Monday, September 12, 2016

Look At The Funny Man, Mama!



The original post was of a smirking man holding up a sign which said "I'd rather be a conservative nut job than a liberal with no job and no nuts."

ME: Mindless hate, fact free hate.

HH: (Apparently HH miss posted this thinking that the meme he was responding to said something about Washington.)

Washington's quote is a bit out of context... here is the actual quote (per the best information I have been able to find)

A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a Uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies.

The proper establishment of the Troops which may be deemed indispensible, will be entitled to mature consideration. In the arrangements which may be made respecting it, it will be of importance to conciliate the comfortable support of the Officers and Soldiers with a due regard to economy.

HH: Jim... what the hell are you babbling about? Has your bigotry and leftist indoctrination clouded your mind? Have you become a "tolerant liberal"?

(He added a picture showing a screaming, shrieking maniac attacking racists and etc. Apparently conservatives believe that liberals are not really tolerant because they don't tolerate racists. I guess liberals are also supposed to tolerate murderers. Conservatives don't understand that tolerance is not about accepting cruel or savage acts, tolerance is about tolerating difference and dissent.)

ME: I'm not a liberal. I'm a pragmatist. Your bizarre assumption that liberals have no jobs and manly men are conservatives is clearly that hate mongering, so I said so.
Look in the mirror and see the hate staring back at you.

HH: OK Jim... you have shown yourself to be an abject idiot... now where is that block button!

ME: You're so afraid of me you have to block me? So typical, so sad.

You see, we aren't angry at you. You aren't powerful or important enough for anger, much less hate. You are an endangered species, well on the way to extinction.

You think we get together and rage at you. We don't. We get together and we do one of two things, or sometimes both. We either laugh at you or we express our deep pity of you. Once you ruled the world. Now you're an endangered species. You are one small minority of a shrinking minority. I find it very sad, but I have to admit you are also pretty funny.

ME: PS, Obviously you think you responded to a meme referring to Washington. But if you look at the top of this set of posts you'll see that Washington is not mentioned. There's a man holding up a sign. Read what the sign says. Then you'll understand what I said.

NOTE: I wonder if HH ever did look up and see what he was actually responding to?

UPDATE:

S commented on my blog post: Jeez!!! I am sorry you had to put up with that idiot's rants. Glad you didn't back down. He was a classic bully. If you don't back down, after a while a bully will simply slink off to hide under the rock from whence he slithered out.

ME: Honestly, I feel a little bit guilty. If he just had not jumped on me, I would've pointed out that he had misposted under the wrong meme. It's funny because it could've happened to anybody. But, of course he's one of those conservatives who believe everyone who opposes him must be a liberal -- liberal meaning two things 1. everybody he disagrees with and 2. crazy evil satanic monsters from…I don't know…The Black Lagoon?
Still, he was such an easy target.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

He Said. She Said. I Said. 'Nough Said. (Suess Said?)


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/its-sherbet-not-sherbert-you-dilettantes-180960347/


OK so:

Sherbet. Sherbert.
Espresso. Expresso.
Morse Code. Morris Code.
Coleslaw. Coldslaw.

We could go on forever. Is is just a joke or a serious degradation of language?

PS, do not confuse Morris code with Morris dancers. Morris code is a new way of pronouncing the name of the code which was invented by Mr. Morse. Morris code IS a code. Morris dancers are English lunatics who perform bizarre and meaningless rituals in the form of dance. It is considered bad luck to laugh at them, as they are generally soccer rowdies in their normal lives and are very good at fistfights.

PPS, I just realized that this post makes no sense whatsoever. I don't see that that is any reason not to post it. I read a lot of post from other people every day that make no sense. (I mean both the posts and the people.)

It's my turn.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Pay For Pray

R posted a video declaring, Do agree you should be allowed to pray wherever you are? Never let anyone tell you not to pray… No matter where you are! Do you agree?

The video that showed various groups of people praying in public and making a very big show of it, in some cases being sure that there were television cameras recording their actions.

I responded: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:5-6

He replied: Guess this means we don't pray together Sunday's in church, hey Jim????

