B. to punish 20 innocent children just to satisfy his need for revenge.
2) If God is love – as the Bible says – then where is the love?
3) If this is how God believes – then why would I want to spend eternity with Him and/or his followers?
When I left this Evangelical Movement – those were the days when Roe v Wade was the rallying cry for these folks to go on the warpath.
There was also this push to build these massive mega churches – and that required alot of money – so Evangelicals needed to have this mentality of US v THEM – so they could keep their sheeple coming back weekly out of fear – out of a feeling of moral superiority – or just plain ‘dog and pony’ shows.
But what really catapulted these Evangelicals on to the political scene was when Ronald Reagan invited Jerry Falwell into the inner circle of the GOP. That was where the power was – and Falwell and his fellow Evangies took full advantage of hijacking the GOP party.
Reagan was just using these Evangies to get the votes (because I never thought Reagan was a true Rabid Religious Right) – but Reagan should be blamed for unleashing this unholy beast of what we see today as Rabid Religious Right.
I suspect Reagan was a NeoCon – and we’ve seen what happens when the NeoCons form their alliance with Rabid Religious Right – all HELL breaks loose.
Reagan did alot of damage to our country – IMHO. But the damage he did to his own GOP party is only now coming to light?
I certainly hope so…
ALERT: Today the Kansas House Commerce and Economic Development Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 2023, which would restrict the constitutional right of teachers and public employees to engage in political speech. This bill does many things, but what you should know right now is that it prohibits professional associations from advocating for or against public questions. This means that if the Legislature pushes through a constitutional amendment to sidestep the recent court order to fund Kansas schools, it would appear on the April ballot and Kansas teachers would be silenced from campaigning against it. There are no such restrictions on business advocacy organizations, such as the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. I hope you will share this information. You can read the full bill here: http://bit.ly/VXRbWN.
When Pastor Sam starts to silence the Koch Brothers – then he can silence the public teachers – wouldn’t that be fair?
Oh yeah, that’s right, we’re talking about Republicans – they don’t care about being fair – do they?
When I read the title of this piece all I could think was, “No shit, Sherlock.” When has Paul Ryan not changed or attempted excuses for what he said previously? That’s what he’s all about: saying what he hopes this audience wants to hear, broad statements that he later attempts explanation such as, “This is what I meant.”
All that aside, this is a good read, full of evidence and support for its assertions —
Paul Ryan Changes His Story on “Makers and Takers”
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/01/paul-ryan-changes-his-story-makers-and-takers
MORE weapons! We need more weapons! Everyone grab a gun and start shooting!
Let’s not worry about any training in the use of weapons, let’s not worry about the proper storage to prevent they get in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use them either.
Shit! Let’s just keep the goal of Armageddon in mind. If we shoot each other won’t we reach our heavenly rewards sooner and take others with us!?.. Won’t gawd be proud of us? We came home and brought friends! We can do this! We’ll just take everyone out, helpful to gawd, huh?
There’s that picture of THE POPE riding around in his glass car with the caption, “If prayer prevents violence, why does THE POPE ride behind bullet-proof glass.” It got me to thinking. Why isn’t THE POPE hoping he gets his heavenly rewards sooner rather than later? Why in the world would he do anything to stop someone from helping him realize those rewards? He lives such a pitiful existence, he needs to go to heaven and relax amid splendor!
Good points all. And today’s header graphic is something I’ve thought about a lot. As a former hunter now hobbled by bad knees and bifocals, I’ve often wondered about those who say they like or need assault rifles for hunting.
Part of being able to eat what you kill is using the appropriate gun and ammo for the game. Ok, maybe if you are dropping an elephant you need an assault rifle, but WTF? Who should be killing elephants? Especially in America?
I know you need bigger firepower to drop an animal cleanly so it doesn’t run away wounded and suffer a slow painful death. But… there is never any discussion on exactly what is the appropriate caliber for each species of game. My buddies and I had endless discussions about why it was stupid to use a .357 mag to shoot a rabbit. It might make you feel big, but the rabbit will be, as we say, turned inside out and of no use for food or fur.
Hell, we even hunted pheasants with .410’s after a while because the 12 gauge was just no fun anymore. Not sport if you have good dogs and can walk up on the birds. Now, trying to hit a dove, doing the zig zag across the sky, with a .410 and 8 shot is not only sport, with the odds on the bird’s side, but it leaves plenty of meat to enjoy later. Using a full choke 12 gauge with 4 shot at close range, well, you get hamburger and more pellets than meat.
