Chamblee54

Back a war or two ago, a phrase entered the vocabulary. The expression was collateral damage. This referred to civilians killed in a combat action. It sounds a lot nicer than dead women and children.
To hear the war supporters tell it, the enemy was causing this. The terrorists would move women and children into areas they knew were going to be attacked, so they could be killed. The terrorists would get sympathy for their cause when this happened. To the war supporters, it was a cost of doing business.
The past few days, there has been discussion at this facility about speaking out when you hear something you don’t like. People say it is bigotry and hate, which sounds a lot worse than something you don’t like. Just like collateral damage sounds nicer than dead children.
When people put on their warpaint about to fight bigotry, there is frequently collateral damage.

There was an incident that illustrates my point. This was when I was at Redo Blue, working with the Bully for Jesus. I will use the initials BFJ.
One day BFJ heard someone make a comment using the phrase “your daddy said”. This comment was made by a white person, referring to another white person. BFJ is a black person, and the comment offended him.
BFJ decided to vent his feelings about this comment. Since he was working on a rush job across the room from the white person, he made his comments in a loud voice. This way the white person across the room could hear what he said, and BFJ could work on his rush job.
Towards the end of his speech, BFJ made the comment “when your mother and your father forsake you, you still have your father in heaven” This is supposed to be in the Bible.
BFJ was staring at me and shouting when he said this. Later, he said he had not been talking to me.
This comment pushed me past my limits. BFJ conducted a ministry on company time, and he had a nasty temper. I don’t know if this was a bigoted comment or not, but I had to say something. Sometimes, you need to stand up to a bully. And you best be prepared for a fight, which is exactly what the bully wants.
Someone said once that you should never wrestle with a pig. You will only get dirty, and the pig will enjoy it.
I left a note on his desk saying that ” My mother and father have not forsaken me” We proceeded to have a closed door meeting. He argued with everything I said, admitted no wrongdoing, and chewed me out repeatedly for what the other white person had said. When I was at the point where I thought he was the lowest scum on the planet, BFJ said “Jesus made me what I am today” .
We continued to work closely together for another three years or so. I witnessed a few hundred more hours of his ministry. One day the manager called me into the office, and told me not to come back.
The point of this story is, when you “Stand Up” against “bigoted comments”, you might need to be prepared to mud wrestle with someone who thinks he is building his faith. You should learn the difference between bigotry and being too sensitive. It is best to keep things between you and the person who offended you, and not cause collateral damage.

In an early morning discourse, I said that Martin Niemoller was rolling in his grave looking for the royalties from his poem, “First they came…“. A little research later, I don’t think he ever wrote it down.
For those of you with very short memories, here is the work…

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

-Martin Niemoller

Martin Niemoller was the son of a Lutheran minister. In World War 1, he served on a U boat crew. Harold Marcuse tells this story: “Niemöller was a commander of a German U-boat in World War I. A seminal incident in his moral outlook, as he related in many public speeches later in his life, occurred when he commanded his submarine crew not to rescue the sailors of a boat he torpedoed, but let them drown instead. “ After the war he became a Lutheran Minister. He was originally a supporter of Mr. Hitler, but became an opponent. He was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945.
After the war, he began to speak out. The famous poem was derived from these speeches.
It was never written down in typical poet fashion. There are several versions of it from him, and many more as the years rolled by. It has been quoted, updated, and quoted again.
In addition to the four groups mentioned above, the Nazis also came for mentally ill, incurably ill, or people in occupied countries. The legend is that when asked if he included Catholics, he said “I never said it. They can take care of themselves.” When the McCarthy fever hit America, he declined to mention Communists.
With regard to the royalties, I could not see that it was ever copywrited. I do not know who “owns the rights”. Some have even speculated that the poem was not composed by Mr. Niemoller.
In the past week, I have seen the poem twice in blogs that I read. One was in reference to gay marriage. The other was because a teacher heard students say things he did not like. I don’t think either of these issues has anywhere near the power of the holocaust.
There is the Rebel looking for a cause syndrome. Many people just want to fight about something, and the cause is secondary to the lust for battle. When a poem like this is used to fire up people for a shaky cause, it brings discredit to the poem.
There is the matter of the “Next Hitler” argument. During the run up to the first war against Iraq, Saddam Hussein was routinely called the next Hitler. While this may be a valid argument at times, it is like the boy who cried wolf if used too much.
Maybe a general moratorium is needed on the use of “First they Came…”

When there is nothing else to write about, you can always take an online test.
There are two in this feature. The first is “Are you gooder at grammar?”
I am embarrassed to admit that I only got 81% on this. Maybe I should whine about trick questions.
This one is heavy on the words that sound alike, but are spelled different. Whose/who’s, your/you’re, and its/it’s are prominently featured. I should know that one is possessive and one is an contraction using a verb. One complaint is the lack of an answer page. This prevents one from learning from mistakes.

