The beauty of subtle change...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYw8JR1N90o&feature=related

Embedding has been removed from the above video, I urge you to follow the URL and view it, especially if you are younger than 35. It is the video of Sinead O'Connor's performance of "War" on Saturday Night Live. She made that performance in 1992. The video shows her very powerful performance in which she ends with the tearing of a photograph of the Pope.

Sincere apologies were issued by both SNL and Ms. O'Connor following that performance. Even at a young age, I was saddened by her apology. Her very apology reduced the impact of what was then and still is now, a very powerful message. Sinead all but disappeared from public view in the U.S. following that performance. She paid a very high price for her "disrespect", both personally and professionally. She had the guts to do, what many of us wanted to, and yet, we all fell silent as she fell from grace.

Not this time around....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_pope_britain

LONDON – Britain's Foreign Office issued a hasty apology Sunday to Pope Benedict XVI after publication of an internal memo in which officials joked he could open an abortion clinic, launch a range of condoms or sing a duet with Queen Elizabeth II during a four-day visit in September.

The document, sections of which were published in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, also proposed the pope could bless a gay marriage, and acknowledge the clerical sex abuse scandal by establishing a hot line for abused children, or honoring abuse whistleblowers.


So, you felt the need to aopolgize? I find that somewhat hard to believe. It appears apologetic on the surface, but if one looks a little beyond the writing, and remembers the punishment dolled out to Ms. O'Connor, I see it quite differently, and it gives me hope.

First of all, those suggestions are not only appropriate, but perfectly toungue in cheek funny. An abortion clinic? Blessing a gay marriage? Good stuff there, kids. However, my favorite is the hotline suggestion. Well done. I don't see WHY that would be offensive to such good people leading such a diligent and loving flock.

Junior officials wrote the memo following a brainstorming session intended to discuss ideas for the visit, the first to Britain by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since Pope John Paul II in 1982.

Though some included advice for Britain's government on how to approach the abuse scandal, the ministry condemned many of the proposals as "ill-judged, naive and disrespectful."

Britain's ambassador to the Vatican, Francis Campbell, met senior Vatican officials offer a formal apology and one individual involved in drafting the memo has been transferred to other duties, the ministry said.


This is truly a thing of beauty. Several people opened their mouths and allowed their voices to be heard. I find it interesting that this memo was "leaked" so carelessly. Was it really? I also find it curious that only ONE of the participating parties was punished, and by punished, I mean "transferred". How appropriate, after all, isn't that what Popey on High did with his offending priests as Red Hat Wearing Ratfucker? Oh, the Karma. Well played, ministry. I feel that transfer was MORE than the aprropriate punishment, in light of the behavior of the "falsely offended" members of the vatican.

"The Foreign Office very much regrets this incident and is deeply sorry for the offense which it has caused," the ministry said in a statement. "We strongly value the close and productive relationship between the U.K. government and the Holy See and look forward to deepening this further with the visit of Pope Benedict to the U.K."

The document featured a diagram listing people likely to have an influential role during, or in commenting on, the visit — which ranked Scottish singer Susan Boyle, the surprise reality television star, as more important than Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

An accompanying note acknowledged many of the ideas contained in the memo were extreme. "These should not be shared externally...," it read, explaining the document was "the product of a brainstorm which took into account even the most far-fetched of ideas."


Translation: "We are sooooo sorry that we hurted your feewings, but guess what? Susan Boyle is more important than your archbishop!" I also love the attatched memo to the memo. "Don't hold us accountable, after all, these are just ideas...as far fetched as they are, we are looking into them. *wink wink*"

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said an apology from Britain had been received through the Holy See's embassy. "They supplied all the explanations, and there is nothing to add," Lombardi said.

Do I sense a large roll of duct tape with this one? Lombardi FINALLY kept his mouth shut? I guess he would have to, after all, how can one argue with, "oops, my bad...don't know how you saw that...we are looking into it...we transferred one person...um...somewhere else...kinda."

Sheer perfection.

Britain's Scotland Secretary Jim Murphy on Sunday branded the suggestions contained in the memo as despicable. "These are vile, they're insulting, an embarrassment, and on behalf of the whole of the United Kingdom, I would want to apologize," he said, during an election debate.

During his visit to Scotland and England, Pope Benedict XVI will give a speech in London, attend an ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey and conduct a public mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park.


Then the blowhard speaks. There is a key phrase here that can explain his "outrage". Do you see it? "DURING AN ELECTION DEBATE".

Nice try, Jimmy.

So, the changes that have been ever so subtle in the past eighteen years since Ms. O'Connor's performance are that people are not so afraid to speak out against big organizations that shroud themselves in "respect". The penalty seems to have also lessened as the shock waves of the corruption of Catholicism ripple accross the globe.

