And now - - the "Thinking About Things" Institute

I would first like to expand on a theme raised in the last posting.  It's the idea that "We need to allow the people the Right to tell blatant lies in campaigns (or advertising) because somehow this "Makes for a healthier more spirit discourse or competetion".   Neil Savedra is a champion of this on KFI saying that "Unless Evil somehow has the status of a protected entity such as- - oh - - no shooting of predatory wolves or mountain lions or something - -then people will never know where a person is somehow "Really" Honest- - or just one in a hundred million of Other - - honest people.  (Gosh wouldn't THAT be horrible)  But the truth is that if it's Good that is muzzled rather than Evil - - or if the teller of Truth is mussled- - by virtue of being outspent by the multi billionaire Liars out there- - that somehow- - "Well you'll never know who is really a Hero out there because they'll never have an oppertunity to Demonstrate to others that they ARE indeed "Heroes" or whatever- and gosh what a crime would it would be if these Heroes were not "recognized" and lauded for their Virtue.  How strange it is then that Jesus himself in the Bible said "If you do Good and are praised by men - - then you Have your reward".   Nobody told Neil Savedra this passage was in the Bible.  Because according to Neil- - - nobody- - NOT EVEN GOD seemingly, even know that the Good perople were really Good without a backdrop of Evil to show them off - - kind of like putting diamonds on black velvet to show them off.   People think God is stupid like he "Really doesn't know who the good ones and who the bad ones are".   The idea that anybody would DARE pass a law such as "Don't Lie; Don't Cheat" seemingly is unthinkable.  And yet we hear these multi billionaires espousing such a doctrine.  They would peddle the LIE to you that somehow - - outspending an opponet a hundred to one in some local race is a Fair Content in the "Marketplace of Ideas".   The next paragraph was written on Good Friday.

This afternoon after coffee break I was sitting and thinking about Christ’s suffering.  And today I wondered about one of Gene Scotts unshakable assertions that “Jesus was buried in a known and accessable tomb”.   I’m wondering that if a man were afraid to come out publicly as a disciple of Jesus but did it in secret- - and had purchased a family tomb that had never been used for the first burial - - I’m wondering how “public” such a man would be about broadcasting to one and all the location of this tomb- - particularly to the Roman authorities, whom he might well be afraid of.  And the story about Pilate posting a “quatrane” of guards to guard the tomb for two days or whatever- - and how utterly improbably this would be.  If Joseph was afraid of grave robbers- most likely he would hire a guard himself if he didn’t want the body of his beloved Jesus somehow profaned or stolen after having received such a lovingly prepared for burial on Friday evening.  And of course you know that this shaddowy Joseph figure appears on Good Friday and then disappears from all Four Gospels come Easter morning.  He is no more to be found, so nobody ever gets to even raise the question as to whether this Joseph was pleased by the "missing body" or not.  But if we believe the edict in the Ten Commandments movie- - the name of Moses was striken from every scroll and tablet and monument and obelisk- - and on direct orders "The memory of Moses was to be erased from our Minds".  It is a little strange that Joseph and Nicodemus- - appear nowhere in Acts or in any subsequent Epistle.  So did they GO RIGHT ON being - - "Secret" believers- - or what?   But of course- - normal people aren’t allowed to think about stuff like this.

I was just thinking about Lamar Alexander's Saturday response address on KNX, and how he talked about the government providing a "platform" for people to succeed, but does not try and prescribe each jot and tiddle, or micro-manage you to death.  This reminds me of my experiance with Christians.  They are not "enablers" of good works.  THEY will tell you that "making an effort on your own" or doing a "Good thing" may be worthless IF - - it isn't in the pre planned will of God.  Much for instance you can't get medical insurance under Obama Care unless you first of all accept the premise that you no longer have the Right to autonomy in this area but must first Submit to - - The Government Plan.  They will lay it all out for you - - and by their own definition They are perfect and know what is beat and they are never to be questioned- - even if their solutions or "prescribed actions" are assenine.  And then there are the people who "fall through the cracks completely" like the 85% of uninsured Americans who are STILL without coverage under Obama Care.  Or else they are too poor to get a subsedy or something and too rich to get Medi-Cal.  And like God and Christianity - - they keep running into all of these "Problems they didn't foresee".  Both God and the government (who may or may not think they ARE God) seem to continually being overcome by circumstances- - which somehow excuses them from the many promises they made to you.  Or "Things didn't work out as expected".   What was that expression in the "Oh God" movie?  "Well - - - you Try".  Leo Le Port said that if there were more real internet provider competition in each major city, prices would come way down and speeds would go up, just as it is in Europe.  Why does the US have to lag behind Europe?  We had Raisin Bran for breakfast followed by a fried and toast and butter and jelly.  Owen gave me an additional toast I ate dry.  It was pretty soon after that I was doing a major E mail reading by Judy, who has become quite the Rush Limbaugh addict relying quite a bit on him for her information, as is Rush were ever any source to get “The Facts” from.  I reviewed my sent letters and came upon the two major letters to Dr Levy last November.  One was “God, Dimensions, and Things” and the other was one of these smart “Political sayings” humor bullets.  So really if you’re going to talk about anything of mine being published, these two mailings would represent about the only major things, as memory serves, that I’ve sent Dr Levy in the past year.  But Dr Levy would rather have me send him predictions where I’ll be five years from now.  I am a notoriously bad predictor of things that will happen in my life in the future, and clearly he would rather have me put my efforts at a type of writing which I don’t like, and my track record is poor.  Then it was Chris Matthews.  Chelsea and her husband are expecting a baby in October, and now the tea party right is trying to call this pregnancy “politically motivated”.  Is literally nothing either sacred or private to them?  Off bounds?  Apparently not.  A lady filled in for Chris Matthews and progress in health care popularity was the major topic.  It was also the topic on the long opening segment of Thursday’s show.  When you think about it- - the Republicans had a major program to discourage college students from enrolling in Obama Care saying how horrible it would be for them.  And they hope nobody enroles, and now that young people have enrolled anyhow, they are in the place of looking like a jackass.  But of course it’s all they’ve got.  But I’m wondering whether this doom and gloom message isn’t wearing thin - - with this threadbare rhetoric they use over and over because they’ve got nothing else.  The economy is picking up, slowly, and by next fall both Health Care and the economy might not even be on the radar screen as issues.

