Vox Populi – 12-6-2013

pinkpantheroz : Pity this post isn’t avail Fridays all day. I live in a time zone 19 hours ahead of PST! It’s 23.54 Friday evening here now, 0454 local. so I’m gonna miss out!

AdLib : Thanks pal, back at ya!

KillgoreTrout : Sweet dreams my friend.

AdLib : Saw it KT, looks great! See you tomorrow!

KillgoreTrout : Thanks Ad. The music thread is done. I hope you like it.

AdLib : Guests are just our faithful readers who aren’t logged in.

KillgoreTrout : OK Ad, who are the three “guests?” Just kidding. I never knew just what a “guest,” here implied.

AdLib : Well KT, looks like it’s about that time to lock up the Vox liquor cabinet. Have a tall one for the road and I’ll see you on the music thread tomorrow!

AdLib : Murph – Great. Use every possible angle when it comes to your health.

MurphTheSurf3 : Thanks for the good words and kind thoughts KT and Ad Lib. Will do as you suggest.

KillgoreTrout : Murph, take good care of yourself. It might not be a bad idea to get a second opinion. The country and the larger world needs people like you. Far too few Americans understand that democracy is participatory. Sleep well, my friend.

AdLib : Take care, Murph. Hoping you feel better this weekend and that the docs figure things out quickly to get you back where you should be.

MurphTheSurf3 : AND with that, I bid you all adieu!

MurphTheSurf3 : KT Infallibility only applies to limited dogmatic statements. There have been few in history but I agree the papacy has carried that patina…this guy seems ready to set it aside.

AdLib : Murph – Such a cool story! Only attests to the fact that no matter how horrible a minority of people are, there are still people who quietly exemplify the love and compassion that we are supposed to recognize in each other. Very affirming story.

KillgoreTrout : Murph, but it is Catholic dogma that every pope;s word is infallible. That’s just how they enumerate the power structure. I just can’t buy into that. I would also like to see the pedophile priests and the higher ups who protected them actually be arrested and tried for their most heinous crimes. people generally say, don’t dare accuse the church, that is blasphamy, but the crimes and the cover-ups are real and cannot be swept under some theological rug. That may seem harsh on my part, but it IS reality that should never be ignored.

MurphTheSurf3 : Continued…I got to talk to the “Dad” He and his wife can’t have kids so they are foster parents who take in kids no one wants and they keep them- literally until they are grown. They have been doing this for years and have a bunch of grown kids. The dad works in a garage, the mom does telemarketing and they build lives. They inspired me. I was with four members of the coop I help lead. We decided to buy a costco gift card for a couple of hundred dollars and give it to them….Even here in Missour GRACE GROWS!

AdLib : KT – Those guys did contribute a lot to the web but it was started by the U.S. government and scientists. The very government that the Repubs attack for incompetence and failure. Well…the internet seems pretty successful to me.

MurphTheSurf3 : A closing story….I was at CostCo a few days ago and saw what seemed to be a large family….mom, dad, a bunch of kids…but all boys from mid teens to about 9 and mixed racially…then I realized that the kids all seemed to have special needs.

KillgoreTrout : Ad, we’d be locked into the same old illness that pervaded US principles and social lack of healing that existed before Steve Jobbs and is partner Wosniack had their tremendous vision and drive.

AdLib : Murph – And I don’t see any RWs refusing their SS or Medicare even though they are socialist programs that they claim to fervently oppose. “Socialism is the enemy of all Americans…unle ss it benefits me, that part’s okay but the rest is unacceptable!”

MurphTheSurf3 : KT…I don’t expect Francis to make any infallible statements….no t his style and seems contrary to his understanding of the RCC in terms of other of other faith gatherings.

AdLib : KT – Yep, Network is amazingly prophetic and wise. News has become a total circus now and the people have never been less informed by what they watch. Thank goodness for the web! Can you imagine where we would be today if everything was as it is today but there was no internet?

KillgoreTrout : Take care Sabreen, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib…I think you are correct…think of the GOP who condemned handouts while taking millions in farm bill money. No problem. From their point of view, they deserve it.

AdLib : Take care, Sabreen! Have a great weekend!

KillgoreTrout : Murph, I think the new pope IS a breath of fresh air. I just can’t but into the belief that he, a mortal ma, is infallible. That just seems completely ridiculous to me. Given the CC’s recent past crimes, I don’t hold much respect for such an institution. The hierarchy is a power structure that should not be.

AdLib : Murph – Considering the built0in hypocrisy of RWs, I fully expect many of those howling about the ACA to sign up and insure themselves and their families because, of course, they need insurance and now they can afford it. Total disconnect, they need to hate something they need to have that will help them.

MurphTheSurf3 : Good night Sabreen.

MurphTheSurf3 : ALL…we are speaking of a number of the reasons I really like Al Jazeera American AND also why it is failing to gain an audience.

Sabreen60 : Well good folks, I outta here It’s been great and hope to see you here or somewhere else on the intertubes.

KillgoreTrout : No doubt about it Ad. None what-so-ever. The man. the supreme journalist, Walter Cronkite warned us of the dangers of mixing real journalism with entertainment. Today’ 24/7 cable news is not much more than entertainment for the masses. I know you are very fond of the film Network. That film was very prophetic.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib…another conversation early in the week was with a young man, 31, who wanted to fight with me about “NobamaCrap” and he ended up with his computer open and walking through the website and looking at his options….he does not take much to do this….just point out the need and ask if he is interested in filling it.