Thank you, Sinead. I will only accept your apology for apologizing. All those who call out the wrong doings of the most powerful should raise their heads high, and pity those who live in fear of reprisal from those who, themselves, have recently fallen from grace.

I have a headache? *blink*

Is Roethlisberger's brain trauma at fault for recent behavior?


By Carl Prine
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, April 25, 2010

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_678091.html


On Nov. 22, the helmeted head of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger met the knee of onrushing Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson.

The quarterback with two Super Bowl rings wobbled off the field and sat out the next game. Less than four months later, he stood accused of raping a Georgia student in a Milledgeville nightclub, and quiet questions began: Six years in the National Football League, 242 sacks, four serious head traumas -- three on the field and one from a nearly fatal 2006 motorcycle crash -- and two sexual assault allegations after boozy evenings in Nevada and Georgia.

On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered Roethlisberger, 28, to undergo a battery of medical tests, part of a conditional punishment plan that could bench him for up to six games and cost him about $2.8 million.

Medical experts consulted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review refused to diagnose the root causes of Roethlisberger's pattern of self-destructive behavior. But frontal lobe brain trauma has long been known to affect mood, judgment, interpersonal relations, foresight and the inhibition that keeps most others from displaying inappropriate social behavior -- what's called "executive function" by neurologists and psychiatrists.


*beats head off of keyboard*

Hey ladies! Forget about Viagra! Juat whack him a few times in his frontal lobe!

Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?????

Back up the stupid express for just one minute, please. Our "beloved" Big Ben Roethlisberger has now, for AT LEAST, the second time, been accused of sexual assault. Lucky for his stupid ass, there wasn't enough DNA to determine more than the fact that she had sex with a human. I am not making that up. So, the girl dropped the charges so as to NOT be vilified by the media in good ol' Pittsburgh Pennsyltucky. Big Ben (that has new meaning now) is now suspended for six games as punishment from the NFL (No Fucking Logic).

This is my favorite part...

"Ben Roethlisberger is a guy with a lot of concussions," said famed forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. "It would be a very wise decision, a very appropriate one, for the NFL to test him for damage related to them. That's being very fair to Ben.

"It's conceivable to think that there is a possibility that those concussions have led to some behavioral issues. The question I pose is simple: Can someone with several chronic or repetitive head injuries later display behavior that is socially undesirable? It's certainly possible, but we won't know that unless there is a proper evaluation, then work-up and treatment plan. It would be medically negligent not to include these sorts of tests as a part of this disciplinary process."


Oh Mr. Wecht, I know that you too have been caught with your pants down, so to speak, but really, this is no way for you to redeem yourself politically. You seem to think that this city gives a shit about a player when he is NOT winning gold rings. You are a forensic pathologist. How about you wait until Ben is dead before you render your diagnosis and concerns, k?

This is pretty good too...

Wecht doesn't want to excuse Big Ben's boorish behavior, only to ask the NFL to strongly consider the causes of it, including underlying brain trauma. The former Allegheny County coroner was so concerned with the issue that he convened a March 12 and 13 pow-wow of leading concussion experts at Duquesne University -- a conference he provocatively titled "Is Football Bad for the Brain?"

IS FOOTBALL BAD FOR THE BRAIN???? Again, are you FUCKING KIDDING ME??? No, not a problem to be hit in the head repeatedly, Mr. Wecht. I see why you make the big bucks there, genius.

I think that the question is, "should we excuse someone who gets paid A LOT of money to be hit in the head, for bad behavior that may or may not be attributed to his CHOICE in profession?"

Jesus jumped up FUCK, people! This asshole was an asshole long before he took a few whacks from defensive linemen. You know how I know that? BECAUSE HE JOINED THE NFL! That seems to be all you morons recruit anymore. (again, thank you, Titans!)

Please explain to me again, why it is that Ben likes to fuck young girls who are drunk out of their minds in public places...I will be on the edge of my seat waiting to hear how it is actually the lineman's fault for hitting Benny too hard.

I say, HIT HIM AGAIN! Hit this asshole as many times as it takes to get through his ego driven skull that women are not objects to be abused and left as garbage!

Maybe we should hold the entire NFL responsible for promoting an event that causes men to rape women. How does THAT sound, you feeble minded twits? No? You don't like that? Then stop making excuses for assholes who choose to live their lives as a perpetual twelve year old, including playing a game for a living and doing things that they have been told repeatedly NOT to do!

If you can't control your gladiators because they have "frontal lobe" damage..then do us all a favor and put them back in their cages.

In a society that LOVES to make excuses and lay blame for bad behavior, you sure have stepped up your game with this one.

