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Post by kungfuzu on Mar 31, 2023 19:06:53 GMT -8
This week I received the yearly magazine from my college. They cut back since the KFF fraud, and it appears instead of a couple of yearly issues, they are only sending out one in 2023.
I had a quick look through the thing and ran into the following.
And then I ran into..
I didn't know what BIPOC was, but checked and saw it is an acronym for "Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
I would like to know what in the hell, DEI and BIPOC have to do with a college education. When I saw these things, I figured we were lost, as the kids in school are between 18 and 22 years old. How do we arrest the decline and even if we do, how do we get over the generation of idiots who have been brainwashed?
Still, I have to hope.
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Mar 31, 2023 19:32:48 GMT -8
I can't remember where I read this. But it was an article that stated: If being mentally ill means you don't qualify to buy a gun, how do "trans" people qualify to purchase?
I thought it was a good point.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Mar 31, 2023 19:38:33 GMT -8
You see, you just defined the problem.
If you could import several million reformers from, say, the year 1790, who would be assigned to fill and administer all the positions (at least necessary ones) now occupied by idiots, then you'd have something.
But as much as I am sympathetic to Artler's calls for revolution, we are already so revolting, I just don't see where you could find the legions to storm the castle. I'm not being fatalistic, for I do understand that history is stochastic. Incredibly large change can come quickly, and without notice.
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Post by artraveler on Apr 1, 2023 8:38:05 GMT -8
Some guy by the name of Jefferson says our current situation best. I don't call for revolution. I suggest revolution is already upon us.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Our current government has betrayed these virtues and need be changed, peacefully if possible.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Apr 1, 2023 10:38:49 GMT -8
Fair enough. When you see the White House lit up in rainbow colors, that's all the evidence you need that a revolution has occurred. That flag and rainbow colors mean "I will stay in a permanent state of feel-good maternal infancy where I can believe that boys are girls, girls are boys, and having self-congratulatory feelings is all that matters."
The edifice they are building is fragile and can't help but come tumbling down. Whether the Chinese do it or counter-revolutionary Americans do it is up for grabs. The law of entropy could have something to say about it as well.
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Post by artraveler on Apr 1, 2023 16:16:29 GMT -8
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Post by kungfuzu on Apr 1, 2023 18:28:56 GMT -8
I see the change coming from outside the USA. It will either destroy us as a nation or bring us back to reality. Either way, the USA will not be the power it once was.
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Post by artraveler on Apr 1, 2023 20:15:54 GMT -8
I don't think there is any doubt the 20th century was very much an American century. We treed the world like bears, made and ruined large parts of it. Theodore Roosevelt one said the American character is much like the the Grizzly Bear. The Grizzly spends his life alone, fearless of every foe. He lashes out, offend in blind rage, for he is somewhat nearsighted and prone to make judgement before he is sure of his facts. But he is always faithful to his solitude.
We need to release the grizzly in our national character once again. If Donald Trump is the one to make this happen let him be president.
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Post by artraveler on Apr 9, 2023 13:10:34 GMT -8
Out in America
Out here in America, it is the conclusion of a dichotomy of religious practice. Sunday 9 April is Easter. For my Christian friends and family, it is most holy day of the year. For my Jewish friends and family, this week is the celebration of Passover. For both, it is a time to remember why freedom is so precious. For Christians it is time to recall Jesus’ suffering and resurrection and the freedom that philosophy offers for the individual. After 2000 years of faith, it is pointless to even speculate on the true Jesus. What is in the Christian scriptures is enough for Christians and non-Christians. Either you accept and believe, or you don’t.
For Jews this marks over 3000 years since Moses led our people out of Egypt. I doubt he looked anything like Charlton Heston. The first question asked at the Seder table is “why is this night different from all other nights?” The meal is symbolic, representing the hurry to leave Egypt, bitter herbs and salt are served to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. Unleavened bread is served to remind us of the rush to leave. The story of the Exodus is told.
Exodus, for Jews is not an event that happened 3000 years ago, but it is our fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers who walked out of Goshen behind a figure, who scripture would later say, “Moses was 120 years old, his eyes were not dim, and his natural force was unabated”. He could have been a god to my people, but he declined the offer.
