The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

The Final Message from the Crystal Cathedral

August 11, 2013

It was good to see Robert Schuller, II, on the Hour of Power this morning.  A great message.  It is also good to see Robert Schuller, III, as well.  Sad to see the last service in the Crystal Cathedral.

The message from Schuller was good, especially the positive message about the concentration camp and the “fleas.”  Nazi guards do not like fleas!  Hallelujah

I have not been able to locate the “affirmations” which are supposed to be on the web.  The affirmations I recall from this morning, but wish to include a comment.

Affirmation about “we are residents of God’s universe” and another about “confessing our sins to another human being” (example of 12-step AA program used, as well as what the Roman Catholics do).  Schuller chided Martin Luther for objecting to “confessions to the priest,” saying Martin Luther’s objections were “throwing out the baby with the bath water.”     I  don’t agree about this one.

The “faith and works” discussed by James, the brother of Jesus, supposedly mean the “works” we do to counter our sins, so was rejected by Martin Luther.  That is not the message I was taught.  That is not the message written by a Lutheran theologian in a book about James, the brother of Jesus.   The “faith and works” are what we, as Christians, should do to make life better for “God’s people” who are made in God’s image and are loved by God.  Protestants have removed the “confessional booth, ” due, I believe, to this reason.  We are able to meditate and pray to GOD about our sins, and are not REQUIRED to go to a fleshly “mediator.”  Even Jesus Christ becomes our “spiritual mediator.”  Obviously, we have an OPTION to go to another person and confess our sins, but we are not REQUIRED to do so.

Besides, how many wealthy ones and Mafia bosses actually care about their sins, when they should?  The message about original sin and confession is designed to create fear and intimidation in the hearts of the less advantaged who are then “bridled” in slavery to fleshly “gods” called wealthy humans!  Is this not true?

Robert Schuller (II):  just because you got $57.5 M from the Roman Catholics (and turned down an offer of $59M from Chapman University), don’t sell the Protestant faith totally down the tubes.  Sad to know the Romans will be occupying the Crystal Cathedral.

Douglas Cornwell

Tioga Herald

Category:

Religion

Leave a comment

The Hour of Power episode this morning (Aug. 11, 2013), broadcast the last service in the Crystal Cathedral.  It was touching and positive as Rev. Robert Schuller (II) gave the message.  More on that.

In reviewing this situation I ran into an article about the sale and wish to offer my comments, as I did on the Christian Post.

I am disappointed that the Crystal Cathedral was sold to the Roman Catholic diocese in Orange County, CA, especially after reading the article published in the Christian Post ( Luiza Oleszczuk, “Robert Schuller trusts Catholic Church with Crystal Cathedral,” Christian Post, Dec. 21, 2011, http://global.christianpost.com/news/robert-schuller-trusts-catholic-church-with-crystal-cathedral-65365/), explaining that the RC bid was NOT the highest bid. This article does not explain why, but many of us would like to know.

On the other side of the coin, the Roman Catholic Church would never take a second-level bid.  Why do these Protestants do this?

I have watched the Hour of Power many times off and on, since its inception in 1980.  Most of the time it has been sitting with my dad in Melbourne, FL.  I recall the message around 1982:  “When times get tough, the tough get going.”

It is not a televangelist movement, but a teaching religious experience, touching on many issues which we face in life.  It is based on God’s love, not on the fear and intimidation imposed by judgmental religions like the Roman Catholic faith and many conservative Protestant faiths.  So it is very sad to see the church being sold to a church which remained silent towards the atrocities of Adolph Hitler, never excommunicating the man, yet today excommunicating people who have NEVER murdered, let alone performed genocide.

When people should have spoken up, they did not.  Only a Lutheran pastor named Dietrich Bonnhoffer did.  It was not the fleas which got to him, either.