Ben's representatives won't comment. HAHAHA! Even THEY know this is bullshit!

Stop this crap. They know the risks when they join this idiotic organization. I don't see why you have to make the rest of us unsafe by justifying what they KNOW can be a result of their choices.

Concussions can make a pro ball player into an asshole rapist. Beautiful.



"Until we examine a lot of people like Ben Roethlisberger and study the histories of brain injury and relate them to exhibited behavior, we won't be able to answer the essential questions that need to be answered," Mayer said. "There's so much more we need to know."

That's why the NFL last week donated $1 million to Boston University to study chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Known simply as "CTE" or "punchdrunk syndrome," it's a degenerative brain condition that affects cognition and player conduct, eventually leading to dementia. Post-mortem examinations of the brains of Steelers Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk and Hall of Fame center Mike Webster found evidence of the syndrome.


"punchdrunk syndrome"? You mean, "I am a moron syndrome". I let another man beat me senseless, and then I can do whatever I want because of it.

How do you plan on "preventing" this so-called condition of turning an otherwise "great all American guy" into a douche bag?

Maybe bigger helmets? No? ummmm...how about you just play flag football. No?

You won't do shit about it. I know this because it is the violence and physical strain of the game that puts asses in the seats. Those asses pay for your private jets.

Good luck selling flag football tickets, or banning hitting someone in the head.

Just another excuse to add to the list of staggeringly stupid shit spouted by both the medical community and it's parnership with the NFL.

You never cease to disappoint.

Holy shit! I just became a Titans fan!

Titans get Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle in sixth round
By Doug Farrar

The Tennessee Titans may have questions about what they see on game film from their sixth-round safety, but there won't be any questions about his intelligence, determination or character. With the 207th overall pick (the final pick in the sixth round), Tennessee drafted Florida State's Myron Rolle. There's some real football skill there, but it's what Rolle did outside of football in the 2009 season that made news.

Rolle, who graduated in 2 ½ years from Florida State with a 3.75 GPA, spent the 2009 football season as a Rhodes Scholar, studying in Oxford, England at the highest academic level. Still, he was labeled by some as a football deserter - someone whose love for the game was questioned. He came back to the game in time for all the 2010 pre-draft activities, recording decent numbers at the scouting combine and in a private workout for NFL scouts.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Titans-get-Rhodes-Scholar-Myron-Rolle-in-sixth-r?urn=nfl,236457



In recent years, I have all but refused to watch professional sporting events in the U.S. The reasons are not that complicated. I am tired of hearing about how our overpaid, over-indulged, severely character flawed athletes are "American heros". Thanks to Ben Roethlisberger, my city has, yet again, sustained embarrassment thanks to one of our so-called heros. Ben, apparently, has an affinity for young, drunk college students, and can't seem to sort out the need for self control. This is, of course, after having the pleasure of other "heros" like Plaxico Burres, the idiot who shot himself in the leg. Ahh, the glory of the NFL.

Now, here comes Mr. Rolle. A Rhodes Scholar??? Unbelieveable. For an organization who prides themselves on the "character" of their members, "character" certainly is in short supply. I am happy to see that someone with a brain, priority systems, and character FINALLY entered their ranks. Congratulations, Dr. Rolle. What a novel concept, Mr. Rolle explains that exercizing his brain is just as important and necessary as exercizing his body. As a matter of fact, he delves further and explains that it is NECESSARY to exercize both. Stunning.

So, I will make this short. If the parents out there reading this have half a brain in their heads, they will tell their children EXACTLY what constitutes a role model, and Mr. Rolle is it. I don't care if he warms the bench for ten years. This man has accomplished more than imaginable for most people, and he did it with determination and intelligence. THAT is a role model...even without a Super Bowl ring.

Congratulations to the Tennessee Titans, he may have been a last round choice, but to those of us who are tired of the bullshit of the NFL, you just redeemed a little bit of my respect. For what it is worth...

This year, I will watch the Titans...and hope to see Dr. Rolle take the field, just so that I can tell my sons who he is.

Oh, and on a side note, a young, athletically gifted, brilliant young man...and he is BLACK! LOL The Kryptonite of the Republican party. It is a true thing of beauty...now hurry up, trailor dwelling, conservative NFL fans, buy his jersey! HAHAHA!

Mother, May I?

I remember being a small child and playing "Mother, may I?" on the school playground. For those of you who have never played that game, (this is specifically directed at you!) it was a game of trickery and manners. One child stood a distance from a line of other children. The "mother" child would give instructions like "take one giant step forward". The other children then had to respond with "Mother, may I?". Permission was then either granted or denied. If the child did not state "Mother, may I?" before carrying out the action, they went back to the starting line. The "mother" child would use inflection and speed of the command to trick the child into NOT saying the proper response.The first child to be able to reach out and touch "mother" was declared the winner, and had the privledge of becoming "mother" in the next round.

