RELIGION: Kennedy's Catholicism

I was a little surprised watching the funeral of Ted Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery with a reading of a letter Kennedy sent the Pope (hand delivered by President Obama) and a partial response from the Vatican by a secretary speaking for Pope Benedict.

Everyone knows the Kennedys were and are Catholic; remember the big deal about John Kennedy being a Catholic president and would he have to take orders from the Pope?

In the letter, Kennedy asked the Pope to pray for him. I guess if you really believe in your faith and think the Pope has some influence with god, than I guess when you are dying why not use up all your options. The problem here is that Kennedy is not seen as a good Catholic by the Vatican; after all, Kennedy champions abortion prochoice, stem-cell research and gay marriage. He has also been married a number of times and had other issues the Vatican did not like.

But you argue, Kennedy dedicated his life to serving the poor and downtrodden something akin to what Jesus did. But alas, Catholicism has nothing to do with Jesus and everything to do with the Pope and the Vatican. For all intents and purposes, the Vatican trumps Jesus, the Bible and god himself since the Vatican makes up what it thinks god says or wants.

But Kennedy, in his letter to the Pope, confirmed his deep belief in and regard for his Catholic faith which seems to indicate to me (and to many other Catholics) that being a Catholic does not necessarily mean accepting everything the Pope says or decrees as valid, authoritative or for that matter, even true. It’s as if the Pope just has an opinion on issues that can be disagreed with and ignored while still remaining true to the Catholic religion – interesting.

I did notice that Catholic big-wigs stayed on the sidelines during Kennedy’s funeral, no Cathedral and a retired bishop at the gravesite – interesting. I also recently learned that Caroline Kennedy was nixed as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican in favor of a pro-life Cuban-born professor of theology named Miguel Diaz – interesting.

I think the situation between American Catholicism and the Vatican is, in the long run, untenable; either we elect a liberal pope or we split as in schism from Rome. It has happened before and why not again; if we really think the Vatican is wrong in its stances on various issues how can we continue to be so hypocritical?

Kennedy would have been a good man to lead the Catholic opposition but in the end, when death was at the door, he decided to stick with the pope he did not agree with, just in case the pope really had some sway with the big guy – too bad.

MOVIES: Cherry Blossoms - Must see!

I rarely comment on movies I have seen but the movie CHERRY BLOSSOMS (2008)(Netflix) that I just saw last night, so moved me that I just have to write a recommendation.

It is a German movie so you do have subtitles but that is not a drawback at all unlike subtitled movies from lets say, Israel, where you don’t have time to read the subtitles because they are so bloody long and they speak so fast. Actually the second part of the movie is mainly in English because it took place in Japan and as we all know (?) Germans and Japanese communicate with each other in English. This is true of most nationalities since English has become the de-facto universal language.

The movie resonated with me so strongly because, as in many cases, you can see yourself in the story or identify with a character in the story. The German couple in the movie was older, nearing retirement with a number of grown children, one who actually lives and works in Japan.

I will not give away the plot but the couple was like many couples that have been married for a long time and have grown comfortable with each other and have settled into a predictable if not boring day to day existence.

The wife’s secret or not so secret passion was BUTOH Dancing and things Japanese. This type of dancing is a mix between white faced traditional Japanese dancing and German Expressionist dance.

We sometimes take life for granted as we do with relationships. This movie explores this theme and other subtle themes in a very poignant fashion; the story will linger with you for a very long time and maybe even make you examine your short existence on this earth.

HEALTHCARE: Start over please!

I know we are all tired of the healthcare debate, if we can call it that, but the subject is really too important to just ignore.

As much as I am disgusted with the morons in the town hall screaming sessions, the Republicans that just smell political blood and don’t want to work together to fix a real problem or those like Sarah Palin and FOXNEWS that just make up stuff to sow fear among Americans, I will have to admit that Obama blew the handling of this whole healthcare reform issue.

His first mistake was allowing Congress to write healthcare legislation and his second mistake was giving Congress a time table that was totally unrealistic which made him and the Democrats appear as if they were trying to sneak something past the public.

The legislation that was hastily written was over 1,000 pages long and was not disseminated in an orderly and timely fashion to the public and the media for comment. Innuendo, misinformation and outright lies about what was in the bill hit the airwaves even before it was printed.

Just recently I learned that there was a provision in the bill that would allocate 10-20 Billion dollars to UAW members who took a company buyout to cover their medical costs until they reach the age of 65 when they can be covered under Medicare. This type of irresponsible behavior with taxpayer money makes me think that the entire bill needs to be scraped and the debate re-started, point by point. In fact, I will demand that this be done!

Another mistake by Obama was to introduce a bill that would cost taxpayers TRILLIONS of dollars in the middle of the worst recession / depression since the 1930s. The stimulus package has already put the country in a hole like we have never seen before; have you ever heard the word TRILLION used this many times EVER in your life?

I have been writing about healthcare reform for a number of years now and much can and should be done to make our health system more efficient and therefore cheaper.

Reform, the kind that does not cost us much money, should be implemented in baby steps to see how each regulation impacts the system. A good place to start would be to remove obstacles that prohibit health insurance companies from competing on a national level. States like Michigan have mandatory requirements for what must be covered in a health insurance policy; that’s why many policies are just way too expensive especially for young people that don’t need the extensive coverage.

I will have other suggestions as we go along but for now let me say that I am for scraping the bill Congress wrote and starting over. To Obama let me just say that your intentions were good but your youthful exuberance at getting things done made you lose track of the real world and how things are done in the real world of American politics.

I am surprised that your staff of advisors led you so far astray. The nation will be watching you very closely, so please don’t blow it again; take your time and do it right this time.

AUTO INDUSTRY: American Clunker - Heads!

I just wanted to make a comment about the just finished CASH FOR CLUNKERS PROGRAM.

Nearly three (3) billion dollars of government (taxpayer) money went to auto dealers / manufacturers who sold new cars to people that traded in their so called clunkers or autos that did not have good mpg ratings. The best deal was to buy a new car with a 10 mpg better fuel economy than the auto you traded in (trade in a clunker that gets 14 mpg and buy an auto that gets at least 24 mpg).

Here is the irony; most of the government money that was spent went to brands other than American brands. OK, Ford did get into the top ten by the skin of their teeth with their Ford Focus and Ford Escape Hybrid; the rest went to Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, etc.

Why, because GM, Chrysler and Ford’s inventories were loaded with trucks and SUVs that did not get great fuel efficiencies or at least 10 mpg more than most clunkers; so American car buyers had to go to the people that had high fuel efficiency vehicles to sell – the Asians.

This fact has not been publicized too heavily in the media since it would once again point to American auto manufacturer’s lack of vision or planning or basic smarts; again we are too late and now we must follow. When will we lead?

DETROIT: Mayor Bing at crossroad / do or die!

I have been writing about Detroit and the corrupt and inept black political culture that has doomed the city, for quite some time now. I have also expressed great hope and glee at the signs of a Detroit “renaissance” with the new mayor Dave Bing and potentially, new blood in the city council.

Now, the illustrious mayor has come to a crossroad. He has an election in November and he needs to get the city in shape which means he has make some very unpopular moves which is where previous mayors have caved in and the city sank deeper into its hole BUT it appears (at this point) this mayor will not cave in.

In a recent newspaper article these words appeared: “with no fear for political future, mayor ready for action…” One of the unpopular moves is facing off against the city unions, in this case the transportation (bus drivers) union. He says, take a pay cut, give up some benefits or I will lay you off and I will cut bus service. In a city where many take the bus, this is really a dicey situation. His political rivals are already saying that they would NEVER lay off people or reduce services – more of the same old BULLSHIT!

Mayor Bing said “There are people who think we’re supposed to be job providers; we’re service providers. OUR PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT ENTITLEMENT IS GONE” – I just love this kind of talk!!!

He even went so far as proposing to eliminate benefits that when I first heard about them, I was incredulous. City workers were getting up to 42 days off with pay and they were getting paid for their lunch time and union reps who did no city work were paid by the city with full benefits. This is what I call entitlement and no wonder the city workers like working for the city.

This morning the unions did not give in and many are saying that because of the elections being in November, Mayor Bing will not go through with layoffs, benefit cuts and reduced services. Well, to me Bing has already signaled what he is willing to do to save the city so everyone knows the city workers will not vote for him so what does he have to fear.

It all depends on the rest of the city voters who either care about what happens to the city or they don’t and only voters that are on the city dole will vote. In any case, Bing is not a politician so he is not counting on being elected mayor as a career; he is a businessman who truly cares for the city BUT if the city cannot be saved because it will not allow itself to be saved, fuck it.

POLITICS: Feelings about Ted Kennedy

With the passing of Ted Kennedy, I examined my feelings about him and those of his ilk; namely the ones born rich and their need to perform public service.

There is a quotation in Luke 12:48 where Jesus says “From those to whom much is given, much is demanded (expected)”. This quote was recently used by Bill Gates of Microsoft and probably is a guiding principle for many individuals with great amounts of wealth.

Kennedy family members are very involved in charities and charitable organizations that help the less privileged as do other families of wealth but here I am talking about Ted Kennedy the politician.

What I didn’t like about the man is his rabid socialism. Not because I just disagree with the political and economic theory, but because here was this man born with a silver spoon in his mouth with no financial worries ever, spending my hard earned money.

Of course I am talking about taxpayer’s money which he threw around at various social programs without a thought as to whether I could afford to part with my money so easily. Margaret Thatcher once said that the problem with socialism is that eventually it runs out of OTHER people’s money – my point exactly.

I do not doubt that Ted Kennedy honestly cared about the less fortunate, I just would have preferred he use more of his own money to care for them instead of mine and I am talking about people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Andrew Carnegie and many, many others, who used and continue to use their own great wealth for public good.

HEALTHCARE: Palin and the Lunatic Fringe!

When Sarah Palin was abandoning her elected gubernatorial office to run for president in 2012 (a little early?), she scolded the media by saying “quit makin’ things up”. Most journalists have solid ethics (FOX NEWS are not journalists) but obviously, the former governor of Alaska sees no reason to have ethics, morals or principles; anything and everything goes when your’ runnin’ for president of these United States.

I am not saying she is the first candidate for office that believed that the end justifies the means BUT she has so blatantly made up vicious, outrageous lies that I have to stop and think about this new tactic being practiced by more and more politicians (Republicans) and some news organizations (FOX NEWS).

Bush and Chaney lied through their teeth about the need for the war in Iraq because they “knew” with God on their side, that invading Iraq was the right thing to do and lying about it was justified. They lied with straight faces and even though Bush is now quiet, Chaney continues to defend his lying behavior.

What concerns me is the people that Palin, etc. speak to and from who they garner support. Some have called them THE LUNATIC FRINGE because they are basically delusional. They actually would believe a totally absurd, made-up lie than the truth. In fact, they don’t want to hear the truth because the truth does not fit in with their delusion.

Palin said that Obama’s healthcare plan would have “death squads” that could decide if her elderly parents and her baby with Down’s syndrome, could live or die. Where did this come from? One proposal stated that insurance should pay for counseling for terminally ill patients. This VOLUNTARY option would be offered to encourage doctors to spend time with terminal patients and their families to explain what will happen to the patient as time goes on; to me this is a must for families that want to know all the options at their disposal BUT to call this voluntary consultation a death sentence is bizarre in the extreme.

FactCheck.org (non-partisan) said that there was no basis for such a claim in any of the health bills under consideration.

I see that the White House, together with responsible media is trying to present the facts as to the healthcare proposals being discussed but so far they are being overshadowed by the screaming of the lunatic fringe prohibiting meaningful dialog.

In talking to people at work, I did find a genuine sense of FEAR about what the government plan has in store for them. Most don’t trust our government and for very good reasons. They think politicians can be bought by rich lobbyists and they are correct; it’s happened many times in the past. So what is Joe Blow to do? What is Joe Blow to do especially when he is bombarded constantly by out and out lies or half-truths by supposedly reputable people?

The White House tried to rush this legislation and that was a huge mistake. This legislation is necessary but it needs time, a lot of time for everyone to understand each proposal and support each proposal and feel safe with the entire package of final proposals.

I say back to the drawing board and this time don’t rush but make sure the public is in on the discussions and if you have to, pass a number of smaller bills instead of one huge package at once.

HEALTHCARE: White underclass does the Republicans bidding!

I was disgusted watching news reports of town hall meetings called by congressmen in their home districts being basically shutdown by screaming idiots, hell-bent on what – not having a question and answer session?

Well, I think it is quite obvious that this campaign (same thing is happening in all the states) is orchestrated and coordinated to achieve a single goal and that is to cripple Barak Obama. The Republicans have not hidden the fact that killing Obama’s healthcare effort will hurt Obama and his administration.

The Republicans with helpers like FOX NEWS has recruited the WHITE UNDERCLASS, love that term, to do the dirty work for them. This ignorant, loud, arrogant and mostly ugly-ass class is easily swayed by slicksters like those on FOX NEWS who actually suggest various screaming slogans to be used to halt meetings. Since no discussions take place, news watchers in the country are led to believe that the majority of Americans are against Obama and his healthcare plan even though he does not have a plan; Congress has a plan.

I have commented on a variety of healthcare proposals on many occasions. I do not agree with everything on the table and have specified what I feel will work and what will not and many of us have to make up our own minds on what is being proposed by studying the facts of the proposals and various opinions and commentaries and then letting our Congressmen and women know where we stand.

Congressmen who have had their meetings disrupted by these screaming mimes do not object and just reiterate that in a democracy, everyone gets to say their piece. One congressman that canceled his meeting received death threats for cancelling the meeting and not giving the screaming idiots a chance to shout it down.

So now that we know what is going on, what are we going to do about it? Screaming at the screamers is probably not a good tactic; the meeting will be shut down regardless. How about having a town meeting on the internet? People can email questions and the congressman can answer them on the spot. The white underclass don’t know how to use computers so people can have a truly educated question and answer session with the congressman and actually learn something.

RELIGION: Jimmy Carter says bye-bye to S. Baptist Conv.

Another religious issue came up recently and this one had to do with the Southern Baptist Convention and Jimmy Carter (former president from Georgia).

I usually talk about Catholicism because I was raised a Catholic and know a lot about the religion but this current issue with the Baptists actually has a connection with Catholicism, I think.

As we all know, Protestantism came about because of a “protest” against the excesses of the people in charge of Catholicism and there were many. Protestants rejected the Vatican, its message, its leadership and went about forming a variety of Protestant sects, each having their own specific beliefs but most utilizing the Bible as their chief religious guiding document.

The Southern Baptists were no exception but in their case they rebelled against the Church of England which became as authoritarian as the Vatican, persecuting any and all that disagreed with the state religion at that time in England.

The Southern Baptists were an independent bunch of parishes loosely tied together but having no hierarchical form of central government; even their beliefs differed.

Because of this lack of authority, many parishes practiced their religion in their own ways and preached their own brand of Baptist religion for quite a while BUT things started changing when a group of fundamentalists took over the SBC (Southern Baptists Convention); the umbrella organization for all Southern Baptists. They decided to go Catholic and by that I mean, get organized and have leaders and strict rules of belief and behavior.

As the leadership became more conservative and demanded adherence to a “creed” they postulated (Catholics have the Nicene Creed), they started alienating the more moderate Baptists. The leaders then took on the authority as the only interpreters of the Bible and started issuing rules based on their own interpretation of the Bible.

This has resulted in women no longer being able to be pastors/ministers and women now must be subservient to or “submit” to their husbands. I will talk about where in the Bible they get their rationale for their decisions in a later blog.

The conservative leadership is also censoring articles that are submitted for publication to Baptist media that are contrary to their stated creed; In other words, its their way or no way.