Douglas Cornwell, Tioga Herald

Category:

Commentary, Religion

Leave a comment

Stupid Shallow Unappreciative Americans

November 16, 2012

Secede, huh?  Unappreciative, greedy, selfish, scumbag redneck Americans who lack appreciation for what this country has given them.  Perhaps such dimwits should go live the life of a third world nation.
Scum in Papa Johns and other corporations who complain about Obamacare, rather than work with it.  I have had to work with many things which, at first blush, did not appear appealing to me.  Sometimes it actually works out for the better.  To the head of Papa Johns, Dominoes, and Chick-fil-a too:  you greedy selfish pigs and SOBs.  Get a life and let Americans live, rather than die from lack of healthcare and/or the freedoms you wish to remove from us.  You bastards.  I have nothing nice to say about such lazy CEOs who are lousy rebels for Americans.  Such people do not encourage or motivate a work ethic, but rather de-motivate by creating an atmosphere or conformity to slavery.
Allen West.  You spend our tax dollars needlessly on an election you lost.  Concede already, you greedy nasty selfish vicious pig.

Rick Scott, you always seem to find money from the state coffers for your cronies and other pet pojects, but seem to have a problem finding it for education and those who work in education on the front lines.  Silly me, but maybe if you gave less to your cronies you might find the money!  Maybe I am just a lousy stupid teacher who gets paid no where near what lawyers get paid, so I just might be missing something?  I notice, Rick Scott, you don’t go after the high-priced lawyers, but go after low-priced public workers and other low-priced workers.  You want slaves?  How about if we make the governor a slave – for the people?  At least Bob Graham got out of the governor’s mansion and went and worked with a shovel, broom, chalkboard in a classroom, and other implements, so he knew  what it was like to be outside the ivory tower and what REAL people do for a job, not lazy CEOs who destroy competition and take from others, rather than getting money the old fashioned way – they EARN it.  As teachers and other hard working people know how to do.

 

 

.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Nobody Listened When Democrats have been harassed

November 9, 2012

Nobody listened when Democratic Party Murphy voters were harassed by Allen West supporters.  Nobody listened, so now we are supposed to feel sorry for Allen West?  Nothing went wrong in St. Lucie County, except the fact that Allen West is a sore loser – and a mean and vicious person who claims to be a Christian.  The people spoke, Mr. West.  Listen to the people, not to the rednecks and violent people who love to hear your emotional outbursts.  People don’t listen to my emotional outbursts, so why should anyone listen to yours?

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

Broadcast Media

November 8, 2012

Rupert Murdock once pronounced free broadcast television and radio as being as good as “dead,” due to cable television.  Did anyone notice the smile on his face?  After all, Murdock makes tons of money from cable television.  That’s money that you and I pay in expensive cable television bills and no choice for lower-cost subsets of cable television channels which would exclude Murdock’s channels and be more palatable to us.  And people complain about the small amounts of tax dollars (in comparison to what I probably pay Murdock) used for PBS and NPR?  Give me a break.

Murdock might as well have been explicit and said, “I intend to destroy free local broadcast television.”  For this is his intent – destroy his competition, as are the secret missions of Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, and other big box retailers.  Don’t compete, but destroy – like a Roman warrior and the Mafia which identifies with the Roman Empire.

So someone says to me, “you have a choice if you don’t like cable television, you can cancel it!”  Oh, I can, can I?  So, my choice is like black and white.  Receive everything or nothing?  I am abrasive to that thought that “I have a choice.”  I don’t have a choice.  And the one choice I do have, the big guys like Murdock wish to eliminate that choice, too!

I don’t have a choice.  Sure, I can turn the channels I don’t enjoy off.  I can even set up my remote to bypass such channels and only move to channels I enjoy.  But I still pay more for the bundled packages than I would if offered a package with a more delightful menu – and paid less.  It is not right for my dollars to go to something I don’t agree – particularly for politics and religion for which I disagree.  I also don’t figure I should pay for the bundling of sports into my packages either.  Give me the ones I DON’T want to receive as “pay as you go.”  I attended Syracuse University football games in Syracuse.  It was pay as you go.  I had a choice to purchase a bundle for season’s tickets or pay as you go.  Even the bundled season’s tickets were “pay as you go” – for one team only.

