The Glory Of O
This content was published August 28, 2009. … Wendy Whitaker is back in the news. At least some of the news … the fishwrapper has not reported the latest chapter in her story. Thank you Creative Loafing, which is physically printed by the fishwrapper. (Ever notice how skinny the paper is on Tuesday? That is when they take in outside jobs.) A HT goes to the unlikely team of Griftdrift and Peach Pundit. There is a recent post at chamblee54 on this subject. …
… Mrs. Whitaker is the lady who gave a high school classmate a blow job, and became a registered sex offender (RSO). She is now in jail. It seems like her husbands name was on a lease, and they moved into a residence that was previously out of bounds. The authorities locked her up because she did not inform them that she had moved. … The laws on RSO have a lot of provisions. They are not allowed to live within a certain distance of schools, parks, and churches. (Across the street from an IRS office is permitted.) An RSO is not allowed to volunteer at a church. And, as Mrs. Whitaker learned, they must register every time they move. …
… There are stories of people getting locked up because of confusion over how often they should register, or big brother not getting the note. Many Florida communities have tough laws, establishing boundaries for places that RSO are forbidden to live. A bridge under a causeway is one place where RSO are permitted. Many feel that driving RSO out of established communities makes it difficult to monitor their activities. Politicians always want to be seen as being tougher on crime than anyone else. Some of the laws they create cause more problems than they solve. It will take genuine courage to undo the damage. … A recent search at Sex Offender Registry for Wendy Whitaker showed “No offenders found for the search criteria selected.”
This content was published August 27, 2009. … “Wild Ducks Flying Backwards” is due today at the Chamblee Library. As much as I enjoy Tom Robbins, his output is not worth an overdue fine. Towards the end of the book, there are a series of questions. As a loyal reader, I have a sense of entitlement , and license to borrow. … Why do you live where you do? The house is paid for. Besides, Atlanta, with all her flaws, is a good place to use as a return address. The weather is reasonable. The Falcons had a winning season last year, so there is no need to worry about them going over .500 this year. …
… I feel the same about Atlanta as I do about The United States. Both are very fine places, with very serious problems. The wolf criers have been making noise as long as I could hear, and the bottom has not fallen out. The one difference is that no one is expected to “Love it or leave it” with regard to your zip code. And, if someone asked whether you would die for Atlanta, he would be rightfully laughed out of the house. … What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? O. This has nothing to do with the POTUS. O is a well shaped letter. It is a vowel, which means consonants are begging for its company. It is a circle, a wheel, a pie and a hockey puck. Three out of four isn’t bad. …
… O is the first letter of om, which is the combination of all sounds, and a good mantra. O is the twin brother of zero, the one great innovation of arabic numbers. When you spell the word Dog, O is the glue holding the quarreling consonants into canine cooperation. When you spell Dog backwards, you get the name of Mary’s babydaddy. THAT name gets said way too often, and I try not to hold that against O. … I cannot remember any other questions. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. John Vachon took the social media picture in July 1942. “Hoffman Island, merchant marine training center off Staten Island, New York. Instructor with group of trainees in the engine room of the training ship New York”©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah
Hiroshima 80 Years Later
This content was published August 9, 2024. … At 8:15 am, August 6, 1945, Hiroshima got nuked. It was the start of a new era. Since Japan is 13 hours ahead of Georgia, and standard time was used, the literal anniversary is 8:15 pm, August 5.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi was working in Hiroshima when the bomb hit. He survived, and found a train to take hime to his home town, Nagasaki.
The device dropped on Hiroshima, the Little Boy, had an estimated force of 13 kilotons of Trinitrotoluene, or TNT. A kiloton of TNT is roughly a cube whose sides are ten meters. This device is fairly tiny compared to many of the warheads developed since. Many of the modern appliances are measured in megatons, or millions of tons of TNT. The Soviet Union had a bomb with a capacity of 50 megatons, or 4,000 times the size of the Little Boy.
The largest weapon tested by The United States is the Castle Bravo. This device destroyed Bikini Atollin the Pacific. The two piece swimsuit was named for this island. The Castle Bravo device had a yield of 15 megatons of TNT. This is roughly 1,000 times the power of the Little Boy.
The decision to drop the bomb has long been controversial. There are a lot of factors and gray areas, and the issue does not lend itself to sound bite solutions. The conventional wisdom is that Japan surrendered because of the nuclear attack. This meant the war was shortened by at least a year, there was no invasion of Japan, and many lives were saved. I am scared by the moral calculus involved in a decision like this … do 100,000 civilian deaths prevent the deaths of 500,000 soldiers? I suspect that even God herself would lose sleep over that one.
There is also evidence that the bomb was not needed. Japan was whipped in August 1945. The air raids were conducted in daylight with little resistance. A debate was going on in the Japanese government on whether to continue the fight.
