Blasphemies and other Forms of Artistic Expression

Sometimes, you just have to take the young ones out and let 'em play in the snow.  Now, if they're out there playin' 'tragic crucifixion disasters' and the neighbors freak out, then, well . . . . .

It's been a while since I've been blogging in my own space. So this is my official re-'kick-off.'

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. Emo Philips

This is a speech from the author of History of God . She has a very insightful approach on how people of faith, those without, and everyone in between. As an atheist, she speaks very eloquently about faith and what it should mean.

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" I John 4:20 I would say that this verse applies to anyone of any faith.

So far, this article ( Arlen Grossman: Obama's Special Olympics remark not hurtful ) has been the 'vibe' I get when people explain why what Obama said during his Tonight Show appearance 'wasn't so bad.' I ws so insensed after reading it that I had t say something then and there! After I posted, I thought that maybe I was baited for a comment (Limbaugh style.) After a bit of retrospect, I'm sure it was the autor's real feelings on the matter. This was my response to the article. I thought it bore repeating: "1. Developmentally disabled people were not offended by the joke. Hardly any of them would understand why they should be offended." Wow! I heard that animals don't feel pain - guess it's okay to torture 'em! "2. Let's consider who said it and what his intent was. " The President of the United States of America should have known better than that; more so than anyone else. "3. The truth is: Most Special Oly...

I was deeply disppointed by this. Having read some of his campaign fodder on ASD , I was hoping to see more of an inclusionary attitude come from Washington this time around. I found this video on YouTube of Obama, preaching the good word and wanting to get the message out on a united populace: When president Obama made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: It was as quick as it was insensitive. And it passed through with very little acknowledgement from the press or the public. So I decided to take a bit of stock in myself, did some research, and took the R-Word Pledge . I hope the president decides to do the same.

BBC NEWS Americas Obama renews US sanctions on Iran Just met the new boss, Same as the old boss . . . How does that decision coincide with the fact that Iran doesn't have any weapons-grade uranium ?

I'm not thrilled with the world today. I wish I could bake some cookies and hide in a dark rom under an electric blanket. Sometimes you feel like nothing you do is going the right way. But you always cheer up a little when you realize that the feeling is only temporary. I feel a little better already! Now - where are those cookies?

"Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning." Bill Gates

BBC NEWS | Americas | US 'cell assault' video released This more than made me sick; this really broke my heart. Having read some people defend the actions of the officer, I can only say this; what will you say when it's your turn?

BBC NEWS | Africa | Jacksons star in Nigeria resort row As I casually comb the BBC new site (as I often do), I ran across this article. When I read it, I actually made sure that the date was no April 1st. Imagine a Theme park, a slavery memorial, a 5 star hotel, golf course, and Jacksons musuem in the same breath. Can you imagine what they would name the hotel? The golf courses? The rollercoasters?!? I am really curious as to the intended audiences. Something like this would (hopefully) come up as tackless in the United States. Auchwitz is crumbling , and the dabate rages on about what should be done with it - will this business model prove its saviour? Last question: is this really different from casinos on Native American land? I don't see it as being any less exploitative.

The crucifixion is officially 'not PC' in Sussex. I can understand the reasoning on this one - Christianity advertises itself (on a theoretical level, like all religions) as peaceful and inspiring. Then we have a sculpture that, as art, does an excellent job of sparking conversation of its subject matter. I have to admit that it's a pretty powerful peace, and one could pull a lot of meaning from the expression on Jesus's face. Personally, I think it represents the conflicts between the establishment of religion and the philosophy of a man. (Would Gandhi be considered a religious symbol in 1000 years?) Not as provocative as 'Chocolate Jesus', but it's up there! BBC Video

"I do hate a lot of 'religion' but people like Christ - yeah they inspire me. I mean if you look at Christ, He was hanging around with the lowlifes, prostitutes and the losers you know, not going around with those high society motherfuckers you see trying to sell Jesus today!" - Max Cavalera (ex-Sepultura)

BBC NEWS Business Bush warns of economic challenges "We have a strong foundation in our economy, but we can't take economic growth for granted . . . Recent economic indications have become increasingly mixed . . ." You better be really cautious when these guys project a less than rosy picture for the future.

Just a bit of Xmas . . .

Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. Unknown

You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.       Anne Lamott

Xian Witch-Doctor Falwell abandoned by Conservative politicians. I'm sure there's a made-for-TV movie in the works for this bum (hell, Rev. Leroy Jenkins had one!!). Conservative politicians avoided the funeral like the plague; I'm guessing that the whippoorwills circling overhead made a few of them nervous. More likely, the Neo-Cons had already sucked the well dry. You wouldn't shed a tear for a used tissue, would you? This bit was on the BBC News site : "However, many leading Republicans decided not to attend the funeral service in a sign that the political influence of the religious right over the party was waning, correspondents say. President George W Bush sent a mid-level aide to represent him." The fact that Bush avoided the funeral was a bit surprising - I'm supposing that Falwell's 'homecoming' was to be the Evangelical event of the year. According to Dave Zweifel of The Capital Times: . . . if Jerry Falwell was the great Christian t...

BBC NEWS | Americas | US evangelist Jerry Falwell dies Good luck! Too bad he waited so long to cash in your ticket, eh? That's OK - there'll be plenty of torment and anguish to spare when your boys Swaggart and Robertson join ya! Hoped 'ya packed some marshmallows!