AdLib : Sabreen – That is so true. MSNBC just sells chocolate ice cream for chocolate ice cream lovers but they are in the business of making money and if anything disrupts that, they won’t hesitate to cut whatever throats they need to. MSNBC is NOT Progressive, they just exploit Progressives to make profits. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t hosts there taht are genuinely Progressive but it’s all just a machine to make Comcast and their shareholders richer.

MurphTheSurf3 : KT..one of the things I admire about Francis is that he seems to be in touch with the spirit of what you are saying….but he is shackled by his own history and the context in which he stands…still it is good to hear a church leader speaking so plainly of the gospel.

Sabreen60 : Also, RWNJs including Palin have no problem in comparing any and everything to slavery, but they wouldn’t dare compare anything to the Holocaust. That nut Santorum compared Apartheid to Obamacare. Just disgusting.

MurphTheSurf3 : Sabreen…the Comcast connection worries me a lot….I see it in Morning Joe in particular…I really dislike Scarborough and the cast of go-alongs to get along characters that inhabit the show…Mika is weak tea.

AdLib : KT – It’s hard to find real honest journalism anymore. This equivocation thing, presenting “both” sides of an argument as if they are two equal and valid views when they clearly aren’t, is a betrayal of journalism. And Chuckie Todd blew the game when he obliviously explained that his job isn’t to present the truth, it’s just to present whatever political jerks are saying and let the public figure out what to believe. He and so many others are such hacks!

KillgoreTrout : Murph, these are many paralells between Christ’s teachings and Lao Tsu’s 81 ideograms. my problem with orthodox Christianity is all the stricture and dogma that were not part of Christ’s actual sermon on the mound. The length of Christ’s teachings is about a half an hour of dialogue. The reast was written by man, men with an agenda beyond the simple and pure ideology of Jesus.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad…and while this young lady, a waitress, cannot spell out the tactic as you have, she knows what’s up and her plain talking nails it.

Sabreen60 : Oh really AdLib. I didn’t know they did that. I rarely watch Morning Joe so I didn’t know. I listened to and read what Bashir said and it didn’t rate a suspension. However MSNBC is owned by Comcast, right? The CEO of Comcast is a RWNJ. Comcast is the bed with ALEC. MSNBC was there purely for the profit motive. There is no loyalty to progressive views.

AdLib : Murph – It’s that old Atwater/Rove trick of trying to accuse the Dems of what they’re guilty of. Repubs have passed laws forcing women to have invasive exams when they seek an abortion that they’re legally entitled to, Repubs literally are forcing Uncle Sam to violate them and they think an ad showing Obama is doing that by providing health insurance makes sense? No way, it is a total fail.

KillgoreTrout : Ad, MSNBC does that, just like FOX in the attempt to appear “fair and balanced.” How can such a numbing of Americans be a good thing. News is NOT supposed to be fair and balanced. It’s a travesty of real journalism.

MurphTheSurf3 : KT…I am a Christian Humanist…which means that I can take the feel, the tempo, the environment that surrounds Taoist/Buddhist thought and blend it with the philosophy of Yeshua and his first generation of followers quite comfortably.

AdLib : Sabreen – MSNBC gave Halperin a time out for a few weeks then happily let him back on their channel. But then he’s a RW so the rules of decency and principle don’t apply to him.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib..agreed…sh e was really livid…asked me about that commercial with the giant Uncle Sam Mascot Head and forceps. Her quote: Christ, it’s the GOP that’s staring up my privates not the Dems. Fuck!” Gotta Mo. plain talk.

AdLib : What would Sean Hannity or Bill O’Reilly have to say to be kicked off their shows and haven’t they already said it?

Sabreen60 : Murph, AdLib, Halperin called PBO a “dick” on Morning Joe and nobody said a word.

KillgoreTrout : Murph, I think the real sadness that accompanies death is felt by the the loved ones we leave behind. I love the Taos desciption, or “idea,” of death as a simple returning to the source of all things. Very mysterious and, IMO delightful. If mankind came to know everything ther is to know, how boring life might be then. I think human beings are meant to constantly inquire. To constantly seek new knowledge. I see it as a mental evolution and an emotional one as well.

AdLib : Murph – I’ll take anti-GOP any day! No vote for Repubs is one less vote Dems need. And it is such an asinine campaign, trying to tell young people who are already cynical about being told what to do, that they should give up protection to help the wealthy advance their agendas. Glad to hear it’s backfiring.

MurphTheSurf3 : Sabreen…just the kind of thing the young need to know.

Sabreen60 : We had to come out-of-pocket with $8500 when my son broke his finger (he needed pins) and didn’t have health insurance. This was several years ago. It would have been more than that, but he had a great surgeon who wouldn’t take the entire fee from us.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib…yes, Bashir is a scapegoat…..I like the man very much.

AdLib : Sabreen – Fox News people can spew racism, support rape and the killing of innocent teenagers who happen to be black…and on Fox, they earn their own shows for doing so. Bashir says something rude and he has to quit. I think he needed to apologize as he did and that should have been that. Why is it that the moderates and liberals have to play by one rule and the RW don’t have to play by any rules?

MurphTheSurf3 : Sabreen…I wrote a strong letter to MSNBC about Bashir…I HATE what they did to him….Hate it…

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad….I spoke with one young lady today who railed and ranted about assholes who are trying to tell her that she does not need health insurance……t horoughly GOP in her family, but THAT tactic has turned her into an anti-GOP though not yet Dem.

Sabreen60 : Murph, I wouldn’t miss the interview, although I am thoroughly disgusted with MSNBC for kicking Bashir to the curb.

MurphTheSurf3 : KT…very “eastern” of you and no surprise….deat h is literally “passing” on.