An event happened the day between Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, which influenced the Japanese decision to surrender. The Soviet Union had agreed to help the United States with the war against Japan. On August 8, The Soviet Union invaded Japanese occupied Manchuria. There are indications that Japan knew the fight was hopeless at this point, and would rather surrender to The United States than The Soviet Union. This is one of the gray areas that never seems to be mentioned.
The United States wanted the war to end quickly for obvious reasons, and a few subtle ones. America did not want to share the spoils of Japanese war with The Soviet Union. There were already tensions between the two allies, and the cold war was not far off. Many felt The United States used the Little Boy as a warning to The Soviet Union.
When you get your moral software out, you might want to figure in the effect of opening the nuclear Pandora’s box. Would the nuclear bomb have been developed by other countries if America had not led the way? The science is not that complicated…after all, America hit paydirt with the Manhattan Project fairly quickly. Nonetheless, there is karma involved in using a terrible new device on a civilian population. The United States started the wind of the arms race, and has yet to feel the whirlwind.
This is a repost. The pictures are from The Library of Congress. Ansel Adams took the social media picture in 1943. “Manzanar street scene, spring, Manzanar Relocation Center.” The ladies in the bridge game are Aiko Hamaguchi, Chiye Yamanaki, Catherine Yamaguchi, and Kazoko Nagahama.
Letter To Young Radicals
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About Richard Hanania, Please Don’t Shoot The Help! Letter to Young Radicals …
Foods that spike a patient’s blood glucose are not what you think
Quote Origin: If All Those Present Were Laid End to End, I Wouldn’t Be at All Surprised
Five armed Palestinian groups joined Hamas in the deadly 7 October attack on Israel …
The World Has Lost Its Mind About Israel—and I’m Done Being Silent
A Pro-Israel Nonprofit is Funneling News Content Through Bari Weiss’s “Free Press”
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Marjory Collins took the social media picture in March 1942. “Washington DC Printing the school paper at the Armstrong Technical High School” · This is the last monday morning reader for July. Sometimes, it is better to skip over the text, and look at the pictures · Marion Post Wolcott took the social media picture in August 1941. Crow Agency, Montana Dudes from the Quarter Circle U Brewster-Arnold Ranch, near Birney, at the Crow Indian fair. · I Write Like is an online gimmick. You paste some text into the window, and it tells you who you write like. As for this post, “I write like Cory Doctorow“. · Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken October 31, 1956. “Wrecked police automobile” · ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah · A Mark Twain quote in this feature is sourced to a biography, rather than Mr. Twain directly. I found the quote in the biography, along with a great story · There is a quote attributed to Mark Twain A Biography, rather than Mr. Twain’s work. This is the story in MTAB: “He usually had a number of clippings or slips among the many books on the bed beside him from which he proposed to dictate each day, but he seldom could find the one most needed. Once, after a feverishly impatient search for a few moments, he invited Miss Hobby to leave the room temporarily, so, as he said, that he might swear. He got up and we began to explore the bed, his profanity increasing amazingly with each moment. It was an enormously large bed, and he began to disparage the size of it. “One could lose a dog in this bed,” he declared. Finally I suggested that he turn over the clipping which he had in his hand. He did so, and it proved to be the one he wanted. Its discovery was followed by a period of explosions, only half suppressed as to volume. Then he said: “There ought to be a room in this house to swear in. It’s dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that.” · Paul Carter took the social media picture in September 1936. “Lunch hour Newport News Homesteads, Virginia” · ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah · Chuck Palahniuk (Paula Nick) tells stories that you probably should not listen to. Joe Rogan listens to them · Paul Carter took the social media picture in September 1936. “Untitled photo, possibly related to: Negroes on a picnic, Newport News, Virginia” · I was watching “As The World Turns” with my Grandmother one afternoon. Walter Cronkite broke in with a news bulletin. North Vietnam had fired on an American boat in the Gulf of Tonkin · Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken in 1940. “Labor Day Parade“. · In 2008, “The Perfect Church” was struck by lightning. A few years later, someone wrote a collection of rules about life. They did not mention that you should not name your facility “The Perfect Church” · Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marion Post Wolcott took the social media picture in April 1939. “At a meeting of the Clark Hill Club, conducted by Miss Velma Patterson, vocational field worker from Elba, at the home of FSA (Farm Security Administration) project family, J.A. Veasy. The women discuss materials for clothing and curtains. Coffee County, Alabama” · ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah
As The World Turns
This content was originally published August 25, 2008. … I saw an earth changing event at my grandmother’s house one day. Gran lived in a little apartment on Virginia Avenue. This was a few years before Virginia Highlands was trendy. I was staying with her one summer day, when I was ten years old. We walked down to the granite house, next to the golf course in Piedmont Park. Gran’s friend worked there. This was the summer of Beatlemania, and Gran’s friend made a point of telling me that she DID NOT LIKE THE BEATLES. ”If the Beatles were playing for free across the street, I would not waste the energy to walk across the street to see them”. …
… Gran and I walked back to her apartment to see “As the World Turns”. The show was interrupted for a news bulletin. Walter Cronkite came on the say that a North Vietnamese boat had fired on an American boat in the Gulf of Tonkin.We did not know, at the time, that this was a world changing event. I doubt Gran ever thought much about it. But our Congress used that incident … which turned out to be fabricated … to justify sending many more troops to fight in Vietnam. That war was a world changing event. We are still dealing with the effects of that conflict.