Sports have become far too commercialized, due to this boondogle called cable television.  And while on this subject, consider how much more of my tax dollars have paid for stadiums than for public broadcasting!  Yet millions of us never watch sports!  Where is the justice in this?  Where are the supposed “choices?”  There are none.

And now Rupert Murdock, with the finger prints of paranoid Tricky Dickey on his actions, wishes to eliminate free local broadcasting.  Better to control the “herds” of animal slaves, don’t you know?  When will we the people stop this jerk and others like him?  We won’t, as long as we continue to dismiss what I say with, “you DO have choices” and brush my main point aside.  I do not have choices when I am precluded from purchasing what is acceptable to me.  That is elimination of a choice.  Preclude me and make me out to be troublemaker and you are all working for big business, not for the people.

Imagine the creation of “family-friendly” cable television packages – just for James Dobson and his looney tune worshipers.  It’s a win-win situation for right and left wing – as well as spreading the wealth, rather than concentrating it in the hands of a few people like Rupert Murdock.  Imagine what I could do with the extra money NOT wasted on cable television shit which I don’t wish to view!  The only ones who lose are greedy selfish monopolists – and I don’t give a damn if they lose.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

Congratulations!

Congratulations to President Barack Obama as he was re-elected president of the USA!

Congratulations to Allan Grayson for his return to Congress.  Mr. Grayson was correct when he once commented about the Republican solution to healthcare is… just die!

Congratulations to Kathy Castor for winning her seat in Congress!

Congratulations to Bill Nelson for winning another term as our Senator!

Congratulations to Debbie Wasserman Schultz for winning another term in Congress!

Congratulations to all the other Democrats who won!

Now for the negative.

Boo!  To Allen West and his Republican goons for harassing Democrats in St. Lucie County by repeatedly phone calling such people, even when they told him they had voted early for Patrick Murphy.  My question is this.  Was his phone calling some type of Army-intelligence type thing to gather information about Democrats who voted against him – and then do what Fox Noise and Rush Limbaugh does best – dredge up negative “improprieties?”  I wonder.  Allen West is a sick, paranoid, sad man on the level of Richard Nixon.

 

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

Update, Nov. 8, 2012

This blog is run by an imperfect human being.  As such, it might not always live up to its purported vision of being “positive.”  Anger and disgust, human emotions, sometimes interfere.  If we could be like Vulcans (fictional alien race in Star Trek), life might actually be boring, would it not?  If I were a Vulcan, this blog would lack any emotions.

However, I advocate against being like the Ferengi (another fictional alien race in Star Trek) who take lessons from Ayn Rand (figuratively, of course).  I find extreme selfishness and greed to be abrasive to the human spirit.  We “hue-maans” detest such extremism. Only “hue-maans” who cling to their barbaric animal roots would relate to the Ferengi and Ayn Rand.  Only anarchists who unwittingly create chaos would seek role models in a fictional alien race and Dagney Taggart, John Galt, and crew.

Should I apologize for this emotionalizing which leads to words like “horse shit” or “bastards” or … the worse possible… “f…”?  Should I apologize for getting in touch with my feminine side – the emotions?  Should I remain completely logical and when I diverge from that course, shut my mouth?  After all, things said in the course of emotion can often be false.  And that is certainly possible with my emotions.  But the difference between me and someone like Allen West is this.  At least I am willing to acknowledge this fact about me.  I don’t allow my ego to create an egomaniac, if at all possible.