AdLib : Murph – So the Koch-funded commercials saying, “Ah, you’re better off not being insured because we want the ACA to fail and you to die prematurely!” aren’t working?

Sabreen60 : Good night, kes!

MurphTheSurf3 : Sabreen…Matthe ws was subdued….I think that Chris really admires him and sees him as the kind of President he wants for the country…I find myself like Matthews more of late…

KillgoreTrout : That’s wonderful Sabreen. I don’t really believe in the orthodox “heaven and Hell,” but id think that death is not something to fear. I do fear the pain the physical pain of death, but not death itself. I think it is just as much a natural process as being born is. Do any of us really remember anything before we were born? Of course not.

Sabreen60 : Murph, I completely agree. I watched it twice, also. I hope we can give him a Congress he can work with in 2014.

MurphTheSurf3 : so long Kes..thank you for the good vibes…I will keep you all up to date…peace

AdLib : Thanks Kes, you have a great weekend too and look out for fiery hailstones!

MurphTheSurf3 : Sabreen..hi…I did see and watched it a second time. Obama is always better the second time around because he says so much that it takes two viewings to get it all. When coupled with his recent address about the economy….he is saying…I will NOT be a lame duck president!

kesmarn : Murph, before I go — hope that the medical mystery is soon solved and you’re feeling much better.

AdLib : Sabreen – Yes, I believe it was Horus. And their are Pacific Island religions that had a religious story about a saintly man whose head was buried in the ground and grew into the first coconut tree (which is why coconuts look like heads you see), to provide sustenance of food and water through his death to the people. The stories differ to a degree but are amazingly similar in many respects. Meaning, as Campbell proposed, that religious beliefs grow out of societies similarly. So to think that there is one truth and all others are frauds is kind of silly. At the same time, the similarities lead one to consider if there is not an overall truth that runs as a thread through all of them.

kesmarn : Well, dear friends, time for me to call it a day I’m afraid. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and travel safely in the crazy weather.

MurphTheSurf3 : Kes…I just saw a question from you. Getting better or worse? Virtually unchanged. So strange.

Sabreen60 : This is a real change of subject. But did anyone see Chris Matthews interview PBO?

Sabreen60 : KT, Also the funeral business is one that never faces a recession. One reason I want to be cremated. I don’t want anyone spending $1000’s to put me in the ground. Actually, my husband’s aunt had wake that sounds very much like the Irish. It was a celebration of her life. People were asked not to wear black because it was not a service of mourning.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad and Kes….what is interesting that I have had a number of conversations with young people mid-20’s not on parent insurance (often because there is none to be on). I think it is fair to say that they are very easily convinced. Their premiums are low and I run them through the out of pocket costs of a simple auto accident involving a broken arm.

KillgoreTrout : Ah Sabreen, kudos. Anybody who seeks an understanding of the beginning of religion and a wide variety of mythology, has to read Mr. Campbell. He had such a great understanding of the origins of all religions.

kesmarn : Well said, AdLib. I identify as Catholic, but I don’t believe that folks in other faiths are going to hell — or folks with no faith for that matter. I don’t buy the virgin birth thing and a lot of other Catholic doctrine. I think birth control is sensible. So basically I’m not a “true” Catholic according to some definitions. But there’s a rich tradition of deep theology and also of social justice work that I really do love. So I stick around!

AdLib : Murph – Great to hear that from your first hand experience. All the other numbers are growing and with half a million or so signed up across the country, we should see millions on board by the deadline in April. Then what do the Repubs have to campaign on? With millions of Americans on board the ACA, they will campaign to take away their health care? That’s a winning argument?

KillgoreTrout : Sabreen, I am of the Irish tradition of holding a wake, for the dearly departed. Such a wake does not have to be of a religious nature. It merely has to do with honoring the deceased and throwing a grand celebration to usher in a joyfull transition from life to the unknown. Churches always want money, which has little or nothing to do with love for the departed.

Sabreen60 : AdLib, I have read Joseph Campbell. But I’ve read that Egyptians had a similar story very similar to that of Jesus.

SueInCa : <3

kesmarn : I agree,Sue. Any religion that is fear-based is false, as far as I can tell.

AdLib : Night Sue! Have a great weekend!

AdLib : Sabreen – Have you read any of Joseph Campbell’s work? He spent his life studying religion and philosophy and found many of the same types of myths and legends in religions that started all around the world. The virgin birth, resurrection of the God-on-Earth, etc. There seems to be a makeup of the human brain that seeks very specific types of beliefs to explain our existence and assuage the fear of the universe. There are those who come to depend on those beliefs as a pillar of their identity, others who can take the positive aspects of morality from their religion and others who don’t feel a need to rely on a finite religious perspective. Personally, I think the truth of the universe and existence is incomprehensible and can only be explored by continual exploration and questioning. That’s not to say that those who are comforted by belief in a 2,000 year old book as the beginning and end of all questions, are wrong for being comforted in their lives by it. I just think that the truth is far bigger than one book.

SueInCa : One last thing, Kes in the environment of evangelicals it is all about scaring people. ‘When you have to scare people to get them to believe, you don’t have much of a solid foundation.

kesmarn : Great news, Murph!

Sabreen60 : Take care Sue!

KillgoreTrout : Sabreen, I have never felt comfortable with the idea of “belonging.” It reminds me of a famous quote by Groucho marx. “I’ll never belong to a club that would have ME as a member.” I think there is great wisdom in that sentiment. The universe is, in reality, unfathomable on a one to one basis. Spirituality is collective, I believe. But orthodox religion is exclusive. That, in my understanding of spirituality, is not how we should think or feel.