This content was originally published August 20, 2008. … I have heard about the Rasmussen Report. Recently, the reports show JSM pulling ahead of BHO. While it is a bit early, the candidates are fighting for momentum to carry them into November. America loves a winner. If a candidate is perceived to be winning, then more people will jump on the bandwagon. This applies to the war in babylon as well. Happy talk in the press is part of the surge strategy. …
… In my unpaid role as resident non Jesus Worshiper, I left the following comment at 22 Words yesterday. “I sometimes feel that I am the only non believer that comments here. You might consider that not everyone is impressed by your religion. Many shortcomings…selfishness, meanness, lack of respect for others…can be found in thoughtless, inappropriate preaching. Just because you are doing it for Jesus does not make it any less offensive. It also reflects poorly on Jesus” … To which another reader replied: “@Chamblee: You’re right, preachers can taint their own message. Can you expand on what you mean by thoughtless, inappropriate preaching?” …
… There are many, many examples of inappropriate preaching. There are two quotes that help. One is from a motivational speaker: “You need to sell yourself first, your company second, and your product third.” The second is the third commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in Vain”. … Anyone can read to you from the Bible. Not everyone that does this has worthy motives. Some are crooks and thieves. For a person to preach to another, there needs to be TRUST. If you do not trust the person who is preaching to you, then that person is speaking in vain. …
… Trust has a brother named RESPECT. When you preach to a person who does not care for your message, you are showing disrespect to that person. When you preach without mutual respect you are speaking in vain. … This is not just the person you are talking to. It is everyone who comes in contact with your message. This is not just the words you speak, but your actions, the chrome fish on your car, the catchy phrase on your t shirt, and the Bible you make a show of carrying around. When you preach without trust and respect, you are speaking in vain. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress Paul Carter took the social media picture in September 1936. “Untitled photo, possibly related to: Negroes on a picnic, Newport News, Virginia” … selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Chuck Palahniuk And Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan Experience #1158 – Chuck Palahniuk hit the internet recently. Mr. Palahniuk (Paula Nick) writes trendy books, most famously Fight Club. Mr. Palahniuk is pleased to hear people say “the first rule of…” It makes him think he has had an impact on the culture. This is a repost.
Inevitably, authors talk about their writing habits. Mr. Palahniuk fills up notebooks in longhand. When he gets bored, or is killing time in an airport, he begins to type these notes. To quote Truman Capote, this is not writing, this is typing.
One of the themes of this conversation is what offends people. The author of Guts knows about giving offense. Often, people are not especially offended themselves, but are offended on behalf of other people. Mr. Palahniuk uses the phrase “white knighting,” to describe this protective umbrage taking. Per urban dictionary: “White knighting Defending someone who does not wish to be defended.” White knighting is woke whitesplaining.
Two especially tasteful stories were told. If you are inclined to get offended, for any reason at all, you probably should skip over these two stories. The pictures, by The Library of Congress, are safe. Both of these stories are by well known authors, who are named in the interview. If you want to know who they are, you will have to listen to the interview. Once again, these stories are hard core, and you should take great caution in reading them. If you like these stories, there are more in the podcast.
Upon further consideration, it has been determined that one of the stories is too much. If you want to hear it, you can listen to the podcast. … The break room at a hospital was next to the room where autopsies were performed, with a glass window looking in. A twelve year old boy was on the slab, having died in a bicycle accident. The Pathologist cut away the boy’s face, and peeled it back, so that it hung over his jaw. This exposed a dark red layer of muscle, covering the face. The man looked at this, and said “that’s the color I want to paint my den.”