I took my ten year old son to work with me this past week, in honor of "take your child to work day", which apparently interferes with the public school system's state fund raising...otherwise known as "standardized testing". However, that is another rant for another day.

My son awakened at 4:45am in excitement for his journey to work with Mom. I am employed in a labor capacity with ALL MEN! This is a ten year old boy's dream job. He was excited to see our equipment and get a ride in the infamous John Deere Gator that he has heard so much about. We stopped at the local gas station for snacks and coffee for Mom. He placed his snacks on the counter and said "good morning!" to the young man that rings up my coffee every morning. The young man smiled and conversed with Adam for several minutes about the excitement of his day. Adam then bound out the front door smiling and thanking the young man for wishing him well in his adventure.

While we drove the 45 minutes it takes for me to arrive at work, I reminded Adam to please use his good manners and to closely follow instructions while in the workplace. I have three sons, ages almost 15, almost 13 and 10. (Some days I wish that I could put a shot of Whiskey in my coffee!) Adam is the one who requires constant reminders about EVERYTHING. I was a little stressed out about taking this particular child to work with me that day. He is my "difficult" child. He is strong willed and high energy at all times. This is a parenting challenge, to say the least.

Our first task of the day is to clean the litter from the sidewalks of several city blocks. Adam happily, and dutifully went about his task without complaint, and even listened when I told him to try NOT to get run over by a bus. Whew, first stressor dealt with. Along his journey, we ran into one of the department managers. I introduced Adam to him, and Adam reached out his hand and said, "Hello, Mr. ___". I was so proud of him. When the man walked away, Adam asked me if he was a boss. I said yes, and asked him how he knew that. He said, "He looked like a boss, and he wears a tie, Mom...geeez *eye roll*". Well played, Adam.

Adam worked well with my co-workers, and remembered to always give them a title when speaking directly to them. Mr. Mike was his favorite. He helped him bend a penny in a vice. Oh, the things that entertain males. Mr. Dave showed him how the Robins will eat the grubs from the newly cut sod, and helped Adam up when he stumbled and fell, landing a large piece of sod directly over his face. Adam got up laughing, and Mr. Dave couldn't help but laugh along. Mr. Alex commiserated endlessly with Adam over the pains of dealing with Mom everyday. Thanks, Alex. Mr. Joe showed Adam how to use the mower, and even let him cut for a while. Adam beamed all day long. I began to wonder if his face would cramp from the permanent smile.

Finally, it is lunchtime. We go to the Cafe located on the seventh floor, and I am anxious for Adam to meet one of the nicest people employed in this hospital, another Mr. Joe. He is the head chef. Adam meets him, shakes his hand and carries a fairly long conversation about his day thus far. Then it is time to order lunch, and Adam does so, remembering to say "please" and "thank you". He gobbled down his personally crafted grilled cheese (just what head culinary chef LOVES to prepare) and we head back to work for the afternoon. We saw, and met several more managers throughout the day, and even a Vice President. Adam carried himself like a proud little man, and never needed further reminding of how to behave.

When I went to the Cafe the following day to order my lunch, the man behind the counter asked to speak with me for a moment. He stated that he was stunned by Adam's behavior and complimented me on how polite and happy he was. I actually hear this quite often in reference to all three of my boys, and have heard it since they were very young. I replied to him with thanks and told him that it saddens me that my son stands out, simply because he was respectful. He proceded to tell me that there were many children in there the previous day, they were children of doctors, administrators and CFOs. He said that they were rude and demanding, just like their parents. He thanked me again for raising a son that knows how to treat people, even the lowly people working behind a counter. I laughed and said, "It isn't that difficult, when you understand what it feels like to be viewed as "lowly".

I was proud of my son that day, and everyday for various things. You see, I spend my day observing people, and their behavior. I see people bump into each other without even so much as an "excuse me". I see them drop doors on the people entering behind them. I see them berate the men and women at the information desk, as if they are not even worthy of basic human respect. I see you refuse to hang up your cell phone, or even take pause when ordering your lunch. I rarely hear the words, "please" or "thank you". I see children damaging other's property or running around screaming while the mother or father chats away on their phone, or simply ignores them. I hear children calling adults by their first names and seemingly not even know the existance of the word, "please" when making a request.

