....and again....

"With this spirit today we rally close around you, successor to (St.) Peter, bishop of Rome, the unfailing rock of the holy church," Sodano said. "Holy Father, on your side are the people of God, who do not allow themselves to be influenced by the petty gossip of the moment, by the trials which sometimes buffet the community of believers."

TRANSLATION

Limbaugh asks Miss America contestants: "Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force. Do you accept that?"

answer: "Sometimes war is inevitable"

Oh...wow. For once in my life, I agree with a woman who puts Vaseline on her teeth. If you are puzzled by how I see those two statements as a translation for the statement made by the cardinal, you didn't read it closely enough. His statement is one of "it's us against them." Well sir, when you use statements like, "petty gossip", when referencing participation in sexual assault of children, it is a war that you will beckon. What is the use of aggressive force in regard to his statement? It is guilt, used in combination with commanding loyalty. It is classic passive aggressive behavior. This has been a tool on the belt of clergy for as long as they have existed. They command the war, and then wash their hands of it, and "pray" for it to come to an end.

"Especially with you in these days are those 400,000 priests who generously serve the people of God, in parishes, recreation centers, schools, hospitals and many other places, as well as in the missions in the most remote parts of the world," the cardinal said.

TRANSLATION

If you've been victimized by clergy, please know that you are not alone. You can get better. You can reach out to others who've been hurt just like you have. Together, we can heal one another.

We are SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. We are the nation's largest, oldest and most active support group for women and men wounded by religious authority figures (priests, ministers, bishops, deacons, nuns and others). We are an independent and confidential organization,


OH SNAP! My Brothas and sistas in GAWD....looks like a war you shall have! 400,000 strong, eh? Not good, boys....not good at all. You clearly do not understand the ripple effect of harm placed upon the youth within our communities. You look confused, allow me to put it in terms you can understand...


But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."



For those of you wearing the red dresses, this DOES NOT mean to place your dick in their mouth! You seem to be confused. It also mentions something about sodomy somewhere in that great book of yours. Hey, if you like things up your ass, good for you, who am I to judge. BUT that 7 year old child does not want, nor does god require you to put anything up their ass. Was that too harsh for some of you? Does the thought of a grown man in a black dress placing his hands, tongue, penis, or any other appendage in or on a young boy in a white dress bother you? I hope it does. I also hope that is the visual you have in your head each and every time you tithe.

Their power comes from YOU, not god. Their ability to victimize and then lie comes from your simple need to have the answers to "why".

Benedict singled out the "trials and sufferings" of Christians in Iraq and Pakistan, noting that these believers have risked persecution and death for their faith. He urged hope for the people of Haiti and Chile, devastated by earthquakes. He said Easter could "signal the victory of peaceful coexistence and respect" in crime-ravaged areas of Latin American countries plagued by drug trafficking and said he would pray for peace in the Middle East.

TRANSLATION

All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.


OR THIS

All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.


OR THIS

Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless.


Who is the origin of those three quotes? Adolph Hitler.

The pope will "pray for peace in the Middle East". huh. That's kinda ironic, don't ya think? I mean, how stupid do you have to be in order to find solice in the idea of prayer ceasing a war started by a self professed Christian?

Sunday's edition of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano denounced the accusations against the pope as a "vile defamation operation."

TRANSLATION

"Oh Lord, help me! It is false. I am clear. For my life now lies in your hands...."




That quote? It is from the tombstone of Rebecca Nurse, hanged as a witch in 1692.

"Ye are all against me..."


Martha Corey, hanged 1692



"...I am wronged. It is a shameful thing that
you should mind these folks that are out of
their wits."


Martha Carrier, hanged 1692

So, Pope Ratfucker, what size is your tie? You come from a long line of people corrupted by beliefs in fairy tales. You have descended from those who denied the corruption and political motive of their so called faith. Those just like you have perpetrated inhuman acts against the members of their communities. The victims of this religious zealotry were not heard...they were killed. I think, in light of the current situation, the least you could do, is step down. You are no innocent man being victimized by those who oppose you. You are at the very heart of an organization that has victimized thousands of innocent followers. I do not care for your pleas of innocence anymore than those like you cared for the pleas of the innocent.

Dressed in gold robes and shielded from a cool drizzle by a canopy, Benedict looked weary as he listened to Sodano's speech at the start of Mass in the cobblestone square bedecked with daffodils, tulips and azaleas.

TRANSLATION

The Master Manipulator

Let us look for a moment at how some of this manifests in the cult leader. Cult leaders have an
outstanding ability to charm and win over followers. They beguile and seduce. They enter a room and garner all the attention. They command the utmost respect and obedience. These are "individuals whose narcissism is so extreme and grandiose that they exist in a kind of splendid isolation in which the creation of the grandiose self takes precedence over legal, moral or interpersonal commitments."(l8) Paranoia may be evident in simple or elaborate delusions of persecution. Highly suspicious, they may feel conspired against, spied upon or cheated, or maligned by a person, group, or governmental agency. Any real or suspected unfavorable reaction may be interpreted as a deliberate attack upon them or the group. (Considering the criminal nature of some groups and the antisocial behavior of others, some of these fears may have more of a basis in reality than delusion!)

Harder to evaluate, of course, is whether these leaders' belief in their magical powers, omnipotence, and connection to God (or whatever higher power or belief system they are espousing) is delusional or simply part of the con. Megalomania--the belief that one is able or entitled to rule the world--is equally hard to evaluate without psychological testing of the in- dividual, although numerous cult leaders state quite readily that their goal is to rule the world. In any case, beneath the surface gloss of intelligence, charm, and professed humility seethes an inner world of rage, depression, and fear.

Two writers on the subject used the label "Trust Bandit" to describe the psychopathic personality.(l9) Trust Bandit is indeed an apt descripdon of this thief of our hearts, souls, minds, bodies, and pocketbooks. Since a significant percentage of current and former cult members have been in more than one cultic group or relationship, learning to recognize the per- sonality style of the Trust Bandit can be a useful antidote to further abuse.

The Profile of a Psychopath

In reading the profile, bear in mind the three characteristics that Robert Lifton sees as common to a cultic situation:

1. A charismatic leader who...increasingly becomes the object of worship

2. A series of processes that can be associated with "coercive persuasion" or "thought reform"

3. The tendency toward manipulation from above...with exploitation--economic, sexual, or other--of often genuine seekers who bring idealism from below(20)

Based on the psychopathy checklists of Hervey Cleckley and Robert Hare, we now explore certain traits that are particularly pertinent to cult leaders. The 15 characteristics outlined below list features commonly found in those who become perpetrators of psychological and physical abuse. In the discussion we use the nomenclature "psychopath" and "cult leader" interchangeably. To illustrate these points, a case study of Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh follows this section.

We are not suggesting that all cult leaders are psychopaths but rather that they may exhibit many of the behavioral characteristics of one. We are also not proposing that you use this checklist to make a diagnosis, which is something only a trained professional can do. We present the checklist as a tool to help you label and demystify traits you may have noticed in your leader.

Characteristics of a Cult Leader

People coming out of a cultic group or relationship often struggle with the question, "Why would anyone (my leader, my lover, my teacher) do this to me?" When the deception and exploitation become clear, the enormous unfairness of the victimization and abuse can be very difficult to accept. Those who have been part of such a nightmare often have difficulty placing the blame where it belongs--on the leader.

