Jan's Stinkin Blog: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

LET DETROIT SELF-IMPLODE!!!

I have written about Detroit’s sad state of affairs for a long time now; about its racism, about the total incompetence and corruption of its leadership and about the total arrogance of so called Baptist pastors (everyone is a reverend of some sort) that keep preaching that the appointment of an emergency manager to get the city out of its fiscal mess is somehow depriving them of their civil rights.

Our governor is a little scared to do what is fiscally responsible because of his fear that the radical racists in the city will riot; making this a strictly race issue and making him into a racist overseer or plantation owner; yes, that is exactly how some see the situation.

Let me state that the people playing the race card and trying to create a lynch mob mentality in Detroit are in a minority albeit a very vocal minority; they are on the news every day.

Responsible individuals in Detroit, together with the media, know what has to be done to restore the city to a viable position and build from there, are 100% behind what the governor is trying to do BUT for the governor to truly escape being politically tainted by a racial label, he needs to let the city go BANKRUPT.

In this way, all the idiots that are screaming against the appointment of an emergency manager will be digging their own graves. The city will be dismembered by a judge who will sell all assets to pay the city’s bills. He will terminate all union contracts and lay off all workers to save money; services for the residents will be nonexistent but they have been that way for years.

I feel bad for Detroiters who represent the silent majority because they are the ones that will suffer the consequences of their incompetent leadership; leading with emotion and not brains.

I urge our governor to just wash his hands and allow Detroit to commit suicide; there will be a lesson in that move, one that we all will learn from.

But alas, I hear the governor will appoint an emergency manager tomorrow (Friday 29^th). Ironically, Pope Benedict just resigned and an emergency manager pope will be appointed to fix the mess Catholicism is in.

I hope Governor Snyder appoints someone from out of state with a thick skin, commanding presence, financial smarts and diplomatic savvy; he or she will need all the tools they can muster and bring to the table.

MI GOP ALL ABOUT ABORTION & NOT JOBS

One of my favorite “conservative” journalists is Nolan Finley of the Detroit News. I may not agree with everything he says but I do respect his “common sense” approach to issues including political issues as well as social issues.

Today’s column was titled: ABORTION FOCUS WILL COST GOP MICHIGAN.

He states that Republicans won the majority in Michigan because Michiganians were concerned about our dire economy and wanted to vote in Republicans who would make the hard choices to fix our economy while the spend like a drunken sailor Democrats would predictably raise taxes to keep the entitlement programs running.

The Democrats have also shown themselves as union stooges and could not be counted on to cut exorbitant union benefits and power, to make the state more attractive to businesses thinking of locating in the state.

But as Republican economic values and philosophy trump that of the Democrats as far as the voters are concerned, their views on social issues are backward and belong in the dark ages.

Our Republican governor is hard at work bringing Michigan back economically by creating a job producing environment; Republican legislators in our state capital are busy introducing bills dealing with their need to make abortion illegal in Michigan or at least so regulated as to stop abortion providers from doing business.

Nolan is worried that his party (GOP) does not want the moniker JOB CREATORS but rather CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS and that will not serve them well among Michigan voters looking for fiscal responsibility.

Nolan states that it is the job of churches / religions to promote Christian values and not politicians but if politicians want to concentrate on the abortion issue, they should join a religious group and leave politicking to real politicians.

He feels that since Roe vs. Wade (abortion right) is a constitutional right, trying to dismantle it through back doors is dishonest at the least; the law has been on the books for 40 years after all.

Nolan’s fear is that, as the article title indicates, the GOP in Michigan will piss people off (especially women) by screwing around with abortion instead of doing their jobs of enhancing Michigan’s economy and that will let the Democrats come back into a majority and bring back all those bad Democratic ideas like unionism and uncontrolled spending.

Too bad the LIBERTARIANS are not attractive enough to voters as they would bring fiscal responsibility and absolutely no meddling in social issues.