I have taught my sons to ALWAYS hold a door for someone, especially someone struggling with it, even if you don't plan on entering yourself. I have taught them to help people when they see the need for it. I have instructed them repeatedly on the need to show respect and poise when faced with someone deserving of it. They are to ALWAYS show basic human kindness and respect, and if they do not, they will be reprimaded for it, even if god himself is standing there. The incredible thing is, I don't have to remind them. They see the positive reactions and benefits of behaving properly, and they continue with what is CLEARLY working for them. My 15 years old son can enter the local store or mall with his friends, and NOT be followed by the manager or security simply because he has carried himself appropriately and spoken with respect to those people.

I suppose that I am not so much speaking about manners, as I am about respect and kindness. Does one not reflect another? Where did this lost art go? Is it really that difficult to take a moment to tap into your instinctual human empathy and behave the way that you would like to see other behave toward you? Why have we lost this skill? Granted, it is difficult to smile through the rudeness of others, but why do we succumb to the same behavior? I am guilty of that, myself. When met with someone who behaves in a way that is disgusting or distainful, I will open my mouth and give them a little dose of their own medicine. That, in itself, is a delicate art. I am not so delicate. LOL I have been chastised by my own sons for that very behavior. Good for them, even their mother is not exempt from behaving appropriately.

I wonder, as they grow older, will they succumb to the frustration of dealing within a rude and self-serving society? Have I actually harmed their ability to deal in a world where their behavior is all but rendered obsolete? I truly hope not. I write this, in the hope that there are others feeling the same frustration and confusion. I also write it in the hopes that some of you will pull your heads from your asses and start raising your children as human beings instead of wild animals with no self control or language skills!

There is a fast food restaurant near where I work, and the sign on the front counter states this....

"We will be more than happy to assist you when you hang up your phone. Until then, we will take the next customer in line. Thank you, MGMT."

Good for you. It's a start.

Jesus, people. You are being parented by Burger King. Wake up.

I stop.....and think...

Death of 'Caveman' ends an era in Idaho
Richard Zimmerman, known to all as Dugout Dick, succumbs at 94.


Known as the "Salmon River Caveman," Richard Zimmerman lived an essentially 19th century lifestyle, a digital-age anachronism who never owned a telephone or a television and lived almost entirely off the land.

"He was in his home at the caves at the end, and it was his wish to die there," said Connie Fitte, who lived across the river. "He was the epitome of the free spirit."

Richard Zimmerman had been in declining health when he died Wednesday.

Few knew him by his given name. To friends and visitors to his jumble of cave-like homes scrabbled from a rocky shoulder of the Salmon River, he was Dugout Dick.



Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/23/1164899/death-of-caveman-ends-an-era-in.html#ixzz0lxmY7SAp



I had never heard of this man prior to reading this article. I intend to do some more reading about him and those who lived similar lives. I find it humorous that I will use technology to research such a man, but that is the very thought that made me take pause, and....think.

I thought about my life, and what a stark contrast it is to his. I am somewhat resistant to technology,or at least I thought I was. I refused to use computers for many years. I refused to allow my children to use the internet for what seemed, to them, to be an eternity. I resisted texting and cell phones, to the point of teasing from friends...well...that is...until recently. I have "caved" to all of the pressures of "necessary technology".

When I try to imagine a life lived entirely dependent upon one's own resources and personal resolve, I cannot fathom the loneliness. I wonder if he felt profound loneliness, or a peace that is immeasurable by the technologically savvy world that he left behind. There is a part of me that envies him tremendously. I cannot imagine the beauty that he experienced. I have seen starry nights and beautiful sunsets. I imagine a man quietly strumming his guitar with nothing to interfere with the pure sound of music created from an uninterrupted emotion. If I combine those beautiful nights with a sound so pure, my mind wanders into what feels like a dream. One of the most beautiful sounds on this earth is the sound of rain falling in harmony with nature. I wonder how many nights he fell asleep to the rhythm of raindrops and the sounds of animals that live as freely as he did. Is that what his music sounded like? I wish I could have heard it, just once. Where did his mind go when he felt peace? I would love to visit that place.

The Earth yielded everything that he required to stay alive. He worked hand in hand with what we disposed of, discarded, and what we take for granted, just to sustain his life...for over 90 years. I find myself in a very strange emotional place while I think of what it must have been like to be him. What was it like to fall asleep in pure silence without the touch of human companionship? It saddens me to think that he lacked one of the greatest feelings on this incredible planet, while experiencing things that most of us will never know. His life could not have been an easy one. To have the soil yield what your body needs to live, or to have animals provide necessary sustenance, you must nurture both...and then destroy them. We, "civilized society", have the pleasure of not raising and nurturing the animals that we eat. We find it a difficult task to even find the time and energy to gather our food at a market where the sweat and ugly part of killing our food has already been done for us. Was he a callous man who could raise an animal from a baby, kill it, and devour it with the idea that "that is just what we do to survive", or did he truly realize the harsh reality of nature's food chain, and accept his place within it?

