Jan's Stinkin Blog

Monday, June 17, 2013

DUGGAN should be on Detroit ballot!

Mike Duggan is running for mayor of Detroit and yes, he is a white guy.

Many have said that a city that is 80% black cannot elect a white guy no matter how able that guy may be. This type of thinking is wrong because Mike has a large black support group that realizes that the city needs a “real” mayor, someone that actually has the skill set to make Detroit financially viable again; Duggan has a proven track record of business and administrative successes.

Mike does not look good. He is overweight and dresses badly as opposed to the last mayor of Detroit who was always in a state of sartorial splendor but is now in jail on corruption charges and dressed in jailhouse orange.

Recently a fellow running for mayor of Detroit, Tom Barrow filed a suit in court claiming that Duggan did not follow city charter rules that demand city residency for a year before running for city office saying in effect that Duggan is like a carpetbagger, made famous after the civil war for shysters from the North descending on the defeated South to make some sleazy money. The current mayor of Detroit Dave Bing also did not live in the city but moved in only when he decided to run for mayor.

Tom Barrow found a judge in Detroit that agreed with him and has removed Duggan from the ballot for mayor of Detroit.

If Duggan is kept off the ballot, Detroit will suffer because their choices for mayor will be limited and the other candidates which include Tom Barrow are not what the city needs at this critical time in its financial life.

I have been buoyed by the growing support in Detroit for a mayor that is competent and honest no matter what the skin color. I just hope Detroiters get a chance to vote on a field of candidates that can actually make a difference and right now Duggan is the only professional with a solid history of administrative success.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS: Sell off art work to pay Detroit's debts?

When I read that some of the priceless treasures of the DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS could be sold by the CITY OF DETROIT to pay down debt as part of a bankruptcy proceeding, I was beside myself.

I have supported the DIA for many years. I have also used the DIA while attending Wayne State University and have visited the DIA when they had a special showing that I was interested in.

You also know my views on the Detroit culture of corruption and incompetence that through the years has finally brought the city to its knees.

What angers me is that many people like me contributed our money to support the DIA. Many in the suburbs contributed vast amounts to keep the DIA alive and well to enrich the culture of the surrounding populous including children brought in on school buses, some who have never been exposed to works of art.

And now the city, on the verge of bankruptcy because of gross mismanagement, greed and incompetence wants to use OUR money contributed to the DIA to pay off the debts of the city incurred by the assholes running the city…no way!

Our legislature has already passed a bill making the DIA off limits to pay debts but under bankruptcy law all city assets are in play and the DIA is a city asset which is unfortunate because the DIA has not received much aid from the city but rather from the state and from individuals in the suburbs.

We need to make the DIA either independent or controlled by the state.

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION AGAINST CATHOLIC DOCTRINE?

I ran into this story about an Ohio teacher who was fired from her teaching position for getting pregnant.

Well it is not that simple since the teacher was teaching in a Catholic school, is unmarried and became pregnant through artificial insemination.

She sued for wrongful discharge based on discriminating against someone that is pregnant…the federal jury agreed with her and so she won her case and a modest amount of money covering her salary that she lost when she was fired.

The archdiocese of Cincinnati maintained that she violated the employment contract she signed.

What struck me is that the specific violation the archdiocese cited was not that she became pregnant while unmarried which I can understand BUT that she became pregnant through artificial insemination which I was not expecting.

The archdiocese said that artificial insemination is AGAINST CHURCH DOCTRINE.

With women today conceiving in much older years, many freeze their eggs in younger and healthier years to be used (through artificial insemination) when they are older.

Also there is a trend for unmarried women deciding on motherhood which mandates a sperm donor as well as an artificial insemination procedure.

Also, many infertile women who are married choose the artificial insemination procedure as a way to become fertile?

I have heard the argument that if Mother Nature made you or your husband infertile; it was for a reason, so don’t mess with Mother Nature and adopt some kids but in this case, the woman is a lesbian created by Mother Nature who desires to have a baby...back to the gay marriage issue...

Here we again have an example of Catholic Church doctrine that is outdated and outmoded and not in line with social reality on the ground.