So, anyone who says they need assault rifles to hunt game, I wanna know what they are hunting. They need a special license to hunt something that big.
PP wrote: It might make you feel big,
__
I think you’ve nailed it…….these NRA gun nuts that want bigger and more powerful guns are basically trying to fill an insatiable need for themselves to ‘feel big’?
What is that old saying about the size of a man’s gun correlates to the size of his _______________
I work in the heatlh care business – and I can tell you from past experience – the more religious a person professes to be – the more chances that person will want everything from the science of medicine to be done for their advanced directives (code status).
When I was facing my cancer diagnosis – the first thing I did was to give power of attorney to my husband. I made my husband promise me that no tubes, no respirator, nothing artificially was going to keep me alive. I did not want that – I’ve watched one too many folks lie in their beds not knowing who they were, where they were but yet hearing that pumping sound that was keeping their body alive.
To my thinking – that is not life. That is a body being kept artifically alive.
That is my personal belief – and I respect others to make a different choice.
But I’ve always wondered – if the person is so religious and is always talking about how much they love God and are looking forward to going to Heaven – then why in the Hell do they want all the artificial scientific methods of keeping them alive?
Bottom line to me – everyone has the right to make their own decisions about their advanced directives – and their decision should be respected.
I’m glad we have good men here at PPP to remind us that good men do exist. Unless we live with one, sometimes it’s hard to remember.
I second this statement……There are more good men than bad men – IMHO.
Problem is – the good men are so busy doing what they should to take care of their families that they don’t have time to strut around like a cocky rooster trying to convince everyone else how ‘manly’ they are…
No relationship to anything here, but I’m thinking this morning it is a good thing I live 20 miles from the nearest town and 10 miles from the nearest paved road. I have such a powerful hankering for a glazed donut that if I lived any closer, I’d be warming up the truck and heading for town. I guess I’ll have to settle for toast made of low carb bread and a poached egg. Somehow, it’s just not the same….
PP – I feel for you, girl. But – you know – those glazed donuts would only go to your thighs (or at least that is where those things go when I give in to the same hankering)..
Or is it to my big ass……..
Yeah, Indy, and what they would do to my blood sugar would be obscene. However, a little donut porn wouldn’t hurt once in a while, would it? 🙂
Speaking of porn…
I just found this on my internet wanderings. Thought you’d like to know about a Kansas boy who made good. Jerry is from Ellis, twenty miles west of me, and went to Ft. Hays his freshman year before transferring to and graduating from KU. He went on to the NYT and WSJ among other pubs, and was once briefly held hostage in the Middle East. Thankfully, he was unharmed.
I remember drinking red beer with Jerry and his cousin Gene at the Red Coat Inn, the local off campus beer joint frequented by us greeks. Gene was an AKL while I was a DZ, but Jerry was having none of that frivolous greek stuff. He was generally regarded as brilliant, and he went on to prove that people who said it were correct. He is brilliant.
Glad to see life has treated him well. He’s the same age I am. And I have to say, “do I look that old?” WTF? Time waits for no man or woman….
http://live.wsj.com/video/second-inaugural-unveils-a-very-different-obama-2013-01-23-101154722/18C1DBF4-C445-4E92-8AF5-1612043DAEFE.html#!18C1DBF4-C445-4E92-8AF5-1612043DAEFE
Oops. Ellis is twenty miles east of me, not west. Geez, I am getting old and can’t tell direction anymore.
Well, he certainly adds a voice of sanity to what has become less and less a place I go to read! I’ll bet those conversations you had back in the days were so fun, so interesting, with plans that would have improved our world. I would have liked to be the fly on the wall listening to that group of intelligent people! I know you say he was / is brilliant, so I’ll trust you because I know you are brilliant. I’d still take your ideas on solving the world’s problems over most any others!
Awwww shucks, Fnord. Thank you. But, as I always say, if I’m so damn smart, how come I’m not rich?
Yeah, we did have a lot of ideas and hope and energy. He seems to still have all those things. Me? Not so much. Maybe it’s because when he got out of Kansas, he stayed out. I was dumb enough to come back and think I could make a difference.
You see how well that worked out!