A cult cannot be truly explored or understood without understanding its leader. A cult's formation,
proselytizing methods, and means of control "are determined by certain salient personality characteristics of [the] cult leader....Such individuals are authoritarian personalities who attempt to compensate for their deep, intense feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and hostility by forming cultic groups primarily to attract those whom they can psychologically coerce into and keep in a passive-submissive state, and secondarily to use them to increase their income."(l)

In examining the motives and activities of these self-proclaimed leaders, it becomes painfully obvious that cult life is rarely pleasant for the disciple and breeds abuses of all sorts. As a defense against the high level of anxiety that accompanies being so acutely powerless, people in cults often assume a stance of self-blame. This is reinforced by the group's ma- manipulative messages that the followers are never good enough and are to blame for everything that goes wrong.

Demystifying the guru's power is an important part of the psyche- educational process needed to fully recover.(2) It is critical to truly gaining freedom and independence from the leader"s control. The process starts with some basic questions: Who was this person who encouraged you to view him as God, all-knowing, or all-powerful? What did he get out of this masquerade? What was the real purpose of the group (or relationship)?

In cults and abusive relationships, those in a subordinate position usually come to accept the abuse as their fault, believing that they deserve the foul treatment or that it is for their own good. They sometimes persist in believing that they are bad rather than considering that the person upon whom they are so dependent is cruel, untrustworthy, and unreliable. It is simply too frightening for them to do that: it threatens the balance of power and means risking total rejection, loss, and perhaps even death of self or loved ones.
This explains why an abused cult follower may become disenchanted with the relationship or the group yet continue to believe in the teachings, goodness, and power of the leader.

Even after leaving the group or relationship, many former devotees carry a burden of guilt and shame while they continue to regard their former leader as paternal, all-good, and godlike. This is quite common in those who "walk away" from their groups, especially if they never seek the benefits of an exit counseling or therapy to deal with cult-related issues. This same phenomenon is found in battered women and in children who are abused by their parents or other adults they admire.

To heal from a traumatic experience of this type, it is important to understand who and what the
perpetrator is. As long as there are illusions about the leader's motivation, powers, and abilities, those who have been in his grip deprive themselves of an important opportunity for growth: the chance to empower themselves, to become free of the tyranny of dependency on others for their well-being, spiritual growth, and happiness.



The Authoritarian Power Dynamic



The purpose of a cult (whether group or one-on-one) is to serve the emotional, financial, sexual, and power needs of the leader. The single most important word here is power. The dynamic around which cults are formed is similar to that of other power relationships and is essentially ultra- auhoritarian, based on a power imbalance. The cult leader by definition must have an authoritarian personality in order to fulfill his half of the power dynamic. Traditional elements of authoritarian personalities indude the following:

-the tendency to hierarchy

-the drive for power (and wealth)

-hostility, hatred, prejudice

- superficial judgments of people and events

-a one-sided scale of values favoring the one in power

-interpreting kindness as weakness

-the tendency to use people and see others as inferior

-a sadistic-masochistic tendency

-incapability of being ultimately satisfied

-paranoia(3)

In a study of twentieth-century dictators, one researcher wrote: 'Since compliance depends on whether the leader is perceived as being both powerful and knowing, the ever-watchful and all-powerful leader and his invisible but observant and powerful instruments, such as secret police) can be invoked in the same way as an unobservable but omniscient God....Similarly, the pomp and ceremony surrounding such an individual make him more admirable and less like the common herd, increasing both his self-confidence and the confidence of his subjects. The phenomenon is found not only with individual leaders, but with entire movemnts"(4)

We will see, however, that an authoritarian personality is just one aspect of the nature of a cult leader.

Who Becomes a Cult Leader?

Frequently at gatherings of former cult members a lively exchange takes place in which those present compare their respective groups and leaders. As people begin to describe their special, enlightened, and unique "guru"--be he a pastor, therapist, political leader, teacher, lover, or swami--they are quickly surprised to find that their once-revered leaders are really quite similar in temperament and personality. It often seems as if these leaders come tiom a common mold, sometimes jokingly called the "Cookie-cutter Messiah School."

These similarities between cult leaders of all stripes are in fact character disorders commonly identified with the psychopathic personality. They have been studied by psychiatrists, medical doctors, clinical psychologists, and others for more than half a century. In this chapter we review some of this research and conclude with a psychopathological profile of traits commonly found in abusive leaders.

Cultic groups usually originate with a living leader who is believed to be "god" or godlike by a cadre of dedicated believers. Along with a dra- matic and convincing talent for self-expression, these leaders have an intuitive ability to sense their followers' needs and draw them closer with promises of fulfillment.
Gradually, the leader inculcates the group with his own private ideology (or craziness!), then creates
conditions so that his victims cannot or dare not test his claims. How can you prove someone is not the Messiah? That the world won't end tomorrow? That humans are not possessed by aliens from another world or dimension? Through psychological manipulation and control, cult leaders trick their followers into believing in something, then prevent them from testing and disproving that mythology or belief system.



The Role of Charisma



In general, charismatic personalities are known for their inescapable magnetism, their winning style, the self-assurance with which they promote something--a cause, a belief, a product. A charismatic person who offers hope of new beginnings often attracts attention and a following. Over the years we have witnessed this in the likes of Dale Carnegie, Werner Erhard (founder of est, now The Forum), John Hanley (founder of Lifespring), Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Shirley MacLaine, John Bradshaw, Marianne Williamson, Ramtha channeler J.Z. Knight, and a rash of Amway "executives," weight-loss program promoters and body-building gurus.

One dictionary definition of charisma is "a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (as a political leader or military commander); a special magnetic charm or appeal."(5) Charisma was studied in depth by the German sociologist Max Weber, who defined it as "an exceptional quality in an individual who, through appearing to possess supernatural, providential, or extraordinary powers, succeeds in gathering disciples around him."(6)

Weber's charismatic leader was "a sorcerer with an innovative aura and a personal magnetic gift, [who] promoted a specific doctrine.... [and was] concerned with himself rather than involved with others....[He] held an exceptional type of power: it set aside the usages of normal political life and assumed instead those of demagoguery, dictatorship, or revo- lution, [which induced] men's whole-hearted devotion to the charismatic individual through a blind and fanatical trust and an unrestrained and un- critical faith."(7)

In the case of cults, of course, we know that this induction of whole hearted devotion does not happen spontaneously but is the result of the cult leader's skillful use of thought-reform techniques. Charisma on its own is not evil and does not necessarily breed a cult leader. Charisma is, however, a powerful and awesome attribute found in many cult leaders who use it in ways that are both self-serving and destructive to others. The combination of charisma and psychopathy is a lethal mixture--perhaps it is the very recipe used at the Cookie-cutter Messiah School!

For the cult leader, having charisma is perhaps most useful during the stage of cult formation. It takes a strong-willed and persuasive leader to convince people of a new belief, then gather the newly converted around him as devoted followers. A misinterpretation of the cult leader's personal charisma may also foster his followers' belief in his special or messianic qualities.