Mr. Palahniuk has had a lively career. A crooked business manager stole a great deal of money from him. Since he is no longer filthy rich, but merely filthy minded, he continues to produce books. Fight Club 3 is in the pipeline. It will probably be accompanied by a promotional tour, with more grossout stories for the clamoring public.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Paul Carter took the social media picture in September 1936. “Lunch hour Newport News Homesteads, Virginia” ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Door To Door Jesus
This content was originally published July 12, 2010. … Uzi called just as I was coming back to the computer with a sandwich. Even though it was Georgia July hot, Uzi wanted to get out and walk. Before long the old people’s favorite place to walk was suggested … the mall. I put clean pants on, and went over to Perimeter Mall. Walking into the capitalism cathedral, I began to think that I was the only white man without a tattoo. The lady at the tea shop did not mind, and offered a sample of some product. The two teas had a lovely taste, and many benefits for good health. …
… On the upstairs part of the mall (where fans blow the aroma of the food court) was the apple store. The merchandise was beautiful, and since I can’t afford it, I didn’t ask what it costs. One computer had a screen the size of a living room TV, and the cutest keyboard. The sales staff was attentive, even the one with the tattoos. As I left, the young lady at the door said “have an excellent day”. Before long, it was time to hit the food court. First, you go for a slow walk around the facility, taking samples from anyone foolish enough to offer one. …
… Then a decision is made. In the best food court tradition, I went to one vendor and Uzi to another. I got a fine meal of chicken, rice, greens, water, and styrofoam, and paid $5.87. While the food court lacked the ambiance of Piccadilly, it was a nice change of pace. After being satisfied that nothing had been missed, Uzi walked out to his car. A discussion was had about the struggle of old fogeyness, and how there has to be something else to do. I walked back inside, took a few more pictures of mannequins, and went home.
This content was originally published July 16, 2010. … I saw the two ladies walking across the street. One was white, one was black, both were carrying a book. The sensible dresses suggested door to door Jesus. … I was working on a picture when he heard a soft tapping on the door. Sure enough, it was the two ladies. The white one stepped forward and said ”Hi we are Jehovah’s witnesses. We are going around the neighborhood sharing a few words from the scriptures. I am sure you agree there is a lot of stress in life today”. I replied “I am looking at it”, and closed the door.
This content was originally published July 18, 2010. … I saw a link on facebook for a site called I Write Like. The idea is to paste a few paragraphs of your work in the box, have their computer hamsters run a few laps, and find out what author your style is similar to. “For reliable results paste at least a few paragraphs (not tweets).” Since the twitter revolution has passed me by (except for Conway Twitty jokes), this is not a problem. There is the matter of comparing apples to oranges. I write blog posts, which is a different animal from murder mysteries. …
My last post was about Mark Twain. After weeding out the quotes, I fed the text into the window. (The ease of copy/paste quotes is another game changer from the days of Dickens.) The droid said ”I write like Kurt Vonnegut.“ The bottom of the page had an amazon link to the books of Mr. Vonnegut. Perhaps this is the true motive. So it goes. … There was a doorstep encounter with a Jehovah’s Witness recently. The blog version was fed into iwritelike . The result: ”I write like Dan Brown”. …
A recent post about profanity is pasted in. “I write like Cory Doctorow”. It is time to go for a walk, before the alabama storms roll in. … On Tuesday the 13th, I wrote about the opium trade in Afghanistan as a possible motive for the war there. When I fed the text to the robots, the answer I got was “I write like David Foster Wallace“. It is better to write like DFW, than to imitate his lifestyle choices. … I Write Like is still in the game. As for the text in this post: “I write like Cory Doctorow“. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marion Post Wolcott took the social media picture in August 1941. Crow Agency, Montana Dudes from the Quarter Circle U Brewster-Arnold Ranch, near Birney, at the Crow Indian fair. · selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Actually A Compliment
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Phil Johnson’s SHOCKING Tribute at John MacArthur’s Funeral — Crowd Left in Silence!
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Jack Delano took the social media picture in January 1940. “Italian metal worker at the Correct Manufacturing Company in Fallston Pennsylvania.” · This is the monday morning reader for a boring week. The picture below: “Italian metal worker at the Correct Manufacturing Company in Fallston Pennsylvania.” · Jack Delano took the social media picture in January 1941. “Croatian steelworker in union hall in Midland, Pennsylvania” · In an interview with US journalist Chris Hedges, (United Nation’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca) Albanese, an expert in international law, concluded: “The genocide in Gaza has not stopped, because it is lucrative. It’s profitable for far too many.” · By 2009, Cynthia McKinney was no longer in congress. She still had her touch for controversy. She was arrested by Israeli police for trying to bring supplies into Gaza. Some things never change · Darryl is describing what he saw Americans doing in the Saudi-Yemen war. “And I don’t think I’m divulging any classified information here or anything. And honestly, like, with something like this, like, I just, I don’t. I don’t particularly care. I guess nobody ever told me not to talk about it. But when the Saudi war and UAE war on Yemen was going on, and every day you’re reading in the paper of kids literally starving to death, of kids dying of very preventable, very treatable diseases by the tens of thousands on a regular basis. And we would be interdicting… smugglers coming from Baluchistan and other places, trying to come in and out of Yemen. And we’d stop their Dows and small boats and we’d, you know, board them and search them and so forth. And when this was going on, I wasn’t a part of the crew. I was a civilian Department of Defense employee. And. But I go out on deck and I kind of watch these things go down… And I can’t tell you how many times, eventually it was one too many times, I would read one of those stories