I come here to PPP to talk intelligently with other intelligent people. We don’t have anyone here who doesn’t qualify under that criteria. All of our ideas here constitute, in varying degrees, a fairly progressive agenda. If all of our PPP ideas were considered and then implemented, I think America would be a better place on all fronts.
Did anyone else wonder what Iggy would have had to say on Monday? I bet he would have been really happy.
I suspect Iggy is proud everyday to know that this blog is still up and running. Why, somedays I suspect he is rolling on the clouds laughing at some of the things we say….
At least, I hope Iggy is watching over us…..
I tuned in to Secretary Clinton testifying to the Senate Committee.
I’m here to tell you that is one fantastic lady the entire world is lucky to have on their side!
Secondly, McCain is an asshole, ditto Marco Rubio. But even more of an asshole, beyond words to describe is Rand Paul.
Rand Paul is turning out to be a much bigger nut-job than his old man. If Sen. RP keeps going politically the way he is now he’ll have to adopt the letter ‘I’ as a middle initial. He is rude, arrogant, disrespectful, childish, … I’m unable to find adequate words…
Later she testifies to a House panel. Since the level of civility goes down several degrees and the IQ of House members is many digits lower even than the worst of the Senators, I’m glad it’s a person of Secretary Clinton’s exemplary courage and excellence who will be responding. She is in control. Her measured intelligence allows them to show their ugly butts while she maintains the utmost dignity.
I’ve been watching Hillary brilliantly maneuver between those GOP-planted bombs on that committee. Yeah – Johnnie and Rand – I’m talking about you..
Someone needs to tell Johnnie -again – that Obama beat him badly in 2008. Now Johnnie is just looking like a bitter old man and that is not a pretty sight.
As for Rand Paul – I suspect he has a Napoleon complex……??
Oh, I forgot to mention Marco. Well – when one is contining to kiss up to the Tea Party four years in advance of the next presidential election – what can one say about Marco?
RP made it patently obvious neither of his heads is big enough to brag about! He needs to be gone from any position of any authority!
At the very least – someone needs to knock off the little emperor’s cockeyed hat….
And Rand and Marco have illusions of being POTUS?
heh. heheh. HEHEHEH. HHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAH!
OMG, the only thing funnier, or maybe sadder, than the thought of those guys winning a national election is Pastor Sam clinging to the idea that someday the country will turn to him.
Hell, hiring Arthur Laffer to validate his economic policies means he’s still living in the 80’s. If I were living in his Reagan time frame, I’d still be wearing big hair, shoulder pads, and a little silk bowtie with my power suits.
Jesus wept. I can’t believe I ever wore that stuff. I’m less ashamed of my 70’s attire…..
Did you say illusions of being POTUS? I suspect a more-fitting word would – delusions….
Like I was saying before ….there are good men in our society. Maybe after we hear more and more stories like this – our society will wake up to what is really important in this life – the people and that means EVERYONE.
This story touched my heart because I had a cousin that was considered special needs. He did not have Downs Syndrome but he had mild retardation. Back in those days – the special needs education was just starting. So, my cousin was in the regular classroom and he kept up and graduated.
One thing I can honestly say about my cousin – he was the only person I knew that had saw the good in everyone. He had no hate, no envy, no resentment and not one mean bone in his body. He loved life and he loved people. And, for the most part, everyone loved him back. Even back then – ignorant people existed.
Our society values the most beautiful looking, the strongest, the smartest as the picture of perfection. Maybe we have that backwards?
Wouldn’t the true picture of perfection be exactly how I described my cousin?
Sad to say – my cousin was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 20. It was a tumor between hiw heart and lungs. They did surgery to remove the tumor but some cancer cells managed to stay behind and began to spread throughout his entire body. My cousin spent his last few months in a hospital bed, in the living room with hospice and alot of family and friends coming by to see him.
Even then – I never heard my cousin once complain. While everyone else was asking ‘Why Brad?’ – it seems Brad was focusing on what was important – being a part of life with his family and friends. Brad passed away shortly after his 21st birthday.
I often say – life is not fair – and damn…..it is not fair ..!!
http://www.today.com/moms/waiter-hailed-hero-after-standing-boy-down-syndrome-1B8038223#waiter-hailed-hero-after-standing-boy-down-syndrome-1B8038223
Oh, Indy. Too bad your cousin didn’t have a friend like this. Please, feel free to skip the ad.
Like I always say, the more I know about people, the better I like dogs….
Maybe dogs should have been the ruler of the world – instead of man?
