I read an article lately in which a poor woman in a forgotten area of eastern Kentucky said she didn't like mainstream denominations because she didn't like people trying to "put God in a box." I can really relate to that woman. Except I haven't just abandoned mainstream Christianity, I have pretty much abandoned all of the large religions in the world.
Sure, I find bits and pieces in many of them that resonate, but in general, I find that they all try to bring God
( a term I just use for its convenience) down to an understandable level.
Let's face it: People think they have a right to understand everything all the time. I can respect the search for knowledge, but I think we need a little more humility. We are not as close to being God as we think.
So I have more free form beliefs. And I definitely don't think I understand God. I don't think I can. But I do trust him/her/it to do the right thing. Without owing me an explanation.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Vaguely presidential
Can American elect an unknown quantity to hold the most powerful office in the land? Will people vote for Mitt Romney even if he continues to never answer any questions about who he is or what, specifically, he will do in office? Will the press ever treat him anywhere near as harshly as the Irish nitwit treated Mr. Obama the other day? Where is the little boy with clear vision, as in the fairy tale? I remember how wonderful it felt in 2008 that we had actually elected a black man. But were we really prepared for the backlash, and how much work it would take to keep him in office? The ants whose hill we kicked had a nasty bite, and they are still angry. We worked hard in 2007-08 for Obama; now we have to work at least as hard for ourselves. If we lose this, we will lose decades of progress - maybe for decades to come.
Friday, June 15, 2012
No, really!
Another call for the liberal press (or all the REAL press, you know, not FOX), to grow a spine.
Obama was right - THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS DOING FINE.
Those people in the GOP ad are NOT the private sector. Otherwise, we wouldn't talk about people getting jobs 'in the private sector' or 'in the public sector'. We don't get jobs in ourselves.
The sectors are the institutions. Private institutions are very profitable these days and have oodles of money they are not spending.
Public institutions, on the other hand are shedding jobs like dog hair in the summer.
The jobs numbers we see are the NET jobs. The private sector is creating more jobs than the total, but the public sector job losses have to be subtracted.
So yes, Mr. Romney, we need more police, firefighters, teachers - and safety inspectors, doctors, nurses, public utility employees, etc, etc. How is cutting those jobs helping the American people?!?!?!?!?
And yes, Mr. Romney, the federal government DOES pay for those jobs (Honestly, could he GET any more uninformed?) They send money to states that can't meet their obligations, so these people can get hired, or at least not fired.
Somebody in media needs to stand up to the GOP scare tactics.
I guess that somebody is me.
Obama was right - THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS DOING FINE.
Those people in the GOP ad are NOT the private sector. Otherwise, we wouldn't talk about people getting jobs 'in the private sector' or 'in the public sector'. We don't get jobs in ourselves.
The sectors are the institutions. Private institutions are very profitable these days and have oodles of money they are not spending.
Public institutions, on the other hand are shedding jobs like dog hair in the summer.
The jobs numbers we see are the NET jobs. The private sector is creating more jobs than the total, but the public sector job losses have to be subtracted.
So yes, Mr. Romney, we need more police, firefighters, teachers - and safety inspectors, doctors, nurses, public utility employees, etc, etc. How is cutting those jobs helping the American people?!?!?!?!?
And yes, Mr. Romney, the federal government DOES pay for those jobs (Honestly, could he GET any more uninformed?) They send money to states that can't meet their obligations, so these people can get hired, or at least not fired.
Somebody in media needs to stand up to the GOP scare tactics.
I guess that somebody is me.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
What today means
More than an election is taking place in Wisconsin today. It's really a survey of what at least part of America thinks about workers and their representation.
I think even the most ardent union supporter would admit that unions have not always been perfect. There HAS been corruption and power HAS gone to the head of some of the leaders. But why should we hold these people to such a high standard - a standard that is probably too high for any human to reach? Are not some corporate leaders corrupt and power hungry? Should we do away with corporations because of that? Should we eliminate the presidency because of Watergate? Or the Catholic church because of the priest scandals? In what other organization do we let the errors of some of the members lead to the end of the organization completely (oh yeah, ACORN, but that is another story).
For all their faults, unions are the ONLY voice the workers have that can even come close to the volume of the owners voices. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE!
Just like in any other case, we need to correct the flaws and preserve the institution. The future of working people - and America - depends on it.
We may lose in Wisconsin, but we can't lose hope.
I think even the most ardent union supporter would admit that unions have not always been perfect. There HAS been corruption and power HAS gone to the head of some of the leaders. But why should we hold these people to such a high standard - a standard that is probably too high for any human to reach? Are not some corporate leaders corrupt and power hungry? Should we do away with corporations because of that? Should we eliminate the presidency because of Watergate? Or the Catholic church because of the priest scandals? In what other organization do we let the errors of some of the members lead to the end of the organization completely (oh yeah, ACORN, but that is another story).
For all their faults, unions are the ONLY voice the workers have that can even come close to the volume of the owners voices. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE!
Just like in any other case, we need to correct the flaws and preserve the institution. The future of working people - and America - depends on it.
We may lose in Wisconsin, but we can't lose hope.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)