So we see that charisma is indeed a desirable trait for someone who wishes to attract a following.
However, like beauty, charisma is in the eye of the beholder. Mary, for example, may be completely taken with a par- ticular seminar leader, practically swooning at his every word, while her friend Susie doesn't feel the slightest tingle. Cehtainly at the time a person is under the sway of charisma the effect is very real. Yet, in reality, charisma does nothing more than create a certain worshipful reaction to an idealized figure in the mind of the one who is smitten.

In the long run, skills of persuasion (which may or may not be charismadc) are more important to the cult leader than charisma--for the power and hold of cults depend on the particular environment shaped by the thought-reform program and control mechanisms, all of which are usually conceptualized and put in place by the leader. Thus it is the psychopathology of the leader, not his charisma, that causes the systematic manipulative abuse and exploitation found in cults.



The Cult Leader as Psychopath

Cultic groups and relationships are formed primarily to meet specific emotional needs of the leader, many of whom suffer from one or another unotional or character disorder. Few, if any, cult leaders subject them- selves to the psychological tests or prolonged clinical interviews that allow for an accurate diagnosis.
However, researchers and clinicians who have observed these individuals describe them variously as neurotic, psychotic, on a spectrum exhibiting neurotic, sociopathic, and psychotic characteristics, or suffering from a diagnosed personality disorder.(8)

It is not our intent here to make an overarching diagnosis, nor do we intend to imply that ah cult leaders or the leaders of any of the groups mentioned here are psychopaths. In reviewing the data, however, we can surmise that there is significant psychological dysfunctioning in some cult leaders and that their behavior demonstrates features rather consistent with the disorder known as psychopathy.

Dr. Robert Hare, one of the world's foremost experts in the field, estimates that there are at least two million psychopaths in North America. He writes, "Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret."(9)

Psychopathy falls within the section on personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard source book used in making psychiatric evaluations and
diagnoses.(l0) In the draft version of the manual's 4th edition (to be released Spring 1994), this disorder is listed as "personality disorder not otherwise specified/Cleckley-type psychopath," named after psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley who carried out the first major studies of psychopaths. The combination of personality and behavioral traits that allows for this diagnosis must be evident in the person's history, not simply apparent during a particular episode. That is, psychopathy is a long-term personality disorder. The term psychopath is often used interchangeably with sociopath, or sociopathic personality Because it is more commonly recognized, we use the term psychopath here.

Personality disorders, as a diagnosis, relate to certain inflexible and maladaptive behaviors and traits that cause a person to have significantly impaired social or occupational functioning. Signs of this are often first manifested in childhood and adolescence, and are expressed through distorted patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself. In simple terms this means that something is amiss, awry, not quite right in the person, and this creates problems in how he or she relates to the rest of the world. 6

The psychopathic personality is sometimes confused with the "anti- social personality," another disorder; however, the psychopath exhibits more extreme behavior than the antisocial personality. The antisocial per- sonality is identified by a mix of antisocial and criminal behaviors--he is the common criminal. The psychopath, on the other hand, is characterized by a mix of criminal and socially deviant behavior.

Psychopathy is not the same as psychosis either. The latter is characterized by an inability to differentiate what is real from what is imagined: boundaries between self and others are lost, and critical thinking is greatly impaired. While generally not psychotic, cult leaders may experience psychotic episodes, which may lead to the destruction of themselves or the group. An extreme example of this is the mass murder-suicide that occurred in November 1978 in Tonestown, Guyana, at the People's Temple led by Jim Jones. On his orders, over 900 men,women, and children perished as Jones deteriorated into what was probably a paranoid psychosis.

The psychopathic personality has been well described by Hervey ClecMey in his classic work, The Mask of Sanity, first published in 1941 and updated and reissued in 1982. Cleckley is perhaps best known for The Three Faces of Eve, a book and later a popular movie on multiple personal- ity. Cleckley also gave the world a detailed study of the personality and behavior of the psychopath, listing 16 characteristics to be used in evaluating and treating psychopaths.(ll)

Cledde's work greatly influenced 20 years of research carried out by Robert Hare at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In his work developing reliable and valid procedures for assessing psychopathy, Hare made several revisions in Cleddey's list of traits and finally settled on a 20-item Psychopathy Cheddist.(l2) Later in this chapter we will use an adaptation of both the Cleddey and Hare checklists to examine the profile of a cult ieader.

Neuropsychiatrist Richard M. Restak stated, "At the heart of the di- agnosis of psychopathy was the recognition that a person could appear normal and yet dose observation would reveal the personality to be irra- tional or even violent."(l3) Indeed, initially most psychopaths appear quite normal. They present themselves to us as charming, interesting, even humble. The majority "don't suffer from delusions, hallucinations, or memory impairment, their contact with reality appears solid."(l4) Some, on the other hand, may demonstrate marked paranoia and megalomania. In one clinical study of psychopathic inpatients, the authors wroa: "We found that our psychopaths were similar to normals (in the reference group) with regard to their capacity to experience external event~ as real and with regard to their sense of bodily reality. They generally had good memory, concentration attention, and language function. They had a high barrier against external, aversive stimulation....In some ways they dearly resemble normal people and can thus 'pass' as reasonably normal or sane. Yet we found them to be extremely primitive in other ways, even more primitive than frankly schizophrenic patients. In some ways their thinking was sane and reasonable, but in others it was psychotically inefficient and/or convoluted."(l5)

Another researcher described psychopaths in this way: "These people are impulsive, unable to tolerate frustration and delay, and have problems with trusting. They take a paranoid position or externalize their emotional experience. They have little ability to form a working alliance and a poor capacity for self-observation. Their anger is frightening. Frequently they take flight. Their relations with others are highly problematic. When dose to another person they fear engulfment or fusion or loss of self. At the same time, paradoxically, they desire closeness; frustration of their entitled wishes to be nourished, cared for, and assisted often leads to rage. They are capable of a child's primitive fury enacted with an adult's physical - capabilities, and action is always in the offing.$l6)

Ultimately, "the psychopath must have what he wants, no matter what the cost to those in his way."(l7)

Go back. Read it. Listen. Think for yourselves.

http://www.anandaawareness.com/cult_leaders.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_vatican_easter
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/adolf_hitler.html
http://home.texoma.net/~adwignall/stones.htm

....and the saga continues....

I do not typically revisit a subject once I have spewed my opinion on the matter, but THIS one begs to be followed relentlessly. I am both laughing and disgusted by the fact that I am sitting here on Easter morning reading yet another series of "Bushisms" (thank you President Dipshit for that word!) captured for all posterity. They come at the lips of the flying monkeys that run the Vatican. This one is worthy of more attention...

Pope Benedict XVI faced fresh criticism Saturday after attacks on the Catholic Church over the paedophile priest furore were compared to anti-Semitism, further marring Easter Week celebrations.

Jewish groups and those representing victims of abuse by Catholic priests denounced the remarks by the pope's personal preacher during a Good Friday homily.


But hold on a minute, here is a shocker, THEY DENY IT!

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi later told AFP the comments were from "a letter read by the preacher and not the official position of the Vatican."

So, here is what I am wondering, what color smoke do the sheep see pouring from the Vatican when their self pontificating men in red dresses (insert your mind humming "Lady in Red" by Chris De Burgh) get caught breaking their cardinal rule? (pun intended).