We have gardens on our patios, or little fenced in areas where we grow things as a hobby. I don't know anyone who sustains their family off of what they grow on their own. We go to our local large chain store, or if you are a more caring person, you head to your local nursery and gather your seedlings, fertilizer, soil, animal repellent, stakes and cages, pots, cute little plant labels, and even ridiculous trinkets to decorate our gardens. What would he say about that? I imagine him laughing at our inability to keep our tomatoes from falling off the vine before they ripen, and then running inside to Google "tomato falls off vine before ripe". Did he use the eggshells from his chickens to prevent the blossom end rot that we would take an hour to determine after asking three different "professionals"? Well, I know he didn't buy a fungicide sold to him by a teenager wearing an orange apron. I have heard so many people say, "I would love to grow my own fruits and vegetables, but it is just too much of a hassle, and I don't have time for that." These are the same people who complain relentlessly about the sub standard quality of those same items sold by their local grocer.

This man took, what we considered "trash", and used it as if it were brand new. Then, incredibly, WE paid him to live in it! He did not charge a fee that would ever make him wealthy, but merely enough to help him to survive. How many times have we all heard this, "My_____ broke this weekend, so I thought about fixing it. I spent all weekend trying to find the parts, and then I realized that I needed a new tool to fix it, so I said 'to hell with it', and I just bought a new one. It only cost me___ more to buy a new one than to fix it." Well, not only did he "fix it", but he may have just used it...as is. He used it the way you left it...broken. Is a door really "broken" or "outdated", or are we just spoiled over-indulged brats?

As I sit here, I hear the pump running on my fishtank. I hear the (riding) mower outside. I hear the noise from my son's room, and the sound of the fan in my laptop, and I wonder to myself, is this the music of MY life? My refrigerator is full of food purchased from someone who paid someone else to kill or harvest it. My windows have just enough...whatever...in them to keep out the damaging rays of the sun that could fade the paint on my walls. I have a new "energy efficient" furnace with a filtration system to keep out of of those nasty things that the guy who sold it to me said were there. I have three vehicles sitting in my driveway, one of which is one of my favorite possessions. I pay $20 more for a bag of dog food because my dog is allergic to...um...something....in the others. I complain relentlessly about how my job barely allows me to make ends meet, but the good news is, I can drive home in my truck.

I am actually a "blue collar" worker. Yes, I get dirty and I sweat to earn my paycheck. Until now, I thought I had a physically demanding job. What I realized is that someone else provides me the opportunity to get dirty and sweat, no one provided that to him. He did it on his own, and relied solely on himself to provide even the soil that stained his clothes. I doubt that he used Oxy Clean or Tide to remove that soil. I wonder if he even cared that it was there.

His photograph is one of a man who has been beaten by the sun, and soaked by the rain for 94 years. We hear the lyrics to songs that talk about the callouses of an old man's hands. I looked at my hands, just now, and I can see the callouses of my life, and the age creeping into the crevices of my fingers. What did his hands look like when he was my age? My hands have held my sons, and felt the touch of the people that I love. Will they remember the feel of my touch? I am a woman, and we have built an entire industry around our skin and our appearance, but he never saw or felt you. I doubt that he ever knew or cared what "alpha hydroxy" was or was supposed to do. Come to think of it, neither do I, and I bet you don't either.

My goodness, how we strive to have so much, and we don't even know what it's purpose is. To us, music is what comes out of expensive speakers mounted in just the right places to accomplish the perfect sound. What was music to him? What inspired him to pick up that guitar and play it? Would we have even considered it to be any good? I guess to understand whether or not it was "good", we would have to feel what inspired it. What a shame, we never will.

I do not envy the hard work that was required to live the life that he chose, and I do not envy the loss of human companionship. I do, however, envy the freedom that he experienced. It came at a heavy price, and that was the life that I lead. I wish that I could have heard his music and felt his hands. I wish that I could have seen the sights that surrounded him and felt the rhythm of the rain, in the ways that he did. But, I would then like to awaken from my dream, and see the people that I love, and hold my sons after a long day at work.

Life is full of choices, consequences, and reward. I try to keep a balance in my life that allows me to experience this world and yet remain a part of it. He chose to leave it behind, and live by his own hand. It is an admirable and poetic existence. I am not a poet, and I do not seek to be admired. My guess is, neither was he, nor was that his desire.

So, I have decided that I will be happy in my life, and hope that he was happy in his. There are people in this world who strive for fame and notoriety, yet he did everything to avoid it. In his attempts at closing out the rest of the world, he invited us in. Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman, for giving us a look at the world that we live in. Sometimes, it takes just stopping and trying to see the world through someone else's eyes, just to see it through your own.

