Moral Shallowness Is Still Quite Fashionable

You know, taking on a target like Bill O Riley is almost too easy because he's so easy to expose as a complete and total quack.  But Bill O Riley was the first guest on the Katie Kuric show this afternoon and in that first quarter hour or perhaps sixteen minutes- - he covered a host of topics, and so scant is Bill's knowledge of anything even with that time limitation he had to make it up as he went along, after he ran out of facts, which he didn't have any of.  Of course O Riley started off by saying how he would handle things as president and would crack down on the NSA, and stated that "Obama may be a liberal domestically but he is a conservative on National Security matters".   He then weighed in on the affordable care act.  After the usual obligatory caviats about wanting inter state competetion of Health Care plans, and how people shouldn't be kicked off their policies- - or be barred for pre existing conditions he went on to his main point.  He stated "The trouble with the Obama Health Care plan is that it's basically a Socialist plan for the redistribution of wealth, which is what this President has worked for all his life".   He then moved on to the Kennedy Assassination.   He stated that Oswald acted alone.  He then said "You know all of these Conspiracy buffs sell a lot of books and it's a way for them to make a lot of money.  There is a lot of money to be made as a Conspiracy theorist".   Bill O Riley then talked about his Catholic upbringing and presumably has only the highest morals and turns to God in everything he does, and goes on to say that "Other people get messages from God, too, but they don't act on them".  For people like the next Ted Cruz out there it's music to their itching ears.  The Bible has a thing or two to say about "people with itching ears" and about people just looking for someone to scratch their itch.  I just hope Bill O Riley would not have the hypocrisy to say that he's somehow Opposed to people making money in this life.  If you ask me it's a whole lot more morally justifiable to make money from searching out the Truth than by propagating Lies, the way Bill O Riley does.  If you have read the Jesse Ventura book "63 Reasons why Oswald's bullet didn't kill Kennedy" you know it is as physically impossible for Oswald's bullet to have killed Kennedy as it was for Trayvon Martin to have been on top when George Zimmerman shot him.  But now O Riley has a new book out called "Killing Jesus".  I thought I'd heard it all, but not this spin!  O Riley says that Jesus was killed over the matter of paying taxes.  O Riley says because Jesus said to boycott Roman taxes that this was somehow a fad that caught on and the Roman government had to put a stop to it or they'd lose their Judian tax revenues.  Of course Jesus said TO pay taxes owed to Rome.  In fact, and this will shock many,  at every point where Jesus Christ had a choice to make between siding with the Roman Government or siding with his Jewish bretheren, he chose Rome every time.  It is no exaguration to state that Jesus' loyalty to Rome excees that of John Boehner to the tea party.  In the next place - - - the "money changers" Jesus drove out of the Temple changed Roman currency to the Jewish sheckel for a proper contribution, and all of the doves and pidgeons and such had to have that Kosher tag on their leg or the sacrifice wouldn't be accepted.  To show how "beyond the pale" O Riley's premis is - - that mob in the square that was shouting for Jesus to be Crucified to Pilate- - were in fact Jews, and the Gospel authors plainly intended that they be viewed as such.  And while Pilate pleads for the life of this Jesus of Nazareth -  - Pilate who would presumably WANT Jews to pay their taxes- - is pleading for the life of this Rebel, according to O Riley- - who is advocating that the Jews not pay their taxes to Rome.  But the mob at large wants Jesus - - the "dangerous tax rebel" killed.  On what planet does this scenario make sense even to a warped mind like O Riley's?   It's kind of like if you're a Catholic- - they say you can't worship God unless you've been to their theology schools and learned all about the Nicene trinitarian formula, as if those "Fathers" of the Fourth Century were the most uniquely Intelligent and learned men that ever lived in the history of the World.  Excuse me but I'm not ready to make that leap of Faith.  I too could say "God told me to turn on the Katie Kuric show that afternoon, which I usually don't do".   But I'm not going to do that.  Actually I was thinking "this is a nice, sunny day - I should do something different.  I could have gone to the park and hung out there- - and called my mother and ask what new thing she had done lately.  But instead I turned on Katie Kuric.   The thing is at least Rush Limbaugh has a little "finesse' in his performance on the radio- - which is utterly missing in Bill Riley's delivery, who comes off as one hundred percent arrogant all the time.

