Jan's Stinkin Blog: July 2013

Saturday, July 27, 2013

POPE IN BRAZIL: Why are people leaving the Church in droves?

Pope Francis is visiting Brazil.

Pope Francis is from Argentina and has been titled “Pope of the poor” because he is a Jesuit and he does seem to lead a much simpler life as pope than any of his predecessors who did kind of like the “glamour” and or “pomp” that accompanied the office of pope.

Some reports state that he is in Brazil (South America) because it is the place that the Catholic Church is losing many of its faithful. If you remember it was the Spanish and Portuguese that not only conquered South America but forcefully made it very Catholic.

They are losing their Catholic sheep to Evangelical Pentecostalism. Why?

Mainly because these Pentecostal people are actually showing the masses of poor people in South America how to get un-poor or at least to manage their poverty better.

This is actually also happening in the U.S. mostly down south (Texas) where there are many poor Mexicans and other Latinos who need help managing their poverty.

You will also notice in other parts of the U.S. (here in Plymouth/Canton too) where non-denominational churches are becoming quite popular. I attended one to see what all the fuss was about and discovered that they too concentrated on serving their flock with advice and education on a variety of non-religious (read practical) subjects.

In Brazil, I guess these former Catholics don’t mind listening to the Evangelical religious babble which can get pretty absurd, as long as they get the help they need to lead better and more productive lives.

The Catholic Church has had members (Mother Teresa & St. Francis) who devoted their lives to the poor as well as institutions (Jesuits, etc.) In South America in the 1960s arose LIBERATION THEOLOGY that strove to help the poor through political activism, etc. It was later condemned by the Vatican as too Marxist; Jesus was also called the first Communist by some for his views on the poor and downtrodden.

It is obvious that in Brazil the Catholic Church there is not doing enough for the poor at least not as much as the Evangelical Pentecostalists are.

Pope Francis is trying to change the slide from his church by going to the poor with a message of hope?

Francis is urging young people in the church to “stir” things up in the church. What does he really mean by that?

Sunday, July 21, 2013

DETROIT'S BANKRUPTCY: Sunday commentary...

The local Sunday papers are filled with articles and commentary on Detroit’s bankruptcy filing; some are realistic and some are not.

I admire commentators that know the facts and especially the history of what led Detroit into bankruptcy and they are willing to call a spade a spade.

One is columnist for the Detroit News NOLAN FINLEY who cautions residents not to vote the way the used to for people that provide jobs for their cohorts but for people that will provide services to residents and be adept at running the city and not just mooch off the city.

I think a great opportunity will come in August when Detroit residents will have a chance in the primary to vote for a professional manager with a great track record for mayor who happens to be white or for someone from a group of people who like in the past, are looking for a job and maybe an opportunity to profit from being mayor of Detroit but who have no idea how to run the city in a profitable manner.

The residents have also to get rid of the “it’s my city” mentality” and start cooperating with the surrounding regions; no more we are a black city only for blacks…like some of the candidates for mayor are espousing.

I recently took a tour of midtown Detroit where my daughter has a condo she lets and I was amazed at the progress being made there…yes the city can come back.

Another commentator like STEPHEN HENDERSON (who is usually right on target with his commentary) was blaming the federal government and Obama in particular, for not doing enough for Detroit.

Henderson obviously does not remember the millions and millions poured into the city by democratic presidents throughout the years to have the money stolen, misappropriated or left unappropriated by a totally corrupt and incompetent city administration; why should the federal government do anything for Detroit before a responsible and competent party is in power in Detroit…remember your history Henderson!

Like I said, this bankruptcy MUST be looked on as a second chance to do things right.

DETROIT IS BANKRUPT...

So Detroit has finally been declared bankrupt…really?

I have been saying for years that an incredibly corrupt and incompetent city government that received millions from state and federal sources and has nothing but debt and bad services to show for it has only one place to go and that is into forced bankruptcy.

I laughed when our governor Rick Snyder tried to forestall bankruptcy by working with the city to get a plan into place that could lead to solvency. Snyder knew he was working with idiots but he had to try; the emergency manager did the same even though he knew the outcome also.

Interestingly the residents of the city are showing signs of support for the bankruptcy because they are using street logic which states that things cannot possibly be or get any worst so things have to start getting better since there is no way left but UP.

Yes, we are making history as the largest municipality to declare bankruptcy and I have already received calls from my friends in Poland where this issue is making headline news since DETROIT is known around the world as the MOTOR CITY or the AUTOMOBILE CAPITAL of the world…how could this happen they ask.

Even here, people are looking for scapegoats; someone or something to blame for this so called economic disaster.

A few books will be written, I am sure, which will detail every stupid step the city took to hasten its own demise with a picture of Kwame Kilpatrick and Coleman Young on the cover.

Governor Snyder finally got pissed off enough at stupid questions like why doesn’t the state bail the city out and said look, you have been heading down this road for decades because of your incompetence, mismanagement and corruption so now it is time to take your medicine.

This bankruptcy case will be quite interesting since there are so many variables and issues including pension obligations which are at absurd levels since the idiots in city hall promised city workers nirvana in pension benefits not for their stellar work performance but for their votes but pensions are guaranteed by state law unless federal law trumps state law which it does.

Let the games begin…

Saturday, July 20, 2013

AFTERMATH OF ZIMMERMAN VERDICT...

I have been waiting for the heat to come down after the not-guilty verdict in the Zimmerman / Martin trial to see what the “cooler” heads are saying; one football athlete tweeted that the jury that found Zimmerman not guilty should all commit suicide…now you know what I mean by cooler heads.

