Statism ( Beginning Now, I'll Be Using This Word Instead of Liberal or Liberalism)

Statism (or Etatism) is a term that may refer to any (or all) of the following:
Government having a major role in the direction of the economy, both through state-owned enterprises and indirectly through the central planning of overall economy.

The "concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government."

The Facist concept of statism which holds that "basic concept that sovereignty is vested not in the people but in the national state, and that all individuals and associations exist only to enhance the power, the prestige, and the well-being of the state. The fascist concept of statism repudiates individualism and exalts the nation as an organic body headed by the Supreme Leader and nurtured by unity, force, and discipline."

On Arlene Spector Changing Parties

Spector changes parties. What? He was a Republican?

From the Back Lot

GE/NBC threw all their resources behind getting Obama elected. They have been the most aggressive with their 'green' program. Including that stupid embarrassing Sunday night football show they did without lights or something. Everyone but Oberman must have been hugely embarrassed. So what's up with a news (hack hack cough cough) station/program doing something like this so blatantly? GE stock has dropped from fifty something bucks a share when Immelt took over to about fourteen dollars a share now. He still has a job. It all has to do with the green of being green. GE is lobbying to get bailout money. GE is pushing for cap and trade. Think your utility bills are high now? Wait until the government charges the utility companies whatever they want to meet cap and trade requirements. This carbon tax will be passed on to you. Can you say triple bill? GE also has huge investments in windmill technology and the manufacture of them. GE is using its support of Obama and the Dems through the use of NBC/MSNBC news to influence politics to get gigantic government contracts. Immelt does that successfully, he saves GE and NBC, and as corrupt and despicable as it is....

The other back lot story is the US Government, under the direction of our Dear Leader, is buying common stock in major corporations. The government is set to control 51 percent of GM, and along with the unions', read government, ownership, majority ownership belongs to the government. The new Chrysler deal gives the unions', read government, control of 55 percent ownership, through common stock. The government is buying common stock here too, but I'm unclear how much.

Do you think this just happened accidentally? Obama is a socialist, is following Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, and his purpose is to take over business and nationalize it all.

Anyone want to show me in the Constitution where it says the government can use taxpayer money to buy businesses and run them? WTF???? How much more of our money and liberty need to be stolen by the government, I don't care which party, before the American people wake up? Good Grief.

My Personal Swine Flu Experience

In 1976 there was a potential swine flu pandemic and President Ford authorized that all Americans should get the shot. One soldier had died; the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in America began with soldiers, and the idea was to avoid that again. About 40 million Americans got inoculated. The problem was, the side effects; Guillian-Barre syndrome, which is a paralyzing nerve disease. The inoculations were stopped because about five hundred people got this syndrome and thirty died from it.

I had just joined the Navy when this had happened, and all military personnel were ordered to get the shot. I had quarterdeck watch the night I got the shot, and was feeling a little light headed when I reported for watch. I had been on the quarterdeck for a while, and I started to feel really bad. The officer of the deck was turned away from me when I collapsed on the ladder leading down to the deck. Just at that time another officer came around the corner and I remember his distant voice saying, "Stand up when you're on duty Seaman". I pulled myself up by the rail and the officer of the deck turned and walked over to me. I remember us talking for a bit, and the officer saying I was relieved from watch, to hit my rack. I did, and went into convulsions for the next few hours and then passed out. No one thought anything of this. I didn't. I didn't realize till later I could have died from this.

Interesting and Brave Novel and Other Books

I've finished reading "Keeping Faith" by Jodi Picoult. This will be the first of many of her novels I'll be reading this summer. (I like to read novels in the summer to lighten it up. Nonfiction mostly in the non summer months.) It involves a seven year old girl, secular Jewish mother, and secular dad. Something happens and the girl gets stigmata, the sick gets healed and a lot of other miracles take place. This is great speculative fiction. How do the courts react, the press, religious leaders, and the people personally involved? I loved this novel and am looking forward to reading more of Picoult's books.

Several months ago my brother loaned me "The Black Swan, 'The Impact of the Highly Improbable'", which both confirmed and changed my thinking on many things. I sent that copy on to a friend of his, so bought my own today. Revolutionary, and if you want a truly different perspective on what's going on, check it out.

I also picked up today "A Whole New Mind 'Why right-Brainers Will Rule the Future'". I doubt it. The AR detail people have a tight grip on everything, and will fight to the death for what they perceive as control. As a right brained person living in a left brain world, I'll read this as an enjoyable fantasy.

