Senator Inhofe and disaster funding

It is ironic that a tornado leveled a city in Oklahoma, the home state of Republican fiscal hawk Jim Inhofe. The Senator has a long record of voting against disaster funding. How much do you want to bet the Inhofe will seek every possible dollar in aid for his people?

Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, both Republicans, are fiscal hawks who have repeatedly voted against funding disaster aid for other parts of the country. They also have opposed increased funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers federal disaster relief.

Late last year, Inhofe and Coburn both backed a plan to slash disaster relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. In a December press release, Coburn complained that the Sandy Relief bill contained "wasteful spending," and identified a series of items he objected to, including "$12.9 billion for future disaster mitigation activities and studies."

Read more: Oklahoma Senators Jim Inhofe, Tom Coburn, Have Shaky Records On Disaster Relief

Hypocrisy comes in all forms.

As I write this they are pulling dead children out of Plaza Tower Elementary School. I'm not sure I can watch anymore. This is heartbreaking. 

Check out this new documentary, A Devil in God's House

I found this documentary via a comment on my blog which invited me to speak at the premiere of the movie on July 13, in Chicago. I'll going to try and make it. 

A Devil in God's House

• Director L'Tisha Vaughn
• Writer: L'Tisha Vaughn
• Stars: Samara Smith

The documentary is about clergy sexual abuse. The victim, now 34, is unable to press criminal charges, so she opted to tell her story of abuse as a child via a documentary.

The film is produced by Tiny Production, which looks like a worthwhile community venture too.

TPAC’s Can I Live Project invites Chicagoland youth to create original & positive staged & filmed works from Plays, Poetry & Spoken-Word, Dance Productions, Music Videos, Public Service Announcements and much more!!!! Check out our Tiny Production Works page to see works by TPAC students all across the city!!!!

How can you not love TPAC?

The Spirit of Jezebel is bullshit

I've said it many times on this blog. When you assign behavior to an imaginary being, concept or demon, you enable the behavior. It is like saying that the devil made me do it, which is just a way of trying to escape direct responsibility for your actions. When a pastor has an affair, he is not guided by the Spirt of Jezebel. He's guided by his penis and a lack of impulse control. He has no character. 

Jennifer Leclaire seems intent of giving pastors an easy way out despite overwhelming evidence that these pastors are driven by base sexual and monitory desires. These people are simply not living up to the our expectations for their behavior. It's a common failing, and not driven by demon possession, or the influence of some nebulous spirit.

Jezebel is essentially a spirit of seduction that woos people into sexual immorality and idolatry. Jezebel comes to kill, steal and destory[sic[ by tempting you and then escorting you, willingly, into immorality and idolatry. Revelation 2:20 clearly reveals what the spirit of Jezebel is and its sinister motives. Jesus said, “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” We have a responsibility to resist the devil and he will flee. Jezebel is no exception but many continue falling because they don't see the big picture. Jezebel justifies the sins of immorality and idolary[sic] with a false doctrine of grace.

Source: Why Megachurch Pastor Keep falling into sexual Immorality by Jennifer Leclaire

My explanation is for this behavior is simple. People are not what they seem, even pastors. The true measure of any person is in what they do, and not in what they believe. A pastor who preaches morality and lives amorally, is a cancer who can never be trusted again.

I have another problem with the Spirit of Jezebel concept. It is a feminine label for sexual amoral behavior and represents a subtle shift towards blaming the woman instead of the man. To be clear, in a case of pastoral infidelity, there are often two people twho should be held accountable. The pastor fell, but so did his mistress. In the case of sexual abuse, it's all on the pastor.

At least Leclaire built an interesting list:

• David Loveless, formerly of Discovery Church in Orlando - resigned over sex scandal 
• Isaac Hunter, formerly of Summit Church - resigned over sex scandal.
• Sam Hinn, formerly of Gathering Place Worship Center in Sandord, resigned over sex scandal. 

I could add a few more. 

Moved to tears - Same Love

I heard this song for the first time today as I left my neighborhood this morning on the way to work. I was moved to tears.

Same Love - An absolutely beautiful song. Thank you Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Pastor Cedric Cuthbert arrested

Pastor Cedric Eugene Cuthbert of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Sanford, was arrested for watching child porn on his work computer while at work. Cuthbert was allegedly alternating between writing his Easter sermon and watching videos of young girls engaged in graphic sex acts. All this while working the night shift for Disney.

An employee-relations manager at Disney was alerted last month when Cuthbert tried to access several blocked websites from his work computer, the manager told Orange County deputies

Disney's monitoring system takes screen shots of employee computers every three seconds and recorded Cuthbert writing an Easter Sunday church sermon on John chapter 13 verses 1-35 and Psalm 148 while loading pornographic YouTube videos involving teenage girls.