about what was going on in Yemen, and then we’re, you know, 100 miles off Yemen, stopping a boat that’s coming into that country that has nothing on it but medicine and watching everybody dump it into the ocean. and then everybody kind of celebrating like we just won another big victory, you know? And it got to the point where, again, it was just one too many times I couldn’t sleep at night. It was a big factor of why I left the job. It’s just. And, and, and, and I want to be very clear. I don’t indict the… sailors who were carrying out the mission.” · Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken January 1, 1949. Alberts Cancellation Shoes, 240 Peachtree Street, Atlanta. Today, 240 Peachtree is the Atlanta Merchandise Mart. · Today we take a look at two things I have done. On July 4, 2009, I was trying to clear kudzu off abandoned railroad tracks, in what would become the beltline. In July 2010, I went to a house party. The potted plants were complaining that the stereo was too loud · Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken September 23, 1952. · In 2010, the Prime Minister of Great Britain called for an end to the blockade of Gaza. Israel replied by blaming Hamas · Marion Wolcott Post took the social media picture in November 1939. Untitled photo, possibly related to: Itinerant preacher spreading “religion” to farmers outside warehouse while tobacco auction sales are going on. Durham, North Carolina · In 2010, Anne Rice “left Christianity” with a facebook post. I had a few opinions of my own · Howard Liberman took the social media picture in September 1942. “On board a fishing vessel, out from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Fishermen on the deck, washing up with a hose” · Every Night For A Thousand Years is a story about Walt Whitman’s time as a caregiver during the War Between the States. ENFATY, written in the voice of Mr. Whitman, appeared on The New Yorker podcast · “Union Colonel Richard Hinton met Whitman at Armory Square Hospital while recovering from a bullet wound suffered at Antietam … “When this old heathen came and gave me a pipe and tobacco, it was about the most joyous moment of my life. Walt Whitman’s funny stories, and his pipes and tobacco were worth more than all the preachers and tracts in Christendom. A wounded soldier don’t like to be reminded of his God more than twenty times a day. Walt Whitman didn’t bring any tracts or bibles; he didn’t ask if you loved the Lord, and didn’t seem to care whether you did nor not.” · Today’s contribution to the collected wisdom includes Coal mine safety, the Westboro Baptist Church, and bumper stickers · Consult is the base word of consultant. Consult can mean the dispenser of knowledge, or the act of seeking out this supply. There is usually money involved. When you glue on ant, as in insect … your aunt might be a consultant, but the u is not included … consultant adds another proprietary layer to the equation. Sometimes the exchange of information for money takes on a new level of professionalism. A person of my acquaintance was once in the business of entertaining gentleman callers, on a quid pro quo basis. She called herself a consultant. When you think about it, this is not as much a stretch as some would think. A meeting with an attorney is called a consultation, and sex worker is one of the kinder things that people call lawyers. Especially if ambulances are involved. · Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marjory Collins took the social media picture in March 1942. “Washington DC Printing the school paper at the Armstrong Technical High School” · selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Coal Pays The Bills
This content was originally published July 23, 2010. … There is an idea that regulation is a bad thing. The government should let business alone, let them do what they need to do to make profits. There are others who disagree. Coal , the other fossil fuel, has a long history of bloodshed between workers and management. The story linked here is about methane detectors turned off, so that coal can continue to come out of the ground. In one special incident: Don Blankenship, the CEO of Massey Energy, was caught with a 2006 memo that told workers faced with safety rules, “you need to ignore them and run coal” because “coal pays the bills.” …
… In other news, BP has sort of fitted a cap on the mile deep gusher, just in time for hurricane season. There is no way of knowing how that story will turn out. And more stories are coming out about how workers on the deepwater horizon could see the problems, but kept silent. They wanted to keep their jobs. A key quote from the story linked: “But don’t lose the view of the big picture. Big business is there to make as much money as they can for their shareholders. They do not give a rat’s ass if they are sending their workers into harms way as long as the benefits outweigh the costs.
This content was originally published June 23, 2010. … Those fun lovers from the Westboro Baptist Church decided to protest a comic book convention in San Diego. The pulp fiction fans had a welcoming party, in costume. Lots of cameras were used, and a good time was had by all. Maybe this is not the best approach to take. The WBC peeps are living a fantasy, just like those who wear an intergalactic warrior uniform. Of course, the Phelps folks think they are spreading the truth, while most of the comic book crowd knows they are not really androids. Suppose, instead of protesting the WBC, they were welcomed to the fantasy fair. …
… In the free marketplace of ideas, the most creative will get the most notice. Let style take its rightful place in front of substance. If this were to happen, the WBC crowd would be ignored, instead of getting the persecution they so crave. The main difference between WBC and more mainstream brands of Jesus worship is the style. Yes, very few preachers picket the funerals of soldiers. But the substance of the poison…that homosexuals are terrible people because the Bible says so, if you don’t agree with me you go to hell… is very similar to the message delivered, at top volume, in thousands of pulpits every sunday morning. None of them speak well for Jesus. …
… I was going to make a comment about pedophilia, and how this does not seem to be a problem at WBC. Before he did so, I went to Google to make sure. I found this item. “Security was tight today as Westboro Baptist Church member Shirley Phelps-Roper appeared in Sarpy County Court to answer charges that she mutilated a flag and put her child in danger while protesting at the funeral of a Bellevue, Neb., soldier…According to Bellevue police, Phelps-Roper had her 10-year-old son stomp on an American flag. Church members had obtained a city of Bellevue permit to protest.”