..and Ratzinger hums...."The Good Old Days..."

I am not quite sure what word to use that truly encompasses the idea that welcoming a Holocaust denier wasn't all that bad of a PR move in light of Ratzinger's current political quandry.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100416/tuk-bishop-fined-for-holocaust-denial-a7ad41d.html

The case prompted a rare comment on religious matters by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called on Benedict to "clarify unambiguously that there can be no denial" the Nazis killed six million Jews.

The German pope later admitted mistakes in his handling of the case, saying he was unaware of Williamson's latest remarks and stressed that it was "intolerable" to dispute the facts of the Holocaust.

The trial comes amid a ballooning sexual abuse scandal rocking the Catholic church, with hundreds of people coming forward in Germany and other countries around the world saying they were molested by predatory priests.

Benedict himself has been accused of turning a blind eye to abuse before he became pope.

Williamson has said he wished to apologise to anyone offended by his comments but has refused to retract his assertions, saying only that he would re-examine the historical evidence.

The court on Friday heard an excerpt of the interview, in which Williamson is heard telling the interviewer: "Be careful, this is against the law in Germany."


So, Dick, you are going to "re-examine the historical evidence", huh? *blink* Let me help you. Before Hitler's regime, there were a lot of Jews. After Hitler's regime, there were a whole lot less Jews. Where did they go? YOU are going to re-examine the evidence..LOL. I will be waiting on the edge of my seat to FINALLY have the REAL truth, as provided by a mid-ranking minion of a large cult. You do that, Dick. Find the truth, and then type it all out in Latin, and we can call it your "manifesto". Countless historians have weighed in on the subject, but it is YOUR research that has us completely spellbound. I can't wait to read about your explanation for the survivors tales of torture, and eye witness accounts of what vast suffering plagued their friends, families and neighbors. Maybe those tattoos they sport are numbers from their stay in Hitler's most elite country clubs. Maybe they weren't really tortured and killed in the gas chambers. Maybe they all got together and orchestrated the largest "disappearance" in human history. Geeesh, you would think that you deniers would have found a few of them by now. Maybe Hitler and the Nazis used their Acme ray guns and vaporized them! Maybe it was 10,000 Jews, maybe 300,000...or maybe 6 million. WHAT THE FUCK DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE???

Oh, I know the answer to that one. You think that "THE JEWS" have extorted an excessive amount of funds due to exagerated claims of loss of life and crimes against humanity. Your own deep rooted hatred of an entire group of people based upon their faith has blinded you to human suffering and made this entire thing about money. Well I have to say, you joined the right group.

I can give you some peace, here. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but pope Ratfucker agrees with you. He just can't say it out loud because people are listening, and THAT would be bad! It is NEVER good, when attempting to gather support, to use unpopular speech. (If you are following along, you know who said that.) You don't like when a group with a different view has more financial backing than you do. You feel threatened by their numbers and the loyalty of their followers. HAHA! Oh, the irony.

So, you are going to try to diminish the amount of deaths, and the level of inhumanity of the crimes. Good luck with that. The average moderately intelligent person does not care if it was 10,000...300,000 or 6 million. You see, we aren't blinded by some ficticious war over a sandy haired, blue eyed (*blink*) hippie who tried to tell people to stop being assholes. It is amazing how one can sum up your bullshit in one sentence. Listen, maybe they killed him, maybe they didn't. Look at it this way, if they did...you should THANK them! His death is what allows you to sin freely, and without reprisal from that god guy! Which brings me to the whole point of this snark and irony...What other skeletons do you have in your closet, Dick?

Frank Collin, a native of Chicago, joined George Lincoln Rockwell's National-Socialist White People's Party in the 1960s. He broke with the NSWPP due to a disagreement with Rockwell's successor, Matt Koehl, who had assumed the leadership role by popular vote after Rockwell's August 25, 1967 assassination by a disgruntled member, John Patsalos, who used the name "John Patler" during his tenure in the NSWPP.

Collin's downfall began with the revelation that his father, Max Simon Collin, was a Jew whose original surname had been "Cohen". Max Cohen/Collin claimed to have been a prisoner at Dachau concentration camp, where Frank Collin was said to have been conceived.

While president of the NSPA, Collin was arrested by Michigan police while having sex with a pair of 10-year-old boys. These revelations led to his dismissal from the neo-Nazi movement. A psychiatrist who interviewed Collin declared that he was "consumed by hatred for his father"; it was argued that Collin rejected his father by becoming a neo-Nazi and adopting and publicly espousing antisemitic beliefs.