MurphTheSurf3 : Can I say a word about ACA…after several weeks of only a handful of calls to make every day….as of this week the numbers have doubled…..

kesmarn : G’night, Sue. You stay warm, too!

Sabreen60 : KT, The only thing that gives me pause sometimes (it’s really stupid) is that my funeral services will have to held in a funeral home. I do want to be cremated. My sister will probably pay her church a king’s ransom if they will allow the services to held there

SueInCa : Well hubby wants to check the status of Giants trades so I am going to sign off and let him use my computer. Take care all and sleep well, keep warm it appears the entire country is experiencing some kind of cold weather.

kesmarn : The bottom line is that it’s supposed to be all about love, and that seems to make people on the right break out in a rash.

SueInCa : Kes, the new covenant thing is right on the money and that is the thing they miss, they will never be on the right side as long as they continue to deny that fact.

kesmarn : Murph, do you have the sense that this condition is getting better or worse?

MurphTheSurf3 : P.S. I am reading along and enjoying it very much. Keep chatting.

Sabreen60 : AdLib of course. And many, many true believers do a lot of good in the world. I don’t take anything away from them. But for me, if I can’t believe in something 100% then I can’t belong. Frankly, I have not been able to make myself believe in the virgin birth or the rising from the dead. With Islam it was all the rituals – praying 5 times a day – regardless, etc. And each religion teaches that religion is the one true religion. Just couldn’t do it any more.

AdLib : Murph – Not criticizing your docs, just saying that sometimes you can be too close to something to be able to figure it out. Maybe a new pair of eyes could help?

KillgoreTrout : Sue, I think that is wise. Whenever someone tells me they have found the ultimate truth? I cross the street and get away from them as quickly as I can.

kesmarn : You’ve got it, AdLib. Jesus said that he came to make a new covenant — based on love and the view that we are children of God. There’s a whole different paradigm in the New Testament that they don’t quite get!!

kesmarn : Right — that logic thing again, Sue.

AdLib : Kes – Ye, They only believe in the vengeful Yahweh as Christianity…k ind of forgetting who the religion is named after. They’re not claiming to be Yawehians, they claim to be Christians.

MurphTheSurf3 : I am at a good medical center AND the doc coordinating all of this is a guy I really trust- he diagnosed the anemia cause and is the one spotted the anomaly in the current blood tests.

SueInCa : I am still searching KT, prob always will be

SueInCa : Kes I figured she just did not want to see the hole in her beliefs.

KillgoreTrout : Sabreen, that is exactly how I feel. I’m technically an atheist, because I don’t believe in supreme beings, but I do believe in the Tao te Ching. It’s a nature religion, with no supreme beings, yet it is very spiritual and has many parallels to Christianity and Judeaism. I don’t fault people for exploring differen orthodox religions. Like the Buddhists say, they are all just different pathways to enlightenment. I was raised a Christian, but eneded up a Taoist. The paths we seek, huh?

kesmarn : Sue, her head is probably still spinning.

AdLib : Sabreen – I do know many religious people who are true to their beliefs but for so many others, it is camouflage for people to be prejudiced, hypocrites, haters, etc.

SueInCa : Aren’t we all to some extent, Sabreen?

kesmarn : Sabreen — your life will never be dull and you’ll never stop growing. That’s all that matters!

SueInCa : Kes I had an interesting debate with a 7th Day Adventist. She dropped out when I explained how her idea of the sabbath is not right. I found the scripture and all for her and she did not even say Aloha, she just refused to talk anymore

Sabreen60 : kes, I have always been searching for the truth – at least since my 20’s. Whether in religion, politics, science, etc. I’ve traveled down several roads. My family just thinks I’m a non-conformist or “free spirit”. Really they probably think I’m missing a few marbles.

kesmarn : I know — there’s absolutely no logic or consistency there. And it’s not only in the realm of religion. There’s no logic ANYWHERE!

AdLib : Kes – So Jesus dies for their sins…which they keep committing each day? And they’re so grateful to him for paving the way for them to keep sinning?

kesmarn : I hear a lot of them say: “I’m an Old Testament Christian.” Meaning — “eye for an eye” and all that vengeance stuff. They lose me there.

SueInCa : Religion wise we sure are

Sabreen60 : Are we Sue? I’m always glad to meet my twins.

SueInCa : If they did not have their war on christmas and their easter Kes, they would not even know the guy in the Gospel of Matthew

kesmarn : Sabreen, it sounds as though where you are now is the result of an honest and thorough search. No one can fault you for the conclusion you came to for yourself.

AdLib : Murph – Have you considered going elsewhere? When that many doctors can’t figure something out, my instinct is to look for a pair of fresh eyes.

SueInCa : We are twins Sabreen!

kesmarn : Yummy!

Sabreen60 : I have a problem with organized religion. I’ve been Baptist, went to Catholic church for a while and was Muslim for 10 years. I couldn’t take the hypocrites and the shaming of those who don’t tow the line. I believe in a higher power, but I don’t need anybody to tell me what, how, why or when to believe.

AdLib : Mmm…just had a mug of hot cocoa delivered to me…with miniature marshmallows!

kesmarn : I know right, AdLib!? Have they actually read the Gospel of Matthew?? They would lynch the guy described in that part of the New Testament in a heartbeat!

SueInCa : Cuz they been born again and jesus saved their souls. It happens on a regular basis like every week

MurphTheSurf3 : All…no diagnosis….the re are now six docs involved.