The second half of this double feature is “What religion would accept you?” Some of the available options were better here. Like question 3: 3. What created the universe? a god /some gods /big bang/ beats me When did it become such a sin to admit that you don’t know?
As some of you know, I am a recovering Baptist. I have numerous issues with the business of Jesus Worship. However, I am too occidental to be a Buddhist.
So guess which religion this test assigns me? Yea, up there with half of Asia. Couldn’t I just settle for an occasional dim sum?
A problem with many online quizzes is the multiple choice format. You wind up making the least wrong choice, or the Lester of the four evils. I was amused by this option: 11. Do you live as you were raised? Of course, everyone else EATS their children/ Largely/ People do that?? There was a cartoon once. There was a meeting of the Adult Children of Normal People. There was one person in the auditorium. So I should be a Buddhist. What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything.
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
gooder- guider, golder, gooier, goober, go oder

One of the regular stops on this computer is EarthtoDavid. ETD is a country man living in Opelika, Alabama. Recently, he started a “fitness journal”.
Now, there are two ways to see this sort of blogging. You can say it is narcissistic and ignore it. Or you can read and enjoy it. Both answers are correct, which is the beauty of the Internet.
Part of this journal is the songs on his mp3 player while he walks. Now, I have a thing about listening to the world when I am outside. As I commented: “I like to walk and bicycle. However, I do not own an mp3 player. I like to listen to the birds, wind, and the freight trains. There is so much to hear and enjoy in the world, and you miss it when you listen to recorded music.” ETD was a big enough man not to be offended by that, and the next day : ” that is what I did. It was really nice to hear the raindrops falling on my umbrella as well as the tree frogs, birds chirping, fish jumping in the water out on the lake, some swimmers out in the water throwing frisbee and enjoying a light rainy evening and seeing the sun settle down behind a thick blanket of rain clouds.”
Part of this journal is a picture of ETD at the top of the post. I began to notice to telltale wire of the mp3 player. I realize that when he is walking around the lake, he is doing it for the benefits, and not because of what he looks like. Nonetheless, I felt obligated to share this: ” One more comment about mp3 players. Going by the pictures that accompany these posts, you look better without a wire hanging out of your ear.
I have a bit of history/baggage here. I worked for a long time across the room from an earplug listener. His desk was in front of my work station, so when I was doing my job I was looking at him. He looked like an idiot with that reverse colostomy bag hooked up to him. There is a lot more to this story…he was an abusive Jesus Worshiper …but seeing hundreds of hours of him listening to his preaching tapes was the icing on the cake.”
Life is a matter of personal connections. You connect things to people in your life. And so it is with earplugs and the Professional Jesus Worshiper. ( I see Jesus in the words and deeds of his believers).
When you are seen listening to an earplug at work, you are making a statement that you do not like what you hear there.You want to listen to something else. Sometimes this is not a big deal, and may in fact may be a good thing. However, when you are in a viable customer service position, and you feel you are making a statement by listening to “The Word of G-d”… It is a gesture of disrespect to your employer and co workers.
The material on the reverse colostomy bag was NOT the Word of G-d. An argument could be made that the sound of birds singing is.
Spell check suggestions for this feature.
Opelika- apelike, angelika, ophelia, Pelican, copeland
visable- viable, disable, visible

PG was in an office when he walked by a conversation.
Two men and a woman were discussing the Lakers and the Celtics.
One of the men started to say something.
The woman cut him off, saying “I wasn’t talking to you”. .
PG knew it was none of his business, and he carried on as if he had heard nothing.
But it made him sad to know that people treat each other so badly.
PG used to work at a place called Redo Blue. Almost every day, people would stand in front of his work station and talk. If PG so much as looked at them, he was verbally abused “I wasn’t talking to you. I am warning you, I am a recovering thug and I am about to relapse”
Why do people feel the need to treat their neighbor this way? Why are so many of these people Jesus Worshipers?
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
Lakers-takers, makers, bakers, fakers, lasers, layers, lagers