Let's take a look at this one. A letter written by some moron, whose name I don't even care to know, was released supposedly without the approval of the Vatican. That is quite a position for them to take. This, from the organization that has managed to make wiping their own asses secretive and ritualistic. Nice try, boys. If it was allowed to be seen, you agreed with it, and supported it's content. I know that your followers are morons, they have to be to keep swallowing the shit that you shovel, but those of us with REAL free will and common sense are stunned by the unmitigated gall it takes to make a statement like that, and then try to deny it.

I will, yet again, simplify what was stated here. The Vatican has been accused of willfully covering up countless acts of sexual abuse within their ranks. Proof of these accusations and their failure to follow up appropriately has been provided. The responsibility has landed square in the lap of your current "Water Buffalo" leader. Then, instead of being forthcoming with a dose of your OWN repentance, you idiots compare people demanding justice for victims of abuse with THE HOLOCAUST! HOLY SHIT! Not only did you pull the victim card, you threw the whole fuckin deck!

So, Pope Ratfucker has clearly decided to use the Ostrich defense. He has simply shoved his head in the sand, (sand being a metaphor for his rectal cavity) and refused to aknowledge the accusations appropriately. I can only assume that he is hoping that this will all blow over. You see, folks, he can't "do the right thing" here because if he does, and he calls for the resignation and defrocking of the gulity parties, he is signing his own warrant. He is as culpable as his minions.

The pope himself faces allegations that, as archbishop of Munich and later as the Vatican's chief morals enforcer, he helped to protect predator priests.

see?

But hey, the good news is that god will guide them to the right decision through a thorough investigation. *blink* I guess god is partying it up at spring break in Orlando or some shit, because he clearly is not focused here. What happened to wrath and lightning bolts that shoot out of his ass? You mean to tell me that he is relying on a bunch of grown men who haven't had sex, (cough cough) wear red dresses and WAY too much bling to render justice here? Good lord, your god is weak. That sparks a funny thought. You Catholics get your panties all in a bunch over shit like gay parades and alternative lifestyles, all the while your leaders are parading around in drag and perfoming plays in public squares. Wow.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, meanwhile, told the BBC in a radio interview to be aired next week that the Irish Catholic Church had lost "all credibility" over its massive abuse scandal compounded by evidence of cover-ups by high-ranking prelates, the Times of London reported Saturday.

I love that one. They have lost all credibility? Ya think???? What i want to know, is where the FUCK was their "credibility" before this? Come on people, we are talking about a bunch of people who actually think that a human being controlled a massive body of water. They actually believe that some singular creature that no one had ever seen or touched created EVERYTHING. They actually believe that if they ask for something long enough, over and over again, that this creature will grant their request. They actually believe that they have found the one god who rules above all others. *blink* Credibility? WITH WHO? Oh, I know who. They may be losing credibilty with the "just in case" believers. You know who you are. You are pretty sure that everything that your religion spews is a bunch of crap, but you keep dutifully going to church and following their loosly formed rules.....just in case....they are right in the end. I get that. Guess what? It is now time to just let it go! Let me put it this way, you are MUCH more likely to get a ride on a puffy cloud with a hot angel if you DON'T follow a molester. Did that clear it up for you? No? Ok, let's try this way then, you are MORE likely to know what a flame up your ass feels like if you continue to place the word of a flawed human being over the word of your "almighty god".

"Their children shall be dashed
to pieces before their eyes!
There houses spoiled, and their
wives raped...Dash the young men
to pieces...have no pity on the
fruit of the womb, the children
shall not be spared"
-- Isa 13:16-18


...or maybe I am wrong. *blink*

Good choice in a god, idiots. The fun in all of this is that I can find another twenty passages that completely contradict this one...and every one. How do you people fit your entire cranium in your assholes?

Listen, you idiots. You can't pick and choose what rules you follow at whatever time it suits you. You either believe in god, and doing the right thing, or you don't. I simply believe in the latter. If you have nothing to fear, allow and DEMAND that your "leaders of faith" are held accountable for destroying and corrupting your most valued posession....your faith. Oh, it isn't your most valued posession? Is it your children? Your car? What is it? Come on, people...get a fucking grip! If you are following a god that does NOT condemn the acts of these men, well...you may want to look in another book or something. There ARE others, you know. They were written by men too. They are equally flawed and full of contradictions and imagry. Jesus Christ, you can find anything you want in any of them! Try this...believe in your god, if you are so sure that he exists. Believe in your ideas of right and wrong. Just PLEASE stop believing in the superiority of your position! It is your unbending need to be the "right one" that has allowed this organization to grow to a level of corruption and lawlessness that has jeopardized our children. I believe in your shit more than you do! I believe that your child is MY child..and it is my duty to protect them! I am begging you to stop and think about what your blindness is causing.

But in France the daily Liberation on Saturday carried a front page headline asking "It is time to change the pope?".

The paper concluded that while being a top theologian, Benedict XVI has demonstrated "scant political judgement during his five year pontificate and is a poor communicator, who accumulates one gaffe after another."

It doubted that the pope was up to dealing with the current crisis, saying that in the past he had shown "an incomprehension of the world as it is".

"It is down to him to respond to the expectations of his faithful and the secular world. Benedict XVI must come out of his bubble."


"an incomprehension of the world as it is" That is quite a statement. I guess this ranks right up there with the cardinal who, last week, said that he thinks that eliminating celibacy for priests would limit incidents of sexual abuse. *blink* Are there any other books or publications in the Vatican that could help shed some light on the fact that molestation and rape are NOT about sex?? After all, we have only kown that for the last 20 or 30 years. "come out of his bubble" I love that one too. If he comes "out of his bubble", he won't be the fuckin pope! For Christ's sake, his "bubble" is BULLETPROOF!


I'm dux animadverto , EGO don't postulo interpretor EGO operor non postulo interpretor quare Inquam res. Ut interesting res super res praesieo "


TRANSLATION




"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president."


Thank you, President Bush.

Holy shit. Now I am REALLY pissed that you made me say THAT!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100403/wl_afp/vaticanpopeeaster_20100403102704

Love?

As I grow older, and the grey hair creeps in, I reflect on my life and the meaning of my emotions and their origins. Hallmark has made a killing on one tiny little word. Music has been written and poetry has been born from four simple letters. L O V E.

What the hell does that word mean?

We strive to define that word instead of defining what makes us use that word. We have defined that word right into a tiny little box. We now have a societal standard for what that word reflects. The word itself has taken the power away from what it really is. So now, instead of looking for what that word symbolizes, we look for it's definition.

When you say, "I love you", does it not mean many different things in many different situations and relationships? It does in my world. When I say those words to my children, they have very different meaning than when I say them to the person that I want to lay next to at night. So why do we say them at all?

Why not say the meaning behind those words instead of taking a short cut? For centuries, poets have strived to encompass the emotions felt by two people who are overwhelmed at their flooding hearts. Why are we still impressed by "love" being likened to a flower, a storm, or even death? Why does the simple turn of phrase within a lyric, or the cliche crooning of a sensual voice still define such complex emotions?