This content was originally published July 26, 2010. … @$#% &#$$ likes Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. ” In the old days, people put a bumper sticker on their vehicle to show off the clever saying they heard. Now, they “like”. … According to wikipedia, bumper stickers did not exist before the bumper. The first BS were attached to the vehicle with wires. A printer in Kansas City MO named Forest P. Gill gets the credit ( or blame) for adding stick on adhesive to pvc, and creating the first modern BS. …
… When I was a kid, there was a miniature golf course on Cheshire Bridge Road called Putt Putt. The first bumper sticker I saw was from this facility. It said “I play Putt Putt” … Many concepts just don’t work when reduced to a few words. The subtleties of Christian teaching are not well served by “G-d Said it, I believe it, that settles it”. … Moving ahead to modern times, Likeydotnet is in the vanguard of digital slogan distribution. As a public service, this blog is going to post a few of these slogans. …
… No matter what I get on the computer to do, I always end up on Facebook. · I’m telling the truth, but then I smile, and then they think I’m lying. · We have the ice cream truck for the kids, why don’t we have a frozen margarita truck for us adults? · Mom, im 16 now. Can I have a Bra? … No, Justin. · Im a girl but I rather hang out with boys because it is less drama!!!! · “feel my legs!!!” “why…?” “i just shaved :)” · You’ll never find the right person if you don’t let go of the wrong one. …
… Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections. · Sarah and Richie don’t talk they just facebook…….SAD. · Be nice to your kids. They’ll choose your nursing home. · growing your beard during exams to seek extra wisdom. · Congratulations! You’re the 1,000,000 visitor!” Yeah bullshit. · I know when we ge older that im going to get a call from you telling me ur drunk and to ome and pick you up,and im fine with that(: · Everyone, CALM down! Everything will be okay!…LOL, j/k! We’re all gonna die…
… Noooo… being a stripper is a very respectable job. LOL jk, you’re a whore. · So, I kinda sorta maybe like you a little more than I had originally planned. · ”who u texting” “mum do i have to tell u who i’m texting” “yea, is it your boyfriend” “NO, its the queen” · A penis has a sad life. His hair is a mess, his family is nuts, his neighbour is an asshole, his bestfriend is a pussy and his owner beats him! · PIG PIG PIG!# i wonder if ur liking? · I Like Hip Hop Break dance ♥♥♥#ygvbyyhjviuv …
… no its not you i miss its your company · i like my hair snooki style :) · I’m with you Mag, I love Jesus, my strength and courage to face the day-I trust him with my day always · My Wee Angel · Older Brother: I’m goin to the shops. Me: Can you bring me back something? Older Brother: No. Me: Please. Older Brother: No. Me: Please. Older Brother: No. Me: Please. Older Brother: Maybe. *Comes back later* Me: What did you bring me? Older Brother: Sorry, I forgot. Me: LIAR!!! · you smell : realy :yer Well Nott Realy I Havee Hadd A Showerr …
… ten most shocking photos who put the surveys there · Girls, you look like a burnt cookie. Unplug the tanning bed and back away slowly. · I Love My Best Friend More Than ANYTHING! (: x · when you like someone but you know you cant have them · i say “hi”, but my heart is screaming “I LOVE YOU!!!” · Why do people leave without even saying goodbye? · If we invite someone to a party, we’d request “the honor of your presence”. If they’re a judge, it’s the presence of Your Honor. · Guy: I love you. Girl: No you don’t, ‘I love you’ are just words. Prove it to me and maybe I will believe you. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Howard Liberman took the social media picture in September 1942. “On board a fishing vessel, out from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Fishermen on the deck, washing up with a hose” · selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Walt Whitman And The War
This content was originally published July 4, 2024. … Every Night For A Thousand Years is a story about Walt Whitman’s time as a caregiver during the War Between the States. It appears this month on The New Yorker fiction podcast. ENFATY was written in the voice of Mr. Whitman by Chris Adrian, and read for the podcast by @NathanEnglander.
After looking for his wounded brother, Mr. Whitman was struck by the plight of wounded soldiers. He started to visit the soldiers, giving them candy and food, writing letters for them, and giving what comfort he could. ENFATY focuses on one soldier, Hank Smith. Doctors wanted to amputate his leg. Hank had a pistol, and would not let them. By the time Hank was tricked into allowing an amputation, it was too late.