Source: Disney worker watched child porn at work while writing sermon, cops say by Desiree Stennett

I think we can safely assume that Cuthbert is an idiot as well as an alleged pervert. Who surfs porn at big companies these days? Especially not big companies with security systems that capture a copy of your screen every three seconds. Can anyone say, "Big Brother?"

Imam Shahid Mehdi arrested

Imam Shahid Mehdi was arrested for the attempted rape of a woman in a public park. He allegedly whipped his penis out and chased her through the park. But wait! There's more! Imam Mehdi recently went on record as a misogynist. He thinks women who do not wear the hijab are asking for it, and by 'it" I mean… well, you know what I mean. 

“Women are not entitled to respect when they walk around without a Hijab. They are to blame for it when they are attacked,” Imam Shahid Mehdi said.

“All the crimes that occur against women is because they are not covered. When they are not covered, you have no respect for them. ”

“She disobeys her master, there are two places in the Qur’an has ordered her to cover themselves (…) Women make a clean society dirty when they walk around without a Hijab. They are not entitled to respect and are not valuable as those who wear a Hijab.”

Source: Muslim Imam Claims Women Who Don’t Wear Hijabs are “Asking to be Raped”, Arrested for Trying to Rape Woman

The image I have of this man running through a park with his willy out… it really is quite disturbing. 

Youth pastor Samuel Yoon arrested

Youth pastor Samuel Yoon New Community Mission Church in San Leandro, Ca., was arrested at a Orlando youth conference for soliciting prostitution with an underage teen girl. Yoon was expecting to meet a 14-year-old girl.

Did I mention that Yoon is a Southern Baptist?

Pastor David Berman demonstrating Christian values

Watch this video of a man confronting two Robin Hood activists. It's a little scary. I actually thought the man was being too aggressive and could potentially pose a risk to the two young men he was confronting. 

The man is Pastor David Berman (cheesy website). The Robin Hoods' activism is simply dropping coins in Keene's parking meters, plus filming the meter readers. The Robin Hoods are being sued by the city of Keene for allegedly harassing meter readers. The case is about lost parking fine income for the city and is not the focus of my attention today. The behavior of Pastor Berman interests me though. I must ask, is this how a Christian should act? Is this how a pastor should act? Is this love? Is this compassion? Heck, is this even the way the issue should be handled? 

Pastor Berman is angry, belligerent, pedantic, and most of all, he's acting like a child. Is this what Jesus would do? I don't think so.

Berman originally posted his video to Youtube, but after other people noticed his un-Jesus-like behavior, he pulled it.  Come to think about it, when a pastor is exhibiting un-Jesus-like behavior, who or what is he emulating? 

The conflict that troubles me the most is Berman's insistence that the activists are somehow enabling tyranny while protesting against the government. It's just crazy. 

Berman is a fraud. He is a fraud as a Christian, and questionable in other ways too. Check out where he got his Th.D 

The coolest thing ever

Space Oddity version by Commander Chris Hadfield. Yes!

How is this not terrorism?

Terrorism: The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

America Blog asks the question. My answer is simple. Read the dictionary. 

No terrorism please, we’re gunmen. A bizarre story out of New Orleans, where two or three gunmen opened fire on a Mother’s Day parade, injuring 19 people, including two children.

Sure sounds awfully familiar, almost like a redux of the Boston Marathon bombing. But you’d be wrong.

You see, when two guys use bombs to hurt people en masse at a marathon, it’s instantly “terrorism.” But when two to three people use guns to hurt people en masse at a parade, it’s simply “the relentless drumbeat of street violence.”

What’s the difference?

Intent is the difference. There was no political motive is the New Orleans shooting, at least none that I've heard. This article provides some background. 

Things that piss me off

Two things caught my attention this fine morning. Today's topics, people who abuse dogs and people who abuse the public trust.

In Honolulu, Andrea Fiegle cut her dog's throat because it sniffed her daughters crotch. Killing a dog for what everyone should understand to be natural behavior is just stupid. Fiegle was charged with a felony. 

A Haleiwa woman told police she slit her dog's throat because the canine would not stop sniffing her daughter's private parts.  This disturbing detail is in court documents outlining the animal cruelty charge against 36-year-old Andrea Fiegle.

Read more: Pet's throat slit for sniffing daughter's private parts

Congressman Lamar Smith took a further step towards idiocy by introducing a bill that would require research funded by the federal government to be approved by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation before publication. Does he actually think the peer review process would improve with oversight or is he just trying to suppress information that conflicts with his political and business agenda?

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) floated a proposal last week that would require the U.S. agency that supports non-medical research to certify that its grants were only funding research that is groundbreaking, important, and original. Legitimate scientists said those conditions can't be guaranteed and contradict basic scientific method.

Read more: Science Peer Review Process would 'Improve' with Political Oversight

Lamar Smith may not be an idiot, but he sure thinks that we are. 

Technorati Tags: Politics

Jason Collins is a Christian. Who knew?