A long-lost male relative who suddenly surfaced to the family in the 1980s once told me about his disgust at being FORCED to acknowledge his feminine side.  Oh, really?  FORCED?  By whom?  Who FORCED him to acknowledge his feminine side and is it REALLY that bad to do so?  I don’t recall being FORCED to acknowledge my feminine side.  If I remember correctly, the only coercion I received was from an ex-Marine who jumped down my throat when I once said, “I FEEL….”   “MEN DON’T DO THAT,” this ex-Marine exclaimed.  “Men don’t ‘FEEL!'” … this ex-Marine reiterated!  You know. I did not do as this relative did with his beef and tell people, “I refuse to abide by conformity to the principle that “men don’t feel!”  I just took this advice and tucked it away in my knowledge bank, realizing I need to consider the various ways of thinking about how “men” are!  I don’t need to embrace any ONE way – as fascists would have us do.

We are humans.  We are diverse in our ways.  We are not animals.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

The American Wealth Today

 

There is nothing wrong with wealth.  What is wrong is the gap between have’s and have-not’s.  Capitalism is a good thing and helps to develop wealth.  Capitalism goes sour when it becomes centralized and similar to the economics of a centralized economy in the failed Soviet Union.
The disgust with wealth in America today can be expressed as follows:
  1. Emphasis on quantity over quality
  2. Considering human beings as “economic units,” robots, or slaves (like the plantation owners of the South; like the Romans did)
  3. Cutting corners to make the cheapest possible products and utilize our vastly overrated marketing networks to sell shoddy products (Jesus Christ became violently angry when shoddy products were sold in the temple)
  4. Laziness at the top, making lousy role models for the American work ethic, then blaming American workers for not having a “work ethic”
  5. Emphasis on greed and selfishness of the individual to such extremes that the good of the society is negated completely
  6. Monopolistic attitudes among cronies;  no different than the centralized control and cronyism which eventually aided the destruction of the Soviet Union (Soviet system was not communism)
  7. Mis-aligned ideas of capitalism and wish a return to the economic feudal/landlord/ mercantile systems which preceded capitalism, not recognizing how it was capitalism and democracy which made this nation great
  8. Through large corporations like Wal-Mart and McDonalds (and others), have goals to destroy the mom and pop small retail businesses in America, in the same manner the Ancient Chinese destroyed the Mandarin merchant class and plunged China into centuries of poverty (perhaps the wealthy in America are listening too much to advice of the Chinese today who DON’T have our best interests in mind?)
  9. Anarchists, promoting any type of action, even if it smacks of swindling and deception, to make a buck, and go to extreme lengths to validate these actions – including … “doing this in the name of the LORD!”
  10. No longer do the wealthy put their sons and daughters in the line of duty to defend this great nation and get wackos like Allen West to justify what they do; look back at the wealthy ones like Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington, Marinus Willett, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and countless other wealthy Americans who would put THEIR lives on the line to defend this nation, not just the ones who are unemployed.  Side note:  was it the poor “communist” who deplored the draft and sought an end to it?  No.  It was sons and daughters of wealthy ones who led the protests against Vietnam and the draft, far different than the poor Irish immigrants who protested Lincoln’s draft in the 1860s.  About the only official in the wealthy / elite Washington crew that I have heard has children serving in the Armed Forces is Vice President Joe Biden.   Perhaps there are others?  Please tell me.  The ending of the draft, I believe, was more beneficial for the wealthy ones, not for the Middle and lower classes.  The wealthy today can withhold their investments and create an environment where poor people have no choice but to volunteer to serve in the military.  What sick people the wealthy Americans are today.  Sickos.  The wealthy no longer sacrifice for this nation, and expect the “Roman-warrior” types in the lower classes to sacrifice.  The draft created an equalizing force in America. We need to implement more than just a draft, but a 2-year compulsory service by every American, regardless of wealth.

    I had a wealthy ancestor who sacrificed big time for the American Revolution.  He nearly went broke in funding this new nation when all the tax dollars were going to Britain.  I think the wealthy ones today should do the same thing as my ancestor did by putting this nation first.  And guess what?  There were no “communists” at the time my ancestor lived.  But go ahead – call him a “communist” or a “socialist,” Mr. West.  And while you are at it, Mr. West, call me, a good CAPITALIST supporting SMALL BUSINESS in America, a “communist,” too!  Go right ahead.  You bastard… and all the goons who lack any intelligence who support you.

