JESUS AND MO AND BOOB-QUAKE

From Paul (A.):

I don't know if you have been following this story over the last week or so,
but . . .

An Iranian cleric announced that immodestly dressed women caused
earthquakes: ABC News."

"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Sedighi is Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader.

....

A student, Jennifer McCreight, decided to test this by experiment on Monday of this week, promulgated via her blog Blag Hag (several entries).

It was picked up on by the news media: (e.g.) ABC News.

To test an Iranian cleric's claim that immodestly dressed women are responsible for earthquakes, tens of thousands of women around the country plan to show off an extra bit of skin todayTo test an Iranian cleric's claim that immodestly dressed women are responsible for earthquakes, tens of thousands of women around the country plan to show off an extra bit of skin today.

But not much resulted.

An earlier study (inspired by Pat Robertson's association of gay people and
hurricanes) used statistics to undermine the thesis Christians Gays.

Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, recently warned Orlando, Florida, that it was courting natural disaster by allowing gay pride flags to be flown along its streets. "A condition like this will bring about ... earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor," he said, apparently referring to his belief that the presence of openly gay people incurs divine wrath and that God acts through geological and meteorological events to destroy municipalities that permit gay people the same civil liberties as others. (Robertson also warned Orlando about terrorist bombs, suggesting the possibility that God may also employ terrorists.)

Food for thought.


More food for thought from Jesus and Mo.

"JUSTICE, JUSTICE YOU SHALL PURSUE"

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: "Stories From the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama".

Below is a portion of a letter from a chaplain who serves in the military to President Obama on the present DADT policy. Because of active service, the name of the writer is withheld.

Over the years some of us have buried our closest friends -- officers and enlisted, African American, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians, Whites, rich, poor, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Jews. They had the courage to make the supreme sacrifice in order for us to reap the bounties of freedom. We owe them a debt of gratitude which can never be repaid.

What is remarkable about these Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coastguardsmen is they understood the personal risk when they answered the highest calling of our nation. What could be a nobler act then to give one’s life to one’s country, knowing that in their lives many freedoms would be denied them?

And when their story is told a significant piece of their life would be missing.

As they sleep under the crosses, the stars of David and the crescents there is no bigotry. There is no prejudice. There is no hatred. And within the sacred confines of their resting place there is no law of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” There is only purest democracy.

When the final cross has been placed in the last cemetery, will it only be then that we as a nation acknowledge our gay brothers and sisters who took the risks of life and truth to answer their nation’s highest calling? How many of these brave men and women lie in military graves and still hide in death?

They are among the unknown soldiers.

There are only a few who know the truth of those who lie in these graves. There are only a few who know the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn them in silence and fear. The nation remains silent and owes no allegiance to who they truly were nor does it honor their loved ones. What does that say of our sacred values?

If one gay person was killed in defense of America, issues such as the destruction of unit morale or the fear of people not wanting to join the military devalue their sacrifice. This is not about appeasing the uncomfortable feelings of a minority; this is a universal and transcendent matter of justice. America was built on the common Jewish and Christian heritage of justice when the Bible commands: “Justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20).

I have nothing to add to the chaplain's eloquent testimony.

H/T to Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin.

A BAD DAY AT HALLMARK

Ever wondered what happens when Hallmark writers are having a bad day....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking back over the years

That we've been together,

I can't help but wonder...

'What the hell was I thinking?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your wedding day!

Too bad no one likes your husband.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always wanted to have

Someone to hold,

Someone to love.

After having met you...

I've changed my mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I must admit, you brought Religion into my life.

I never believed in Hell until I met you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the days go by, I think of how lucky I am...

That you're not here to ruin it for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your promotion.

Before you go...

Would you like to take this knife out of my back?

You'll probably need it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy birthday! You look great for your age.

Almost Lifelike!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we were together,

you always said you'd die for me.

Now that we've broken up,

I think it's time you kept your promise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have been friends for a very long time.