 I watched “Face the Nation” and they had that Timothy Cardinal guy on.  They have tagged him as “The most likely American candidate to become Pope”.  He’s a plump and jolly enough fellow, with a winning smile.  But beneath the veneer of outgoingness- - you dare not ask him, or let’s put it this way - - I - - would dare not ask him anything actually pertaining to what is really required of an individual to be in good standing in the Catholic Church.  It’s kind of like looking at a mushroom cloud.  Maybe it’s a pretty sight with the right filtering glasses, and viewed from a respectable distance- - but I sure as hell would not want to be IN one!   (Selah)  There are about four things to “The Faith” or “The Church” which for me are non starters.  One is the sexual matter, which is frought with hypocracy.   It’s not just feeling uncomfortable in church if you are gay, but the question is whether a heterosexual can truly feel comfortable among these people, with the numerous “spiritual one ups man ship” games they play.  Another is the idea is the notion that Christian is a “Revealed” religion.  This in essence translates to a “made up” religion.  There is a profound anti intellectual bias and more hypocracy again.  For they will say “There is nothing wrong with doubt” but of course you can tell how major a Lie Christians tell by how often they repeat it, and this is among the chief ones.  If it were a truly a revealed religion than tell me WHAT is “revealed”.  I would assume it’s some new knowledge or enlightenment that the world and the science community has been unable to discover.  I take the word “Revealed” to mean “Made Manifest”.  But here nothing is made manifest- - it’s all Doctrinal.  There is too much of a “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” both as to child molestation, and also the idea that the word science means “knowledge” - - is acceptable only if - like in that video I saw - - it is "Revealed" science, because the gathering as such knowledge as something seen and heard and measured and varifiable- - seems to be “Most retrograde to their desires” to quote from Hamlet.  Then there is the whole primal appeal to childhood fears of burning in Hell or what not.  Without this “fear” stick held over you head, Christianity would have a whole lot less power.  And finally there is the idea that forgiveness- - as defined by Christianity is NOT some sort of "reconsiliation" or restoration of any relationship but it's more akin to some enforced "Absolution" of the Guilty- - you are pressured into giving.  The people who could compel you to forgive seem to be after some blanked protection or "immunity".  They want you above all to do something you COULDN'T really do even if you were in a mood to humor these people because They know you will never hold out but at some point you will "slip" and bring up the offense again- and they they think they've won because "They caught you in a lie.  They caught you breaking a promise" - - something they themselves wrote the book on.  For normal people - -  forgiveness is “Something you are NOT entitled to but is granted as an act of grace by the one extending it.  But rather for these Christians - - “Forgiveness” in the real world for them is- - something you are REQUIRED to grant even if you are NOT the one even sinned against.  You are to pronounce third party “Forgiveness”.   Neither- in 99% of the cases does there need to be the least bit of repentance or contriteness or apology- and little or no hope things will ever changed with this person.  I do not back away from these indicting assertions; I speak them boldly. 

I went down to the west patio and got lucky and found three butts which are better than ones I’ve gotten from some people like James- - and I smoked all three of them lighting the remaining ones with the previous one.  The Miami Heat just defeated the N C Bobcats 99 to 88 in Miami before a friendly crowd.  That game ended before three.  I went down just about two for two cups of coffee in the courtyard, and they were very prompt.  I felt like I got ripped off again by the new Ron.  He said he had a rollie for me, but I said “No, I can’t afford them” and he responded “No, I’m giving it to you”.  Maybe it’s just me but I’d bet the farm the guy is lying and will be wanted to be paid on Tuesday.  The fact that the guy promotes his Christian Faith so strong to me is just a “bad witness”.   It seems to me so many Christians, who brag the loudest are out to promote themselves and their spiritual superiority over others.

 That Chef Ramsey thing was just not realistic.  First of all I don’t know why he had to pick up that mannequin he didn't like and bust off a leg.  And I don’t know why he had to rout about in that infected garbage in the kitchen and in the non functioning walk in freezer.  Clearly the place merited an F minus rating, and he should have left it at that.   Particularly when both of the owners had a really bad attitude saying “What do you mean you didn’t like the food?  Everything we prepare is always perfect”.  As such that humble resolve to do better at the end- - and all the trash dumpster stuff- -  it was so far over the top and beyond the call of duty- and he wouldn’t have to wash his hands so much.  All three of the main courses were awful and everything was swimming in some white sauce, which seemed to be the only thing they knew how to make.  The salmon, and the shrimp, and the scallops were all completely unacceptable.  Then it was this young woman and the corrupt Sheriff’s office.  Because one of their own “Good old boys” dated this woman, and then became highly abusive both physically and psychologically- - and in the end turned threatening, when it was learned she had just landed a better job and would not be dependent on him, and was in fact packing up her things to leave when she was gunned down.  Though there was tons of evidence- - it was only with the greatest reluctance and a massive internet PR campaign- they even reopened the investigation using different questioners.