KillgoreTrout : Murph, I seriously hope that you are getting adequate diagnostic care. Be strong my friend.

AdLib : Kes – I know this has been said before but think about all the reasons Republicans would despise Jesus. He was the child of an unwed mother, he was dark skinned, he fought against the wealthy and fought for the poor, he was Middle Eastern, he attacked the money changers…why do they call themselves Christians again?

SueInCa : LOL Kes, not gonna happen, I will still call them Teabillys

SueInCa : As well it should, I was just pointing out I have contempt for all of them for different reasons.

kesmarn : Well, from now on they’ll be “Chai latte sippers from the hill country” then, Sue. They’re still jerks.

KillgoreTrout : Well Sue, that’s also where a lot of my contempt and condemnation comes from.

SueInCa : LOL I asked him if hillbilly was racist and he said, no they are from the hill country…….SM DH

kesmarn : Racist? Ain’t they proud about a-comin’ frum the cornfederacy??

SueInCa : KT and Glenn I don’t think the manger owner was handing out birth certificates, Jesus is in trouble.

AdLib : Night glenn!!!

SueInCa : Someone told me today that my term Teabilly is racist. I laughed and laughed

kesmarn : Plus Jesus was the son of a technically un-wed mother, AdLib. Trouble from the git-go there.

glenn : AdLib–on my way out of the door–but just read your comment about the birth certificate of Jesus. That was a good one! G’night.

Sabreen60 : Good night, glenn.

AdLib : Night Glenn, glad you’re okay! Have a nice weekend!

SueInCa : You are not wrong Adlib. I would love to see this

KillgoreTrout : Oh Sue, in their minds it’s not delusion. They really believe that Christianity and righeousness belong to white men only. All other races are seen as pollutants to the human race. They call them “mud races.”

kesmarn : G’night and sleep well, glenn.

AdLib : Sue – They’d insist that since he couldn’t produce a birth certificate, Jesus wasn’t who he said he was and they would crucify him for claiming to be Jesus yet not supporting supply side economics and getting rid of the welfare state.

SueInCa : Night glenn be safe in the morning in this cold weather.

kesmarn : Whew…glenn, glad you’re okay! Hope the car is as good as new. Mine has a new fuel pump to the tune of $485.

SueInCa : My contempt for organized religion is a bit different than yours KT. Mine mostly comes from watching aand reading about all these hypocrites

kesmarn : Murph, sounds like you got the million dollar work-up, as they called it at my hospital. Any guesses on the part of the MDs?

glenn : All–okay, my turn to leave. I have to get up early tomorrow to pick up my car from the repair shop. Had a slight accident–no injuries–on Monday the 25th, and it pulled the whole bumper and all of the assorted bits and pieces off my car. Anyway, nice chatting with all of you. Hope all of you experiencing cold stay warm. Murph, I wish you the best in getting your breathing problems sorted out. Take care, everyone! Good night!

Sabreen60 : Murph, I assume you’ve had blood test that look at your enzymes?

kesmarn : Sabreen, we were just talking about those RW comments on N. Mandela. Talk about zero class!

SueInCa : Adlib, they would not even know him

KillgoreTrout : Oh, they do glenn. They are actually proud of the horrible things they say. They do not want divercity. Yhey stand for the all white power structure. You have to remember, the KKK was/is a religious, Christian organization. They believe the parts in the bible that says it’s OK to enslave “inferior beings.” Thus my contempt for religion.

SueInCa : I must have missed all this about Mandela and the right. Wow is all I can say, just wow

AdLib : Sabreen – Is there any doubt that if the RWNJ’s got their wish and Jesus came back, they would despise him?

kesmarn : The Prez said in his inequality speech that Reagan would be considered too liberal to be electable by today’s RW GOP! That had to hurt!!

SueInCa : Darn Murph, you should own that hospital

AdLib : Murph – And after all that…your doctors still have no clue as to what’s going on?

Sabreen60 : Hey KT, et al. I’m well – been re-reading about Mandela. Also watched a little TV. I couldn’t help myself (thanks to Twitter) but I read some of the RWNJs comments about him – unfreakingbeliev able.

SueInCa : I despised him Adlib

MurphTheSurf3 : All…here is what I have had: stress test, echocardiogram, pulmonary function, blood tests galore, x rays, upper and lower GI, and a bunch of biopsies….one hell of a month.

AdLib : Sue – I really disliked Thatcher and Reagan. Thatcher’s legacy was awful and the BS about Reagan has really faded IMO. Sure, the RW still bow down to him rhetorically (but they oppose many of his policies) but I think for most people, he is fading away as a President who wasn’t so great.

SueInCa : He is back I think he lost a connection

kesmarn : Murph… are you still there? You’re not allowed to tell us that you’re having trouble breathing and then disappear, y’know… “Planet to Murph…!”

SueInCa : KT what I don’t get is how they can look themselves in the mirror, as deluded as they are I guess I just answered my own question

AdLib : Hey Sabreen!

AdLib : KT – So well put! Indeed, he walked the path that few people in history have. Jesus, Gandhi, MLK, Mandela, there are others but that is one very special and rare group of human beings that will never be forgotten by the world.

glenn : KT–you’re right, but I just can’t wrap my mind around it. Do they actually hear the sounds coming out of their mouths?

KillgoreTrout : Good to see ya Sabreen. I hope all is well.

SueInCa : LOL yeah Jesus looked just like Ted Neely but Ted could sing that rock opera

KillgoreTrout : glenn the hypocrisy and idiosy never stops among the right.

glenn : Hi Sabreen!