Not everyone approved of Mr. Whitman. “One disapproving commissioner, Harriet Hawley, complained to her husband: “Here comes that odious Walt Whitman to talk evil and unbelief to my boys. I think I would rather see the evil one himself—at least if he had horns and hooves.”
Others saw things differently. “Union Colonel Richard Hinton met Whitman at Armory Square Hospital while recovering from a bullet wound suffered at Antietam … “When this old heathen came and gave me a pipe and tobacco, it was about the most joyous moment of my life. Walt Whitman’s funny stories, and his pipes and tobacco were worth more than all the preachers and tracts in Christendom. A wounded soldier don’t like to be reminded of his God more than twenty times a day. Walt Whitman didn’t bring any tracts or bibles; he didn’t ask if you loved the Lord, and didn’t seem to care whether you did nor not.”
Conditions conditions in the hospitals were beyond horrible. This was an era when many people said “I do not need to wash my hands every day!” One nurse asked Mr. Whitman if he had a Bible. She wanted to cheer up, by reading the Book of Job.
“These hospitals, ranging in size from converted private mansions to filthy, mud-encrusted tents in contraband camps, were places to be feared by any thinking person. The great European medical advances in bacteriology and antisepsis were still tragically a few years in the future … the overworked and understaffed physicians continued to ascribe the soldiers’ ills to such fantastical causes as “malarial miasms, mephitic effluvia, … sewer emanations, and poisonous fungi in the atmosphere.” …
The predictable result of such hurried and horrific operations was postoperative infection. Pyemia, septicemia, erysipelas, osteomyelitis, tetanus, and gangrene were grouped together as “surgical fevers.” Pyemia, literally “pus in the blood,” was the most dreaded of all, with a mortality rate of 97.4 percent, but the other surgical fevers also claimed their deadly share of victims. Not without reason did Civil War soldiers fear doctors much more intensely than they feared the enemy. They had a greater chance of dying in the hospital than in the field.
“That whole damned war business is about 999 parts diarrhea to one part glory.” The quote is on page 187 of Intimate with Walt – Selections from Whitman’s Conversations with Horace Traubel, 1882-1892. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. The social media picture was taken in September 1864. “Petersburg, Va. Group of Company B, U.S. Engineer Battalion”
Anne Rice
This content was originally published July 29, 2010. … Anne Rice made a highly public statement about her religious opinions. … “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten …years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.” wed 07-29-1:36 pm …
“As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of …Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.” 07-29-1:41 pm … “My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.” 07-29-5:30 pm …
… I added a few thoughts. 1 – Who cares? A part of Jesus worship that is disgusting is the assumption that anyone else cares whether or not you are a true believer. This co exists with the idea that the you are entitled to know about the beliefs of other people. There are people who think that their beliefs are their business. Just because you are a famous writer, that knows the value of publicity, does not mean your opinions about God are more valuable than mine. …
… 2 – Does Ms. Rice have a new book coming out soon? She does have a talent for publicity and marketing. The woods are full of talented authors. It takes work to hone this talent into marketable product. She then persuaded a publisher to take a chance selling her product, and got the public to buy truckloads of her books. This does not make her opinions about God more valuable than mine. …
… 3 – Jesus has mutated over time into the poster boy of this obscene religion. Maybe the “real Jesus” was anti gay, pro war, and anti thought. Maybe 2000 years ago the living person named Jesus had these highfalutin ideas about love thy neighbor. That is what the Bible says. For all we know, the historic Jesus was just as nasty as his worshipers are today. … The way to know Jesus is through his believers. The putrid spectacle of modern Christianity is what the spirit of Jesus has morphed into. …
… To say that you are pro Christ and Anti Christian is double talk, like hate the sin/love the sinner. Why not dispute the belief, and be kind to the believer? … I do not know what led Anne Rice to this impasse. I do not care. Anne Rice is a talented writer, that is enjoyed by millions of people. The only Anne Rice book that I read was “Interview With The Vampire”. I got 150 pages into it, and found it very powerful. It was taking me places I did not want to go. I did not finish IWTV. …
… Jesus has not been kind to me. His worshipers have heaped abuse on me. After a while, it does not make sense to find excuses for Jesus. If Jesus truly pays the price for the sins of his believers, then he should take the blame for this loud, hateful flock. And Anne Rice should quit talking about Jesus, and get back to writing books. … Anne Rice died December 11, 2021. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marion Wolcott Post took the social media picture in November 1939. “Untitled photo, possibly related to: Itinerant preacher spreading “religion” to farmers outside warehouse while tobacco auction sales are going on. Durham, North Carolina” · selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Cynthia McKinney Brought Crayons
This content was originally published July 5, 2009. … Cynthia McKinney is in an Israeli jail. That is about the only thing I can say for sure. A boat carrying supplies to Gaza was stopped by Israel. Miss McKinney was taken into custody. In a telephone statement, Miss McKinney said : “…I had a suitcase full of crayons for children … My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free from the exigencies of superpower politics“ … As the fishwrapper tells the tale, Miss McKinney was offered a quick release if she would sign a statement. According to her mother, Leola McKinney, the statement was written in Hebrew. …
… The story also has this tidbit: “Israeli officials blame Cynthia McKinney and her group for the controversy, saying they were looking for confrontation to attract publicity. The officials note that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.” A google search of “officials note that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza” did not yield the text of a statement by “Israeli officials”. Nor did it shed any light on an “international community agreement”. The ding ding ding you hear is a BS detector. …
… A google search for “palestinian authority agrees to blockade of Gaza” yields little except confusion. There is an article which says : “Hamas Saturday accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of supporting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in a bid to weaken the Islamic movement which controls the territory.” The PA denies the charges, and says Hamas is playing politics. Ding, ding, ding. … What sort of government agrees to a blockade of its own people? What “international Community” has the authority to say it is OK? The suffering in Gaza continues, and that is the other certainty in this story.
