- “Eh … they’re just people.” Drug warriors and cancer patients. (H/T Anon.)
- Not a big threat at this point, but a new virus targets “the Internet of things.” Which also means it’s targeting Linux. (H/T H)
- Quick! Somebody appoint Jim Rogers to head the Fed! (H/T JB)
- Wealth and inequality. No matter what your politics (or lack thereof), these charts are alarming. This is not what a healthy country looks like. The comparisons of perception-ideal-reality are fascinating, though.
- Protecting us against depressed paraplegic Canadians. And doing it in the creepiest possible way.
- “The congregation was besides themselves.” Ungrammatical but quite pointed in this allegedly charitable season. Carl Bussjaeger, who pointed me to the article, adds a story of his own.
- Ah, but if you think churchfolk can be uncharitable, you ain’t seen nothin’ until you encounter a city ordinance.
I wonder how that wealth and inequality chart would look if you removed corporate “personhood” (fascism) from the mix.
Regarding my church story. Didn’t occur to me that anyone would be interested in a real permalink. But since you mentioned it, I’ve given that piece its own permanent page:
http://www.bussjaeger.org/whatsoever.html
Thanks, Bear. I just replaced the original quasi-semi-sorta permalink with your genuine, actual, permanent permalink. 🙂
My observation is that current churches, regardless of size, are predominantly social clubs with religious trappings. They are generally focused on the ego of the leaders and the pocket books of the members. Looking down their noses at the less fortunate are doctrine. I stopped going when I realized that the only way I would be considered part is if I dressed like them, talked like them and gave generously to the well being of the pastors family. My religious beliefs were irrelevant as long as I didn’t disagree with the pastor. Churches are great for giving to charities, but terrible for actually taking a hand to help people.
For me, charity starts at home, literally. I help my parents run a non-affiliated food bank and also feed two homeless gentlemen (one stays with us when the weather is extreme) and keep an eye on an elderly neighbor. When local disasters happen, such as extreme fires, we gather food and take it to those in need. Threr are donations from individuals now and and again and a couple of the very small, very poor churches help out when they can.
I’m also very alarmed by the distribution of wealth charts. We all have known for a long time that the middle class was getting hammered; we just didn’t have the numbers.
Regarding the city ordinance, it must be designed to keep out disreputable characters, including those who would house significant numbers of illegal aliens. The problem the city has is if they allow this kind lady to break the rules or even give her an exception, they risk a discrimination lawsuit from DOJ if they try also to keep out illegals. I blame the person who complained. The city must have known about it all along but reasonably chose to do nothing when that was an option. It shows, in IMHO, how easy it is for one bad apple (or government informant) to cause a lot of decent people a lot of trouble.
Regarding the LDS incident, I agree with Bear in that the Mormons I’ve known have been invariably very decent people. And they’re survivalists, too, of course.
The fact that a bishop in such a well funded church would even think to do this speaks extremely well for them.
Much of organized religion, just as in other organized activities, seems to be people simply going through the motions. A nurse once told me that one time she had been a patient and had had a bone marrow biopsy. A nurse on the floor, a friend of hers, gave her the results. She had an extremely low white cell count, which meant malignancy. That night she felt a wonderful presence in her room and she knew everything would be all right. The next morning, when her doctor told her the news, he was very perplexed by seeing no negative reaction on her part. He told her her really didn’t know why, but he was going to repeat the test. The next results were totally normal.
She said she became much more self assured after this incident. Her husband was a Methodist (I think) minister. I asked her how he handled it. She replied with a very large smile, “[H]e couldn’t; he divorced me.” He told her that in his 15 or 20 years (I can’t remember the number) of being a minister he had never seen such a dramatic change in anyone. This means he was oblivious to his church members and/or the people who were saying “I’ve been saved” or “I found Jesus” were either play acting or living in such a superficial moment that the claims were meaningless.
I understand the motivation of the lady providing shelter for the homeless. I wish her luck. I have a freind that spends about 300 days a year living outside. Homeless would be how most people describe him. His home is normally a tent or hammock in the mountains (state or federal forests). I often help him infiltrate when the forests are closed. When in town he stays at my house. Being reclusive he does not enjoy living inside. So, initially he would hang out in the yard (southern AZ, easy to do year round) and sleep in the back of my truck. Kept to himself. Neighbors didn’t like it. City told them nothing illegal mind your own business. Drug addicts, convicts, drug dealers, pedophiles and halfway houses are up and down my street, but a homeless guy was to much. Ha. So, I built a shed (without permit) in my back yard and when in town he crashes there. Since meeting him 3 years ago, we managed to get him a part on a T.V. show that airs on Discovery channel 8 Dec.
Matt, you and your family sound like remarkable people.
Good Outlaws, too. 🙂
Thanks for that link about linux viruses. I suspect the percentage of routers that will EVER see an upgrade is under 20%. More likely the old routers will eventually be thrown away for some new ones.
I don’t get the story about the drug case. Why do people with one foot in the grave, continue to submit? What the hell are they afraid of?
On the wealth inequality, I’d be more impressed if some of the contributors of that information were not advocates of the “Dreaded” Socialism, as the article put it (e.g. Mother Jones). These folks think theft is the way to fix the problem (and I agree, this income disparity is a huge problem). But theft is why it got that way in the first place. Who are those in the top 1% after all? Banksters and financiers.
[Kansas Woman Debbie Nall Ordered By City To Stop Housing People In Need At Her House]
Some laws and rules were made to be disobeyed. If this woman had any sense she’d let the city arrest her and watch the fallout.
[My observation is that current churches, regardless of size, are predominantly social clubs with religious trappings.]
Yeah. See what the real religion is:
http://strike-the-root.com/apostate-from-government-religion