Divers Thoughts on the News

Big in the news today is swine flu. Let's see, Obama hasn't named a CDC chief or a Surgeon General; health care is one of his highest priorities don't ya know. The MSM and Dems are blaming the Republicans for the outbreak here in the US because they voted against the TRILLION dollar omnibus bill which included pandemic preparations. Ummmm, how is disease prevention going to stimulate the financial sector? Just asking.

Driving home from church yesterday morning I was ruminating over what all the Leftists control. Mainstream media, movie and television industry, universities, House, Senate, Executive, and Judicial. All that and they cry because of Rush, Hannity, Levin and Fox News. Fox News, for those people that watch it know they have a bunch of Leftists on all the time. I watch or read the other MSM and it's all Leftists all the time.



Obama's first hundred days. MSM is yelling from the rooftops how much has been accomplished and how the prez is the smartest man on the planet (remember too that Clinton is the smartest woman on the planet, except for the misogyny thing the dems and Obama launched during the campaign). From where I sit, I see all the money in the "stimulus" package ineffective, misspent or lost. He traveled around alot, including earth day when he left a huge carbon footprint flying around burning thousands of gallons of fuel. I don't see any accomplishments. Well, maybe he's increased divisivess, along with ammo and gun sales. Good grief.

Auto-Tune the News #2: pirates. drugs. gay marriage.

Stick with this. It gets funnier and funnier! LOL!!!!

Sweet Home Alabama-Leningrad Cowboys & Red Army Choir

WE WILL ROCK YOU!!!!

Neither Blond nor Female

These contractors are installing the steel pillars in concrete to stop vehicles from parking on the pavement outside a Sports Bar downtown. They are now in the process of cleaning up at the end of the day and anxious to go home.




How long do you think it will be before they realize where they parked?

It's a Dirty Job

Obama ran a campaign of hope and looking to and creating a brighter future? hmmmmmmmm

"It is axiomatic that ideas have consequences, a theme being played out by the Obama administration's turning a blind eye to the magnitude of terrorist evil and seeing a rough moral equivalence between beheadings by terrorists and aggressive American interrogation techniques to extract lifesaving information from terrorists. Commentators who believe Obama only released the 'torture memos' to appease his bloodthirsty, Bush-hating, leftist base, which would be bad enough, are missing the point that Obama shares his base's beliefs. Obama is commander in chief, and his guiding foreign policy doctrine is 'peace through weakness.'" --columnist David Limbaugh

Sustainable Power Source

Economic and Finance Quiz

http://econ4u.org/quiz/

Twenty questions about economics and finances. Yikes!!!

Dazed and Confused

Obama's first hundred days have been the antithesis of every thing I believe to be correct in both foreign and domestic policy. In foreign policy he's reached out to the dictator of Iran, the dictator of Cuba, the dictator or Venezuela, the dictator of Nicaragua, Hamas, and the PLO. He's marginalized Israel, France and England. So we reach out to our enemies and stick it in the eye of our allies. Wow.

Domestically he say's he'll reach across the aisle. He starts by meeting with RINO's (Republican In Name Only) aka dems lite, and attacks Conservatives, including private citizens that have a public voice and hold no office. He sends spokesmen from his administration out on interviews that insults the tens of thousands of Americans that attended Tea Parties. He reopens federally funded stem cell research and abortion. Today and yesterday he's set the wheels in motion to criminalize the previous administration's policies with the intent of throwing them in jail. If he goes through with this, when he's out of office I want the same laws applied and him, Secretary of State Clinton and Attorney General Holder, and tried for treason.

How these decisions unify the country and gain us respect in the world mystifies me.

What the Public Thought

Readers of this blog I'm sure know the vile hate speech filled reaction to the Tea Parties from the MSM and the Obama administration. One would think from the reportage and coverage of the Ruling Party's response, the American public didn't like what was going on. So here's some polling data from Rasmussen (I know, polls can support anything and stats can be yada yada yada...)

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans have a favorable view of the “tea parties” held nationwide last week, including 32% who say their view of the events is Very favorable.

Thirty-three percent (33%) hold an unfavorable opinion of the tea parties according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure.