Randy Rhodes labored for three hours on her show to correct all people's misimpressions about the Affordable Care Act.  In the first place- - the Insurance Companies are not suffering.  Indeed they should welcome the ability to get new, fresh blood (customers) into the system, and low risk healthy ones, too, and they also get the government subsedy to jack up their profits.  And Randy points out that the Republicans finally have that inter state competetion - - in the free market - - they've been clamoring for.  Because unlike now, if you lose your job or have to relocate to another state, you can take your insurance plan with you.  And as we have said "Junk insurance plans" will no longer be offered- - and if you are on a junk insurance plan that guarantees nothing, it won't guarantee you against being financially wiped out with one bad illness- that's for sure.  Insurance Companies consider it an honor to qualify for the Obama Exchange.  Much as people like Bill O Riley are certified as Kosher by the tea party, and therefore qualified as an authority in the "Tea Party Exchange" otherwise known as the "right wing political echo chamber".    At some point it would have to sink in to all those uninsured people in the Red States that their right wing Republican governors are screwing them over- - particularly when they see that people in blue states such as California and New York are prospering.  If Randy Rhodes keeps hammering at it she may get a few genuine converts.  Although it's hard because thanks to people like Bill O Riley and FOX news, people's minds are programmed to shut down when exposed to any information that hasn't passed muster with their overlords such as Sean Hannity and Ted Cruz.  Bill O Riley praised Ted Cruz but said that "Wall Street money would never go for him".  Is that to say that Wall Street itself has now joined the "conspiracy to destroy the Republican party" since now they too are afraid of the consequences of electing someone like Ted Cruz as President?

I have never counsiled with a Catholic Priest, and I have never gone to Confession.  So really I have no idea what the "Catholic experiance" is all about.  So I look to television dramitizations such as Days of our Lives, and see if there is any sort of carry-over to experiances with Pastors that I HAVE had.  I think one thing you can generalize about is that most pastors seem to opperate on the "I'm OK but you're NOT OK" type philosophy.  Take Father Eric.  He jumps all over Nicole and accuses her of a vile deed, which of course she was innocent of and was shocked to know that her Priest was thinking in such Dark terms.  Now Father Eric jumps all over Brady Black for "not being honest with him".  But Father Eric has no conception of the idea about friendship and confiding in a "Safe" environment where what you say won't be broadcast all over town.  Now Father Eric is not even sure he wants to marry Brady and Christine.  But as usual- - these pastors jump all over the Innocent and impute the worst motives to them- - even if they have to make things up - - and yet the "guilty as sin" among them- - somehow get a free pass time after time.  I have noticed an amazing lack of tact and what you call "spiritual and psychological dissernment" in dealing with people both by Father Matt and Father Eric.  Pastors seem to have this "formula" that many therapists fall into the trap as believing in as Cure Alls for everything".  So they prod and squeeze people's words and accounts into one of their cooky-cutter "formulas".   They speak of the virtue of patience tword God- - (sometimes I think waiting for Hell to freeze over would not be a long enough time) and yet they snap at their supplicant parishioners like Dovermans.   And they live for the "Nya - Nya" moment hoping for someone they personally dislike to fall on hard times so they can wag their finger and deliver these shottenfroide type Sermons on Sunday.

I'm going to try and shorten up my postings just a bit.  In personal news- it is a nice day today.  The sky is blue and there is a gradual warming trend going on- - even if it will be a mighty showy Halloween for a whole lot of Americans.  Marsha lent me money for cigarettes and a cup of fresh brewed coffee- - and it's been a while since I've had a decent cup of fresh brewed coffee.  Later on in the afternoon I saw Dr Messina, my psychiatrist.   That visit went well.   My immediate money problems will be over come early Friday morning.  If there is a central difference between the tea party and us normal people is a saying of mine that "The right wing puts theology and political creed first- - the left wing puts People first".   People on the right say they love America but what they claim as History bears little resemblance to the Facts - - and the way America really was at any given time they claim to idolize (and I'm not sure what that is)  But to desguise their hatred of the human race (to borrow from Tassitus) they invent this THING - - this stick they use to beat the common people over the head with.  It could be Corporate Greed, or it could be the Church and Theology.  And they hide behind this THING, this fig leaf of rationalization which they themselves invented, and think that they are fooling - - - God or whoever.  They won't fool History.  Like unruly teenagers they do things on impulse and never stop to think about the end game- - or of the short or long term consequences of their acts.  (Selah)