Each and every "love" that you will experience in your life will be different. No one ever says, "I love you, for now." But yet, how often do we see that, and experience it in our own lives? To promise another person that you will feel the same fifty years from now, as you do today, is writing a check that your ass can't cash. Ok, so i lost my eloquence somewhere in that last thought, but it is the truth. We hold so tightly to that word, that we alter the definition as time passes on. We, as complex creatures, continue to change over time. Our emotions, and their triggers change as our lives become more and more developed.

Do we really continue to love the same people in the same way throughout the years? No. I have heard people say that "their love has grown even deeper" throughout the years. Has it? Maybe you have simply lowered the standards, or forgotten what that meant all those years ago. I know that all of the Hallmark store frequenters are thinking that I am somehow jaded or misunderstanding what love is. I beg to differ. I am honest, both with myself, and the people in my life that, for now, hold my heart. I also feel that if YOU think that you have the ability to define "love", you are selling short the greatest capacity of the human heart and mind.

I do not seek to define that word. Love exists in many forms, and changes with the wind. So, what does it mean when two people are never separated, not by time, not by distance, or by circumstance? Think about that. I said, circumstance. How easy is it to dismiss "love" when the "planets do not align", and allow "love" to be experienced by conventional means? Does the emotion, or the word take on less meaning? According to Hallmark, it does.

Can a "love" like that remain constant?

I think that it has a better chance of survival than a love that has been defined, contracted, and stamped with an official state seal....you know...a marriage license.

We are complex, why do we need to simplify the greatest abilty that we possess? Can it last forever? I believe that it can, but only if not suffocated by the restraints that our minds put on our hearts.

We need to allow "love" to take it's natural course, whether met with success or failure, if allowed to define itself, it is now, was then, and always will be pure. Stop being so afraid to allow love to be pure. "True love" may NOT be forever, but is an amazing gift if allowed to exist in the moment it chooses.

I DO believe in true love. It exists only when not strangled by our need to control and define it. When one person truly loves another, there is very little that can be said to accurately express or define it. When you have found the definition, you have strangled it's purity.

I choose to love. I love for today...not the promise of tomorrow. If love stays with me, it is because it chose to...not because I forced it to. Yes, I see love as something completely, and utterly out of human control.

Do you know when you love someone? It is when you say, "I love you", and yet you have NO IDEA what that means.

Do yourself a favor...leave it be. Let love be exactly what it is....the moment. Live for that, not for achieving what you think the definition is.

Will it last forever? It will. We destroy it with expectations and demands, both on ourselves and the ones that we say that we love.

So, I will say, "I love you"...and shrug my shoulders, simply because I do not dare try to cage the greatest feeling I have ever known. I use those words simply because i have yet to find ones less threatening.

And you wonder why the word is only four small letters for such a complex feeling....when overwhelmed by love, do you not sigh? Funny...the expression is not even a "word".

Earth to Catholics!

Did you know that, statistically, your child is safer left alone on a street corner than in the "safety" of a Catholic church? We, as parents, fear the loss or harm of our child above all else. You worry continually about their safety and well being, to the point of sleepless nights. We teach our children to not talk to, or accept anything from strangers. We teach them to avoid situations that can place them directly in harm's way. We routinely check websites like "Megan's Law" to be informed as to where the dangers lie. Then, you drop them off at your local church and feel that they are safe and loved.

So I have to ask you, how far up your ass does your head have to be to NOT see the inherent dangers here? How many times do we, as a society, have to hear about acts of sexual assault, molestation and rape within the Catholic church before you morons get it? Now pull your bunched panties out of your ass, and settle down. I am NOT attacking your faith, or your choice of being a dutiful Catholic. I am attacking your idiocy as a parent. How is it, that after this many years and incidents of gross negligence on the part of the Catholic church, that you just can not see what is right under your noses? How can you NOT see that the very structure of your religion is a breeding ground for the socially backward and deviants that lurk in the primordial ooze of our society?

Your "church" consists of gaggles of men and women who, for some unknown reason, have devoted their entire lives to "spreading the word of god". Very interresting concept, don't you think? You have faith in your god, so what separates you from the men and women who enter the priesthood and convent? Your faith just isn't as strong as theirs? Did you not "receive the call"? Why not? Are you, somehow, less valuable in your god's eyes? Maybe you did not have the additional pressures from your parents to join the church. Maybe you just didn't take your catechism classes quite as seriously as some of your classmates. Maybe you had a desire to be loved and have a family that consists of real and tangible beings, you know, humans. But maybe, just maybe, you aren't a child molesting deviant who requires protection from the largest and most powerful organization in the world.

Now, I understand that every religion has the need to ritual and practice. Feel free to enjoy the ceremonial drinking of wine and devouring of styrofoam as symbolism for eating your great diety. Feel free to sit, stand, kneel, bow and genuflect before a wooden cross bearing the tortured figure of a man. Feel free to spew your "sins" to a man who hides behind a closed window. Feel free to build obnoxious structures that display your wealth to your competetion, all the while consuming public, tax free land. But can you explain one thing to me, please?

Why do you continue to leave your children in the care of someone who has never raised a child? Why do you continue to leave your child in the care of someone that, for all practical purposes, has ABSOLUTELY NO way of you checking their past, their qualifications, licensing, or clearances to be educating and caring for your child? Holy shit, people, you amaze me! When you look for a daycare facility to care for your child, would you NOT check those things? When your child enters school, do you NOT make sure that the teachers, caregivers and staff employed within that building have the proper documentation and clearances to have access to your child? Do you NOT check the qualifications and backgrounds of their coaches, youth leaders, and mentors? No? Well, there is the problem, I suppose.

If you answered, "OF COURSE!" to any of those questions, then what the hell is wrong with you? Why would you, for one minute, consider leaving your most precious responsibility in the hands of someone that has NOT been able to meet those criteria? I know the answer already. Frankly, it makes me sick. You do this because you truly believe that these people are somehow closer you your god than you are. They are "good people" who are spreading your faith to those who YOU have determined require it. You read, and hear about these incidents of sexual abuse time after time, and yet, somehow, believe that it won't happen to you in YOUR church. Guess what, dipshit, IT CAN! Why would you take that chance? Your priests, nuns, bishops and funny hat wearing clowns are PEOPLE! They are NOT gods. They are NOT better than you. They are people! You are trusting PEOPLE with no searchable background with your child!

You are questioning why I continue to use phrases like "no searchable background" and "no clearances", aren't you? You are pathetic. This organization that you have so trustingly joined has been at the center of covering up and denying the abuse among their ranks for decades. How can one face the laws when the laws don't apply to them? How can they face justice when there are hundreds of people just like them aiding the the cover up of what they have done? Why would they do that? They do it to preserve their "holier than thou" position in the world. They do it to preserve their memberships and cash flow. They do it because they are PEOPLE making money hand over fist off of the control and brainwashing of their followers! They do it because they hold great political and social power that yeilds their ability to infect more and more people with their "word", thus yielding more cash flow.

You are paying membership dues to an organization that covers up aggregious acts commited by their officials. You are paying membership dues to an organization that harbors known molesters and rapists, and they do it in the name of god. If that doesn't bother you, then you are no better than they are.

I would no sooner leave my child in the care of a Catholic priest or nun than I would leave my child in the care of a known child molesting polygamist. Funny, I found these two articles side by side this morning....read....enjoy....and see if you can detect the problem here...