While half the nation has a favorable opinion of last Wednesday’s events, the nation’s Political Class has a much dimmer view—just 13% of the political elite offered even a somewhat favorable assessment while 81% said the opposite. Among the Political Class, not a single survey respondent said they had a Very Favorable opinion of the events while 60% shared a Very Unfavorable assessment.

One-in-four adults (25%) say they personally know someone who attended a tea party protest. That figure includes just one percent (1%) of those in the Political Class.
I especially found this interesting: "On many issues, there is a bigger gap between the Political Class and Mainstream Americans than between Mainstream Republicans and Mainstream Democrats. That was true on the tea parties, but Mainstream Republicans do express a more positive view of the protests than Mainstream Democrats. Still, a majority (54%) of Mainstream Democrats had a favorable opinion of the tea parties."

My Tea Party Experience

The MSM (Main Stream Media) has been lying lying lying about what happened and who went. This ties in to civility too. Following are a few sentences from Janeane Garofalo. We Conservatives have found out that 'teabagging' is apparently some kind of nasty sexual activity. I'm afraid to ask, but even award winning MSM media types are happy to use it and chuckle. How come they know what it is?

Garofalo: "You know, there's nothing more interesting than seeing a bunch of
racists become confused and angry at a speech they're not quite certain
what he's saying. It sounds right and then it doesn't make sense.
Which, let's be very honest about what this is about. It's not about
bashing Democrats, it's not about taxes, they have no idea what the
Boston tea party was about, they don't know their history at all. This
is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight
up. That is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks. And there is no
way around that. And you know, you can tell these type of right wingers
anything and they'll believe it, except the truth. ...the limbic brain
inside a right-winger or Republican or conservative or
your average white power activist, the limbic brain is much larger in
their head space than in a reasonable person, and it's pushing against
the frontal lobe. So their synapses are misfiring. Is Bernie Goldberg
listening?

Later she goes on about the Klan and Fox News, etc.

Here's my experience. Myself, I'm a Viet Nam Army vet, plus served four years in the Navy. I put myself through college. I was stoned for fifteen years and cleaned up my act. And for those of you that know me, or read my blog, know that I'm not stupid, uniformed, a follower, or a racist. Here are two more of many examples of the kind of people I met there. When a woman next to me said she was a Vet, I asked who she served with. She was in the first MASH unit with the first division that landed in Viet Nam. She was a nurse at that time. She was there for four years, and served her internship there and became a doctor. Does this sound like a stupid uninformed person? A mindless follower? The second person was a Filipino woman. She started talking about Marcos, and what he had done to her country. Then she said, that is what is being done to our (she said "my") country right now, and she started crying. She couldn't stand the idea of having to go through that kind of treatment and oppression again. You tell me. Does this sound like a stupid mindless person?

I'm so angry at the lies; even people I know and cherish and call friend, say these insidious things about the tea parties and the ones that attended.

Which leads to a note about civility. The Leftists say the Right does it too...not a justification; two wrongs don't... It's the difference between a pebble in a large pond (the Right) and a boulder in a puddle (the Left). That boulder crushes lives. I've chronicled here the incredible vile personal insults to Sarah Palin, her family, and daughter. Wishing McCain would die from his skin cancer. When Nancy Reagan fell and broke her hip there was laughter and hoping it hurt like hell. Hoping Dick Cheney would have another heart attack and it would kill him. What's Mrs. Cheney thinking about that? These are the people that tell use they're the sensitive ones and care about people.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Let us never, never forget what man, without God will do !!!!!!



(double click the cartoon to read)

New US Hate Groups

"The idea that American 'hate groups' are right-wing and bristling with vets got new life with JFK's assassination at the hands of a disgruntled vet named Lee Harvey Oswald. Everybody knew right away that Oswald was an agent of 'hate' -- and hate was code for right-wing and racist. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren summed up the instantaneous conventional wisdom when he blamed the 'climate of hatred' for Kennedy's death. Everybody knew that the right was involved. There was just one inconvenient truth: Oswald was a communist who, according to the Warren report, had 'an extreme dislike of the rightwing' and had actually tried to murder a right-wing former Army general. When Hollywood filmed the Tom Clancy novel 'The Sum of All Fears,' it changed the real villains from Jihadi terrorists to a bunch of European CEOs who were secret Nazis. Because 'everybody knows' that's where the real threat lies. Sen. John Kerry belonged to an organization of vets that considered assassinating American politicians. (Kerry denied participating in those meetings.) Barack Obama was friends with, and a colleague of, a domestic terrorist whose organization plotted to murder soldiers and their wives at a social at Fort Dix. A young Hillary Clinton sympathized with the Black Panthers, a paramilitary gang of racist murders and cop killers. Bring that up and you're a paranoid nutcase out of 'Dr. Strangelove.' But if you're terrified of a bunch of citizens who throw tea in the water and demand lower taxes and less government spending, well, that's just a sign of political seriousness. Because everyone knows who the real threat to the country is." --National Review editor Jonah Goldberg

The Crew

While the C-5 was turning over its engines, a female crewman gave the G.I.s on board the usual information regarding seat belts, emergency exits, etc .