I hope Republicans read Finley’s article and take it to heart but they probably will not as they feel being anti-choice is what gets them elected…we will see next year!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

150,000 in St. Peter's Square: WHY?

Here we are coming to the end of Benedict’s papacy.

Today, 150,000 people crowded St. Peter’s Square in Rome to see the last blessing, speech and vision of Benedict as a pope.

People in the crowd held up all types of signs in all sorts of languages but mostly saying “We love you Papa”. He drove in his pope mobile around the square; feebly waving to the people who were treating him like a rock star…my question is why?

It is no secret that the Vatican is a den of iniquity with blatant corruption and deviant sexual behavior abounding at all levels of the hierarchy. The pope himself may not be participating in such behavior but he is in charge therefore he allowed such behavior and in some cases, covered-up such behavior for “the good of the church”.

He has stated publicly that he is resigning “for the good of the church”.

But back to the masses in St. Peter’s Square; what are they thinking? Are they oblivious to the damage Catholic priests, bishops and cardinals have inflicted on innocent people?

Bigger still, what about the massive hypocrisy within the church; preaching against sin but actively reveling in it?

I have frequently written about the “sheep” that comprise a good percentage of “active” Catholics although I think the percentage has dropped considerably or maybe the fact that so many “progressive” Catholics have left the faith has elevated the percentage of sheep.

I have talked to family and friends who are/were devout Catholics and I get a variety of responses. Many state that priests, etc. are all human (agreed) and have human failures (agreed) but does that exonerate them or the church from acting like they are above human stature and closer to God and therefore somehow holier than thou?

I maintain that the priesthood by its very nature in the Catholic Church attracts sub-humans such as pedophiles and sexual deviates who are drawn to an institution that places them on holy pedestals thus making their true nature so easy to cover-up.

My sister reminded me how in our days at St. Cunegunda Grade school, when a priest entered the classroom, how everyone stood in awe of the majesty and holiness of the priestly office and how the nuns scampered around him showing such deference to him; that is the pedestal priests were on in those days…and look what we now know about those supposed holy men.

A very Catholic co-worker of mine haltingly and grudgingly acknowledged that some things are not so good in the church but quickly added but the church does so much good in the world as if all these horrendous sins and crimes against humanity were counterbalanced with all the “perceived” good that the church does in the world.

The mass of people in St. Peter’s Square are probably like my co-worker, turning a blind eye to reality and keeping hold of the myth that they were taught as youngsters. These “blind and deaf sheep” just cannot step outside of their comfort zone or their intellectual zone to imagine that “they” and not the Catholic clergy are the ones that need to change the church, reform it and cleanse it and bring it back to where it has not been for centuries; into a state of holiness and humility.

But that is human nature; people continue to love their abusers, respect their kidnappers (Stockholm Syndrome) and worship their Catholic Leaders because they just do not know any better, are married to their faith and don’t have the capacity as knowing adults to face reality; they have nothing to replace their imbedded faith, its narcotic addiction.

Instead of cheering Benedict, the people should have been protesting, carrying signs saying “what the hell have you done to our church, to our religion?”

I will continue to ask why people are the way they are…

Sunday, February 24, 2013

A POPE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A PRIEST?

With all this papal intrigue going on, I can’t believe the interest in everything papal and all the articles being written about the subject and of course, the intrigue and speculation; a pope has not resigned in 600 years.

One thing I learned from reading all the articles is that A POPE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A PRIEST BUT CAN BE ANY UNMARRIED CATHOLIC MAN…I think I did hear of that in my studies.

Looking up who was the last non-priest pope, I came upon LEO X who was merely a deacon when he was elected pope in 1513.

Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici was only 37 when he was elected. Those were the days of the Medici and Borgia power families that elected their members to the papacy (did you see THE BORGIAS series on HBO?).

Leo X did become a priest, bishop and cardinal but AFTER being elected pope.

Leo X is best remembered for selling indulgences to help pay for St. Peter’s Basilica which brought about the scorn of Martin Luther who then started the REFORMATION and brought about PROTESTANTISM (get it…protestants against the Catholic Church).

LEO X was also known as a homosexual which is interesting given all the intrigue about homosexuality in the Vatican and the reason (some say) that Benedict is resigning.

The cardinals have not gone outside their conclave to pick a pope and I am pretty sure, they will not start now but I thought it was interesting to see the options available.

MI DEMOCRATS: UAW Stooges!

Since I am bashing politics and politicians in general today, let me add some comments on Michigan politics.

In Michigan, the Democratic Party is controlled by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and as long as that continues, the Michigan Democratic Party will not be seen as representing or giving a shit, about Michigan voters; it’s all about the union.

It is well known that union power in Michigan stems from their election of Democrats who do all their bidding once elected. The only reason we are a Right-To-Work state is that Michigan voters had enough of union power especially when last year, they pushed a proposal to make unionism a right in our state constitution; they went too far and we elected Republicans.

The UAW wanted to fire long time MI Democratic Party leader MARK BREWER; the union wanted somebody different and younger.

The UAW signed up thousands of union members into the Democratic Party just last week, giving them the voting power to elect THEIR choice for party chairman who was LON JOHNSON; Brewer quit and Johnson was elected.

Since all Michigan Democrats appear to be UAW / union stooges, we should be very careful about returning Democrats to political power in Michigan.

Republicans in power means that abortion is their main concern and that is just as bad as having the UAW run the state.

Again, Michigan voters are screwed no matter which political party they vote in…maybe a strong LIBERTARIAN candidate will appear, although I doubt it.

Right now I am just happy that we have a governor that is Republican in name only and acts like an independent business savvy, non-politician who MUST be re-elected next year if the state is to prosper.

OUR NEXT FISCAL CLIFF: This Friday...

A note about the impending cliff we are about to fall off this Friday that we call sequestration.

This is a spending cut bill that was enacted by Congress some time ago that basically imposed budget cuts automatically to many federal agencies and programs IF Congress could not come up with a better budget bill; this bill was really a threat to Congress to get together and pass a budget all could live with…they did NOT and now the automatic cuts start this Friday.

The cuts will start Friday because the Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on anything…so be it!

I think we all can agree that OUR politicians are all assholes and really do not work for us or represent us but only represent themselves and only care about their party and being re-elected.

I am especially pissed at Obama and his stooges since he is in a leadership position yet he cannot lead or compromise but keeps playing stupid politics even though he doesn’t have to since he will not run again.

The actual cuts that will be automatically enacted represent $85 Billion which is a lot but when viewed in the context of our $3.6 TRILLION budget; it ain't so much.

Obama has decided to scare the voting public by crying the sky is falling if this bill takes effect; transportation delays, laying off first responders, teachers, etc. etc. etc.

An example is the Transportation Department getting cut by $1 Billion out of a $74 Billion budget. Obama is saying that air traffic controllers would have to be laid off. That is total bullshit since the $1 Billion in cuts could be addressed by cutting spending on bullshit items that are not critical to our travel safety…I hope you can see how preposterous Obama’s warnings are.

But here is the crux of the matter and responsible for the divisiveness between political parties: Obama wants new taxes on the “rich” to pay for cuts to the budget which the Republicans say no way!

Obama can follow recommendations by budget analysts that would cut $100 Billion in wasteful spending on services that are “duplicated” by a number of federal agencies but Obama does not want to cut WASTE; he wants to increase revenues through NEW TAXES and I say Fuck You.

Obama wants to blame the Republicans (and they do share in the blame) for what is about to happen as a political ploy to get more Democrats elected next year; he does not seem to care about the average American citizens, just about his politics no matter how elegantly he puts it.

We have a dysfunctional political system and since the only way it can change is through our votes; we need to elect more independents with no political loyalty to either party…maybe LIBERTARIANS?