SueInCa : Oh yes it can Glenn and I am gonna watch. Even without organized religion, I am more of a christian than they are. Hey Sabreen

AdLib : Sue – I don’t know, there were an awful lot of fair-skinned, blue eyed people in the Middle East 2,000 years ago. Maybe these minority-haters are right after all! “Save me White Jesus!”

kesmarn : Hey, Sabreen!

Sabreen60 : Hello Planeteers!

KillgoreTrout : Ad you really hit on a big belief of mine. Nelson Mandels was the closest living person to the stories about Jesus Christ. A man like that only comes around every few thousand years. I truly believe that. Persecuted and imprisoned for 27 years, just for trying to obtain equal rights, freedom and dignity for his people. AND he still came out of prison as a man not embittered by his imprisonment. Simply an astounding man.

glenn : Sue–I guess the pubs are going to be surprised when Jesus turns out to be a marxist, like the pope. If you’re already dead, can your head still explode?

SueInCa : I cheered when he went Adlib, Thatcher I could have cared less.

AdLib : Sue – That really gave me renewed faith in the public. So many terrible people have their deeds whitewashed when they die and people think it’s showing respect to be dishonest about how awful someone was. Remember the muted respect expressed for Breitbart when he died? Dishonesty is not respect.

SueInCa : So Martin Bashir resigns and the hate mongers on Focks keep on keeping on. Where is this liberal media anyway?

glenn : KT–My new “favorite” hypocrisy of the pubs is their insistence that the ACA is wrong and they don’t have to follow it–yet they want to impeach President Obama because he (supposedly) is “picking and choosing” what laws he wants to follow.

SueInCa : Like Tony said, they are gonna be surprised when their Jesus is a brown guy who does not take kindly to their despicable activity Adlib

SueInCa : People in Britian cheered when she died Adlib

KillgoreTrout : Murph, have they done any PET scans?

kesmarn : It would appear so, AdLib.

AdLib : Kes – Reagan and Thatcher were despicable human beings who supported Apartheid and attacked and harmed the poor and needy in their countries while trying to hand money and power to the wealthy. Mandela on the other hand stood for the oppressed and poor…as Jesus did. So Repubs prefer the “anti”-Christs to Christ.

SueInCa : Murph I get that with bronchitis. There is also a flu where you feel fine except for congestion. I have had both.

kesmarn : Murph, have you had a chest xray yet? Any fluid in there? Any history of cardiac problems?

KillgoreTrout : That’s what kills me when the glen beck types trash Obama for being anti- colonialism. Didn’t we fight a major war with Britain over their trying to keep colonies in America?

glenn : Kes–If you can’t think for yourself, which most pubs/tps apparently cannot, then you have to go with what your idols thought. No matter how long ago those idols thought that, and no matter how wrong they were.

SueInCa : It still sounds interesting, I am going to read it

kesmarn : That book sounds fascinating, glenn. Right now I’m reading a collection of letters from the front, sent by Marines during WWI. I can hardly put it down.

MurphTheSurf3 : We are all friends here…so….I am having breathing problems…short ness of breath when I heavily exert myself (sustained heavy or fast activity) I pause for 30 to 45 seconds and recover. It is baffling the docs. I have a diagnosed anemia problem and get iron infusion treatments every 9 months to a year but this does not match the usual symptoms….so the docs are looking.

KillgoreTrout : Oh, Thatcher despised Mandela. He was a direct threat to British colonialism.

glenn : Sue–It is actually a novel, but the granddaughter used extensive notes left by her grandmother. It’s much more about the grandmother’s hard life in the hill country of TX, and what a life this woman had! But she also had contact with many of the leaders of the times, including Woodrow Wilson. It’s taken me over a week to read it, and I usually read a book in 1-2 days, but it is full of historic figures and facts.

kesmarn : Right, KT. And of having “non-Christians ” in his administration.

KillgoreTrout : Yes kes, I have. They aqused him of treasson.

kesmarn : AdLib, that does seem to be the position they’re taking. Reagan and Thatcher (their idols) didn’t like Mandela so — knee jerk — neither do they. Disgusting,

SueInCa : That book sounds interesting too, Glenn

kesmarn : KT, I imagine you have seen those flyers that the John Birch Society put out in Dallas in 1963? Anti-Kennedy in almost exactly the same words used about the Prez today.

KillgoreTrout : Absolutely glenn. The only difference is that it’s not Vietnam the pugs are championing, but Afghanistan and Iran. The same ols war mongers.

AdLib : Kes – That is odd, Tea Party Repubs siding with those who supported Apartheid? Bewildering.

glenn : Murph–sorry to hear about your health problems.

SueInCa : Sorry to hear you are not well Murph. I had stitches this week so I was not doing well until today.

SueInCa : LOL he is at times Kes. Executive Action KT? Hmm will have to look it up on Netflix

KillgoreTrout : kes, it’s worth a look see. It was made in the late 70s. Some things never change (with the gop)

glenn : Kt–I’ve been reading a book called “Hill Country” written by the granddaughter of a woman who was friends with LBJ’s mother. And, the same shit that is going on today is what Dems were fighting back in the 60’s when the Civil Rights Act was being debated.

AdLib : Sorry to hear that, Murph.

kesmarn : Sue, your hubby is funny.

MurphTheSurf3 : Hey Kes and Glenn.

kesmarn : Wow…KT, that does sound familiar! I saw that title on Netflix, but haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.

MurphTheSurf3 : Hi…Ad Lib and KT….hi, doing ok, medical challenges continue.

SueInCa : A friend of his told him, Jesus’s hair did not blow in the breeze. White Jesus is a joke.

kesmarn : Hey, Murph!

glenn : Hey Murph–how are you?