Recently your humble reporter has been wallowing in the pixelage of “World Class Stupid”. If the rearranged that to be World Stupid Class they could call it geography.
The big dog at WCS is a well spoken fellow, and I sent him a letter yesterday asking for permission to quote some of his work. I may yet do that, but I am distracted by some examples of World Stupid…without any class…from the Bush White House.
The first quote is from WCS itself. You have to admire someone called that who doesn’t mind a bit of competition. It refers to Scott McClelland. Regarding his tell all book at W and the bois: “[Scott] McClelland was reportedly paid $75,000 for his tome. A White House staffer referenced the Bible in response by telling the media, “Ironically, in today’s dollars that amount is worth exactly 30 pieces of silver.”
The WCS feature about this Bible Buckle Humor had a link to a Washington Post article about McClelland and W. This article has a link to mother jones, which does not require a subscription for much the same information.
The quote below is from a book by Ret. Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez. His book has been largely ignored in the flap over the McClelland book, but may well be more credible. A military man has an obligation to follow orders more severe than a press spokesman. When Gen. Sanchez denounces the dunces, he carries more weight.
In the speech quoted below, Mr. Bush was speaking to his national security team and some Generals. It is after an incident in 2004 when some contractors were killed in Fallujah. The president speaks:
“Kick ass!” . “If somebody tries to stop the march to democracy, we will seek them out and kill them! We must be tougher than hell! This Vietnam stuff, this is not even close. It is a mind-set. We can’t send that message. It’s an excuse to prepare us for withdrawal.”
“There is a series of moments and this is one of them. Our will is being tested, but we are resolute. We have a better way. Stay strong! Stay the course! Kill them! Be confident! Prevail! We are going to wipe them out! We are not blinking!”

This from a man who spent Vietnam marching on weekends in Alabama (sometimes).

P.G. was driving down a road in Marietta when he passed a bar. The sign in front advertised “KY Jelly Wrestling”.
The implications were clear and slippery.
A bar in Marietta was involved in a spectacular DUI case a few years back. A patron was driving home when his pickup truck swerved off the road, and went under the guy wire of a telephone pole. His passenger had his head stuck out the window, where it was separated from his body by the guy wire. The driver continued home. He went to bed without changing his clothes.
P.G. thinks it was the same bar, but would not want to say something like that in black and white…or whatever color he choses to print this.

His thoughts were distracted a few minutes later by some radio nonsense. A whiner, who is an attorney, was saying that ” a statement is not a lie unless you knew it was false when you said it”. While technically true, this does not absolve the person who spreads falsehoods of responsibility.
The whiner at law was referring to remarks by President Bush before the War in Babylon. Mr. Bush may have felt that Iraq did indeed have weapons of mass destruction. There is reason to believe that Saddam bought poison gas from The United States when he was our ally…and Daddy Bush was Vice President. Bush the Younger is reported to have demanded the CIA give him “evidence” of WMD’s in Iraq, so that he could justify his war lust. When people told him what he wanted to hear, he did not dig deeply to make sure it was true.
His lips were moving when he said it.
Technically it was not a lie. Nor was it telling the truth.
Finally, before the weekend gets started, here is a minstrel show.
A clergyman from the Roman Pedophile Church was speaking at the Trinity United Church of Christ. You know, the one that Barack Obama went to for twenty years, but never heard the preacher say anything really bad.
This pasty white goes to a black church and carries on like a true soul brother. I wonder if he talks like that when he is talking to a white audience.
As for his claim that Hillary thought she deserved the nomination because she was white…what color were the other Democrats that sought the nomination?

A clean pair of socks is change you can believe in…The intangibles include believe, respect, good will, and trust. Semantic fine tuning aside, these words mean the same thing… A man has to believe in something. I believe I will have a drink. W.C. Fields said that… A cynic is someone who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. A discussion on belief needs balance… Mr. Barnum once said “there is a sucker born every minute”. This belief served Mr. Barnum abundantly… Miss Teenage South Carolina gave a famous speech. The first three words were ” I personally believe”… Anyone can quote the Bible. To do so without the trust of the listener is to speak in vain… Opinions are like a smelly,though productive, body part. What does this say about beliefs?… If you express your thought in less than twenty two words there is no need to continue…Believe is a seven letter word. The first two letters are BE. The next three letters are LIE…Cher had a hit song called “Believe” The hair is a wig, the plastic surgery is paid for, but do you believe… John 3:16 has more than 22 words. That verse helps reduce Jesus to a scheme for life after death… My opinions about G-d, the Bible, Jesus, and Life after Death are none of your business… This rumination was inspired by twentytwowords.com. The twentytwo word limit was observed in most of these passages.