Collin was convicted of child molestation and sent to Pontiac prison in 1979.[2] He served three years of a seven year sentence.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Collin

Uh oh. Is this a common link? You see, Dick, there is a common occurance among molesters,and that is deep rooted self hatred. In order to gain power over those feelings, the mentally disturbed molester will target someone or something else to hate. When hatred grows to a painful level, the victimizer releases that hatred in a need to cause another the pain and suffering that they feel. That was complicated, I know. Let me put it this way, the Nazi groups here in the US recruit young boys and hide them deep in wooded areas. They hide from the general public and indoctrinate the youth, many of whom come from horrible backgrounds, with their hatred and need for vengeance. One of their tools is molestation.

I am not, in the least bit surprised, to find common psychological disorders within your ranks. You are ALL narcissistic personalities determined to have the final word...at any and all costs. Those costs include our children, and the mental stability of your followers.

Oh poor popey Ratfucker. He has quite a mess to sort out...and frankly, he isn't that good of a PR guy. Maybe a more charismatic speaker is required to get you out of this mess....I can think of one...

As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice.


Adolph Hitler

It's time to pray.

Hartford, Connecticut (CNN) -- A bill in Connecticut's legislature that would remove the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases has sparked a fervent response from the state's Roman Catholic bishops, who released a letter to parishioners Saturday imploring them to oppose the measure.

Politics from the pulpit? What happened to your fantasy of separation of church and state? I guess since YOU don't abide by "the rules", then neither will we. TIME TO PAY TAXES! So, the men in red dresses speak out again. This is priceless.

The proposed change to the law would put "all Church institutions, including your parish, at risk," says the letter, which was signed by Connecticut's three Roman Catholic bishops.

The letter is posted on the Web site of the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, the public policy and advocacy office of Connecticut's Catholic bishops. It asks parishioners to contact their legislators in opposition of the bill.

The "legislation would undermine the mission of the Catholic Church in Connecticut, threatening our parishes, our schools, and our Catholic Charities," the letter says.

The Catholic archdiocese of Hartford also published a pulpit announcement on its Web site, which was to be read during Mass on Sunday, urging parishioners to express opposition to the bill.


What I want to know is, how the fuck a supposedly sentinent human being can sit on a wooden bench, hear their puppet say "oppose legislation that erradicates the statute of limitations" on the worst crime imaginable, and nod their heads in agreement.

Listen you fuckin idiots, if you are not harboring molesters, and the "false accusers" have no evidence of the alleged crimes, you have nothing to worry about. But you know better, don't you...you KNOW that you are harboring molesters, and you care more about your fucking church than you do about your fellow man. Typical arrogant Catholics. Do you jackasses even know that one of the classic traits of a cult and a cult leader is paranoia? Yes, it is true. ALL cults and their leaders show a fear of reprisal for the purity of their beliefs, and pass that fear to their willing sheep. They wipe away their wrong doing by claiming that there is a conspiracy afoot designed to destroy what you hold so dear...your lies.

What really goes through your head when you hear the red dress guy say, "all church institutions are at risk, including your parish..."? Please tell me that you wonder if they know something you don't, like that YOUR priest is a molester. Because any other thought is simply paranoia and conjured fear at the hands of manipulative cult leaders. Will you think twice about their stand on this issue? Do you even ask yourselves why the need for such fear?

To help you, I suggest that you read up on the lifelong effects of sexual abuse. It can take decades for a victim to come to terms with what happened to them. Their lives are forever altered from that moment forward, whether they consciously realize it or not. The least that we, as acommunity, can give them, is time. I am willing to give them a lifetime to find peace...yet you Catholics won't. UN FUCKING BELIEVEABLE!

I have another suggestion, be careful campaigning from the pulpit, because one day, you may find yourselves being hit where it hurts more than just bad PR. We will hit you in the wallet. Let me help you out with this one. Instead of waiting for living, breathing human beings to listen to you....try this one out...

Dear god...

Please use your hand of justice and help the people to see the truth and love within your church. Guide us and give us the strength to find the flaws within our own humanity, and see the sufferings of those who have been hurt by evil that has infiltrated your church. May our courts be fair, and just, and may all those who have brought harm to our children be punished by human laws guided by your hand, and may they face final judgement before you. We give our trust and our faith to you, almighty god.

There. See? He will fix it...now shut the fuck up...and see the power of your "god" in action.

Good luck with that. In the meantime, we will put your priests, bishops...and even your pope behind bars, if THAT is what OUR laws determine.

You better start praying for the right things...1,000 years is sufficient time to figure out what the "right thing" is, don't you think?

fuckin hypocrites.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/11/connecticut.abuse.bill/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29