Me: I think Jesus meant to make an exception for praying in the synagogue. But you should ask him that question. I'm just quoting him.

That ended the exchange, but I have been thinking about it in the days that have passed. It's actually a very good question. I think it needs to be explored further; so I have done so and here is what I have concluded:

By combining Matthew 6:5-6, which refers to the public show of prayer, with other passages, the meaning becomes quite clear.

9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified ratherthan the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke 18:9-14

This is clear enough. Ask yourself if you are praying to make sure that everyone, including God, knows what a great prayer and wonderful person you are or are you praying sincerely to God? It's a question of the target. Is your prayer a communion with God or bragging to your audience?

This is true whether you are praying in the privacy of your chamber or in the temple.

Or, to put it another way, don't let anyone tell you you can't pray anywhere you want anyway you want, not even Jesus!


Although the first portion of the Matthew verse I've already quoted does not directly refer to prayer, it does refer to doing things privately not publicly. I believe this is relevant.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4

I believe that this indicates that it is not so much the privacy that is so important as is the sincerity. You should avoid public displays not because they are inherently offensive but because of very serious temptation to show off, to brag, to seek self justification, to seek worldly rewards rather than sincere communion with God.

I conclude that sharing prayer with your fellow believers during services may be good or bad, depending upon your intent. Sincere humility and love of God are pleasing to God. Shows and displays displease God. Even internal bragging and self justification displease God.

In short, motive is everything and God knows your motive.

This is why I try not to make a great show of public prayer. As I have noted in earlier posts, I require myself to pray whenever I hear a siren. I am often out in public when I hear one. Keeping in mind my feelings about the subject, I try not to pray too obviously. Not being a completely orthodox Catholic (American and European Catholics frequently aren't) doesn't preclude me from using the sign of the cross when I pray. In public I try to do it in a subtle manner with very small gestures which are unlikely to be noticed by those around me. If I feel I am too closely observed, I make the sign of the cross in my mind rather than as actual physical gestures, simply holding my hand up near my face as if being thoughtful. This permits me to meet this religious obligation without making a public show of it.

Contrast this with examples like those of Mr. Tebow, who makes a great show as he prays in front of millions, and I think it's easy to see why I am suspicious of his motivations. Then look at members of Congress who obviously exchange public prayer for votes...

'Nough said.



Banzai!


http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/fashion/denim-japan-weaving-shibusa/index.html

The classic tale of modern Japan. You guys invent something, we'll perfect it.

A few examples:

➡ Having been introduced to the idea of clockwork figures from China via Korea, The Japanese produced a remarkable number of complex devices including amazing little clockwork puppet figures which many regard as the seed from which the Japanese fascination with robots has grown.

➡ Shortly after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open her ports, modern guns were introduced from the West. This struck Japanese society at its roots as peasants could now be formed into a brutally effective fighting force with minimal training, which threatened samurai supremacy. Soon Japan was producing the finest guns in the world. The corps of musketeers was so effective that eventually Japan did a remarkable thing, they banned a highly effective and desirable technology and made the ban stick! Probably this only happened because all the samurai class, from lowest soldier to the Shogun, were deeply committed to the concept of honor and guns were clearly a dishonorable weapon (which also happened to threaten their own power).

➡ Japan eventually realized that their military system was inferior to the west. During the Meiji era, the country used the British as a model for the Navy and the Prussians as a model for their army. They quickly became one of the finest militaries in the world. At the beginning of World War II there is no question that the best operational air supremacy fighter in the world was the Mitsubishi Zero.

➡ Disney style animation swept the nation after WWII and today Japan produces much the world's most popular versions.

➡ Electronics was largely an American invention, but, as Marty McFly declared, "Japan makes the best stuff!"

➡ Interestingly, the Japanese recognize serious failures in their educational program. They have long envied the invention and creativity that America's system produces. This has been so for at least the last 20 to 30 years. Ironically, we are now imitating all the flaws of the Japanese system and weakening or even destroying the strengths which were once inherent in our own.
Read "Samurai's Ghost" for more on this topic.