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



VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI rebuked Irish bishops Saturday for "grave errors of judgment" in handling clerical sex abuse and ordered an investigation into the Irish church but did not mention any Vatican responsibility.

In a letter to the Irish faithful read across Europe amid a growing, multination abuse scandal, the pope doled out no specific punishments to bishops blamed by victims, and Irish government-ordered investigations, for having covered up abuse of thousands of Irish children from the 1930s to the 1990s.

Ireland's main group of clerical-abuse victims, One in Four, said it was deeply disappointed by the letter because it failed to lay blame with the Vatican for what it called a "deliberate policy of the Catholic Church at the highest levels to protect sex offenders, thereby endangering children."

"If the church cannot acknowledge this fundamental truth, it is still in denial," the group said.

The letter directly addressed only Ireland, but the Vatican said it could be read as applying to other countries. Hundreds of new allegations of abuse have recently come to light across Europe, including in the pope's native Germany, where he served as archbishop in a diocese where several victims have recently come forward. One priest suspected of molesting boys while the future pope was in charge was transferred to a job where he abused more children.

While a cardinal at the Vatican, Joseph Ratzinger penned a letter instructing bishops around the world to report all cases of abuse to his office and keep them secret under threat of excommunication. Irish bishops have said the letter was widely understood to mean they shouldn't report the cases to police.

"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry," Benedict said, addressing himself to Irish Catholics who suffered "sinful and criminal" abuse at the hands of priests, brothers and nuns and a botched response by their superiors.

"It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the church," he said. "In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel."

Benedict used his harshest words for the abusers themselves, saying they had betrayed the trust of the faithful, brought shame on the church and now must answer before God and civil authorities.

"Conceal nothing," he exhorted them. "Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God's mercy."

Benedict faulted their superiors, the Irish bishops, for having failed "sometimes grievously" to apply the church's own law which calls for harsh punishments for child abusers, including defrocking priests.

But he didn't rebuke them specifically for having failed to report cases of abuse to police, saying only that serious mistakes were made and that now they must prevent future abuse and "continue to cooperate with civil authorities."

"I recognize how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of the problem, to obtain reliable information and to make the right decisions in the light of conflicting expert advice," Benedict wrote.

"Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors of judgment were made and failures of leadership occurred. And this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness."

While the letter doled out no punishment for the bishops, the pope did order a Vatican investigation into some dioceses, seminaries and religious orders. Such a move is undertaken only when Rome considers a local church unable to deal with a problem on its own. The Vatican ordered such an "apostolic visitation" into U.S. seminaries after the U.S. clerical sex abuse scandal exploded in 2002.

The results of the Irish investigation could lead to further action.

Victims have been demanding that bishops resign, and three Irish bishops have offered to step down. Benedict hasn't accepted the resignations.

Asked why there were no punitive provisions in the letter, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi noted that the letter was pastoral, not administrative or disciplinary in nature, and that any further measures concerning resignations would be taken by the competent Vatican offices.

Cardinal Sean Brady, the top cardinal in Ireland who himself is under fire for not reporting a notorious abuser to police, welcomed the letter.

"Let us pray that the Holy Father's pastoral letter will be the beginning of a great season of rebirth and hope in the Irish Church," he said.

Three Irish government-ordered investigations published from 2005 to 2009 have documented how thousands of Irish children suffered rape, molestation and other abuse by priests in their parishes and by nuns and brothers in boarding schools and orphanages. Irish bishops did not report a single case to police until 1996 after victims began to sue the church.

The reports have faulted Rome for sending confusing messages to the Irish church about norms to be followed and, in general, for what it called the absence of a coherent set of canon laws and rules to apply in cases of abuse.

In particular, the so-called Murphy report faulted the 2001 secrecy letter penned by then-Cardinal Ratzinger, who headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for a quarter-century before becoming pope, making him the most informed Vatican official about the global scale of clerical abuse.

In that role, he denounced the "filth" in the priesthood and initiated what has amounted to a crackdown on predatory priests, demanding a policy of zero tolerance from his bishops. As pope, he has met with American, Australian and Canadian victims of abuse, offering them comfort and apologies.

Nevertheless, reports emerged last week that while he was archbishop of Munich in the 1980s, Ratzinger approved therapy for a priest suspected of molesting boys. The priest was then transferred to a job where he later abused more children. He was convicted in a criminal trial. The archdiocese has said Ratzinger's then vicar general took full responsibility for the transfer.

Lombardi defended Benedict in his handling of the global abuse scandal and said anyone who knows the pontiff's background and history would know he has been a "witness for coherence and correctness" in confronting abuse and a "guide to overcome a past of silence."

Lombardi was peppered with questions about why the German-born pope didn't directly address the German scandal or take the opportunity of the letter to make a more sweeping commentary on the now-global dimensions of the scandal.

Lombardi acknowledged the other cases but said the Irish scandal was unique in its scope. But he said that obviously issues in the letter could be read to apply to other countries and individuals.

"You can't talk about the entire world every time," he said. "It risks becoming banal."

The head of the German bishops' conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, said the letter was a message also for Germany.

"The sexual abuse scandal in Ireland is not just an Irish problem, it is the scandal of the church in many places, it is the scandal of the church in Germany," he said.

A prominent German Catholic activist group, We Are Church, said it respected the pope's efforts with the letter.

But it faulted him for failing to address the fact that abuse is a global and structural problem for the church. "It would be good if there would be a mea culpa from him for all victims around the globe," said spokesman Christian Weisner.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100320/ap_on_re_us/us_polygamist_trial;_ylt=AtGbyKiRkEOavUPkrC95On1bbBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTM4NHRyYmltBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzIwL3VzX3BvbHlnYW1pc3RfdHJpYWwEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM0BHBvcwM0BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDbWVtYmVyb2Z0ZXhh

SAN ANGELO, Texas – The latest member of a polygamist group whose sprawling West Texas ranch was raided in 2008 has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual assault of a child.

Thirty-five-year-old Merril Leroy Jessop was sentenced Friday. Jurors earlier this week also found he violated Texas laws prohibiting bigamy.

Prosecutors say Jessop tried to delete photos and other documents connecting him to an underage bride.

Jessop is the fourth member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to be tried since authorities raided and seized documents from the Yearning For Zion Ranch. The weeklong raid temporarily sent 439 children to foster care.

The Texas attorney general's office says eight more group members are awaiting trial.





75 years? Wow, and yet....where are the Catholic priests? Tomorrow is Sunday, go ask yours. Good luck.

UH OH.....

This is a product sold and advertized for birth control....


The common side effects reported by NuvaRing® users are:

Vaginal infections and irritation
Vaginal secretion
Headache
Weight gain
Nausea
In addition to the risks and side effects listed above, users of combination hormonal birth control methods have reported the following side effects:

Vomiting
Change in appetite
Abdominal cramps and bloating
Breast tenderness or enlargement
Irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting
Changes in menstrual cycle
Temporary infertility after treatment
Fluid retention (edema)
Spotty darkening of the skin, particularly on the face
Rash
Weight changes
Depression
Intolerance to contact lenses
Nervousness
Dizziness
Loss of scalp hair




Did you catch all of that? Here, let me help you again....just in case you do not want to get pregnant, you should try this shit.