The church will argue that its doctrine is forever no matter how society changes and to that I just like to add all the beliefs that were pounded into me as a child and now conveniently abandoned when it became clear that those beliefs no longer made any sense.

ADAPT OR PERISH…you don’t have a choice.

Sunday, June 02, 2013

RHODE ISLAND, the most Catholic state in the union, legalizes gay marriage?

Read an interesting article in the Sunday Free Press titled: CATHOLIC CHURCH LOSES INFLUENCE ON GAY MARRIAGE / In Rhode Island, a telling defeat for church by Steve Peoples of the Associated Press.

I did not know this but the state of Rhode Island is the most Catholic state in the most Catholic region in the country.

In May, Rhode Island passed a law allowing gay marriage despite the Catholic Church’s huge lobbying effort against the law. The law was championed by openly gay state representative Frank Ferri who is speaker of the house in Rhode Island and has been a faithful member of the Catholic Church for decades…interesting…

What gives?

The article quoted the results of a poll that showed most Catholics believing that THEIR church is way out of touch with the views of American Catholics.

And very interesting to me is the fact that 4 out 5 Catholics in the U.S. say that they are more likely to follow THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE than the church’s teachings on difficult moral questions.

The poll showed 62% of U.S. Catholics supporting legalizing gay marriage.

74% believe abortion should be made available in at least some instances.

61% favor the death penalty.

The new pope (Francis) while a bishop in Argentina, supported CIVIL UNIONS for gay couples.

So what are we to make of this situation?

The Vatican continues to tell Catholics what to believe and what to do and the Catholics are saying no thank you; I will believe and do what my conscience tells me and not you?

The Vatican keeps saying that it will not change its position on issues and Catholics are saying too bad but your positions on issues are wrong and you should change your positions?

This case in Rhode Island points to the fact that the Catholic Church has lost its ability to influence its own members because its own members no longer believe the church speaks for God but is a deeply flawed institution that has lost its credibility and therefore authority to lead Catholics worldwide.

What does all this portend for the future of the religion?

Interesting question…

Thursday, May 16, 2013

HANDSOME MICHIGAN PRIEST CALLS IT QUITS...

An article in the Detroit Free Press caught my eye today: 1 YEAR AFTER SECRET SON REVEALED, PRIEST FROM MICHIGAN ASKS TO LOSE HIS STATUS by Patricia Montemurri.

The Reverend Thomas Williams grew up in Bloomfield Hills, went to Brother Rice and UofM and was a national spokesperson for the conservative order called The Legion of Christ and a Vatican analyst for CBS National News.

The conservative order of The Legion of Christ is an infamous order founded in Mexico by Marcial Maciel who turned out to be a serial pedophile and the father of several children. He was eventually forced out in 2006 but was actually supported and praised by the Vatican for many years; the Vatican liked the money he brought into its coffers.

Williams had fathered a male child while a priest and everyone knew it; it was not a secret. But that was OK with the Catholic hierarchy and he was allowed to continue his teaching position in Rome. Ironically he was an expert on morality and wrote many books about the subject including one titled: Knowing Right from Wrong; A Christian Guide to Conscience.

Hypocrisy is nothing new to the Catholic Church; in fact hypocrisy dominates the Church at all levels and on many issues. Celibacy is strongly defended as mandatory for all priests unless the priest is non-celibate and that is OK too.

It appears that Williams asked the Church to “LAICIZE” him or in other words, relieve him of his priestly duties and return him to “layperson” status. He may have had some pangs of conscience in letting the mother of his child take on the burdens of parenthood all alone or that sex was something he wanted more of and hated to be so hypocritical about it.

I have heard women call priests that are handsome “forbidden fruit” which somehow makes seducing him that much more attractive.

To me it points to the absurdity and unsustainability of celibacy in the Church which obviously the Church recognizes and that is why the Church looks the other way when priests break their vows as in this case of Rev. Williams.

You would think the Catholic Church would admit to the failing of the vow of celibacy and the fact that it keeps good men out of the priesthood but attracts the males with abnormal proclivities.

You would think that a pope would have the wisdom to see why the vow of celibacy has to go (since it is not practiced anyway) and has no basis in scripture as evidenced by all the other Christianities which allow their leaders to marry.