If you don’t know the story of the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt, then watch the movie or read the scripture. It is a celebration of the freedom of the human soul. You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the story. Anymore then you don’t have to be Christian to apricate the story of Jesus. As the basic story is the same and teaches the same lesson. It is better to be free than a slave. How you get there is individual choice. It is when that choice is threatened by oppressive tyranny that trouble begins. Perhaps we can give up a few moments to recall how precious life and liberty are and hate each other a little less.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Apr 9, 2023 18:50:16 GMT -8
You're right. Probably Burt Lancaster was a better fit.  Very thoughtfully written. What most strikes me is when you said, "Exodus, for Jews is not an event that happened 3000 years ago…" Keeping it alive is difficult. Look at the hucksterism of television preachers and tell me that's not a dead religion. Look at churches that embrace the latest liberal sin and tell me that's not a dead religion. Look at the multi-media centers that make most churches look like they were prepared to host Led Zeppelin on stage. Tell me that's not a dead religion. It's difficult to keep it alive and relevant without engaging in hucksterism, or drowning it in materialism, or (as with Islam) killing people. I think the Jews, via Passover, potentially set a very good example for us all. Freedom is something we can celebrate. And Jews (at least non-libtard Jews) understand that it is not man who gives us freedom but G-d. It is not the state we should look to for our highest ideals and morals. Some Jews still remember this, as do some Christians. But I see it all fading. We are today wandering in the wilderness. Happy Easter nonetheless. May you all find some small way to make it relevant and living. |
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Post by artraveler on Apr 9, 2023 19:28:30 GMT -8
Ahh, cousin Bert. The real Moses was probably less then 5 foot 5, weighed 135-150 pounds soaking wet and had a very dark skin, possibly even Black, Certainly swarthy. But who cares. |
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Post by kungfuzu on Apr 9, 2023 20:16:32 GMT -8
To put a somewhat different slant on this..... I was brought up in The Church of Christ, which would be considered a conservative denomination. We celebrated neither Christmas nor Easter as religious holidays. Getting down to brass tacks, the reason for this is that Christians should celebrate Christ everyday. He should live in their hearts 365 days a year, not on some "special" day which was more or less randomly chosen. As to Easter specifically, the essence of Christianity is Christ's death on the cross, thereby taking upon himself the sins of humanity, and his Resurrection, overcoming death as proof of his divinity and for the salvation of mankind. This is to be celebrated every Sunday, the day of his Resurrection, with the "Lord's Supper"not just one special day each year. Recollection of and thanks for Christ's sacrifice is to be part of our daily lives. Of course, Medieval Christianity had numerous "religious" holidays across the year. While Easter was special, there were many others on which Christians attended Church and worshiped God. Christmas was not nearly as popular as it is today. As I mentioned before, religion was much more real and part of a person's life in those days. To see the opposite of the faith I grew up in, take a look at this. This is would I would consider a good example of the Entertainment Gospel which has taken the place of Christianity today. Just fill the seats |
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Apr 10, 2023 8:26:26 GMT -8
In the Heinleinian future they will develop a time machine. By this far into the future, DED (diversity, equity, delusion) will ensure that we all have equal access to that machine – some more equal than others, of course, depending upon your skin color.
But I digress. In this future, each CCC (compliant, caring citizen) will be given three uses of the time machine, thus they may choose three destinations. A surprising amount of them want to visit behind the grassy knoll on that fateful November day.
But one of my uses would be to visit a biblical figure. Jesus? Moses? Walking on water? Parting the Red Sea? One of those people and/or events would really be something to see. Then we can settle our bet as to which Hollywood actor best resembles Moses. If it turns out to be Woody Allen, we'll call that a push and just forget the whole thing.
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Apr 10, 2023 9:00:12 GMT -8
Yeah yeah yeah. One of the "true believers." My best friend growing up was (still is) a Jehovah Witness. I remember him eyeing the Christmas tree we put up every year with envy. One year his mother relented and he was allowed a small tree in his room. My sister-in-law goes to some kind of ultra-orthodox almost Jewish church...so I've heard.
What kind of free-market capitalist are you if you're not for monetizing these biblical figures? We should bundle it all up in one day, sell lots of stuff, and then just go on with our lives, our commitment having been fulfilled.
I did hear yesterday (from on high...or at least the floor above me) a special emphasis on Jesus in the pastor's sermon. On other Sundays? Probably not so much.
Yes I'm aware that not a week would go by – or at least a fortnight – when there was not a Saint or some other biblical figure on the calendar who was venerated in some way.
