Much has been written about and discussed regarding the Republican Party. God's Own Party. The Party of Greed. The Party of Family Values (minus the values). Yes, you all understand the rank hypocrisy that permeates and smells up their whole "values" bumper sticker slogan. But what is it that is causing this incredible hypocrisy?
From what I have discerned, much of what was written in the Apostle's Creed gives these holier-than-thou hypocrites their backbone to do their worst here in life and expect a rosy and happy reunion with their loved ones in the afterlife.
When Jesus heard that, he said to them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor; those who are sick do. I've come to call sinners, not people who think they have God's approval."
(emphasis added)
GOP Health Care Obstructionists, are you Listening???
The Pharisees, thought they were doing God's work too.
Imagine their surprise when this upstart Carpenter, from the old neighborhood, dared to stand up to their blatant self-righteousness ... and dish back to them some cold, hard truth ...
Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation.
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In colloquial speech, bullying often describes a form of harassment perpetrated by an abuser who possesses more physical and/or social power and dominance than the victim.
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The harassment can be verbal, physical and/or emotional.
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Bullies hurt people verbally and physically.
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There are many reasons for that. One of them is because the bullies themselves are or have been the victim of bullying.
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Bullying can occur in any setting where human beings interact with each other.
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Bullying can exist between social groups, social classes and even between countries.
I've been taking my children to political rallies, receptions, and house parties since they were babies. Many Iowa Democrats have claimed not to recognize me without a small child riding on my front, hip or back.
At the same time, I've avoided exposing my kids to political scenes likely to turn confrontational, such as anti-war demonstrations. An article I read years ago in Mothering magazine persuasively argued that because young children cannot understand abstract political concepts, they are likely to be disturbed by the anger they encounter at a protest rally. (Sorry, no link--they don't put most of their content online.)
I've also been influenced by my mother-in-law. In her 30 years as a preschool teacher, she learned that young children are easily confused by upsetting images. After 9/11, some of the kids in her class did not understand that television networks kept showing replays of the same scenes. They thought that another plane was crashing into another building every time they saw tragic footage from that day.
Bill Maher is wrong about religious people when he says they are all either deluded, crazy, intellectually lazy or just plain stupid...
... and I say that as an atheist who thinks religion is responsible for more evil than anything else in human history, that all religions are plain fucking crazy and that most religious people are either deluded, crazy, intellectually lazy or just plain stupid.
Who said it was a glass ceiling? In the Vatican, women's rights is more like a concrete ceiling.
The Vatican announced Thursday in a general decree that it will excommunicate anyone who would attempt to ordain a woman as a priest and the woman herself.
BEIJING (AP) - The Chinese government plans to meet with a private representative of the Dalai Lama in the coming days, state-run media reported, after weeks of pressure from world leaders.
The official Xinhua News Agency said it had learned of the development "from official sources." It quoted an unnamed official as saying there had been requests repeatedly made by "the Dalai side for resuming talks."
snip
The official said "the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with Dalai's private representative in the coming days." No date was given, and it was unclear exactly which representative was expected to take part in the meeting.
The Associated Press has more details about the protests in Tongren yesterday, including information on arrests and the use of force by Chinese police and paramilitary:
Monks on Thursday called for the release of fellow Buddhist clergy. They were joined by area residents at a local market, according to the center, which is based in the seat of the Tibetan governmment-in-exile in the Indian town of Dharmsala.
The center said police who were rushed to the scene began beating participants, despite efforts at mediation by a senior monk.
Receptionists reached by phone at Tongren hotels confirmed the protest, saying a crowd had gathered near the local county government offices. "Today there's no more protests. Those people were all seized," said one receptionist.
snip
The women refused to give their names for fear of retaliation by authorities, who have reportedly offered rewards for information on people leaking news of protests and crackdowns to the outside.
snip
A worker at a Tibetan restaurant in downtown Tongren near the monastery said police attacked protesters indiscriminately. "They were randomly beating people," said the woman, who gave her name as Duoma.
Some folks out there may remember that I wrote a while back on the IOC's decision to give the Olympic games to China, asking rhetorically, "What were they thinking?"
Right now, given the IOC's desire to see the Bubblelympics continue free of any influences of the world outside the Olympic village, I've just gotta ask, "What are they thinking?"
The Times UK covers the recent "decision" of the IOC regarding whether or not athletes at the games can make any political statements. Calling displays of the Tibetan flag potential propaganda, the IOC stated that athletes could be banned for such displays.
Ah, yes, but how to handle that whole "freedom of speech" thing?
Today's WaPo carries the entirety of one of the essays written by activist Hu Jia that resulted in his recent imprisonment.
I've excerpted some of his essay below for our EENR community. For those who still maintain that the overall decision of the IOC to allow China to host the Olympics was overall a sound one, I ask you to please consider what Mr. Hu says about the state of affairs in China leading up to the games.
I am still left shaking my head and wondering, "what were they thinking?"
Excerpts follow below, and I have added the headings for easier perusal. The entire posting is well worth the read and can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
In one of those synchroncities that sometimes occur in life, shortly before I began to hear about the current unrest in Tibet, I had begun to read a book called The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings, edited by Rajiv Mehrotra and published by Penguin Books. The book is a compilation of essays and lectures on Buddhism by the Dalai Lama. It is a relatively thin book, under 300 pages, but I have yet to finish it a couple of weeks later, because each of the essays in the book is so full of meaning and deserving of further thought that I cannot read too much of it at once without stopping to absorb and ponder it.
I am not a Buddhist. I am someone who has a great deal of interest in spiritual questions about the actual nature of reality, but because of a questioning mind I have been unable thus far to accept any religion. As such, I am by no means an expert on this subject, but I want to convey some sense of what I believe is the deep importance of preserving the Tibetan culture. I have the impression that many Americans are unfamiliar with that culture and think of Tibet as far away and unimportant to them. I want to express why I think it is imperative that we support Tibet.
Who said it was a glass ceiling? In the Vatican, women's rights is more like a concrete ceiling.
In one of those synchroncities that sometimes occur in life, shortly before I began to hear about the current unrest in Tibet, I had begun to read a book called 