    This last issue in number 10 is a big one for me.

    I wish to ask Jeb Bush how much HIS ancestor sacrificed for this nation and then ask him to consider how much HE sacrifices for our nation today – with investments and buddies in Saudi Arabia?  HUH?  I learned that Jeb Bush and I are both members of the same organization – the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).

    How much did George Bush sacrifice for this nation?  Had it been necessary for me to be drafted, I would have gone.  It would not have pleased me.  But the draft ended by the time I became 18.  That would be the same for Neil and Marvin Bush, but not for Jeb and George.

    When guys were STILL leaving for Canada, I remained in this nation.  When I was offered a job opportunity in Canada – teaching – I remained in this nation.  Those were tough decisions for me to make, but I chose the solution which I felt was best.  Jimmy Carter was president when I was offered that job in Canada.  Imagine my disgust when smooth slick Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980 – and I was told I should just simply put up with the situation.  Imagine it.  I could have been a Middle Class citizen in Canada on the Canadian healthcare system today – which I have heard is not so bad, despite what wealthy Americans beholden to the “black hole money pit” of big insurance and big Pharm, keep propagandizing about.

    The people who run those corporate conglomerates know nothing about sacrifice for America.  Again, they prefer to destroy than to compete.  Compete with companies in the Western world which have lower expenses due to universal healthcare? NAH!  These bastard pigs wish to destroy, rather than figure out ways to compete.  Compete with companies where per capita healthcare costs are 1/3 those of American healthcare costs?  Hell no!  Destroy the idea of lower cost healthcare instead.

    It will be nice to have sensible people like Patrick Murphy in Congress, rather than the divisive wackos doing duty for the Murdock / Norquist / Koch / Rove (racist) wealthy group.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

West – A Sore Loser

November 7, 2012

Imagine the year 2000 when George Bush never won the popular vote and certainly never won the state of Florida, but was allowed to reside in the White House anyway, doing a great deal of damage, financially, to many of us.  Did we act like sore losers then?  No, we might have protested in words, but no sore losers.  Scalia should have recused himself and there could have been many accusations of vote rigging and payoffs by Bush.  But it never happened.

When Republicans lose close elections, they are the biggest sore losers around.  Allen West is no exception.  The race is over, Allen West.  You have lost by some 2400 votes.  Give it up and give us all a sense of peace from this divisiveness which has been brought no by you and the tea party.  Give it up.

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with:

CNN and Bias

November 6, 2012

I cannot remain silent.  Every time I sit at lunch and listen to the supposed “news” of CNN, I am disgusted.  Am I the only one who notices the subtle bias?

When one sits for some 10 minutes and notices 90% of the discussion is about “how Romney can attain a victory in Ohio,” I am disgusted with CNN.  Little is mentioned of Barack Obama.  is the fact that CNN emanates from the Deep South the reason for this atrocity?  Atlanta, GA, hates the McClellands and Carters – and now the black man, Obama?  But they like Gingrich?  Or is Gingrich paying them all off?

A balanced approach would be to also discuss how Obama plans to maintain his lead in Ohio!  W

With polls still open in Ohio, comments like, “getting those who are not likely to vote off their butts and vote for Romney” is clearly a violation – or should be – of election laws.  It’s a perversion of justice in America today and I am calling CNN on their lousy news “coverage.”

The same network which condemned a Democrat for saying Republicans are fascists should also be condemned for its lack of journalistic integrity.

No one forces Republicans into a lifestyle, but they fully intend to force many of us into a lifestyle and to put out to pasture those who are responsible, worked hard, and invested their money in America – while Republicans invest… WHERE?  Screw the Republicans and CNN – the cable news being paid off – apparently.  Or do I jump to conclusions?  What else explains the lack of journalistic integrity?

Category:

Commentary, New Comments

Leave a comment

Tagged with: