Li: ritual, propriety, etiquette. Hsiao: love within the family (parents for children and children for parents. Yi: righteousness--the noblest way to act in a situation. Xin: honesty and trustworthiness. Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others. Chung: loyalty to the state and authority. --Confucius (Kong Fuzi)

All articles appear in reverse chronological order [newest first].

Post from FaceBook may not be viewable if not signed into FaceBook.
I believe the past is relevant, sometimes more than others of course. In most cases we are seeing history being repeated, so it is most relevant.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Fight On!

reposted from 3-12-2011

"Most poor folks are not on welfare, they work every day. They catch the early bus. They work every day.. . . They clean the streets. They cut the grass. They rake the leaves. They work hard every day. They raise other people's children. They work in hospi­tals. They mop the floors, and clean up the germs. They wipe the bodies of those who are sick with fever, rub their bodies down and when they get sick, they clean out their commodes." Jesse Jackson, 1988

Continue the effort, fight the Republican/Wall Street attack on the working middle class!
Can someone explain to me why…

Friday, January 30, 2015

Cost of Intolerance is too High.

REPOSTED from 12-31-2005

[Indianapolis Star, www.indystar.com/ Tom Ehrich 2006]jimmyc

If I listened to how others define Christian identity, I could never receive Holy Communion at a Roman Catholic altar, feel at home in half the Anglican Communion, feel loved by God without changing political parties, or expect to fly away during the Rapture.
     In fact, by the time I was cast adrift by all those who fight culture wars , political wars, ethical wars and theological wars by banishing others from the Christian fold, I would find myself on a small island with a handful of like minded exiles.
     Who would my fellow misfits be?  Middle aged white males who play golf, drive sports cars, mow grass, vote for liberals, pray in the morning, question tradition and drink caffeinated coffee?  Sounds a might narrow to me.
     I would miss the rest of the rainbow, even those whose views I find annoying.  They might even miss me.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

PET DIARYs

pics [5]


DOG Diary:

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing! 
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Cat Diary

CAT Diary:

Day 983 [of my captivity.]

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.   …Cat

Day 984

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of.
However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!    …Cat

Day 985

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.   …Cat

Day 986

This morning? I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.

For now...      Cat

pics (3)

 pics (4)

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Union Values: Made In America

From the AFL-CIO NOW Blog

reposted from July-2010

Dave Johnson writes for the Campaign for America’s Future and adapted this post for us. image

Our country was born out of a fight to cast off colonial rule by a wealthy elite and govern ourselves as We, the People. This fight continues, and nothing more clearly  represents this American effort to lift each other up than organized labor. On July 4, as we celebrate our independence I encourage people to recognize our ongoing battle by buying Made in USA goods, and by working for democracy and the rights of workers everywhere.

I recently bought a hat with “AFL-CIO” written on it. Inside the hat there is a label that reads, “Union Made in the USA.” I was thinking about how unions wouldn’t buy cheap hats made in China or by some nonunion sweatshop, even if it was in the United States. They stick with their values.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

A Hostile Takeover of Our Country:

reposted from 11-3-2012

by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for EcoWatch from the foreword to Billionaires & Ballot Bandits

“America today is looking more and more like a colonial economy, with a system increasingly tilted toward enriching the wealthy 1 percent and serving the mercantile needs of multinational corporations with little allegiance to our country.

These radical forces already dominate the national press, with Fox News and talk radio snugly in the pocket of the corporate Right.
This is the first time in American history that corporate and media interests have been so clearly and so perilously aligned.
With the media in their hands, and unlimited money, the final strategy of Rove, Koch, the Chamber of Commerce, and others of that ilk is to permanently cripple representative democracy by stopping Americans from voting.

People & Pets: Funny Cats


courtesy of Kelly.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Useful Links:

updated 5-5-2015

Useful Links:cartoons

Utility Links:

If any links, those above or on any pages, don’t work properly let me know by using the comments link below or email me by clicking here.

Jo’s Birthday Dinner:

laughphingproneOn Facebook the other day she said she wasn’t going outside again until the temperature was greater than her age… well that’s going to be a sweaty day.

reposted from 2010
36_1_78
 
Is it 81 years old or 82?
-click the arrow to start/restart the slide show-
 abaker (12)j

2015, only 2 of 8 left…

by Glenn Littrell

Like the 1st time voters in 2008 that put Barrack Obama over the top and into the White House, the 2010 election saw the invigorated and equally uninformed stay at home voters of 2008 rally to install their reactionaries, AKA the Tea Party, into the Congress and State Legislatures across the country.