New Details about Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act has come under a great deal of scrutiny lately by the media.  Randy Rhodes spoke of a little known “grandfather clause” in the Act itself and Rush Limbaugh even pointed out that the Las itself states that you can’t be kicked off your old insurance plan but can keep it if you want to - - and many of these “junk plans” will be allowed.  But the problem as Rush and Randy describe it is that the insurance companies themselves voluntarily choose to bollix up the system by changing their policies and jacking up premiums to prove who knows what point- - thus making them no longer qualified to be “grandfathered in” to this new golden age of Obama Care.  Then Randy Rhodes came out with a slightly different story.  She says that these “junk plans” you buy for just $56.00 a month won’t insure you much against anything because the limitations and deductables are so high and so many medical procedures- - such as drugs and hospitalization aren’t even covered thus making them useless.  So it’s pointed out that while some people- - and a minority according to Randy Rhodes, may pay a little more for their insurance, you get a whole lot more coverage than from under the old policy they were on.  For instance there are ten things that any policy must supply to be on the new Exchange.  These are things you know about like no maximum limit, you can’t be kicked off; you can be suddenly disqualified because they suddenly discover a “pre existing condition”, which is an oxy moromism when you think about it.  It’s like I may be in fine health now but in ten years when I actually need it my company may suddenly discover a “pre existing condition”.   You can’t charge more for women then for men, and you have to cover regular medical visits for “health maintenance”.  That’s after all what HMO stands for, but people like Keiser in particular do a piss poor job of “maintaining’ anyone’s health, because doctors under such plans get paid not to treat you.  And it’s pointed out that the State Exchanges that got on board with the thing are doing just fine with lower rates and all, and their web sites aren’t flaking out the way that the national website is doing.  And of course the red states contain the poorest populations most in need of seeing a doctor.  But these governors won’t even take free federal money to upgrade their Medic-Aid programs, because “It’s the principle of the thing”.  I’d like dearly to see a whole lot of these red state jackass Republican governors get voted out of office next year.

Stephanie Miller had this jerk-off caller who was one of this breed of “fioux” enlightened people who are “post racial” or something- - and their favorite pastime is saying that it’s liberals who are the ones who are racist.  But of course then they go and say “the Trayvon Martin case had nothing to do with racial bias”.  They will point to one case in Chicago or Tennessee or something where a bunch of Blacks beat up a white woman and called her a “white whore”.  But if you research these obscure cases you’ll find the people were duly punished and given long prison terms.  This is unlike the Trayvon Martin case where the suspect was not even arrested and “the system” did everything to get him off with one of the worst prosecution efforts that wouldn’t merit a “D” in a law school exercise.  It’s silly to say there is no racism when people wear black face masks with a bloody spot over the heart- - and your friend (white) wears this neighborhood watch Tee shirt and makes a hand gesture like a gun and you pose for a photo.  And Clarence Thomas’s name came up and Jim Ward or somebody points out that “Clarence Thomas got the benefits of affirmative action and yet turns around and does everything in his judicial power to deny it to others.  The caller says “You say that Clarence Thomas benefited from affirmative action?  That sounds like a racist statement to me!” The guy at this point was just being a jackass.  He doesn’t believe that for a minute - - as though he were somehow so in sympathy with it- - he wants nobody even pointing it out.  As for myself I am on the fence about racial quotas.  I blow one way on it and then the other.  The topic merits discussion and when someone like Clarence Thomas slipping though the system, it gets you to wondering.  Thomas is the most uniquely - - Unqualified people ever to serve on the Supreme Court. 