Mary had a little pig, She kept it fat and plastered;
And when the price of pork went up,
She shot the little bastard…

Hey diddle, diddle, the cat took a piddle,
All over the bedside clock.
The little dog laughed to see such fun.
Then died of electric shock.

Mary had a little lamb. Her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her, Between two chunks of bread…

Jack and Jill went up the hill To have a little fun.
Stupid Jill forgot the pill And now they have a son…

Simple Simon met a pie man going to the fair.
Said Simple Simon to the pie man, ‘What have you got there?’
Said the pie man unto Simon, ‘Pies, you dumb ass’…

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings’ horses, And all the kings’ men.
Had scrambled eggs, For breakfast again…

Georgie Porgy pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
And when the boys came out to play,
He kissed them too ’cause he was gay.

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good, she was very, very good.
But when she was bad……..
She got a fur coat, jewels, a waterfront condo, and a sports car.

There is a gentleman in Iran now who is protesting the Islamic regime there by burning Quran . This would not seem to be good for his general health, unless he enjoys getting an aerial view of Tehran from a crane with a rope around his neck.
In Catharsis, Abbas points out that the approved method of disposing of a tattered Quran is to burn it.
This brings to mind the controversies stateside about burning the flag. It is the proper method for disposal of an old flag to respectfully burn it. In both cases the motive behind the fire is key.
Flag burning was popular at Vietnam era protests, and was forgotten for many years. Then, about 1989 or so, a case went to the Supreme Court, and the Supremes ruled that it was legal to burn a flag. An instant controversy ensued, with many patriots raging long and loud about burning flags. This shows how much trouble can be caused when lawyers get involved with something.
(I suspect the same factor is at work in the current firestorm over Gay Marriage. Do people really want this, or are a bunch of lawsuit happy attorneys bringing this down on us?)

There is also the matter of a fast flaming fire, and the slow cooking of the sun. Flags, and Flag stickers, are routinely left out in direct sunlight. The sun will take out those colors quickly, with red going out before blue. (Is that a lesson for Democrats and Republicans?)
A co worker of mine had a sticker on her van in the early nineties. The sticker had a flag, and the slogan “Try burning this one”. She parked the van in direct sunlight.

In the commentaries about Quran, I notice that no one ever says “The Quran”. This is unusual to me, because the holy book of our culture is the Bible. The B word almost never appears without The. But then, THE is the most commonly used word in the English Language.
I am not sure of the Arabic language and how it works. Do they routinely use devices like THE to specify objects?
One thing about use of THE with the Bible. Bible worshipers have this idea that their book is THE word of G-d. Not a book of G-d, or a book about G-d. The word of G-d, the only one. This idea…which is rarely challenged by believers…is ridiculous to this reporter. G-d does not write books…and that applies to Quran as well.

There is a Jesus Worship blog called Pyromaniacs, which is facilitated by Phil Johnson. Chamblee54 is banned from commenting there.
In a recent comment thread, Mr. Johnson made the following statement:

“We don’t delete anyone merely for disagreeing with us, even if they are insulting. The only comments we have ever deleted on a large scale (“dozens of times”) are those that are deliberately profane or smutty.”
In the times that I commented at Pyro, I did not cuss. While I was sometimes disagreeable, deliberately smutty is not my style. I wrote Mr. Johnson to mention this. I then received this message:“Look up the definition of profane, I think you’ll see you often qualified. However I don’t remember deleting any of your posts―certainly you weren’t deleted on any wide scale.”

I had always thought of profane as a precursor of profanity. Upon consultation of a dictionary, I learned that it is also a synonym for secular…that is, something that is not holy. I recalled hearing the phrase the sacred and the profane.
Which leads to the next part of our discussion…were my comments at Pyromaniacs profane?
Here is a list of the times I appeared there. If you have something better to do than look at these, I totally understand. The pictures are always there to look at.
The thread I have chosen to comment on tonight involves preaching at funerals. For many non Jesus Worshipers, a funeral is the closest we get to a church service. To many of us, preaching is offensive. I have heard about Jesus all my life, and made the painful decision that I did not agree with that way of thinking. To force a grieving person who is alienated from Jesus to listen to a pitch for “salvation” is a grotesque act of disrespect. It creates ill will for Jesus and is a violation of the third commandment.“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain”
This was the message that I presented in this comment thread. I was the only person to feel this way. At least one other person made the incredible statement that a funeral presentation was the first time a person had heard about Jesus. ( How could anyone in our Jesus mad culture not have heard about Jesus?)
Is the presentation of the Jesus message at a funeral sacred or profane? I know how I feel.
And no, confane is not the opposite of profane. It is a nonsense word.