Let's say we stop?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so miserable without you

It's almost like you're here.

============================================

Thanks to Ann.

DAMNED IF WE DO AND DAMNED IF WE DON'T

Below is part of a discussion between Pima County Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and Keith Olbermann on Countdown:

DUPNIK: But my objection to the state law that was enacted by the governor and the legislator is twofold.

One, I believe it's unconstitutional.

I don't think, as you pointed out earlier in this show, that the states have the authority to pre-empt federal government when it comes to immigration issues.

And second of all, I think it's going to be held unconstitutional on the basis of the key phrase in the bill that says we can stop them and ask them for papers and so forth on reasonable suspicion.

Now, I've been a cop for 52 years.

I'm not sure what reasonable suspicion means, and I suspect that's going to be constitutionally vague.

The third thing is, why would I take the hundreds of people that we arrest regularly and put them in the local jail and subject them to the local criminal justice system and then send the local taxpayers a huge bill for doing this when I -- all we have to do is what we've been doing all along and turn them over to the border patrol?


OLBERMANN: Why was this bill enacted in Arizona?


DUPNIK: I think it was enacted in Arizona to make the legislature feel good, possibly to deflect some of the attention they get on the poor management, especially of financial issues in this state.

They've done a horrible job, and second of all, I think it's just racist.


OLBERMANN: To that point, the governor and state Senator Pearce both say the law is written specifically to prevent racial profiling and will not lead to racism.

I gather from your last statement that you have reasons to believe that's not true.

What are they?


DUPNIK: Let me tell you, they say that the law that they crafted mirrors the federal law, and in a lot of respects it does.

With the couple of exceptions.

One is this reasonable suspicion business, and the other, they have set up the police in an impossible situation.

On one hand, we get sued by people whom we stop who we would stop, this happens a great deal in another county north of here.

For racial profiling.

They have put a clause in this bill that I don't think anybody has looked at that says any citizen in this state can file a lawsuit against any law enforcement official that doesn't enforce this law.

So now we're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't....

.
Sheriff Dupnik speaks good sense. He and his employees will have to do the actual work, and he knows what the law will bring on for him and his officers and for the citizens of Arizona who, by the way, approve the law by 70% percentage points.

GREAT FOOD IN NEW ORLEANS IS BACK WITH A BANG

From the New York Times:

IT is the siren call of a magnificent, broken city: “This, here, is the real New Orleans.”

Spend any time sweating through a shirt and walking slow and purposeful along Magazine Street toward a Sazerac before dinner, and you’ll hear the cry, in this bar or that one. You’ll hear it on the radio, driving the high-rise bridge over the Industrial Canal, someone spinning funk on WWOZ and talking about New Orleans soul. You’ll see it in the defiant eyes of a man lurching out of a second line in Pigeon Town.
....

I walked through crowds in the French Quarter to a meal of oysters Rockefeller and crab Yvonne at Galatoire’s, and along the barren streets south of Lake Pontchartrain to another of po’ boys amid crowds at the Parkway Bakery.

There was plenty to sample — there are roughly 1,000 restaurants in New Orleans now, up a cool couple of hundred from before the storm, according to The New Orleans Menu, a Web site dedicated to the subject that is run by Tom Fitzmorris.
....

And for a critic on the prowl for an authentic taste of the city in full springtime bloom, surprises abounded. One of the most purely joyful and purely New Orleans restaurants of the moment is Emeril’s, a place run by a television chef who was born in Fall River, Mass., and lives mostly in New York City. Another, Cochon, is devoted not to the Creole cosmopolitanism of the city center, but to the Cajun traditions of the bayous and backwaters outside of town, in the tidal soup of southern Louisiana.

And a third group of genuine, true-to-type New Orleans restaurants that sit near this city’s culinary heart is not Southern at all, but Vietnamese.