 ABC network news was from Miami to introduce the new English language version of “The Fusion Network”, and appeals to the Millennial generation of those under 35.   This group has a higher share of Latinos in it and also of course I pro Obama and votes democratic.  They said the percentage of Latinos in the population at large will rise to impressive proportions like over thirty percent nation wide by 2040 or so.  I guess despite the immigration cuts, the birth rates alone will increase population percentages.  There is still a lot of talk about N S A spying that has of course been going on since 2002 by the Bush administration.  This is spying on our allies- - and the five countries most affected are France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and Brazil.   Many are offended that the most personal phone calls of foreign leaders have been intercepted by the NSA.   Naturally the President can’t discuss this in nearly as much detail as the tea party congress would like, but nothing ever satisfies them anyhow.   There has been a lot of talk that since 9 – 11 the Americans have become a whole lot more accepting of government snooping than have Europeans, who still place a value in their privacy.  As far as the way the World Series games have ended- - Sunday night’s game ended with a Cardinal being picked off at first base, when he wasn’t that far from the bag to begin with, but it ended the game in the ninth.  That score was 6 to 4.  Last night’s game ended on a pup up fly that was caught - - also during Cardinal last ups.  They said that if the Cardinals win they will have to do something not done since 1979 of winning the final two games in the other team's ball park.  In that case it was the Pittsburgh Pirates pervailing against the Orials.  But if the Red Sox win, it will be the first time the Red Sox have won in their home stadium since 1918, apparently before The Bambino put the hex on them.

The soap opera consisted of a lot of wrangling over this and that with Samantha and Brady Black in a rather comic argument about “Who is going to have the most disasterous wedding.  But the highlight of the episode was Nicole and her confronting that lady Hotel clerk or whatever- - and how her words to Eric had kind of hung Nicole out to dry in some highly biased relating of events.  Nicole pretty much put her in her in her place plainly showing her that no way could things have happened the way she and Father Eric’s scenario “concoction”.  But like Janet, this lady “Didn’t want to discuss it”.    I was not called for Money Draw and didn’t expect to me.  But people have a way of acting Stupid.  For instance in the Trayvon Martin case now they are saying "Trayvon Martin was walking suspiciously show; he should have run".  But the thing is Trayvon did run, in one of the most damning pieces of audio evidence in the trial.  George Zimmerman was talking with the 911 dispatcher and was going on about observing Martin and then suddenly goes "He's running" and you hear him running as though on a police pursuit - and the next thing you know - -  - well, Trayvon's own phone was knocked out of his hands as Zimmerman apparently jumped him.   But there are no lengths that some people won't go to demonstrate themselves to be total assholes.  Of course in the Resurrection story of Jesus- - if you follow that like a court case you are faced with Absurdities.  For instance there are these two people on the road to Emmeus.  Where they had just left- - Matthew states that there was a powerful earthquake and the graves were opened and the bodies came to life and began walking through the city.  Common sense tells me that this event would Ecclipse any other possible conversation they had.  It's certainly more news worthy than three women getting lost and not finding the right tomb because they just got up too early in the morning or something.  But it's dinner time- - and when Jesus breaks the bread they immediately head back to Jerusalem.  They find the eleven disciples and tell them they have seen Jesus.  "And while they were telling this story- - Jesus appears among them".  So we know that these two disciples were in the room when Jesus appeared.  But John said there were ten disciples and not eleven, and that they met "behind locked doors for fear of the Jews".  The question is why they were "meeting" at all, because to fulfill scripture which says "Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered" we would infer that all of the disciples ran away for fear.  So why now are they all meeting together.  And how did John forget that that these two others got into the room - - past the locked doors.  But of course Isaiah 53 says that "He was reckoned as dead to those of his own generation' or something like that.  John goes on to say that Jesus "gave them the Holy Spirit" right there and without Thomas.  He also gave them the power to either forgive sins or refuse to forgive them- and either way God would honor their decision.  Luke says nothing about any of this.  Luke says something entirely different.  First of all Jesus uses that phrase I have often quoted.  "These are the events I told you about while I was still with you".   That line "while I was still with you" kind of implies that he - - is no longer with them.  And he "opened up their minds to the scripture fulfillment".  So - - is that enough inconsistencies for you?