Vaginal infections and irritation


Well look on the bright side. You DEFINITELY will NOT get pregnant, due to your partner not being able to get past the smell....yeah, I said it.

Vaginal secretion


This kind of goes with the infection thingy, right? Yeah...exactly.

Headache


FINALLY, the "I have a headache" thing will ACTUALLY be effective in preventing multiple Catholic pregnancies! YAY!

Weight gain


Guess what else causes weight gain! PREGNANCY! Uh oh, sound like you are fucked either way.

Nausea


"sorry, honey. I just can't tonight. The thought of having your child makes me want to hurl!"

Vomiting


"SEE? I TOLD you, but nooooooo, you just had to give it a go, huh?"

Change in appetite

I am guessing that by "changes" they mean....WEIGHT GAIN!

Abdominal cramps and bloating

What, you don't want to have sex with your abdomen feeling like it is in a vice grip? You sure?

Breast tenderness or enlargement


This one just made every man think this shit is a good idea! Nice going, assholes.

Irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting


Could be difficult to schedule, oh, YOUR LIFE around this one, don't ya think?

Changes in menstrual cycle


by "changes", they must mean fucked up. Come on people, just say it how it is already!

Temporary infertility after treatment


um....this IS birth control, right? Bah, stop your complaining, just because you didn't want children at 19, doesn't mean that you can just go having them at 30! Holy hell.

Fluid retention (edema)

not good! The good news is, this same company markets a diuretic! ;)Good preparation, guys. Well played.

Spotty darkening of the skin, particularly on the face


Well, you won't get pregnant, but we have more bad news, you could possibly look like the aliens in that terrible TV show, "V". That's not so bad....

Rash


one question....WHERE???

Weight changes

I am just going to take a stab in the dark here...um...going UP??? I am guessing so, with fluid retention and all, but MAYBE you will puke up everything you eat, and it will all even out. Good luck.

Depression


Oh shit, fat, bloated, splotchy face...and then you are going to get depressed? Jesus Christ, they should just sell you a loaded rifle!

Intolerance to contact lenses


*blank stare* WTF.... more explanation is required here....

Nervousness


Is this a nice way of saying your heart will race? I bet it is.

Dizziness


Greeeeeat, this will go well with the nausea thing...like peas and carrots...

Loss of scalp hair


I was hoping "bald" would make the top ten, unfortunately...dead last. Just a thought...only SCALP hair? One would think ALL hair...go figure. You will still have to wax. That sucks.


OK, so this is what I am thinking. What the FUCK???? I am becoming more and more in favor of NOT being lazy, and using a fuckin rubber! Jesus Christ, people. If it is THAT important, maybe you shouldn't "cut corners". I am just saying....

you know what the side effect of THAT is? Latex allergy. That's it. If you have it, use a different kind. Holy fuck. I don't care HOW MUCH HE doesn't want to wear it because it might be "less sensation"....you want a sensation asshole???? TRY CHILDBIRTH!

End rant.

What inspires?

"What inspires?" is a question that has rattled around in my mind for as long as I can remember. We read poetry that inspires. We hear tales of success and survival, and they inspire. We set goals and determine desires, and the end result inspires. But what does that really mean? How do we determine what or who is worthy of providing inspiration? Is it a mere feeling that is invoked by the ryhthm of a musical composition? Is it the words, and the tale that is told? Is it the inflection in the voice of a narrator telling a tale of survival? Is it simply human empathy that allows the words, or actions to trigger feelings of "inspiration"?

In my world, for something, or someone to be "inspirational", action must be generated. To put it simply, if you hear something, or read something, or know someone, and you get "that feeling" from their words or actions....yet you do nothing as a result....there has not been true inspiration. Your reaction was simply one of empty emotional response triggered by chemicals that stain the neutrons in the brain. True inspiration requires action.

So, here is my action. I, fairly recently, had the pleasure of becoming the friend of a man who has the power to inspire. However, I feel in my heart, that he is unaware of the power that he holds. He did not rescue an old lady from a burning building. He did not break any world records. He has not given his limbs and his mind in service of his country. He has merely survived. He has survived human weakness, chance of birth, and hatred.

If you would indulge me, for just a moment, I would be grateful. I want you to visualize a small boy, growing up in a vast world. Visualize his clothes, the broad smile on his face, and the streaks of tears on his cheeks when he scrapes his knee on the front steps. He runs into the house, and into the arms of his adoring mother. She sees a future leader in his eyes. She smiles with pride at this new life just waiting to show the world what he is made of. He looks up at her, and never realizes that one day, she will be gone from him. Time seems to stand still, and becoming a "grown up" is millions of ticks on a clock away. He is every child. He is you, and me. His life is just beginning, and he has no idea what the future holds. He has even less of a concept of what the concept of "future" even means. All he cares about is the new record that he can not wait to tear open and hear. He hears the music, and it makes him dance, sing, and dream. His whole world is set to music. He hears the sounds of laughter, and they are the future tones and verses of the music that he dreams to create.

But then, life begins to happen. As we all know, life can be cruel. It can take a child, full of innocence and wide eyed dreams, and make them a bitter and devastated old fool. How easily that can happen in a world full of pain, hate, and a lack of understanding that we are all born exactly the same.

What child did you imagine? Was he a blonde, curly haired, blue eyed boy with denim pants and his favorite team jersey on? Did you see the faces of your own children? Did you go back in time, and see yourself? What dreams have eluded you due to the trappings of life?

I want to ask you if you envisioned a black, homosexual, recovered drug addict. No? Well, that is the adult version of that child. What was once a happy, and innocent child became a man riddled with pain. Life throws us some pretty vicious curve balls. It is difficult to be a black man in our society. It is even more difficult to be a homosexual man in our society. It is painful to lose a loved one, but even more painful to lose the one person who TRULY understood who you are. When that person is gone, a part of you dies too. Only a man of true heart and strength could overcome the pain of having his life planned for him, without say in what society determined him to be. Is it any wonder that someone like him would turn to substance abuse to escape the pain of loss, hatred and broken dreams? What part do WE play in who he became?

So now, I want you to picture an adult man standing alone in a room with hundreds of thousands of fingers pointing at him. I want you to hear hundreds of thousands of voices screaming the words, NIGGER! FAGGOT! HOMO! JUNGLE BUNNY! REJECT! CRACKHEAD! LOSER! YOU DON'T MATTER!

Then I want you to be that man. I want you to look around that room for the one person that you just KNOW will hold you and make it all go away. She isn't there. She is dead. You are all alone. The relationships that you have, are the ones that you have made alone. Those faces are few and far between the pointing fingers and the hateful words.

Would you have the strength to come back from your own weaknesses and accept that you were born to be better than this? Would you have the courage to fight through that crowd and come out on the other side? I don't know if I could. It takes unimaginable strength to survive, not what others do to us, but what we do to ourselves. It takes looking deep inside and finding that weakness, and making that change. Now, what if you are unable to change who you are, by birth. Would you allow that to become your excuse for remaining bitter, hateful, and allowing the pain to consume you? It would be so easy, wouldn't it?