Read the rest of the article at the NYT, and you'll be salivating. Great food in New Orleans is back with a bang, back better than ever. I've never sampled Vietnamese food, but I've dined at a good many of the restaurants mentioned in the article, although I've not been to the new Emeril's yet.

WHAT GOD INTENDS

Whenever the Louisiana legislature is in session, you can be sure that mischief is afoot. Here's a sad story.

From the Advocate:

Under heavy opposition by religious interests, a Louisiana Senate panel rejected legislation Tuesday that would have allowed same-sex couples to adopt children in Louisiana.

Proponents said the legislation would expand the pool of people available to provide loving homes for children by allowing two unmarried people to adopt.

Opponents said children need homes with a traditional mother and father as God intended.

“We believe this bill is nothing more than social engineering using children as guinea pigs,” said the Rev. Louis Husser, of Robert.

The legislation died when one senator voted for it while three voted against.
....

“We are talking about homes for children. We need parents whether they be two single parents or married couples to adopt children,” said the bill sponsor, Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans.

He said limiting the pool of people who can adopt keeps children in foster homes and group homes, particularly at-risk children who need the most parental care.

Thank you, Sen. Morrell, for your lone voice of compassion and common sense. Of course, the opponents of permitting same-sex couples to adopt know the mind of God, and few in the legislature would go against the mind of God.

The story brings tears to my eyes. It's just so wrong.

EAR HAIR

My neighbor found out her dog could hardly hear so she took it to the veterinarian. He found that the problem was hair in its ears. He cleaned both ears and the dog could hear fine. The vet then proceeded to tell the lady that if she wanted to keep this from recurring she should go to the store and get some "Nair" hair remover and rub it in the dog's ears once a month.

The lady goes to the drug store and gets some "Nair" hair remover.

At the register the druggist tells her, "If you're going to use this under your arms don't use deodorant for a few days."

The lady says, "I'm not using it under my arms."

The druggist says, "If you're using it on your legs don't shave for a couple of days."

The lady says, "I'm not using it on my legs either; if you must know, I'm using it on my Schnauzer."

The druggist says, "Stay off your bicycle for a week."


Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

STORY OF THE DAY - DEEPEST DESIRES

Wish for your deepest desires, she said
& when I asked if they'd come true, she
said they always do, so you might as well
get them out in the open while you're
still young enough to correct any serious
mistakes.


I'm rather amazed at how many of my deepest desires have come true, but I've had to make adjustments, because life has also dealt me bad hands. However, I prefer to accentuate the positive, although I'm not quite ready to eliminate the negative.


From StoryPeople.

JESUS AND MO

From Jesus and Mo.

GAYLE - FOUR YEARS GONE

 

The picture of my sister Gayle was taken on the grounds of the Tower of London during our trip to England in the 1990s. We were headed to visit the Norman chapel inside the White Tower. I stopped to take a picture, and Gayle walked on. Today is the fourth anniversary of my sister's passing. With courage, she fought off lymphoma 17 years before she died from pancreatic cancer. I still miss her. For me, the picture is a stunning metaphor for Gayle's walk away from all of us who love her.

Please pray for her husband, Frank and her three children, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Please pray for me and for her many friends who still miss her. She was a wonderful person. She loved to joke and laugh, and she loved a good party. She was a good wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a good sister and a good friend to me.


Why Couldn't You Stay?

You walked away; you left us
Bereft, bereaved.
How could you go?
It wasn't your doing,
I know, I know.
Yet, how could you go?

Two years passed and gone,
Slipped away.
After you left, I'd think
I'll call her; I'll email.
Oh no! None of that!
You won't answer.

Now I know you're gone.
No thoughts of visits to come,
Seeing your face, hearing your voice,
The sound of your laughter.
Sadness lingers, emptiness remains.
Why couldn't you stay?

June Butler - 04-27-08



The Norman chapel in the White Tower is one of my favorite buildings in the all the world.

Image from Wiki.