In both 2008 and 2010 the fired up electorate that was so bent on facilitating their own ideologue or agenda made the same mistake of going home after the election with the expectation that everything they wanted would happen, only to find that you have to stick around and monitor, encourage and demand that your expectations be met. image

Obama, with a popularly supported agenda of Health Care Reform, Immigration change, and bring our boys home mandate, was abandoned and left to flounder as right-wing conservatives (Republicans) and Blue Dog (moderate/conservative) Democrats entrenched themselves in a policy of ‘just say no…to everything” and earned the well deserved moniker of ‘'”the do-nothing Congress”

Ironically the Blue Dog Democrats have not been heard from since the 2010 General Elections.

When the 2010 Tea Party swept primaries, only to suffer defeats in the General Election, they still managed to obtain adequate numbers to affect the Republican agenda in Congress even if they couldn’t follow through on the floor of Congress. Their only real affect was to further glorify the politics of obstruction. The end result was the continuation of a dysfunctional Congress. Unfortunately the Tea Party made enough progress at the state levels to allow the loonies they elected to promote the Tea Party pro corporate, pro-big and interfering government at the state level and an unannounced love of social issues that were covert during the election.

By the time the 2012 election rolled around the Tea Party and extreme elements of the conservative right had managed to ‘rowdy-up’ some of the 1st time voters from 2008 and some even more dormant progressive voters to step-up in response to the radical agendas and battles that occurred at the state level.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Stop saying “Stop Drinking the Kool-Aid”

by Glenn Littrell

A particularly disturbing video was posted on my Facebook wall with no context or explanation, other than a statement to the effect that this was something Obama wanted for America.

What follows is the conversation that resulted.

None of the remarks were edited or removed. Surnames and links have been removed.

  • K:  I try to remain silent on stuff like this but please explain how "this is what Obama wants for the USA". Perhaps provide some supporting documentation .
  • B:  @K, maybe bowing to them at every opportunity? How about refusing to even admit Islamic Radicals exist? How about when he has publicly admitted he is 'one of them'? How about his written statement that says “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”? How about the excessive financial support to Islamic nations that hate us? How about refusing to support France over radical Muslims? How about his statement that said Islam was a major factor in the creation of the US? How about his support of Sharia Law? The same law that allows young 10 yr old girls to undergo genital mutilation with rusty pocket knives or the execution of a 15 yr old girl raped by 4 men? How long do you want this list to continue?
  • K:  You can stop there and send links or whatever to all the supporting documentation for your list . That would maybe help but I've heard all this malarkey before and likely won't be swayed so we can probably just stop here.

Monday, January 12, 2015

The Christian Left:

by Glenn Littrell

I would venture that my Christian beliefs would not be sanctioned by most Christians.  I also would suggest that my political positions, which I refer to as moderate [actually ‘bleeding heart’ moderate] would likely be rejected by most moderates who, along with conservatives and right-wingers would label me a liberal, leftist or worse. I have no problem discussing or disclosing these position individually.

I have never been a 'joiner'. As an adult the only organizations I have ever joined could be counted on one hand and to the best of my memory were all work related.  I mention this because I seldom find articles, or quotes, that I can completely agree with unless they are very short. [Usually a line or two.]

Until now.

While I would not say the following illustrates either my religious beliefs or my political beliefs, I would say that it describes, very well, where my religious and political beliefs meet and merge. This merging is the most important aspect of either belief system as I could not live one absent from the other. I could not be a Christian in prayer and a non-Christian in the voting booth.

I present this information, not as a definition of ‘my position’, but as a repudiation of the ideal that only the right can be either patriotic or Christian. It is not absolute my position but it is a position I agree with.

The following is from “The Christian Left” FaceBook Group:

“ The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice.

The most common religious viewpoint which might be described as 'left wing' is social justice, or care for the poor and the oppressed (see Minority groups). Supporters of this might encourage universal health care, welfare provision, subsidized education, foreign aid, and Affirmative Action for improving the conditions of the disadvantaged. Stemming from egalitarian values (and what Jesus Himself said), adherents of the Christian left consider it part of their religious duty to take actions on behalf of the oppressed.

The Christian Left holds that social justice, renunciation of power, humility, forgiveness, and private observation of prayer (as opposed to publicly mandated prayer), are mandated by the Gospel (Matthew 6:5-6). The Bible contains accounts of Jesus repeatedly advocating for the poor and outcast over the wealthy, powerful, and religious. The Christian Left maintains that such a stance is relevant and important. Adhering to the standard of "turning the other cheek", which they believe supersedes the Old Testament law of "an eye for an eye", the Christian Left often hearkens towards pacifism in opposition to policies advancing militarism.