KillgoreTrout : Hey Murph!

glenn : Sue–Love your husband’s joke.

AdLib : Greetings Murph. How are you?

KillgoreTrout : kes, I watched an old movie about the JFK assassination, entitle Executive Action. It was about a conspiracy, and the main conspiraotres (unnamed of course) stated three reason why they thought the president should be killed. One was that Kennedy would not escalate the Vietnam war, another was that he gave in to krushev and the third was that he would ally himself with MLK and the blacks. Sound familiar? It’s the same shit today’s TPGOP are so afraid of.

AdLib : glenn – If only we had an educated nation, the sight of Repubs handing over millions and billions to the wealthy while insisting the elderly and poor take cuts should make Repubs a permanent minority party.

kesmarn : Oh, yes, glenn! I’d almost forgotten that one. They all like to identify themselves with people like MLK or Mother Theresa, don’t they?

MurphTheSurf3 : Greetings to one and all…

SueInCa : My husband just told me a funny. We were talking about evanglicals and how they are trying to justify that they are not prejudice because they have “black evangelicals” I said Jesus was going to take care of all the hypocrites. Tony said, yeah they will walk up to the gates and Jesus is gonna lean forward and say, Guess what? I’m Black

glenn : Kes–didn’t know that about the hockey arena in Detroit. I also read somewhere that workers’ pensions are going to get the ax, too. That should certainly “help” the city.

kesmarn : AdLib, they’re saying that there’s no reason to mourn him because he was a commie terrorist — according to their saints — Ronnie and Maggie.

glenn : Kes–if they weren’t so sad, the RW assholery comments about Nelson Mandela would actually be funny. Especially Santorum’s comment about how much like apartheid the ACA is. These people are truly idiots!

kesmarn : glenn, the GOP has taken over the city of Detroit, as you know, and they’re talking about selling the contents of the Art Institute off to pay creditors at the same time they’re planning to spend $400 million on a new hockey arena.

AdLib : Kes – I was running in 12 directions today and missed the comments, what did they say about Mandela?

SueInCa : and that stadium is butt ugly too Glenn

glenn : Ad–I know, I know. As I have said before, not one penny for poor people to have health care, but the good repubs in Cobb County will put up money for a baseball stadium. Priorities, you know!

kesmarn : Speaking of RW assholery, how ’bout those comments about Nelson Mandela? They seem to have it in for the Pope, Mandela and Jesus. Think there might be a pattern there?

KillgoreTrout : kes, I hope she has some good tires. It’s getting a bit slippery out there.

AdLib : Hey Sue!!!

glenn : KT–Okay, thought I was sitting low in my seat tonight!

AdLib : CL – Get some rest and when you do make that drive, drive safely!!!

KillgoreTrout : I have no idea glenn. I was just riffing on Ad Lib’s fun post.

kesmarn : KT, c’lady’s in Cleveland and has to drive to Cinci tomorrow. So she needs all the rest she can get!

SueInCa : LOL Kes he was a bomb Hello KT and Glenn, the pleasure is mutual

AdLib : glenn – And I believe he has family members with pre-existing conditions. Such hypocrites, they just can’t wait to spew out hatred for the 99%, the poor and minorities when they’re in front of a RW crowd…where they might lay the groundwork for fundraising. Texas Asshole Joe Barton declared today that the minimum wage has outgrown its usefulness and was only needed back in the Great Depression. You just want to hit these jerks with a sack of manure and feel sorry for the manure.

KillgoreTrout : A good evening to you Sue! Always a pleasure.

glenn : Good evening, Sue

kesmarn : Hey, Sue! How ’bout that Elton John?

glenn : Hey KT–okay, I’ll bite. What do we need badges for? Or, what do we NOT need badges for?

KillgoreTrout : What? CL did a drive by?

SueInCa : Good evening everyone.

KillgoreTrout : Hey Ad and kes.

glenn : CL–G’night. Sorry you couldn’t stay long. Take care, drive carefully, even if there isn’t a storm, and most importantly, stay warm.

kesmarn : Safe travels, c’lady! And stay warm.

glenn : AdLib–and the irony of it all is that the insurance commissioner himself has a pre-existing condition. He had prostate cancer a few years back. But–IOIYAR

choicelady : And with that, folks, I’m heading to bed to get warm, to get sleep for the drive tomorrow, but it was lovely to see everyone. Please say hi to anyone else who comes later. Probably not on next week since that’s my travel day home, but possibly later in the evening. Be well everyone and stay warm!

AdLib : Hey KT!

kesmarn : Hey, KT! Que pasa???

KillgoreTrout : Hey Frito Banditos! We don’t need no stinkin badges!

kesmarn : That’s quite a drive from Cleveland to Cinci!

choicelady : kes – NEXT time I will try to figure a way to come see you.

kesmarn : Oops…and hi, glenn!

choicelady : kes – I had thought the storm had pretty much missed you so far. Don’t know about the one coming in Sunday – that’s what I’m racing ahead of by driving tomorrow.

kesmarn : Wish you had more time, c’lady. You aren’t all that far away.

glenn : CL–Okay, good. Crank up that heat in the hotel room!