Carter, who has belonged to the SBC for 65 years, says he can no longer, in good faith, belong to a convention that no longer reflects his religious views and beliefs and has made the Bible an icon to be worshipped instead of just being recorded scripture.

Jimmy Carter is not the first noted person to object to the direction the SBC is taking; Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Bill Moyers have also taken their leave.

It is interesting to note, that in this day and age of modernity and supposed progressive thinking, we have a movement to dumb everything down to a “Middle Ages / Dark Ages” level of ignorance and superstition.

Is it circling the wagons to keep progressive thinking out? Why? I will have to think on this awhile…

DETROIT: Mayor Bing Needs to Stick to his Guns!

Sticking with the Detroit primary elections, there is emerging a possible fundamental change in the office of Mayor of Detroit.

Dave Bing, the former Detroit Pistons player of renown and a good, successful businessman in the area, had no problem in the primary election and is facing a perpetual candidate for Mayor, Tom Barrow, who has no chance of winning but…

Bing is an honest man that wants to do what is necessary to get Detroit back on its feet BUT the steps necessary are going to be very unpopular with the city unions. He has to lay people off, cut their wages or even privatize their department which has always been anathema for any mayoral office seeker. In fact, no mayor has ever faced down the unions and that is why Detroit is in the shape it is in.

We have had many TV News reports of city workers basically just screwing off on their jobs and also there is this monumental incompetence among the workers who are highly paid and have been for ever safe in their worthless positions.

Now I realize that not all the voters in Detroit are union members and I venture to say that a majority are not but nonetheless, they probably sympathize with those workers so what is Bing to do?

To get elected, he needs to beat this twit of a challenger that if elected would resume the standard black political machine corruption and incompetence culture. Bing or any mayor that cares about the city, absolutely needs to make those drastic changes in how the city is run if there is to be any chance of city revival BUT he needs to be re-elected mayor to make those changes; do you see the dilemma?

We can hope that Detroit voters will do the same as they did in the primary and vote with their common sense or will they succumb to the age old political culture. This should be an interesting election and I just hope Bing has big enough balls to do what is right for the city and its residents.

Knowing Bing is not in this for the long haul, i.e. he is not a politician and wants to honestly help the city as a competent business man; I hope he will just do what he knows needs to be done and hope the voters of Detroit can honestly see what he is trying to do is for their ultimate benefit.

DETROIT: Well Done Voters!

Well, I have to hand it to Detroit voters; there weren’t many of them (17%) but they did their duty and voted for change and a better Detroit.

Was I surprised? Well, I was pleasantly surprised and buoyed by their choices in the primary even though they had hundreds to choose from and little information about each candidate.

More importantly, they did not bring back the scoundrels of the city council like Monica Conyers who plead guilty to bribery but was still on the ballot. It was disturbing to see that she came in 62nd out of 167 candidates on the ballot which means there were still twits voting for her – why?

Also Martha Reeves (yes the singer) did not make it hopefully because she said that her job on the city council was her second, part-time job while her primary job was as a performer.

The person that garnered the most votes was a locally known man named Charles Pugh (TV reporter, etc.) who is also “openly gay”. This is a surprise because the black community usually does not like gays (that’s what I have been told) so I must assume that voters either did not know he was gay or that they voted for the man and not against his sexual orientation. I hope that Detroit voters saw him as a good candidate for Detroit City Council – period!

The voters who researched the many candidates on the ballot, expressed surprise at how many of those candidates were derelict in paying their taxes; IRS, state, local and property. I have found this to be a very common trait among Detroiters even those in office so I will have to check into that a little further. The negative of that is that those candidates obviously need money which makes them prime targets for bribery.

All in all, I am satisfied with the outcome of this primary and understand that primaries in general draw a much smaller voting crowd than regular elections so 17% is probably a good turnout.

Lets see what happens next…

RELIGION: Vatican Denied on Abortion Pill!

I could not avoid commenting on religious matters while so much else is going on, after all “religion” is my bag.

The Italian government just allowed the use of the abortion pill RU-486. My views on abortion have been well documented; don’t like it but it’s not my decision to make since it is not my creation. Only the sperm and egg donors have the right to decide – NOBODY ELSE – kapish!