…and in case I have not posted this, it’s my current favorite dog video. This is one jammin’ pup!
When you listen to congress critters speak it’s easy to understand how difficult it is to reach compromise. It also makes me very proud to be a liberal and to be represented by people who are capable of civility, kindness and possess critical thinking skills.
btw, I think Rand Paul deserves to have his time in the questioning of Secretary Clinton replayed overandover so every American can see how he conducts himself when doing the people’s business.
I’m a woman. I know few women agree with republicans. I know these republicans did absolutely nothing to improve their image among women. Republicans don’t yet believe in woman power. Oh well, women are capable of giving additional lessons in the future.
Everyone needs to see how Senator Rand Paul conducts himself while doing the people’s business.
Here’s the runner up to Rand Paul for the biggest bully of the day. This is Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC). Is this the conduct voters in the South see as an admirable quality in those they elect to represent them? I’ll keep looking for a complete video of what he said today, but for now, this will give you an idea of how he conducted himself doing the people’s business —
I had a long conversation with a friend last night about how people in the South are still fighting the civil war and would be perfectly happy overturning the civil rights acts and voting rights acts of the 1960’s. Not everyone in the South, of course, but a great many still harbor prejudice of every kind. They dislike brown skin, women, gays, Jews, and just about everyone who isnt a WASPY male. We can’t stereotype everyone who lives in Dixie, but even a helluva lot of northerners feel the same way.
My friend, who has never lived or traveled in the South, really didn’t believe me about how things are down there still. She’s not a political junkie like I am, but still, she’s mighty naive if she thinks prejudice is not alive and well and headquartered in the Old South.
If we wouldn’t have to pick up the pieces and the cost after the tantrum was over, I’d tell them to get TF out of here and leave the union. Since most of them are “taker” states and not “maker states” or donor states, they’d soon be whining and wanting back in.
Sometimes, seriously, I think we may be headed for another civil war. But it won’t be north vs. south. It will be wingnut vs progressive. And with no geographic lines of demarcation, it will be harder to fight. But I think we’re already in it. If the Democratic parties in the states don’t get a grip and get some of these state governments under control if not back, the repukes are still going to ratfuck things like the House districts and the Electoral College.
We’re in a fight for the very existence of America, and the war’s already started!
I just read a piece in The New Yorker about people of the South. It’s a bit of history, short, to the point and well written.
Southern Discomfort
by George Packer January 21, 2013
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2013/01/21/130121taco_talk_packer#ixzz2IqJnmkQK
I’ve shared this before….I graduated from that Fundy Baptist College in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1975.
I’ve shared before the many Deep Southern kids that went to school with me. I dated a few from Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina.
The one thing these Deep Southern boys all had in common – was their expressed desire to re-fight the Civil War. They were all taught from an early age to distrust Yankees.
I found them all to be so digusting – and that was at the time in my life when I was not as blunt as as I today with expressing my beliefs.
Boy, would I sure love to see these men today……..just to point at them and laugh..
And God knows – I would like to ram a pretty hairbow up all their tight lily-white butts…….and then see how that turns them on.
Wow – now I am just getting mean in my old age…..LMAO
While Rand Paul and his fellow Elephants try to be relevant – Hillary Clinton enjoys a very high percentage approval rating – a whopping 67%
Tell me again – Congress Critters – what was the latest approval rating for you guys?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/01/23/record-high-for-hillary-clinton-as-she-faces-little-regarded-congress/
When talking about the South and the Civil War – I am reminded of the history professor I had at that Fundy Baptist College. IIRC – he was not from the South – he was a transplant form the Yankee Land up north. (What the hell was he doing there?)
Anyway – There were several battlefields around Chattanooga – and we took a field trip out to visit them one day. I remember this professor chuckling as he pointed out to us that the Southerners’ cannons were on top of the mountain ridge which might look very important and intimidating.
But, as this professor pointed out, the Northerners (Damn Yankees) would run up the mountainside and simply sidestep the cannon balls as they were rolling down the hill after being shot out of those ever-impressing cannons.
I guess the Southern boys did not think about how gravity brings everything down to the ground – huh?
That history professor concluded the class that day with this one thought – if the Southerners had only used their brains – they might have had a better chance at winning the war.
Aw……I see some things just never change …..do they? It’s no wonder the GOP is so heavilly dependent on their Deep Southern Strategy.