Inspiration takes action. Aaron, you are an inspiration to anyone with the heart and strength of mind to understand how easily you could have become just another statistic. You didn't. You became a man who fought through the pain and the darkness of life, and came out a musician, and a man to be respected. Those who point their fingers should wish for such strength. Maybe what they should do, is lower their fingers, take a long, hard look at who they are. They should know that thier finger is raised, and their voices are screaming, because they do not have the strength to do what you did. THAT would be inspiring.

So, for you, I lower my finger. I take your act of returning from darkness and it inspires me to think about why I am the person that I am. It is not your music, and the lyrics that inspire. It is the man behind those tones and words.

To overcome the weakness inside of yourself, is to overcome the greatest obstacle. It is easy to raise yourself up from what others have done. It is next to impossible to raise yourself up from what you have done.

Lower your fingers. Do what Aaron did. Look into your hearts. Remember the innocence of a child, and don't be just another finger pointing in a crowd. We cannot change this world, until we change ourselves. WE are the composition, WE are lyrics, We are the audience, and WE are the artists. We make this world what it is. It is your choice to be a person of strength, like Aaron, or a person of weakness simply pointing and screaming.

On Aaron's behalf, I will stand outside of that crowded room, and I point my finger at you. I scream in your face, and tell you that you DO NOT have the courage that he does. I call out your weaknesses and your flaws, as dictated by my peers. I humiliate you, and push you to the breaking point, and beyond. I rob you of love, and sanctuary. There are thousands like me. Then I challenge you not to crumble. Can you do it? If you do crumble, can you recover?

I know this man now. I know him AFTER he pulled himself up. I do not know the old Aaron. I only know the result. I also know that I was a pointed finger. I accept my responsibility in what Aaron had to struggle through, and thanks to his inspiration to be stronger that I could, I lower my finger. I stop screaming without compassion. I will not do to you, what WE have done to him.

There will always be unrest and hate in our society. It is a sad reality that we all must face. Aaron faced it alone, and survived. It was a long road, and a painful process. Each and every one of us has travelled that road, in one way or another. How did you come out?

Get your finger out of my face. Lower your voice, and speak to me respectfully. If you do not, I will walk right past you....for Aaron.

Yikes...

THE NEAR-BREAK-UP

Yesterday, I had a late-afternoon coffee with an editor friend. Since I was heading to my shrink afterward, I began telling my friend how I was SICK to death of the way my shrink was constantly encouraging me to dwell on my miserable childhood. And perhaps even more sick of the way that the very method of therapy seems to put me in a position where I am always asking myself: What's wrong with me? In what ways do I suck? And how can I maybe suck a little less? That I was at least equally sick of talking about life more than I was living it, it seemed.

I told her I wanted to stop trying to prevent unhappiness and start trying to make happiness.

I wanted to lighten up!

Anyway, after I left my friend, I waltzed up the 20 blocks to my shrink's office, feeling invigorated to the point of Mary-Tyler-Moore-ness by resolve: After 8 years, I was finally going to tell my shrink it was over! I was going to get that albatross off from around my neck!

And this time, unlike a few times in the past, I knew I wasn't motivated simply by my frustration over my lack of progress or because I was pissed off that my shrink had never suggested I take anti-depressants--which as I've said repeatedly, have really changed my life.

No, I was going to quit because I felt ready to move on, to take the reins, to take more responsibility for improving my life rather than passively depending on her to guide me through it. What's more, I was going to put the money I saved on my sessions to take myself out once a week: to dinner, or to see a performance at Brooklyn Academy of Music, or jazz at Lincoln Center, etc. Woo-hoo! Brilliant! Why hadn't I thought of this before?

And then I got to the office ... and I didn't want to start right in with the bad news ... so I started telling her about the awkwardness of the Saturday night dinner ... and about how I bumped into someone I used to care for a great deal over the last few days and how even just the quickest hug from him as we were both leaving an event tugged at my heart-strings (but is that only because I once thought his love could redeem me, if only I could win it? and is that healthy?) ... and ... one thing and another ... and I didn't go through with it.


http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/dating-blog/when-to-break-up-dump-your-shrink-noise-pollution


I really don't want to poke fun at this person's blog entry, being as he/she has spent the last eight years in therapy, but....

as usual, I am going to do it anyway....

I read this post this morning, and honestly, I could not stop laughing. Honey, who is your shrink? I think that you owe it to the community to make their identity public. Did you check on the wall for one of those framed degrees? You should probably take a look next time you go to break up with her.

You had a good plan going there! What happened?

Let's see if I can work some magic that, apparently, your overpaid shrink was unable to do.

I want you to ask yourself a question. What kind of a person requires someone else to "guide them through their life", and pays them to do so? But, more importantly, what kind of a person takes that money from the forementioned person while telling them to take the reigns in their own life???

Answer to question one: Someone who does not see their own strength and value. A person like this requires constant reassurance and guidance through the winding roads of life. They fear rejection, not having someone to love them, not making enough money, not pleasing their friends and family, and, most likely is a doormat in every relationship they have ever been in.

Answer to question number two: A hypocritical asshole who is getting rich off of others' suffering.

Do I really have to point out that your inablity to "break up" (nice choice of words, btw) with your shrink is the core of the reason that you go to the shrink in the first place? Why in the world would your "friendly neighborhood shrink" want it any other way?

You seriously mean to tell me that you could NOT walk into her office and tell her that after eight years, she sucks at this? That's funny, in an ironic and pathetic kind of way.

I think you should just put a quarter in one of those "fortune teller" machines every morning, and just go with it. It will be cheaper, and equally as effective, being as YOU live your life, therefore she is only guessing at solutions based on what you have told her, and accumulated data acquired through careful "scientific study".

That is all you are, honey. You are another quarter in the fortune teller gimmick machine. You put something in, you get something out. It is worth a quarter? Well, only if it seems to come true. So, you have put thousands of quarters in the machine, and it keeps spitting out prognostications and advice, but yet, the end result is always the same.....please drop in another quarter. Then you just wait to see if it was correct.

Do you NOT realize that YOU control whether or not your future is bright and happy? Why should someone else have to tell you that? How old are you? Listen, everyone has had shit in their lives. That is why this profession of "therapy" even exists. This may come as a revelation to you, but there are people who have lived through worse and come out of it without eight years of wasting time and money on regurgitated stock answers that lead NO WHERE!

Find a good friend who REALLy cares and will listen when you just need to emotionally vomit all over them. They are a rarity these days, but they do exist. Have a nice, relaxing day that YOU determine what makes you happy at that moment. Don't forget your past, use it to make you stronger and to guide you and teach others how to live, laugh and love. Make it into a strength instead of a weakness. Allow yourself to fail. You can't have it all, all of the time. Bury your head in your pillow and cry if you need to cry, then get up, look in the mirror and see the puffy red eyes and blotchy skin on your cheeks. Then ask yourself if that is the person you want the world to see. If the answer is as it should be...no. Then get cleaned up, find a reason to smile, and show that smile to the world.

Everything that happens to us, in this life, forms who we are, and who we will become. Don't fear it, but see it for what it is.....just life testing your fortitude.

After eight years, if you still feel as though you are not ready to live your life through your own ability to make decisions and handle the ramifications of them, well then, PLEASE fire that woman, and find someone who will do what they claim is their job....to just be a short term foundational guide....not a dependency.

Speaking of dependency....good luck with those anti depressants. ;)