Considering what the opposite looks like, it's hard to come down too hard on the JW's or the Church of Christers. A cousin just called up. One of my other cousins had passed on and he gave me the news. He was looking for the phone number of my mother's niece. I looked around in some of my old mother's things, including a couple of her bibles, to see if there was any info written there. There is a nice (I think unused) bible with her name in gold on the front cover. Inside there is a written inscription from my older brother that reads, "To my beloved mother and friend in Christ on Mother's Day, 1982. Your son..." Now he's running around with drunks and pot-smokers. I was never "found" so I could never be quite this lost. I guess grading on a curve again. But a poignant contrast to suddenly come upon that.
If you're going to have a mega-millionaire false prophet, I think Joel Osteen is the way to go. From what I've seen, he's somewhat like a psychologist/best-buddy preaching kind words and spreading positive vibes. I find him less obnoxious than the others, grading on a curve.
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Post by kungfuzu on Apr 10, 2023 10:02:51 GMT -8
For some reason, back in 1977 or 1978, I had a discussion about this with a girlfriend. Had I the ability to go back in time and meet anyone, Jesus would have been my choice.
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Post by kungfuzu on Apr 10, 2023 10:09:22 GMT -8
I should have been more specific. We were lucky. We celebrated Christmas and Easter, but they had nothing to do with religion. Both were just national holidays. In fact, it was made clear to us that neither holiday had anything to do with what was in the Bible. Christmas was just beautiful lights and some old-fat-white-haired guy in a red suit passing out gifts, while Easter was dying boiled eggs and Easter Egg hunts. Nary a mention of Jesus in either. I have often said that fundamentalist Christians are actually Jews, they just don't know it.  |
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Apr 10, 2023 10:18:08 GMT -8
Somewhere between "Jesus is the reason for the season" and "Winter festival" there is a happy medium. Orthodoxy can be a guiding light away from the worst this world has to offer. Look at how many churches today have embraced the world and forgotten the guardrails of their own dogma. But too much of it can be stifling.
And I'm not telling you anything you don't know (or know better). But certainly it must be true that if these biblical things are true, and one believed them, one would live more under the dictates of The Ten Commandments than DEI.
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Post by kungfuzu on Apr 10, 2023 11:40:42 GMT -8
Somehow that phrasing sounds odd, to me. It reads like something from some formal award document of the 19th century. Stilted, not from the heart. I can't imagine writing something like that to my mother. Maybe I'm just too simple for such things.
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Post by artraveler on Apr 10, 2023 11:44:32 GMT -8
Orthodoxy can be a guiding light away from the worst this world has to offer. That is only one aspect of orthodoxy. The other is that it tends to make the community more homogenous, often even inbred. It does however, protect children, seniors and even the uncertain. It is no surprise that the ultra-orthodox Hasidic community is growing among the Jewish population of the US as assimilation of by marriage and lack of commitment pull nominal Jews away. |
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Post by artraveler on Apr 10, 2023 12:16:20 GMT -8
I also posted this on Facebook. The Fuckers at FB chose to delete it. I will keep reposting until they close my account.
Out in America
Out here in America, it is the conclusion of a dichotomy of religious practice. Sunday 9 April is Easter. For my Christian friends and family, it is most holy day of the year. For my Jewish friends and family, this week is the celebration of Passover. For both, it is a time to remember why freedom is so precious. For Christians it is time to recall Jesus’ suffering and resurrection and the freedom that philosophy offers for the individual. After 2000 years of faith, it is pointless to even speculate on the true Jesus. What is in the Christian scriptures is enough for Christians and non-Christians. Either you accept and believe, or you don’t.
For Jews this marks over 3000 years since Moses led our people out of Egypt. I doubt he looked anything like Charlton Heston. The first question asked at the Seder table is “why is this night different from all other nights?”. The meal is symbolic, representing the hurry to leave Egypt, bitter herbs and salt are served to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. Unleavened bread is served to remind us of the rush to leave. The story of the Exodus is told.
Exodus, for Jews is not an event that happened 3000 years ago, but it is our fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers who walked out of Goshen behind a figure, who scripture would later say, “Moses was 120 years old, his eyes were not dim, and his natural force was unabated”. He could have been a god to my people, but he declined the offer.
If you don’t know the story of the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt, then watch the movie or read the scripture. It is a celebration of the freedom of the human soul. You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the story. Anymore then you don’t have to be Christian to apricate the story of Jesus. As the basic story is the same and teaches the same lesson. It is better to be free than a slave. How you get there is individual choice. It is when that choice is threatened by oppressive tyranny that trouble begins. Perhaps we can give up a few moments to recall how precious life and liberty are and hate each other a little less.
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