Anyway, I got a kick out of the irony of Italy legalizing the pill while the Vatican threatened “immediate excommunication” for doctors prescribing the pill and women that use it.

The Vatican statement on this issue was” That’s not how you alleviate human suffering, that’s not how you help women, that’s not how you help mankind”.

Well excuse me but you old, supposedly celibate twits that have no idea how women are or how they think or feel or even how couples or families think and feel and you have the audacity to tell anybody what they should do because somehow you have the knowledge and the wisdom to do so – bullshit!

The fact that Italy did what they did while being nearly 100% Catholic, shows how the Vatican views are becoming the views of tired, old clowns that no longer can fool the people into believing that they have secret and sacred knowledge straight from god and should be listened to.

No wonder the Vatican is targeting poor, uneducated countries for new converts; educated peoples are putting two and two together and seeing that this whole religious charade is just that, a charade used to enslave people with superstition and fear.

Lets hope this is the beginning of the end for the Vatican’s power over people.

DETROIT: Paying for Endorsements.

In our Sunday paper, columnist Nolan Finley had an article titles DETROIT’S GRASSROOTS CORRUPTION”. I thought it was an interesting and insightful corroboration of what I mentioned in my last blog about how easily the primaries can be bought.

Nolan talks about political endorsements which are usually important in elections and are highly sought after by candidates. Some voters swear by endorsements and use them to guide their voting preferences.

I feel that the people endorsing a candidate obviously have something to gain if the candidate is elected; in other words, the endorsing body supports the candidate that supports them (the endorsing body) and that makes sense.

In Detroit, the above political logic is not used. Endorsing bodies endorse for a fee – period. Nolan Finley found this out when he interviewed some first time candidates for a Detroit political office – they were stunned.

Nolan said that nearly all of the city’s community and political groups, including its own congressional district Democratic committees, the Black Slate, the Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee and others, want payment when granting an endorsement.

Earlier a WADL-TV host named Mildred Gaddis was found to demand $1,000 for each political interview and therefore probably an implied endorsement.

If Detroit voters think they are getting guidance about which candidate to vote for from so called, informed endorsement bodies, they are being used and abused, the endorsements are nothing more than money makers for the endorsers; they don’t give a shit if they were endorsing the devil himself, as long as he pays, he gets their endorsement.

I have also heard that some churches participated in this pay to play game but this year when you pay, you just get to sit in the front pew and cannot deliver a political speech. In the past, delivering a speech from a specific church meant a tacit endorsement by the pastor.

I hope by now my long lasting commentary on the special political black culture in the city of Detroit is becoming a little clearer and helps explain why the city is in such a blasted mess.

DETROIT: Primaries this Tuesday!

A quick note about the Detroit Primary Elections to be held this Tuesday. Voters will be going to the polls to cast their votes for mayor, city council, Detroit School Board and a committee to be formed to re-write the City Charter.

There are 168 people running for office. Do you think there are that many citizens of Detroit that want to make the city great again or are they just looking for an easy, money making job.

There are undoubtedly a few who truly want to devote their time, energy and talent to bring Detroit out of its quagmire and actually try to work for the citizens of Detroit and not just to enrich themselves BUT do they even have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting elected?

The City Clerk said that she expects a voter turnout of 15% for the primary. We are talking a handful of people voting for 168 candidates where only the top few vote getters will make it to the full election ballot in the fall.

Statistically, if a candidate had the energy or gumption to get 100 of his friends, hell, if he or she just went out and gave $10 to a bunch of people to vote for them or even promised them jobs once elected; they would be in the running.

And that ladies & gentlemen is how things are done in Detroit. It will be very interesting to see what happens – stay tuned.

BTW - The picture above is of Ken Cockrel, the president of the city council and in my opinion, a truly honest and talented person that strivesto do the best for the citizens of Detroit. His only problem is that he presides over a council that is made up of mainly dysfunctional people. I hope he makes it and if he does, I hope he gets a council made up of sincere, educated adults.