While non-religious socialists sometimes find support for socialism in the Gospels (for example Mikhail Gorbachev citing Jesus as "the first socialist"), The Christian Left does not find that socialism alone is an adequate end or means. Christian faith is the core of their belief which in turn demands social justice.

The Christian Left sometimes differs from other Christian political groups on issues including homosexuality. This is often not a matter of different religious ideas, but one of focus — viewing the prohibitions against killing, or the criticism of concentrations of wealth, as far more important than social issues emphasized by the religious right, such as opposition to active homosexuality. In this case, similar to philosophies expressed by writers such as C.S. Lewis, these members of the Christian Left believe homosexual sex to be overemphasized when compared with issues relating to social justice, or even matters of sexual morality involving heterosexual sex. The constant right-wing focus on Homosexuality and Abortion is a focus on nothing but wedge issues. Bottom Line: We welcome all to their place at God's table.

Another Christian Lefty, Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, put it this way in her article "A Voice from the Christian Left."

Many on the Christian Right are fond of posing the question WWJD?-- What would Jesus do? I'd like to remind them what Jesus DID do: He cared for the poor. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery. He prayed alone. He commanded us to love our enemies. He preached peace. He ate, drank, and lived with "tax collectors and sinners" -- the lowlifes and outcasts of his day, while reserving his condemnation for the religious leaders who from a place of privilege imposed their legalism and literalism on the people they were responsible for leading. He told his disciples not to oppose the healing work of those outside the ranks of his followers. And again and again he reminded us to care for the poor. (That moral issue gets more air time than any other in the gospels: 1 verse in 9.) If Christians concerned about how to respond to the grave global issues facing us all were to reread the Gospels for guidance, I think we'd find some pretty clear indications there about what Jesus would do. And what he wouldn't. (One of the few bumper stickers I've been tempted to affix to my still undecorated car in recent months reads "Who would Jesus bomb?")

Whatever Jesus would do, given what he did do, and has promised he will do, I don't think it looks much like what the insulated, self-congratulatory Fox News fans on the "Christian Right" are doing.

Marilyn McEntyre is a Professor of English at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California.

Our Mission Statement would be meaningless if we didn't mention Christ's finished work on the cross. His birth, life, death and resurrection mean everything to us. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We at The Christian Left don't tend to march in lockstep either. The above may not even speak for all members of this group. The Christian Left is a spectrum, just as The Christian Right is one “

**************************************************

As a reformed agnostic I have yet to find a denomination or church that would coincide with my spiritual beliefs to the extent that I would ever feel comfortable enough to officially join.

The reason for this is two-fold: first I believe that any religion that does not put forward as its most important task the concepts of love, peace and social justice over worship, ritual and doctrine is a man made religion meant to serve the purpose of harnessing God for its own use, salvation or validation; secondly, while I believe churches and clergy serve many well meaning purposes I do not believe they are pre-requisites to spirituality or salvation.

I accept the fact that many will label me as not really a Christian, misinformed, or cherry picking my beliefs, but that's all right, because this isn't between me and anyone else except God.

GlennDL

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Fact Checking Links:

Here are some of the links I use to follow the money, fact check, learn more about legislation, issues, and political statements. Do you have links that you use to combat misinformation or use it as a solid source? If so, share away!

Legislation: The devil is in the details. They often use safe titles and fluffy synopsis's to disguise the true goals of the bill. It's hard reading at times but hey, someone has to do

The Library of Congress is a great place to find all sorts of historic things. Fun just to surf also.

Follow the money. Who is filling the pockets of our beloved congresspeople?

Surprise! Not everything coming out of politicians and t.v./radio pundits mouths are true. Check out these sites:

image

also see

80

Guns

I am a gun owner (2), and intend to replace one of them later this year. I am a veteran. I was qualified on different levels with the M-16, small bore weapon (.22cal) and even the hand grenade. I have been robbed at gunpoint two times in my live.

I belong to the Union Sportsman Alliance (even though I don't hunt).

I believe the NRA is not about the 2nd amendment or gun rights.

The NRA has evolved into no more than a political action arm for far right extremist, but

Friday, January 2, 2015

“Come Out Fighting.”

 
reposted from 3-1-11
When they’re marching in the street, when they’re voting with their feet, I’m gonna Come Out Fighting.” –Easterhouse

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