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Anyone who has been to prison…

As some of y’all might know I am an ordained minister. Actually I am doubly ordained. My first ordination is from the Universal Life Church of Modesto, California. hm-logoI originally became ordained because of the good Christians at Saks where I worked in Jackson, MS several years ago. Even though I was not worried about my soul, they were. So I became ordained and posted the certificate in my cube. If they came by cube with their evangelizing I would point to the certificate and invite to my services…basically we met every Friday night down at Joe’s Bar and Grill. They pretty much left me alone after that. Along with the certificate I received a wallet card and a license plate holder. I sometime pull the wallet card out in various discussions.

I am a big fan of The Dude in the film The Big Lebowski. A few years ago Robin had me ordained as a Dudeist priest. I usually say I am a Dudeist priest of the Pastafarian Monastery. It is all in good fun, although I can legally do anything a pastor/minister/priest can do.

I typically gas up at the same gas station/convenience store close to the house. This particularly store has a couple long term employees. One them is a friendly fellow about my age, covered with tattoos, Continue reading “Anyone who has been to prison…”

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I, at least, thought I was hilarious.

I spent a few nights in a motel in Jackson, by gawd, Mississippi while visiting a friend done there.  The scrolling marquee on the billboard for the motel advertised free breakfast, pool and WiFi.

One evening I went up to the front desk and requested two of the free wifies for the night.  The clerk looked at me with an expression somewhere between incomprehension and customer service patience migrating to head banging exasperation.

I, at least, thought I was hilarious.

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There is a story in here somewhere.

bkThere is a story in here somewhere.

We went to a retirement dinner which was actually breakfast foods.  Our protagonist is retiring from a lifetime of teaching elementary school.  What makes this interesting in the dime novel sort of way is that our heroine is a late in life lesbian.  She and another woman met, became enraptured with each other, and divorced their respective husbands.   What followed was tumultuous relation over a period of years.  The romantic portion of the relationship did end, but the relationship continues at some level.

What grabbed my attention at the dinner was that we were sitting next to her current girlfriend.  Her original girlfriend, now her ex was walking around taking pictures.  Both the divorced husbands from above were there.  At one point the two gentlemen were visiting with each other.

I can only imagine what would happen if I showed up at my ex’s retirement dinner.

You cannot make this stuff up.

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Theodore Roosevelt — Socialist

socialism1Theodore Roosevelt was frequently called a Socialist. The primary reason being that he had an extraordinary sense of fair play. He sided with labor when he thought that the just thing to do, and against capital when he thought they had overstepped their bounds.

I have on occasionally been called a Socialist, generally by folks totally ignorant, at least of the true meaning of socialism. But that criticism includes a vast majority of the right leaning media.

I love Teddy’s response to being called a Socialist:

“Because of things I have done on behalf of justice to the workingman, I have often been called a Socialist. Usually I have not taken the trouble even to notice the epithet. I am not afraid of names, and I am not one of those who fear to do what is right because someone else will confound me with partisans with whose principles I am not in accord. Moreover, I know that many American Socialists are high-minded and honorable citizens, who in reality are merely radical social reformers. They are oppressed by the brutalities and industrial injustices which we see everywhere about us. When I recall how often I have seen Socialists and ardent non-Socialists working side by side for some specific measure of social or industrial reform, and how I have found opposed to them on the side of privilege many shrill reactionaries who insist on calling all reformers Socialists, I refuse to be panic-stricken by having this title mistakenly applied to me.”

If socialism is really defined as not letting the privileged run over the less fortunate, then I am Continue reading “Theodore Roosevelt — Socialist”

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Another Teddy Roosevelt quote for our times

Teddy-Roosevelt-Rough-Rider“These men demanded for themselves an immunity from governmental control which, if granted, would have been as wicked and as foolish as immunity to the barons of the twelfth century. Many of them were evil men. Many others were just as good men as were some of these same barons; but they were as utterly unable as any medieval castle-owner to understand what the public interest really was. There have been aristocracies which have played a great and beneficent part at stages in the growth of mankind; but we had come to the stage where for our people what was needed was a real democracy; and of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, the tyranny of a plutocracy.“

and bonus one… funny how little progress we have made, or perhaps have reverted back to those times of Robber Barons.

“Men who understand and practice the deep underlying philosophy of the Lincoln school of American political thought are necessarily Hamiltonian in their belief in a strong and efficient National Government Continue reading “Another Teddy Roosevelt quote for our times”

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Damn it, you’re welcome

There is a lot of good advice in this short article, 19 Words That Will Make People Like You More.  There is one section that struck me most vividly as it has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time now. From the article:

“Words No. 3 and 4: “You’re welcome.”

Sometime in fairly recent history it seems people stopped saying, “You’re welcome,” and started substituting, “Yep,” or, “No problem.” At the risk of sounding older than I am, I think this is a step in the wrong direction–at least in a business or professional setting.

Why? Because ditching “you’re welcome” for these other phrases changes the message. “You’re welcome” acknowledges that you’ve done something worth someone else’s thanks, while “no problem” suggests that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Saying the former phrase conveys that you think it was a worthwhile favor. That’s an impressive message to send.”

I first started noticing this phenomenon on NPR.  The interviewer would say to interviewee, Continue reading “Damn it, you’re welcome”

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The Myth of the Shattering of the Vessels

I heard this Jewish traditional myth about the Hidden Light on Kristen Tippet’s NPR show On Being.   So I went looking for it on da’ net as it was such a wonderful concept and a cc_loot_du_jourwonderful way of looking at other souls.

On the website Tikkum I found the following article How the Ari Created a Myth and Transformed Judaism

An excerpt:

“How is it that a concept rooted in medieval Jewish mysticism has so endeared itself to contemporary Jews? In order to understand this unlikely development, let us first consider the myth itself, known as “The Shattering of the Vessels” (shevirat ha-kelim).

At the beginning of time, God’s presence filled the universe. When God decided to bring this world into being, to make room for creation, He first drew in His breath, contracting Himself. From that contraction darkness was created. And when God said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3), the light that came into being filled the darkness, and ten holy vessels came forth, each filled with primordial light. Continue reading “The Myth of the Shattering of the Vessels”

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My Path to Atheism by Annie Besant

A more descriptive title for this book for today might be My Path from Christianity to a New Age Religion.pathatheism_1311

Ms. Besant had a well documented intellectual journey from evangelical Christianity to Victorian Atheism to Theosophy.  Quoting from Wikipedia defining theosophy:

“Theosophy refers to systems of esoteric philosophy concerning, or investigation seeking direct knowledge of, presumed mysteries of being and nature, particularly concerning the nature of divinity.

Theosophy is considered a part of the broader field of esotericism, referring to hidden knowledge or wisdom that offers the individual enlightenment and salvation. The theosophist seeks to understand the mysteries of the universe and the bonds that unite the universe, humanity, and the divine. The goal of theosophy is to explore the origin of divinity and humanity, and the world. From investigation of those topics, theosophists try to discover a coherent description of the purpose and origin of the universe.”

Reading her book I was never convinced she was an atheist in the modern sense of the word, a rejection of belief in deities.  What she was rejecting was Christianity, Continue reading “My Path to Atheism by Annie Besant”