AdLib : glenn – I heard that idiot’s RW lunacy, he’s recanted now but these Republicans couldn’t advertise their sheer viciousness and lack of any concern for the public any more than they’re doing.

choicelady : glenn – I’m travelling tomorrow so NOT to have the ice and snow coming in on Sunday. I intend to be burrowed in a hotel room until Monday morning when it’s over. No fool I!

kesmarn : Oh c’lady — you’re in the area of Ohio that was hit much worse with weather. I’m near Toledo in the NW “corner,” where we have lucked out so far.

choicelady : glenn – your insurance commissioner is a jerk!

glenn : Hi Kes

glenn : CL–Please drive carefully on your trip tomorrow. Better you than me. I have never in my life driven in snow and ice. We left NJ and moved to FL before I was old enough for a driver’s license, and since that time, I have never driven in snow and ice.

choicelady : AdLib – I remember when she was moving that weekend we did the protest. I’m glad she’s close enough to visit. It makes it fun even if it’s eating out. Glad you can do it!

kesmarn : Oh dear glenn — I wish we could just air lift you out of that State! For one thing — even car accidents are not always the victim’s fault! (Even aside from the other faulty logic.)

AdLib : Kes – That big arctic storm that’s messing up people in other parts of the nation came through here first. Another one’s coming. It is not just cold in LA, it’s damn cold. Someone who just came back from NY said it’s colder here!

choicelady : kes – save for the weather and time pressure, I’m near you tonight in NE Ohio but headed to Cincinnati in the morning then home. Big conference all bollixed up over the weather. Oh well. It will come together, but it crimped any efforts I thought I might make to come see you and maybe KT. Just a plot against us I say.

kesmarn : Always tough to break it to the kids that Teacher is not necessarily infallible.

glenn : Speaking of cold, I live in a state where the insurance commissioner–th at’s right, the insurance commissioner–ha s compared pre-existing conditions to car accidents. IOW, pre-existing conditions are the fault of the people who have the pre-existing conditions. This same insurance commissioner has also vowed to do everything in his power to obstruct the ACA. In other news in my cold-hearted state, 38% of the state legislators belong to ALEC. How’s that for cold-hearted?

AdLib : CL – My mother is older and lives about two hours away so on Thanksgiving we drive out to her and take her out to dinner. So, Thanksgiving for us is always eating out and most times it’s delicious and fun. Still, you can’t beat a home cooked turkey dinner!

choicelady : AdLib – Dads know frost. If you saw frost, and your daughter saw frost, there was frost.

kesmarn : No snow here yet, but getting colder!

choicelady : Hey kes! How are you? Hope you had a good Thanksgiving? Are you frozen yet – did the storm hit your area?

kesmarn : AdLib, sounds as though you’re having more winter there than we are!

AdLib : Evening Kes!

choicelady : For the first time ever we went OUT for dinner, and it was fine. Then I made a ‘mini meal’ on Friday – the stuff we really like tho with roasted chicken not turkey. It was good. All in all very relaxing in prep for this trip which is turning out fairly grueling due to the ice and snow. I have a five hour drive tomorrow to squeak in between storms. And adventure!

kesmarn : Good Friday evening, dear peeps!

AdLib : CL – My daughter told her teacher that she saw frost on the ground and her teacher told her that she was wrong, there is no frost in LA. Had to tell y daughter that sometimes teachers don’t know what they’re talking about.

AdLib : CL – Thanks, yes, had a good Thanksgiving indeed. How was yours?

glenn : AdLib and CL–Okay, so I guess I would define frost as cold, too. CL–where are you?

choicelady : glenn – that was similar to the nursing home where my folks were, and yes, Cracker Barrel makes good dinners. Quite tasty. I’m glad that worked out well – it sounds very nice!

glenn : CL–Had a nice Thanksgiving with my brother and sister at my 87-year-old mother’s nursing home. The place she’s in is so wonderful. They have a real dining room, just like one in anyone’s house that residents can use. So we used that, and it was quite nice. Bought the dinner from a Cracker Barrel. It was pretty good–not homemade–but good. The next day we had ice cream in the ice cream parlor, also on the premises. As I said, the place is very nice.

choicelady : AdLib – can’t remember the last time I head of frost in LA. Back in the 60s it was fairly routine, but this seems a departure. Hope you have the clothes for it!

choicelady : glenn – my first late summer in Sacramento it suddenly dropped to 68, and people were in down coats and mittens! So I understand ‘relativity’ about cold. Still it’s COLD where I am, and I’m not on for long since it’s even cold in the house where I’m staying.

AdLib : CL – Frost on the grass in the morning here in LA and yes, it’s freezing weather up north in CA!

choicelady : Hey AdLib – hope you had a good T’giving?

choicelady : glenn so glad you’re NOT in the deep freeze!

glenn : AdLib–define “cold”. When I lived in the Keys, “cold” had a whole different meaning than it does here in GA.

choicelady : AdLib – I heard it might snow in Sacto down to Fresno! How weird is that and with me away. Not fair!

AdLib : It’s pretty cold here in Cali too!

glenn : Hi AdLib–what’s cooking?

choicelady : Thank you, T’giving was nice, not overly pressured, so it was restful although I’m now preparing for a conference, so it was a bit of a rush AFTER the holiday. How about YOU? I hope you had a good time and good family gathering?

glenn : CL–Actually, this week has been beautiful, weather-wise. Yesterday and today we had temperatures in the 70’s. Much different from the 40-degree highs we had last week.

AdLib : Whoops! Hi CL and glenn!

AdLib : Hey all! Don’t forget to say “Hi!” or “ACA is A-OK!” when you arrive!

glenn : Hi CL–how are you? Did you have a good Thanksgiving? Did you get time to rest?

choicelady : Hi glenn – are you frozen to the bone? I’m temporarily east, too, and I’d forgotten what cold feels like! Brrrr.

choicelady : Good evening all – just dropped in for a moment. How is everyone?

glenn : Anybody home?