This content was originally published July 7, 2009. … The book for the waiting room is “Genius and Heroin”. I finished my part one post on page 123, with Jean Harlow. Continuing through the H section, I see that LSD was the drug of choice for Jimi Hendrix. This is not the first time the I have doubted G&H, nor is it likely to be the last. Later, in a sidebar to Henry VIII, the cause of death for some English kings is listed. The hot poker massage of Edward II is not mentioned. We do see that James I had gout in 1625, probably from the consumption of too much meat. George II met his maker after “excessive pushing” on the throne in 1760. …
… William Sydney Porter went to federal prison for bank fraud. He used the time to write the short stories that made him famous. His prisoner number was transliterated into his pen name, O Henry. … The dealership has a customer workroom. This is a quiet place, without the inevitable TV. Today is the memorial service for Michael Jackson. G&H is a series of mini biographies. The honorees were brilliant men and women who had problems, many of which led to an early grave. I suspect that if it was being written today, G&H it would have a section about Michael Jackson.
This content was originally published July 09, 2009. … MJ is gone, but not forgotten. The rest of the news is kinda rotten. In Iran, the protest and bash cycle is starting up again. In Israel, Mr. Netanyahu is acting strange. (It might not be acting). It would be a natural move for him to start a war with Iran, or maybe a feel good crackdown in Gaza. … Back in the YouEssAA, the pundits just won’t leave Sarah Palin alone. Andrew Sullivan posted a few words on why he won’t let up. His thesis is that a woefully deficient woman was almost elected Vice President, and he doesn’t like that. …
… This is too little and too late. In 2000, George W. Bush ran for president against Al Gore. W turned out to be a dangerous mistake. Maybe, if the press had scrutinized him with the vigor they are showing Mrs. Palin, W would have lost the election. There are indications that 911 was motivated by a personal grudge against the Bush family. If Al Gore had won the election, 911 might not have happened. Even if it had, Gore’s reaction possibly would have been more competent. There is a good chance Mr. Gore would not have invaded Iraq to punish Saudi Arabia. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Jack Delano took the social media picture in January 1941. “Croatian steelworker in union hall in Midland, Pennsylvania · selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
Derangement Syndrome
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Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. John Vachon took the social media pictures in April 1940. “Transient men waiting in line for evening meal served at 5 p.m. at the city mission. Dubuque, Iowa.” · Here is this week’s Monday afternoon reader. The picture below was taken in April 1940. “Transient men waiting in line for evening meal served at 5 p.m. at the city mission. Dubuque Iowa.” · Things would like to hear people say: There was some overblown rhetoric about SB 203, which turned out to be false. We were stupid and wrong to move the MLB All-Star game out of Atlanta in 2021. I am not holding my breath. · Contestants, Bathing Girl Revue, Galveston, Tex., May 14th, 1922 · The story of Diane Linkletter gets stranger the more you look into it. By part three, her boyfriend is delivering drugs to 10050 Cielo Dr, the afternoon before the Manson crew came to visit · We have these six letter words. One starts with r, the other ends with r. One I am forbidden to say, one I am forbidden to not say. What would happen if we substituted on six letter word for the other? · This look at 2009 features a discussion at a Christian website on the topic, did the whale swallow Jonah or did Jonah swallow the whale? Pictures of culinary tragedies are from This is why your’e fat. The picture below: Hamburger Cake · Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken June 10, 1966. “Beauty Contestants at Dinkler Plaza Hotel.” · When you get a foil condiment of tomato purée, it is always “Fancy Ketchup.” Has anyone ever gotten plain ketchup? · This post is about drama involving Nikole Hannah-Jones. It was originally posted in 2021. Since then, Ms. Hannah-Jones’s Trump-orange hair has been braided. · This is a repost. · Pictures today are from The Library of Congress Jack Delano took the social media picture in January 1940. “Italian metal worker at the Correct Manufacturing Company in Fallston Pennsylvania.”· selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025
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