Finally, she said, 'Now sit back and enjoy your trip while your captain, Judith Campbell, and crew take you safely to Afghanistan '

An old Master Sergeant sitting in the eighth row thought to himself, 'Did I hear her right? Is the captain a woman?

When the attendant came by he said 'Did I understand you right? Is the captain a woman?'
'Yes,' said the attendant, 'In fact, this entire crew is female.'



'My God,' he said, 'I wish I had two double scotch and sodas. I don't know what to think with only women up there in the cockpit.'

'That's another thing, Sergeant,' said the crew member,

We No Longer Call It the 'Cockpit',


It's the 'Box Office'.

Steve Harvey, How He Would Introduce Christ

I Love Living Life. I Am Happy.

CNN Reporter Slams FOX at Chicago "Tea-Party"

This is a "reporter". Yikes! Thing is, for our Leftist friends, why Fox News has more viewers than any other news organization. Fox has actual reporters, and they have commentators will all political views. They separate out news and commentary. CNN, NBC, CBS, NY Times..all left all the time.

I've Found It!

You will all be so pleased to see this...... How many times have we been up there without one!

Click This Link and Be Surprised

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

Good Grief!

From the Washington Times (but reported from several sources, this is true) "The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias.

A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of
Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United
States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups
that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a
single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the
warning says."

Thing is, it appears I'm extremely dangerous. Who are the wack jobs in entertainment and the mainstream media? Quiet guy, lives alone=me. War veteran=Me. Bible thumping Christian=Me. Conservative=Me. Now I guess, since I am a Federalist, believes in States rights=Me. Anti-abortion=Me. Believes people should enter the country legally=Me. Yep, I'm one of the most dangerous people in America.

Jamie Foxx rants against a 16 year old girl, Miley Cirus:
"Make a sex tape and grow up!"
"Who is Miley Cyrus? The one with all the gums? She needs to get a gum transplant!"
A woman is heard calling Cyrus the b-word.

Very nice, class act, Foxx. Good Grief! How about growing up yourself, and maybe not pick on children.


MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Legislature is considering a bill that would legalize so-called "sexting" between teenagers.

Sexting refers to the exchange of explicit photos and videos via mobile phone. Under current laws, participants can be charged with child pornography, but lawmakers are considering a bill to legalize the consensual exchange of graphic images between two people 13 to 18 years old. Passing along such images to others would remain a crime.

Supporters told The Burlington Free Press they don't want to condone the behavior but they don't think teenagers should be prosecuted as sex offenders for consensual conduct.

The bill passed the state Senate earlier this month. The House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on it this week.

That's good. Let's have boys and girls set themselves up for attacks by pedophiles and rapists. Good Grief! How about some legislation to protect kids? There are still states that have not passed Jessica's law, and judges that set convicted/serial pedophiles free.

Final Thoughts on Easter at the End of the Day

From "Simply Christian" by N T Wright: "...when Jesus rose again God's whole new creation emerged from the tomb, introducing a world full of new potential and possibility. Indeed, precisely because part of that new possibility is for human beings themselves to be revived and renewed, the resurrection of Jesus doesn't leave us as passive, helpless spectators. We find ourselves lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs, and commissioned to go and make new creation happen in the world.

"That is, indeed, the interpretation of the resurrection which fits most closely the view of Jesus' life and work... If it is the case that Israel's vocation was to be the people through whom the one God would rescue his beloved creation; if it is the case that Jesus believed himself, as God's Messiah, to be bearing Israel's vocation in himself; and if it really is true that in going to his death he took upon himself, and in some sense exhausted the full weight of the world's evil--then clearly there is indeed a task waiting to be done. The music he wrote must now be performed. The early disciples saw this, and got on with it. When Jesus emerged from the tomb, justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty rose with him. Something has happened in and through Jesus as a result of which the world is a different place, a place where heaven and earth have been joined forever. God's future has arrived in the present. Instead of mere echoes, we hear the voice itself; a voice which speaks of rescue from evil and death, and hence of new creation."

I was filled with the Spirit today, once again, revived, refreshed and renewed. We must all ensure that we let God breathe through us, so we can perform His music, continuing the spirituality, relationships and beauty from His sacrifice and emergence from the tomb.

Survived by His Wife

Wednesday Before the Passion Play

At sunset today our Jewish Brothers and Sisters begin Passover. To them we offer honor and love.

Tonight too begins the Passion Play. Tomorrow we have Maundy Thursday services, which I've described in a previous blog. The whole thing is set off by Judas' betrayal. I've just learned that this Wednesday is sometimes called "Spy Wednesday" and is about betrayal. It asks us to consider and remember when we've been betrayed, or have been the betrayer. The wound from that is deep, and the scar I think is always large and noticeable. From Luke 22: "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude."

By betraying one another we betray Christ, and he carries those wounds and scars for us.

Below is an arrangement of "Agnus Dei" by Rufus Wrainwright. Not easy to listen to, but a reminder of the despair and pain betrayal brings. The ending though gets lush, reminding us that the Lord can lift us out of this with His mercy.
"Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world: have mecy on us!
"Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us!
"Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world: grant us peace!"

Agnus Dei - Rufus Wainwright

Seven Last Words of Christ-Dubois-Part 1

Three or four years ago, our choir performed this for Maundy Thursday Services. Since then, I play the CD all Holy Week. Part 4, the finish, is my favorite. Christ we will adore thee forever. (Part 2 isn't available on Youtube)

Dubois-Seven Last Words-Part 3

Seven Last Words of Christ-Dubois-part 4

Holy Week

I'm going to stay away from from political and social commentary this week. It's Holy Week, and I want to share with non-Christians or the un-churched, what this week means to those of us that practice our religion, attend services, and contribute in treasure and talents what we can in our Christian community and for humankind.

Today is Palm Sunday, also know as Passion Sunday. It marks the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the recognition of Him as the Messiah. The paradox here is that the same people that praised and sang hosannas condemned him at week's end. In our own services today, we opened with a song "Hosanna! Hosanna", powerful and full throated as the children paraded into and around the sanctuary waving palm fronds. I'm Communion Elder this month, which means I offer the Communion Prayer at the Table and serve the Deacons, who in turn serve the congregation. Anytime I fulfill this function I'm honored and humbled.

This Thursday is Maundy Thursday. Our evening of worship begins with an Agape Meal, best described, I think, as Seder for Christians. It's a simple prayerful meal of finger food. Christ and His disciples had their Supper on this evening. After the meal, the congregants walk over to the Sanctuary (I miss this part of the evening because the choir sings and we have to prepare and warm up.) The service itself is called "Tenebrae". This is the night when Jesus was already in the shadow of the Cross, Judas' betrayal, and in what was probably a Passover meal, the institution of the Eucharist or Communion; Jesus breaking the bread and pouring the wine, saying "Do this in remembrance of Me." Tenebrae is from the Latin word for darkness or shadow. The service is a recognition and in a very small way an experience of Christ's suffering. Communion is served. There's no standard or ritual for this service and it varies from church to church and we even vary it year to year. The only standard we've observed is the service being in candle light. There are eight or nine large candles in the front of the sanctuary. As a verse is read a candle is extinguished, and the room gets darker and darker. At the end, only one candle, that representing Christ is left burning. As it gets darker in the room with each candle going out, we reflect on the shadow of the Cross, the physical and emotional pain, and the sacrifice made for us. It's a sad sad ceremony, and at the end, we file out prayerfully and silently.

Friday, Good Friday, at our church we have a prayer vigil all day, each person comes to the church and prays for half an hour, then gets relieved.

Sunday, Easter, we celebrate Christ's resurrection. This service is fun, joyful, lots of singing. Lots of people too. (There's a commentary there, but for another day.)

This is a truly important week for Christians, I think the most important. We're reconnecting with the living God. It's a very important week for me. I reflect all week on the sacrifice made for me, and the blessings and grace that has been bestowed upon me as a result. It's all bitter sweet. Love, loss, betrayal, pain, sacrifice, resurrection, and the sweetness of eternal Love.