I have read many commentaries and I was struck by the fact that most addressed “racial profiling” and the Florida “Stand Your Ground” law…neither of which were factors in the case…so why bring them up?

I also read a lot about petitioning the Federal Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. Eric Holder did address the issue but only to placate the crowds demanding some form of justice; there is no legal basis to file any civil rights charges against Zimmerman since no civil rights were broken.

President Obama spoke to the issue because as our first black president he felt he had to and I agree. He talked about racial profiling (not a factor in the case) and lamented the fact that black males are always looked on with suspicion in our society although he said things were getting better with each generation and I agree.

TIME Magazine carried an article by Michael Nutter, the mayor of Philadelphia. He asked the question why African-American males are so disproportionately both the victims and the perpetrators of violence, more often than not against one another.

He said that in his city, 75% of homicide victims are black men and 80% of those arrested for homicide are black men. This is an epidemic but it is rarely part of any national conversation.

He said that 32 Americans are killed by gun violence every day on average, a disproportionate number are black men but that apparently is not breaking news; given the extraordinary and ridiculous media coverage of the Zimmerman/Martin case, one wonders if our priorities are askew as Nutter states or are we driven by media created frenzy that dictates our priorities.

The media is not the only culprit in creating frenzy among us but also what I call, the professional black activists that feed on perceived racial issues to personally thrive; I am talking about Jessie Jackson and his ilk.

We are a republic which means we are a nation governed by law and as far as the Zimmerman trial is concerned, it was adjudicated correctly based on those laws and therefore the trial itself should be a moot point.

As far as a larger, national discussion I would follow the lead of President Obama and Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia and start addressing the root causes of the incredible disparity between the black population in the U.S. (12%) and the percentage of homicide victims who are black in the U.S. (47%) and the percentage of black males that are incarcerated or have been (37-50%).

I agree with Travon Martin’s parents when they asked not to let Travon’s death be in vain; do something to change things for the better for black men in this country.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

ZIMMERMAN VERDICT IS IN...

As the trial of George Zimmerman was coming to a close I could see the desperation of the prosecutors in this case as they realized that they have not proven beyond doubt that Zimmerman was guilty of second degree murder in the death of Trevon Martin.

A review of the case will show that the Florida prosecutor should have realized that they could not prove second degree murder and should have gone for the lesser charge of manslaughter but their egos took control over their brains.

They persuaded the judge, on the last day, to give the jurors the option of lesser charges such as manslaughter and even child abuse since Trevon was only 17 when he died; the desperation to convict Zimmerman on anything resulted in absurd legal maneuvering…the prosecutors should have known better.

I have never liked prosecutors because they are not about justice and fairness; they are there to convict at all costs and to use the publicity the trial brings to run for higher office; in this case they lost their asses and came out looking like total dumb asses.

Trevon Martin should not have died; he was returning home from a trip to the store.

George Zimmerman should not have been playing cops and robbers with a real gun; he should not have been there.

George Zimmerman is responsible for Martin’s death because George Zimmerman created the scenario that led to Martin’s death; if George Zimmerman was not doing what he was doing, Martin would be alive today.

We all have to agree that George Zimmerman was responsible for Martin’s death but was he “guilty” and here is where discussions and arguments will occur.

It is obvious that the all-female jury of six (6) could not, in good conscience, convict Zimmerman of even the charge of manslaughter; they asked the judge for clarification on this charge before deciding. Most lawyers asked how the jury will vote said that if the jury followed the letter of the law, they would vote not guilty and that is exactly what these women (5 mothers) did.

This verdict, even though predictable, is not sitting well with people; all people, not just African-Americans; he should be guilty of something…

Many will say that there was only one minority (Hispanic) on the jury but that is an absurd argument since black or white, minority or not, people should vote according to the law and not with racial emotion; the law is the law.

My wife has already been invited to protest the verdict but what is there to protest; the trial was legal and fair and the jury followed legal directives as to what constitutes a crime; there was nothing underhanded about the trial.

I am not sure a case could not have been made for involuntary manslaughter but I will wait to see how the analysis goes…

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

EGYPT: Will it ever get better?

This whole ARAB SPRING was nice and very promising but I am afraid trying to democratize a nation and a people that really have no idea what that means will be difficult and Egypt is a prime example.

A lot of people are having problems with the concept that the Morsi government was a democratically elected government. Deposing him and letting the military takeover is not how this should play out.

I will admit that Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood started out OK but then, as many predicted, started turning things back into a theocracy (Iran) a religious dictatorship which appears to have been their goal all along.

Bush introduced democracy to Iraq and look where that stands. The slaughter continues… the sectarian conflict is not dying down; the country is more divided than ever; a civil war is sure to follow.

Egypt is in the same boat; it has the religious radicals trying to impose an Islamic state but it also has tons of young people raised on the internet with knowledge of how life could really be and they are not going to stand for some religious dictatorship telling them what to do, how to behave and what to wear…another civil war?

Syria’s civil war is a mess with just too many factions. I don’t think a clear winner in that war is possible.

Dictators kept the peace at least and made the trains run on time but democracy is a grand ideal and something that probably has to happen for the Middle East people to finally emerge out of the darkness and get to enjoy some of this much too short life of ours.

Is this the only way forward? We fought a war with England and then we had a very, very bloody civil war, maybe not about religion but about a way of life. We survived and we prospered; maybe Egypt and the rest have to suffer for a while before things get better.