I've heard nothing but praise and criticism of Jason Collins since he came out. All of my information came via radio, TV or online media. I did not read too deeply. It's been a busy week. At no time did I hear any mention that Collins was a dedicated Christian, in fact, his religion, or lack of it, was not part of the story. I just read Why Jason Collins' Faith is ignored. And Tebow's Isn't. I was surprised to find that Collins was a Christian because I would have thought that that this fact would have been important to the story. Silly me…

Collins and Tebow are a study in contrasts, perhaps especially when it comes to their faith. Tebow is known for game-saving theatrics and an equally performative profession of faith politicized by the culture wars. He’s positioned himself as an all-American poster child for the pro-life movement and homophobic groups like Focus on the Family. Collins, on the other hand, is a career role player who keeps his head down on the court and his devout Christian faith, rooted in family and community identity, private.

So Tebow, a man defined by his outward Christian faith is a hero to some and Collins, a man who lives his values, is ignored. It's a style over substance thing. Going with style is superficial and is wrong. Tebow is the opposite of a Christ follower, while Collins is the personification. Yet now, Tebow is a failed hero and Collins a successful villain, all because Collins is gay. It's wrong and It makes no sense at all. 

Collins is a hero to me and what he has done for America and Gay Rights is important. Tebow… I don't even think about him. He failed and accomplished little. 

Technorati Tags: Christians, Gay Rights

Another kid eats a bullet

A 3-year-old shot himself in the face with his grandmother's handgun. Meth was involved. So was an idiot apparently. 

A judge in Arizona on Thursday order a 35-year-old grandmother held in lieu of $500,000 bond after she was charged in the death of her 3-year-old grandson, who allegedly shot himself in the face with her handgun. In a court appearance on Thursday, Yuma Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart notified Rachel B. Spry that she was charged with reckless manslaughter, possession of dangerous drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession or use of a weapon in a drug offense, according to the Yuma Sun. The Yuma Police Department said that officers had arrested Spry on Wednesday after reports of a child being shot. Her grandson, 3-year-old Darrien Nez, was later pronounced dead at Yuma Regional Medical Center.

Meth-head grandmothers armed with handguns… a nice visual. I child shot in the face, even worse. Gun control? One would think that this story makes the point. 

Technorati Tags: Gun Rights

I'm just like a drug dealer

I had an odd thought yesterday as I spoke the words, "Come on out to my truck, I've got something special for you in the back." I'm just like a drug dealer. My drug of choice is Innova Blizzard Plastic. 

I meet people. We end up talking about disc golf because that's what I do. They always say something like, I play golf, or ride a bike, or jog. I always say that I play disc golf and that it is loads of fun and free. We eventually agreed to meet at my local course. I always give away a free disc or two on a first lesson. A taste mind you. A taste of the good stuff. The first taste is always free. 

These new disc golf addicts will eventually buy a few more discs, a disc golf bag, a towel, and even window stickers. Disc golf is fun. Disc golf is that kind of fun… the addictive kind of fun. If I had to guess, I'd say that I've introduced over 50 people to the sport in the last five years. Of these, at least 30 are hooked. I need to talk to Innova about a kickback. I bringing them lots of business. I should get a cut. I'm an addict too. I'll take payment in plastic. 

I introduced a guy named Tim Peterson to the sport yesterday. He had played before, but he had never had a lesson or used the right kind of discs. We played Eldo in Long Beach on a 97 degree afternoon. I gave him good plastic and a few lessons. He left after nine holes swearing that he would practice and attack the sport with gusto. I say nine holes because it was too damn hot to play. We did nine and hit a watering hole for some eats. It's all good though. I gave him his first taste. I know he'll be back. 

I set the hook with a good experience. How can he say no to a low pressure walk in the park. When they make that first long putt or throw a long bomb, I know that all I have to do to set the hook is tell them they've done a good job. If I clap and hoot too, it's all the better. Tim made a 15-foot putt on the 8th hole and followed up with a 240-foot drive on hole 9. I was hooting and hollering the whole time. I expect I'll be playing with Tim again real soon. 

A reporter's notebook

I am constantly reminded of what I do not know. While listening to David Sedaris' new book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Sedaris referenced the use of a reporter's notebook as part of his daily writing process. He carries one and jots down useful facts, quotes, and observations for use in his journal, which he writes each morning. This explains how he remembers things from 20 years ago and why I don't remember things from last week.

I did not know what a reporter's notebook was. Or, I should say, I had heard the term, but had built my own interpretation. I often do that. I heard the term used again today while listening to local news and realized that a reporter's notebook might actually be a special type of notebook, so I asked one of my employees while at work this morning. He used to be a sports reporter before I ruined him with a real career. He explained that a reporter's notebook is a special type of notebook that is bound at the top and small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. He also added that reporters have a special shorthand to go along with the special notebook. He gave me this explanation with only the smallest bit of condescension, for which I was grateful. 

I Googled it. I guess it's like a steno pad but smaller. How did I get through 52 years of life without knowing this?